Does anyone know if when you buy electronics in Korea and want the tax free free that you have to claim at the airport, can you use the electronics before you leave the country? I want to start using the phone for exwmpleX even for checking, but many places state it has to be unused and unopened before leaving the country, but I can find any official source on this.

I understand for consumables this is the case, but do non-consumable items have to be unopened as well?

I'm torn between these two hotels, please help me choose. I will be using the Amex Platinum benefits.

I’m travelling to Korea this month. But my whole feed on Instagram is just about things to keep in mind before coming and it’s a bit confusing at this point wrt t-money or climate card. What do you guys recommend? My trip later involves to Jeju island too

Anybody knows where to buy Hibiclens in Seoul? Preferably not via online as I’ll be going home next week. Tried to search it online but I’ve been seeing lots of shipping options but not a single physical store I can go to like olive young, malls or pharmacy..

Hi everyone. Been skulking around here to get ideas for my own trip, so a quick thank you for inspiration and tips is first due.

I'm travelling with my parents (60s) and my own family with our 3 year old.

We'll be in Korea from 2-11/12, and so far are looking at Seoul and Sokcho.
The current itinerary looks like this:
2/12
arrive at 0620 at Incheon
Would appreciate some ideas for early breakfast and places to kill time before checking in.

4-6/12 Sokcho
Seoraksan trail - have not started reading up on the trails yet, but is it worth visiting in winter?
Lots of eating seafood. What's good?

During our time in Seoul, we're thinking:
Makgeolli classes, the usual museums (Is the secret garden worth it in winter?), majang meat market, tongin market, pojangmacha. Thinking hitting up the Seoul Children's Museum for the kid's sake.

Edit: 7 days to fill out of 18 days

I only have Seoul to Jeonju planned out for the beginning, and the last few days of my entire trip to be spent back in Seoul.

I initially planned Seoul > Jeonju > Busan > Gangwondo (Gangneung/Seokcho/Chungcheon) > Seoul, but it seems like Jeonju > Busan > Gangwondo isn’t going to be a straight commute.

Should I keep my original itinerary and just deal with the hassle commute routes from Jeonju > Busan > Gangwondo? Or is there a better way to go about this?

I’ve been reading that I can go to Gyeongju from Busan via KTX, then Gyeongju to Gangneung via a bus (~5hr commute). Been checking Naver Map, but that route isn’t showing up, so not really sure if that route’s possible.

Lastly, if that route does exist, I’m just trying to fill 7 days, so doing Busan > Gyeongju > Gangneung > Seokcho/Seoraksan > Chungcheon might not be the smartest thing to do?

I also want to keep my trip as relaxing as possible.

Edit: I have a total of 18 days (initially 12 days). The 7 days is just for the gap in my itinerary that I have yet to fill.

All gay clubs were just so empty. I do follow reddit suggestions though…

Hi there, I am traveling to sokcho for a few days and would love to find a basic gym (really all I need is a treadmill and some free weights), tried looking on naver and google maps and all the options seem to be making a membership, wheras i'm only interested in single-entrance passes. Would love if you have recs!

We are a couple in early 30s. This was my husband's first and my second time in korea. We stayed in seoul and busan. We couldn't do Jeju though. First 3 days were in seoul we stayed in jongno hotel venue g. We explored myeongdong and namdaemun on day 2 did some shopping.

Day 3 - spent at gyeongbokyung palace, bukchon hanok village and ikseondong. We lost our card wallet in our Uber taxi on the way to Seoul station where we wanted to keep a part of our luggage before heading to busan the next day

Day 4 - ktx to busan. Checked into hotel in haeundae. We loved haeundae easy to navigate, beautiful beach. Unfortunately booked a late slot at the blueline park and missed the sunset we had a ride in complete darkness could only see the lit up high rise buildings and the bridge. So I suggest to always book a daytime slot at the blueline park. We went to the street market and also did some shopping.

Day 5 - went to haedong yongungsa temple..I think it was my favourite part of Busan trip. Beautiful views, serene atmosphere and felt divine. Even though it rained the entire day I still loved the temple so much. Evening we just explored the streets again and ate dinner.

Day 6, 7 - we checked out of sunset hotel in haeundae and headed to nampo-dong area in busan..stayed in ocean 2 heaven spa hotel next 2 days. Our first stop was Biff square which we really liked. Great street food though a bit crowded which we didn't mind at all. Some shopping at artbox which was great. We were too late to explore the bosudong book alley :( it was already too dark and they close early.Explored gamcheon village the next day. We didn't get the map offered at the entrance and just explored only few parts. Wish we did get the map and explored better. Overall gamcheon was underwhelming according to the type maybe ppl in 20s would be more inclined due to the cafes and photozones. We headed to bupyeong kkatong night market and ate street foods like crepe, spicy dangmyeon, and tteokboki.

Day 8 headed back to Seoul on ktx. Felt so sad leaving Busan and also because the trip was almost coming to an end in a couple of days. The second stay at Seoul was in mapo-gu. We stayed at a so called 3 star hotel but it was essentially a upgraded dormitory with very little space. The exterior was really innovative with working space, cafes etc but it's definitely not a typical hotel. Won't stay there again. However we hardly stayed at the hotel except to get ready and sleep. Explored hongdae, did shopping in the small cute shops in the evening

Day 9 went to coex mall to see the library was underwhelming..took photos at the Gangnam style statue..went to the bongunsa temple which was better than the coex library though it's an unfair comparison. At this point I was not feeling gangnam maybe because I didn't do much research as to where to go there. We went to Han river park in mangwon it was really beautiful no tourist just koreans. We had coffee at Starbucks and watched the sunset. Great experience. Did shopping at olive young before Meeting a friend for dinner at sinchon

Day 10 we went to war memorial in itaewon I really loved the place and learning about the history of Korea there. Next we went to mangwon market for lunch and headed back to hotel to rest

Day 11 we booked a klook tour to nami island. We wanted to a diy but had no time on hand to plan a proper trip. First part of the tour was petite france and Italian village. We loved nami island next time i would want to spend even more time there. Evening our tour bus made a stop at myeongdong. We shopped at lotte mall for hbaf, chocolates and coffee to take back home.

Day 12 last minute shopping in hongdae. Took a taxi back to airport

We used climate card for travelling in seoul - initially just the train and the second part we used more buses and we loved the bus a lot. In Busan we used only taxis or walked by feet in the locality.

Our Uber driver had our wallet safe which we knew about 2 days after the incident and we were able to meet him once we came back to Seoul. Our storage coffee shop employee was so kind to guide us with the phone calls and took us personally to exit 14 of seoul station where our driver was waiting. It was a happy moment for me and he dropped us at the second hotel in seoul.

Things I could have done better -

1. It's not easy to do multiple places in a day because a lot of time will be spent in walking and using the public transport
2. To be extra careful with belongings. Korea is so safe and ppl don't steal often but initial few days were overwhelming until we got a hang of using the subway. So it's easy to lose things if we didn't notice. We were super lucky we took a Uber taxi.
3. Good shoes!! Take a pair or two but good shoes make a world of difference because u are going to be walking a lot
4. Check timings of places whether they close early and time of last order at restaurants.
5. Tax refund at airport is super easy to do but we did it the first time and panicked a bit so couldn't do it for the all the items that we got.
6. Buy an item when u see it. My husband wanted a marvel collectible at Busan and he just ignored it saying he would buy it at Seoul we couldn't find it anywhere else.
7. Planning in advance regarding the places you want to visit. Although I did research quite well I could have split shopping and sight seeing a little bit better

Our experience It was overall a positive one. We found the koreans we met to be super polite and super helpful. I am really sad as I write the report because I didn't want to leave korea even though it was a good duration of time spent. There was still a lot more to see. I can't wait to go back someday again. Next time maybe we would try staying at an Airbnb just for the experience. Busan was definitely my favourite part of the stay yet next time i would spend more time in seoul and maybe do a trip to gyeongju alone. Climate card was very useful and naver maps essentially made our trip. Manifesting my next trip starting from now already.

hii I bought my KTX pass through klook but I cant seem to access Korail site to reserve my seats. I tried both my laptop and phone multiple times and it still doesn’t work🥲 is the website down or?

other than airbnb and booking, what is the most common booking app used by the accommodations in Seoul?

I was wondering which is a better option to shop food/snacks to bring home for my family and friends as souvenir? I used to buy snacks from Myeongdong but the marts there are too busy. I'll be staying in Chungmuro so both places are in Line4. Do they offer pretty much the same prices? Do they also offer Tax Free for foreigners? Thank you!

Hi, I'm heading to Seoul at the end of the month and looking forward to my first jjimjilbang experience! I will also get the fully body scrub but wondering if I should do it before or after dry saunas? What is the usual recommendation?

Hi everyone, needing your help and advice!

I am planning to hike Hallasan in end Dec 2024 but I can’t seem to access the website to book(https://visithalla.jeju.go.kr/).

Am I the only one?

26F Singaporean here. If anyone has hiked the 2 trails before on Hallasan/Jeju, please share some tips on either equipment/ food/ tips and trails!

If you’re also planning to go, do let me know too!

Hi, we will be flying with Korean Air first the first time and just wanted to recheck if there is built-in TV in the extra leg room seats?

I was not able to find the answer anywhere and just wanted to know if we shoudl bring any entertainment ourselves for the 10+ flight.

Thank you!

Day 1:

• Mangwon Market/Han River Park
• Myeongdong

Day 2 (DSP 72H):

• MMCA
• COEX
• Seoul Zoo

Day 3 (DSP 72H):

• Changdeokgung Palace
• Bukchon Hanok Village
• Theatre De Lumieres
• Itaewon

Day 4 (Christmas Day - DSP 72H):

• Seoul Sky
• Lotte World

Day 5:

• Snowyland (packaged tour)

Day 6:

• Insadong/Anguk
• Ikseon-dong
• Pojangmacha/Itaewon/Hongdae

Day 7:

• Myeongdong
• Incheon (apparently free AREX going to airport?)

Note: the reason why I’m not getting T-Money is because I have GCash/GoTyme card which is like a debit card that works in Korea.

I read somewhere that you don’t need to buy one in advance and you can just show up and buy it. It was sold out and I’m currently posting this from the very jammed packed all stop train. I could have booked out to the next express but the all stop train was a quicker option than waiting for that. Don’t be like me, plan ahead

We are checking out at 11am in one of the Incheon hotel and our flight is 2200Hrs. What is there to do in between time? How should be manage our luggage?

Hi all, I'm wondering does anyone know where I might be able to pick up a korean rugby jersey in Seoul? I haven't seen anything rugby related since I arrived.

Hi guys I will be in Seoul tonight and tomorrow. Wondering if I will be able to get the Asics Gel Kayano 14 while I still have some remaining time before leaving Seoul. I do not think I saw Asics stores as many as Nike and Adidas during the time here. Any tips is much appreciated! Thank you.

Currently looking at accomodation for Seoul and Busan, and after looking through Airbnb and Booking.com, I was wondering why there are so many female only stays/apartments/dorms etc.

I am only curious so only peaceful discussion please. I know about Korea's misogyny problem, so has this lead to the creation of these accomodation choices?

Hello! I’ve been looking for private transfer in klook that can accommodate 3 people with 3 32inch luggages and 3 24inch luggages. The max that I can find only accommodate 4 standard (24 inch) luggages for 3 people. Does anyone know a good private transfer that can accommodate us? thanks!

9 November 2024

We purchased Climate Cards from a GS25 in Gangnam Station for ₩3,000.

We loaded the cards at a ticket machine just before the turnstile. The cost for 5 days was ₩15,000. Note: As a foreigner, you must pay with cash.

As bus and metro trips seem to cost ~₩1,500 each, so long as you take at least 4 trips per day, you've saved. This may be different for other Climate Card options, eg. 3-day or 7-day pass.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Hi everyone, Sorry to ask this question for the millionth time on here but myself and some friends are planning a trip to Seoul soon.

We were hoping to go to HanCook N Seoul Tower but there are two celiacs in our group. We’ve tried to search for the menu online and contact the restaurant but to no luck.

I know gluten free eating is a challenge in Korea but does anyone know if there are some gluten free options on their menu? Or alternatively if any of the other restaurants in Seoul Tower might be a better choice?

Thanks for any advice you might be able to give!

Hi, what is the best way, considering time and effort, for a single person to travel to Yeosu for one night?

I have had no luck figuring out buses, and trains seem to be the same.

Would a Kakao Taxi make this trip? Cost is not an issue. If there are private car hires, how can I avail this option?

I'd ideally like to arrive to Yeosu by 1pm Sunday, the 10th (tomorrow), and return to Masan the following afternoon.

Thanks!

Been trying to call this number 070-7997-3060 with every combination of area code and prefixes under the sun with my Australian phone and nothing seems to be working. I've made calls to people back home so my SIM is working, just can't figure out how to call SK numbers.

We are traveling to Seoul for a bit over a week, from what I've researched, it says the tap water is fine and safe to drink. However, a friend recently went overseas to somewhere where online it said the tap water was safe, but he got really ill after having some. I don't think it's because of the water quality but more so the difference between the tap water we often drink here and their tap water. Has anyone had any experience from Aus drinking tap water in Seoul? Should we just stick to bottled water just to be sure? Also we would love to try a lot of foods we wouldn't usually have here, is there any foods we should avoid which might make us sick because our stomachs are not used to them?

Hi. Is there any way to ship items from South Korea to Australia? I’ll be travelling to Korea soon and I will do a bit of shopping. So I’m planning to just ship if not everything, then some of the things I will buy to Australia. Additional baggage is so expensive and if there is another option that is cheaper, can anyone please tell me? Thank you xx