Day One in Seoul

My two day stay in Seoul was really just a long layover on the way to Thailand. Since to goal of the trip was to escape the cold and the weather in Seoul was very similar to home I just made a quick stop, but I’m glad that I did. Seoul is such an exciting city with so much to see. I will definitely be back – just when it’s a little warmer.

Before you go…

-Download all of the Kakao apps. Google maps does not work. Uber is not in Korea. Kakao has replacements for these along with apps specific to the bus and subway systems. The map app allows you to save locations, which I did before we left so that I could just pull up a favorite and navigate to it. The app has the option to have the important fields in English so it wasn’t hard to use.

-If you have time, learn the Korean alphabet. I know, that sounds like an insane recommendation, but it’s not! I’m not recommending you learn the language, just learn to read the alphabet, like you would be able to read a different language that uses the Roman alphabet but still not know what it means.
Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is the only written alphabet with a known origin. It was created during the Joseon Dynasty to promote literacy among common people. Before that, Chinese characters were used to write the Korean language and common people did not have the time or resources to learn to write. So Sejong the Great commissioned the creation of an alphabet that would be easy to learn and it worked. It is said that Hangul characters are so easy to learn that “a wise man can acquaint himself with them before the morning is over; even a stupid man can learn them in the space of ten days”. I used an app to acquaint myself with the alphabet and was glad that I did. Most of my resources had Korean names written phonetically in the Roman alphabet so it was helpful to be able to sound out names on subway stop signs, for example. Familiarity with the characters also makes comparing writing, like comparing a sign to a guide book, much easier.

Itinerary

• 5pm (previous night): Arrive at Incheon and take the train to Seoul
• 9am-10am: Walk around Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds
• 10am-10.15am: Changing of the guard
• 10.30am-12pm: Folk Museum (adjacent to Gyeongbokgung)
• 12.30pm-1pm: Lunch at Cityfood Noodles
• 1.15pm-2pm: Walk down Insa-Dong street for souvenir shopping
• 2pm-5pm: Cooking class at O’ngo Food
• 5.30pm-7pm: Walk around Bukchon Neighborhood and Samcheongdong Road for sightseeing and shopping
• 7pm: Dinner at Dooreyoo

The Details

We landed at Incheon airport around 5 PM. It’s a huge airport but luckily there is lots of English signage. We quickly got through customs then wandered around for a while trying to find a place to buy an “M-Pass”. The M-Pass is a transit card designed for tourists. It allows you unlimited rides on any form of public transportation.

There is also a reloadable transit card, the Tmoney card. I did not do the math to see if we spent more or less by getting the unlimited pass but it was nice to not have to worry about reloading it. We got around exclusively using public transit so the M-Pass seemed like the best option, but if you don’t plan to move around a lot or plan to take cabs, then the Tmoney card would probably be a better option. Tmoney cards can be bought at any convenience store but the MPass can only be bought at designated kiosks which are cash only. We changed $80 USD into Korean Won (that lasted us the whole trip) and found the MPass kiosk. It is right outside the gate to the train into Seoul so just follow the signs for the Airport Railroad Express (AREX).

Cash vs Plastic
Don’t bother changing much money. Pretty much every business in Seoul takes credit cards so you are much better off using a credit card that doesn’t have foreign transaction fees than losing money when you convert it. The only time we used cash was to buy street food and transit cards, which must be bought with cash.

There are two options to get to Seoul by train – the express train or the all-stop train. The express train goes directly from the airport to Seoul Station. We took the all-stop train so that we could get off at the Hongik University stop, the closest stop to our Airbnb in the Hongdae neighborhood. After the hour long train ride we walked to the Airbnb, a cute little studio apartment, and promptly passed out.

A Note on Airbnb
Airbnb rentals provide a good value and allow you to stay in some of the smaller, trendy neighborhoods, like Hongdae. Although there are plenty of rentals in Seoul listed on Airbnb, the legality of it seems to be a gray area. From what I understand, as long as the host is registered with the city government it is not a problem. As with other cities where it’s not technically legal, it’s best to say that you’re staying with a friend if asked.

The next morning we got up early and hopped on a bus headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The sprawling palace complex houses many raised building, meeting halls, residences, and spaces for relaxing, that you can look into but not enter. The walking tour of the palace is entirely outdoors so we didn’t stay too long due to the cold, but we did stay for the changing of the guard ceremony, which I recommend seeing.

After the changing of the guard we walked over to the Folk Museum at the back of the palace complex. This very well curated museum provided a great summary of Korean history and culture. The museum wasn’t busy so one of the English speaking volunteers walked around the exhibits with us and gave us more information, like a private tour. The high quality of the exhibits and the knowledgeable and helpful staff make this museum a must see.

After the museum we walked a couple blocks to get lunch at a restaurant recommended by my guide book. Unable to find that restaurant and getting very cold we ducked into Cityfood Noodles for a warm bowl of soup. As soon as we sat down, we were given a couple different types of kimchi to snack on while waiting for our noodles. The noodle dishes were good and the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant was exactly what we needed after walking around in the cold.

After lunch we took a walk down Insa-Dong, a shopping street, on our way to our cooking class. Insa-Dong is a good place to pick up a few souvenirs. In our cooking class at O’ngo Food we learned to make bulgogi and kimchi. We also learned about the traditions around kimchi and its importance in Korean culture. The class was small and our instructor was great. The food turned out to be delicious and we left with the recipes that we’ve since tried again at home. I highly recommend taking a cooking class, it was such a fun learning experience.

After class we took a bus to the Bukchon neighborhood to walk off all the food we just ate before dinner. The Bukchon neighborhood is home to a large number of hanoks, traditional Korean houses. It was cool to see these very traditional buildings in the middle of such a modern city. This neighborhood is definitely worth a walk through. From there we walked over to Samcheongdong Road to do some shopping. Be warned – this walk requires walking up a large hill then down some steep stairs on the other side.

After shopping we made the walk back up those steep stairs and down the hill to Dooreyoo for dinner. We opted for the five course tasting menu. My favorite flavor of the meal was the seven year aged soy sauce. This alone makes the restaurant worth a visit, in my opinion. The meal was good, but I was more impressed with the creativity and presentation than the taste. After dinner we bused back to our apartment to rest up for day two!