VISITING KOREA

[Guest rachellee39]

So exciting!

I'm planning to go to seoul mid next year and all this tips really help. Gosh.....perhaps I should extend my stay.....

Just a question:

since I don't speak korean is it difficult for me to get around? And is there racism against other orientals?

thanks!

[Guest rachellee39]

wheee...

thanks for the advice and the link. i've just posted in the right forum.

gosh....so exciting....now im thinking of prolonging my stay.

i'm MAJOR saving from tomorrow!

[Guest rahrah]

clubbing - if u are staying in seoul, clubbing district is Hongdae.

There are "club Saturdays" in Hong Dae, where u can get a ticket to get into all clubs, instead of paying cover for each one. These are stand up clubs, hip hop, trance, etc...

NYLA, Juliana's etc... are the main booking clubs in Seoul... but they are much more expensive...

[Guest luvxholic]

1. where to club: i've only been to gang nam's NB and HARLEM but hongdae is where a lot of clubs are too haha the clubbing scene's very different from the US girls cant really dance...hahaha you'll see what i mean

2. what to eat! ( important!): EVERYTHING :] yum and almost everything's cheap ahh kim bap chun goook!!!

3. where to shop ( middle range.....like topshop, sportsgirl, mango...)

( where to get good bargains): eeh daeh, dong dae moon (migliore), myung dong

4. theme parks? are there any? lotte world, everland

5. How much would I need? ( for an average holiday....don't intend to spend lavishly but neither do I want to spend my time counting pennies): if u wanna be safe around 1000 for a month?

6. safety at night? its safe just dont be alone and in dark alleys

7. travel....taxi, bus or rent a car? SUBWAYYYYY is ur best friend, bus, n last resort taxi

[Guest msaung]

Since I spent least February, the WHOLE month in Korea, I think I can answer a few of your ?S

1. where to club: nieghborhoods of Hongdae and Shinchon, geared towards uni students. They also have a special night like the first Friday of every month where you get into numerous clubs for like some price. Can't recall details exactly but it is a great deal. Most clubs will give you one free drink with paid cover...The "upscale" clubs are in Apgu and Gangnam.

2. what to eat! ( important!)

Try the food @ the pojanmacha---street stalls. DELICIOUS!! And cheap!

3. where to shop ( middle range.....like topshop, sportsgirl, mango...)

( where to get good bargains)

I hated shopping in Korea, major hassle ;;

4. theme parks? are there any?

Lotte World, underground mall. Or Everland on the outskirts of Seoul.

5. How much would I need? ( for an average holiday....don't intend to spend lavishly but neither do I want to spend my time counting pennies)

2 weeks? I spent more than 7G's in one month there in Seoul ;;

6. safety at night?

Korean society is EXTREMELY group oriented. Seoul is NOT a city for solo travellers. Stay away from dark alleys, etc. Try exploring with at least one other person if you can't handle the stress of conformity.

7. travel....taxi, bus or rent a car?

subways are cheap and fast. taxi's can run a little high, unless you split the cost. buses are okay too.

don't rent a car unless you want to manuver around crazy, heart-stopping drivers.

[Guest Trejiiten]

ee dae and shin chon have great food places, as well as a variety of female-targeted shopping with what I've seen as unique yet decent products for some pretty low prices. for dong dae moon, unless you want like knock-off or over-priced clothes that look knock-off, or you're into straight textiles, I'd steer clear of this area. everyone says dong dae moon, but the place isn't necessarilly that great.

for clubbing: hongdae and kangnam

Hong Dae is more college oriented, but kangnam (while more expensive) is one of the most popular areas south of the river (where everything's expensive). Try to stay clear of Itaewon during the night cause that place gets real sleazy real fast...apkujung is overall, rather pricey (for everything) and clubs arent always as packed as you would expect in such a trendy area like that

another note on food, as long as you stay in the "university areas" you'll find more eatery places than you would in any non-university "district" (as I like to call it). hong dae, shin chon, ee dae...they've all got a large collection of different places to eat at

for safety, yeah, rarely do people travel along in Seoul. try to be with any friends you might have (or family) just so that you're not a target

taxi is the only option you have in seoul after 12am..from that time until say 4am or 5am, the price goes from a 1900 to 2200 starting fare. buses, with t-money, arew 500, and the subway is 800(with t-money...you can get that at most conveience stores and any subway stop) for a majority of places.

if you want bars, hong dae and shin chon have some great places (just throwing this out there in case you want to have non-over-priced drinks)

[Guest JoliDansRose]

oops wrong section never mind! ~~ *^ ^*

[Guest sundubu <3]

I am going to Seoul for the first time ever with 3 other friends... i'll be there from 1/2-1/14/07. I just have some questions and if anybody wants to give any other tips and recs, ever better!

1. Considering the freezing weather then, how warm of a jacket do i need? Wool? Down? A parka type? I've also heard people just layer up?

2. How much money should I bring to cover food, shopping, transportation, and clubbing expenses? I am doing about a 2 week stay here. Not going to go crazy shopping for clothes but since we'll be clubbing alot and trying out different types of food, what is a good number? $1000?

3. Any good hip hop clubs I should definitely check out i.e. with good looking people? lol... we are a mixed boy/girl group ages 20-23 so hot guys and girls would be a plus. How about any bad clubs I should stay away from i.e. ones with greasy guys and ESPECIALLY clubs that do booking.... please i don't want to have to deal with that! Recs for clubs where most of the native koreans are will be better.

4. Two of us in the group speak very limited korean so most of our convos will be in english. I've heard that some people get really mad if they hear english being spoken.. or if english is spoken really loudly (this goes for japanese too from what i've heard)... is it really that bad there? If we attempt to practice our horrible korean, they'll probably laugh at us right? lol

5. anything else i should be aware of? i already know where all the shopping places that I need to visit are i.e. dongdaemun, namdaemun, myungdong, ehwa etc.. but if anyone knows what prices are a good bargain for clothes and shoes, please let me know. THANKS!

[joonage]

I am going to Seoul for the first time ever with 3 other friends... i'll be there from 1/2-1/14/07. I just have some questions and if anybody wants to give any other tips and recs, ever better!

1. Considering the freezing weather then, how warm of a jacket do i need? Wool? Down? A parka type? I've also heard people just layer up?

2. How much money should I bring to cover food, shopping, transportation, and clubbing expenses? I am doing about a 2 week stay here. Not going to go crazy shopping for clothes but since we'll be clubbing alot and trying out different types of food, what is a good number? $1000?

3. Any good hip hop clubs I should definitely check out i.e. with good looking people? lol... we are a mixed boy/girl group ages 20-23 so hot guys and girls would be a plus. How about any bad clubs I should stay away from i.e. ones with greasy guys and ESPECIALLY clubs that do booking.... please i don't want to have to deal with that! Recs for clubs where most of the native koreans are will be better.

4. Two of us in the group speak very limited korean so most of our convos will be in english. I've heard that some people get really mad if they hear english being spoken.. or if english is spoken really loudly (this goes for japanese too from what i've heard)... is it really that bad there? If we attempt to practice our horrible korean, they'll probably laugh at us right? lol

5. anything else i should be aware of? i already know where all the shopping places that I need to visit are i.e. dongdaemun, namdaemun, myungdong, ehwa etc.. but if anyone knows what prices are a good bargain for clothes and shoes, please let me know. THANKS!

1. You'll need some pretty thick clothes. Korea gets pretty cold in the winter. Maybe compare it to Massachusetts/New York. Always use layers because you might get hot and cold at any given time. I think a few layers of Wool, scarf, beanie would be good. And get ready for some snow.

2. $1000 sounds pretty good. Maybe 1500-2000 to stay safe. Just spend wisely and don't "over-indulge" haha

3. Don't know anything about clubs.

4. Not really. Koreans have been accepting of Americans these days. In fact, all signs should have English on them. Maybe hire a translator while you're there. Or you could take an extra friend with an advanced knowledge of Korean. I highly doubt they'll laugh at you unless they're immature little kids. Korea is known for respect. Just don't say something you don't know the meaning of. haha

5. Dongdaemoon and Namdaemoon are the classics. COEX and Lotte Mall are pretty expensive, but they're great hot-spots. Techno Mart in KangByun has lots of cool gadgets. And my advice is try to bargain; places like DDM and NDM usually bargain with prices. Also try to make deals; get a 2 for 1 deal or buy one get other half off. It'll be hard with limited Korean, but as long as you don't get tricked, its cool. \

Hope you enjoy Korea. I've never been there in the winter. Always summer.

[Guest shosaitoki]

Hi everyone, I,ve just won a 2-day-trip in Seoul. Coz I'll have only 2 days there, I want to visit the must-visit places in Seoul: - A historic spot

- Places for shopping ( cheap, please )

- Street food

- And some other interesting places

I will with my friend and both of us know nothing than greeting in Korean, will it be difficult for us to travel around and do the shopping there???

[Guest mims]

whats the age for clubbing? if ur from the US. would they count ur US age or korean age? lol

[Guest thequondam]

This is so so cool. THanks for the tips guys! It seems like a dangerous thing to be lurking around at night..

[beckii]

hi pplz, i may be goin to korea in june/july next yr, and i was wondering can you get around there with english? or is it better to know a spot of korean?? nd are the mobile phones there compatible with other networks [i.e ones frm australia, hahaha]....thanks!

[Guest FeYuSu]

do you guys know where to get the peekaboo earrings?

I tried online shopping (gmarket) but there arent many types of it... i want ones like they sell in soompi selling section...

i really want them T_T

[Guest akiralove]

wow so many people goin to korea! im goin too!

we should all go together

or meet up or something

[Guest rahrah]

i miss korea. T_T

been 3 years since i been back~

[Guest sereneryne]

Where To Shop

Places To Eat

Bars & Clubs

[Guest mleung87]

It's been awhile since I've been on this thread

I'm glad lots of people are making good use of it! It's been about half a year since I was in Korea and I miss it SO MUCH.

In terms of spending, I was in Korea for a month and just on entertainment expenses (food, clubbing and transportation) was about $1500, if not more. Things in Seoul are actually quite costly.

I mostly clubbed in Hongdae since that was the University district, so there was generally a younger crowd. It cost about 15,000 won to get into the club (about $17 CAD) and drinks ranged from 5,000 won (for a beer like PRIME HITE) to 10,000 won (for shots). The overall environment was quite nice though

Hiphop club in Hongdae that I went to was Club Catchlight. It's hard for me to explain where it is since Korean streets don't really have names but if you ask people there, they will probably be able to tell you It's near the luxury noreabang Zillah.

OH and for age limit - they go by KOREAN age YAY! And they count by your birth year. For example, I went this summer 2006 and I was born in 1987. That means I'm 20 years of age which is the legal age to club/drink in Korea. I hear that they are becoming more strict with the age policy - so it might not be that easy to buy alcohol in the convenient stores anymore!

I would stay away from Itaewon because I hear that it gets kind of crazy there. Old englishmen and such.

I know some friends that went to booking clubs in Gangnam and Apgu area. That's because it's a more upscale area and booking usually costs a lot. I heard it's quite a fun experience though The guys sit at a table and order food and girls just keep coming. My guy friends had fun, haha.

And in terms of knowing how to speak Korean - I don't think it's that much of a problem. I went to Korea with limited knowledge in speaking Korean. All I knew were some words I picked up from Korean dramas and how to read hangul. Most people are nice enough and try to help you, so using English isn't a problem - just that not everybody would understand.

I enjoyed shopping in Dongdaemun and Edae a lot! They were cheap and you could bargain. At Dongdaemun, Migliore and AM/PM were fairly cheaper but most of the stuff were really repetitive and the quality wouldn't be as great. But at Doota, the clothes were much nicer, and the department store itself in general is nicer - so I highly recommend shopping there Dongdaemun doesn't close until 5am normally, so even if you don't buy anything, just going out to shop at 2am at night is quite an experience!

I hope that answers a few questions

Keep posting everyone!

1. where to club: i've only been to gang nam's NB and HARLEM but hongdae is where a lot of clubs are too haha the clubbing scene's very different from the US, girls cant really dance...hahaha you'll see what i mean

That's very very very true. I've noticed that the girls just stand around and nod their heads and maybe sway their bodies side to side, that's it. Maybe they're more shy? Who knows ~ haha

[Guest Trejiiten]

For those that are new to this thread, or will be coming to Korea before spring. Here's some words of advice:

1. Clothing

if you have a wool jacket, make sure it's thick wool with little openings. for example, if you have some wool overcoat, it's better to have a double-breasted coat (where the coat actually covers your body). The wind here can be very vicious, and if there's any sort of opening in your clothing, you will feel just how cold it is. If not (because they're pretty pricey), try to get like a ski or snowboarding jacket. big, puffy, and if you can, fleece or down iterior. it's good to have a scarf as well. nothing cutsey, just something that will keep your neck, and face (if you use it that way) warm. a beenie is also a good thing to have. you can bring one from home or get some semi-decent inexpensive one from any street cart vendor (that sells them).

2. Nightlife

Hongdae is the place to go for clubbing. There's like 20 different places around hongdae. by the 7-11, on a side street, there's like 3 or 4 different small clubs right there. the big places: nb, harlem (wastes of time) are on the main street. Harlem is easy to spot (there's a big neon-blue sign that says Harlem), NB is by the Krispy Kreme (but not as easy to spot). at the stoplight by harlem (3-way stop), if you turn down the "side street" you will see some other places as well. the only place on that road is Tin Pan (foreigners flock there, but drinks are inexpensive, and it tends to always be a good time...a good number of koreans go there too. plus, you can make song requests, a rarity among places.) follow that street to the horrible intersection where there's no order and turn either left or right. there are a bunch of clubs down this road, including Catchlight. some other big places are M2 and Q.Vo. However, those aren't as easy to find. If you dont feel like a lot of walking, there's the Sk@ bar which is a tiny little place before club harlem. mostly koreans go there (the place is friggin tiny). If you're more of a free spirit, the place to go to is U2. it's behind the small little park (there's some kimbap places by it). that place is generally just a good time. you'll see koreans with dreds and just dancing. they dont try to impress or do anything amazing, they're just having fun. sometimes, they'll bring the party outside to the park and just have fun there.

3. Drinking

gotta be 19 (korean age) to drink. only places that card you are clubs. there's some good bars in gangnam, shinchon, hongdae, even sleazy itaewon has a few. It's easy to go through all the money in your wallet on any given weekend. not just on drinking.

4. Expenses

food isnt too expensive depending on where you're eating. Insadong (in jongro) has a lot of nice places, but very expensive. you pay for both the food and "traditional" atmosphere in most of these places. Apkujeong's pretty pricey (especially their cafes). Most areas north of the Han river will be cheaper than places south of the river.

transportation can be bad too. traffic has gotten considerably worse these past 2 months. so if you take a cab even in the afternoon, you might be stuck in traffic the whole time. public transportation is good. till they stop running. and at that time, the cabs come out in droves and charge more.

if you go shopping, good luck. everyone says stuff is cheap over here, but that's only if you're fluent in korean and love to haggle. electronics are more expensive in korea than they are in japan (prices almost NEVER drop). don't bother buying one of those korean cell phones either. you'll get them before the middle of 07, and they'll be about 100$ cheaper for you. clothing's expensive too. you will see a lot of designer stores with insane prices.

no matter how long you're here for, think of things this way: what will you want to do? what will you want to buy? how much are you willing to spend?

once you answer those questions, then add around 1000$ to the total, cause Seoul is pricey and you'll want more things that arent on your list. just like anywhere you might go for a vacation =P

[Guest sundubu <3]

thanks for the tips so far everyone! can't wait till i'm there! but just one more question... what kind of plugs do koreans use? i need to find the right kind of adapter plug so i can charge batteries there. thanks.