VISITING KOREA

[i/boss/top]

where in korea are you staying at? mainly seoul? or are you guys going to travel around most of korea?

[Guest wishlist]

I'm planning to go to Korea too. Maybe this April. Been there once and I love the food. But only tried some because i can't read Korean at all. And I love their clothes too.

[Guest naruto04328]

luckyyyyyyyyy

i wanna go to korea

[Guest COREAN]

well here are the most well known places..

apku-jung: one of the most wealthiest parts of seoul. its said that most celebs hang around this spot the most.

gangnam: kinda similar to apku. another wealthy area. the only thing special about here is that there's a sh1tload of restaurants. also a few subway stops over from gangnam is samseong, where coex is located. coex is an underground mall and a nice place to chill with your friends.

myungdong: go here for shopping. they have tons of stores and things to keep you occupied.

dongdaemun: another huge shopping district but its very different from myungdong. in myungdong theres a bunch of stores like adidas, puma, etc while in dongdaemun

theres a lot of street shops and stores that don't sell brand names. there are also huge malls filled with independent stores called doota and migliore. this is where you usually find the "korean style" clothing. also they sometimes hold random events or concerts next to doota so you might see a celeb there.

namdaemun: another shopping district. its basically a bunch of street shops and vendors in an open market but unlike dongdaemun or myungdong, they sell all kinds of items kinda like a big richard simmons flea market.

sinchon: another pretty good shopping area. the funny thing you'll notice as soon as you get off the subway is that its literally 90% women mostly because ewha women university

hongdae: the clubbing spot of seoul. this area is the most popular place for clubbers and has the most clubs per square feet in the WORLD (i think i read that somewhere). anyways if you ever wanna go clubbing this is the spot. other clubbing spots are gangnam and apku but i definitely prefer hongdae over them.

and i don't think you have to worry about where to eat. there are literally atleast 10 restaurants on one block in every street in seoul.

as for meeting celebs, i guess it would all depend on chance but you could try to watch a gayo show or something but i heard its almost impossible to get into one of those.

just wondering.. are you and your friends korean? it would be much easier and less frustrating if you had someone who could speak korean and guide you through your trip

[Guest fa-abulous]

well here are the most well known places..

apku-jung: one of the most wealthiest parts of seoul. its said that most celebs hang around this spot the most.

gangnam: kinda similar to apku. another wealthy area. the only thing special about here is that there's a sh1tload of restaurants. also a few subway stops over from gangnam is samseong, where coex is located. coex is an underground mall and a nice place to chill with your friends.

myungdong: go here for shopping. they have tons of stores and things to keep you occupied.

dongdaemun: another huge shopping district but its very different from myungdong. in myungdong theres a bunch of stores like adidas, puma, etc while in dongdaemun

theres a lot of street shops and stores that don't sell brand names. there are also huge malls filled with independent stores called doota and migliore. this is where you usually find the "korean style" clothing. also they sometimes hold random events or concerts next to doota so you might see a celeb there.

namdaemun: another shopping district. its basically a bunch of street shops and vendors in an open market but unlike dongdaemun or myungdong, they sell all kinds of items kinda like a big richard simmons flea market.

sinchon: another pretty good shopping area. the funny thing you'll notice as soon as you get off the subway is that its literally 90% women mostly because ewha women university

hongdae: the clubbing spot of seoul. this area is the most popular place for clubbers and has the most clubs per square feet in the WORLD (i think i read that somewhere). anyways if you ever wanna go clubbing this is the spot. other clubbing spots are gangnam and apku but i definitely prefer hongdae over them.

and i don't think you have to worry about where to eat. there are literally atleast 10 restaurants on one block in every street in seoul.

as for meeting celebs, i guess it would all depend on chance but you could try to watch a gayo show or something but i heard its almost impossible to get into one of those.

just wondering.. are you and your friends korean? it would be much easier and less frustrating if you had someone who could speak korean and guide you through your trip

Hey!!...thanks for the info!!!...it'll be very helpful...the places also sound very exciting!!!....but yeah...no, my friends and i aren't korean...and i know that'll be very very difficult to get around...especially not knowing much of the language...but one of my girl is crazy about going to korea...actually to Seoul...knowing the language or not...we only know some phrases here and there out of dramas we've seen, and english is a universal language so hope we get around some how...and i just thought this would be a new experience for all of us...which seems very exciting for me!!!...just hope we don't get robbed or anything...and things are fine...hopefully???....

[miss_sweetheart1027]

Hey!!...thanks for the info!!!...it'll be very helpful...the places also sound very exciting!!!....but yeah...no, my friends and i aren't korean...and i know that'll be very very difficult to get around...especially not knowing much of the language...but one of my girl is crazy about going to korea...actually to Seoul...knowing the language or not...we only know some phrases here and there out of dramas we've seen, and english is a universal language so hope we get around some how...and i just thought this would be a new experience for all of us...which seems very exciting for me!!!...just hope we don't get robbed or anything...and things are fine...hopefully???....

Don't worry about getting robbed. Korea is a much safer place than New York, and robbing is not very common.

my sis and I are also going to South Korea in the summer...prob late june to early july...... anyone know what's good to do????....like clubs and concerts???......

what about jeju island...what's good to do there???....anyone....????

Jeju island is beautiful. You should definitely check out the waterfall there. I went there as a school trip for a week, and we went to a maze park, waterfall, aquarium, caves, etc. I definitely reccommend visiting Jeju island if you have the extra money for it.

[Guest sundubu <3]

i just came back from korea today... went there for 2 weeks and blew $1500 on everything mostly on sightseeing, transportation, and food. My roundtrip tickets including hotel was about $1400 (I got a group package for 3 people on orbitz). One thing about using english to communicate - IT'S VERY HARD! Very few people speak english well enough to understand what you are trying to say so anything travelling there should practice some basic korean. Between me and my other friend, we were grateful that at least we could understand them and could read korean. The most important phrases you will need to know: "where is the bathroom?" and "how much is it?" If you want to bargain, better learn the phrases for "That's too expensive, give me a discount please" as well. Although, I did have a friend who had no knowledge of korean whatsoever and she usually got the best prices just by motioning and bringing out the amount of money she would pay. Then again, they really liked her because she looked the most korean out of all of us. Shopping places like to jack up prices on everything if they know you're a foreigner and rarely do they like to give discounts or bargain with you unless you buy a lot at once. Some people assumed we couldn't understand korean and were really rude to us when we wanted to buy something, and then there were others who were really nice because they knew we were foreigners. Either way, it's just like any other place... there are nice people and then there are not so nice people.

Food... very good in korea. They love their american food so familiar restaurants are everywhere but who goes to korea to eat american food? Try the food stands which are really cheap. One thing, if you're iffy about sharing with strangers and other people, you will have a hard time eating in korea. Vendors usually give one bowl of soup per table with multiple spoons and dishes are shared most definitely. At the places where you actually stand and eat, some people double dip the sauce etc.

i stayed in a 2.5 star hotel in the middle of this tiny, dark alley way and let me give you some advice: better make sure you know at least the subway station close to your hotel if it's anything less than a 3 star because a lot of streets aren't marked. Most of the people at the front desk don't speak english either... they cater mostly to japanese tourists so they speak japanese and korean. The first night I got there with my friends, it was kinda scary 'cuz the taxi drivers didn't know where it was and we had trouble communicating. If you're on a budget and don't mind living in a hotel less than 3 stars, you can also go to the major hotels like Lotte or Sofitel and they will ALWAYS help you even if you're not staying there. They speak english and have shuttles and different services etc.

In general, Koreans like to keep their home clean. The subways are amazingly devoid of trash. You can eat and drink anywhere but people have the common sense to throw away their trash instead of littering on the floor. However, because the majority of men like to smoke, there are wads of spit everywhere... like EVERYWHERE.

best shopping places in my opinion: dongdaemun and myungdong. namdaemun we didn't like much. and their apgujeong rodeo drive, which is supposedly their really expensive stores, isn't really all that. I saw some stores selling old navy, gap, and american eagle sweaters... which is like our normal clothing? anyways, koreans are very well-dressed (at least in the winter). Everyone looks like they could be actors/actresses themselves. The trend for women right now are boots, mostly knee length, tights and skirts, big sweaters that cover the butt and have a floofy neck. Basically, G market style. Guys are similar to Gmarket style as well.

If you wanna go to Hongdae area for clubbing, the subway stop is Sinchon. Please don't mistake that stop with Sincheon which is across the river. We did that and the hords of businessmen there were scary. =)

Seoul is an expensive place to visit (not as expensive as Japan) but $1500 for two weeks barely lasted me. The exchange rates are WAY better over there so only exchange a little bit at home first. We always went to Woori bank and the best rate they gave us was 925.00 won per dollar, no fee charge either. The Shinhan bank at the airport is okay too but not as good. Banks usually close early on Saturdays and don't open on Sundays so be careful of your cash reserve if you're running low towards the weekend. You'll have to stick to exchanging at a hotel which sucks.

Hope this helps more people think about going to korea! p.s. two weeks was a little bit too long in Seoul... try taking the KT train to Busan or sosmething which is only 40,000 one way. I heard people in Busan were much nicer (and they have a chinatown there where chinese people live) although we weren't there long enough to really experience that.

[Guest Freshh]

lmao. i like to see the hooters in korea considers not many koreans are tall & have big boobs

how's the weather in march (spring break)? what kind of clothing?

do anyone have pictures? of DDM & all these places you guys are recommending?

are most foods are spicy? b/c i can't eat spicy food at ALL

is the clubbing age in korea 19? or can younger people get in?

[Guest sundubu <3]

lmao. i like to see the hooters in korea considers not many koreans are tall & have big boobs

how's the weather in march (spring break)? what kind of clothing?

do anyone have pictures? of DDM & all these places you guys are recommending?

are most foods are spicy? b/c i can't eat spicy food at ALL

is the clubbing age in korea 19? or can younger people get in?

actually, koreans are pretty average in height. i rarely saw anyone that was super short like me. a lot of the women were really slender and averaged about 5'6 and taller while a lot of the men were around 5'10 - 6ft. And yes, most everything there is spicy... it keeps you warm =) If you can't eat spicy food at all, best learn how to tell them not to make it spicy in korean lol. some places don't even ask you how spicy you want it. legal/clubbing age is 19 there. i think in march, the weather is pretty good... not too cold, not too hot/humid yet... supposedly the best time to go.

[Guest chairmanK]

lmao. i like to see the hooters in korea considers not many koreans are tall & have big boobs

how's the weather in march (spring break)? what kind of clothing?

do anyone have pictures? of DDM & all these places you guys are recommending?

are most foods are spicy? b/c i can't eat spicy food at ALL

is the clubbing age in korea 19? or can younger people get in?

Koreans in the younger generation are tall.

Many restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. in Korea are not serious about carding. As long as you don't look obviously like a high school student, they won't care. I think that this is because society expects the parents to be responsible for their children; if a sixteen-year-old kid gets drunk, everyone blames the parents, not the restaurant that served the alcohol.

[Guest Freshh]

^ a bunch of koreans are coming to my school & at least 2 others schools here in sf as exchange students

they're around my height... but to be hooter girls, you have to be tall

what type of clothes can you wear in march when visiting korea? skirts? what kind of jacket? etc.

isn't march the rainy season?

[Guest chairmanK]

^ The rainy season is in the summer. March is temperate spring weather. I don't know where you live, so it's hard for me to give you a comparison of the weather.^-^

[Guest genJU]

ahhh i need to start saving money again~ T-T

should have blown it all during xmas sales ahahh~

Sounds like i'm gonna have to save up loads by the looks of things plus im a BIG spender when it comes to shopping omg...

[Guest Trejiiten]

If you wanna go to Hongdae area for clubbing, the subway stop is Sinchon. Please don't mistake that stop with Sincheon which is across the river. We did that and the hords of businessmen there were scary. =)

for hongdae, the best stop is SangSu which is on the brown line...leave at exits 1 or 2 and walk up the little hill...keep walking and you'll run into one of the main drags of places to party

the other good stop is Hong Ik Dae Hak Gyu (Hong Dae's regular stop) which is on the light green line

(5-7 minute walk to the clubbing area...just go in the direction of the university, cause that's also right around all the clubs)

with shinchon, it's like a 20-some minute walk from like exit 7

[Guest FLY HIGHHH]

SOMEONE~

HELP ME FIND A MOTEL/HOTEL!!

my two friends and i are planning to go~~ and we need a decent place to stay for a month.

we're working our butts off to earn money so please give me suggestions on decent priced hotels/motels!!

our budget is 150/night. thats the maximum. itd be nice to find someplace with 100/night though.. ^^

also, im planning to ride the subway a lot but i dont know directions or anything!!

is there anywhere i can get a map or something like that of the subway stations or whatever o_o

im gonna need to know how to get to apgu, dongnaemun, coex, etc.~

thank you~~

[Guest Freshh]

^ The rainy season is in the summer. March is temperate spring weather. I don't know where you live, so it's hard for me to give you a comparison of the weather.^-^

i live in san francisco, CA

i've heard that clothes there are expensive, about what range are they in in USD?

[Guest chairmanK]

^ In March, the weather in Korea is similar to the weather in San Francisco. Maybe it's a little bit colder in Korea.

Korean clothes in Korea cost the same as the equivalent American clothes in the United States. Fancy imported clothing (for example, a Burberrry coat) is more expensive in Korea than in the United States.

[Guest sundubu <3]

^ In March, the weather in Korea is similar to the weather in San Francisco. Maybe it's a little bit colder in Korea.

Korean clothes in Korea cost the same as the equivalent American clothes in the United States. Fancy imported clothing (for example, a Burberrry coat) is more expensive in Korea than in the United States.

yeah even when you bargain, you won't be getting a price any better than the prices in the states. if you buy anything "made in china" it'll be cheaper but cheaper in quality as well.

[Guest kagero_tanaka]

SOMEONE~

HELP ME FIND A MOTEL/HOTEL!!

my two friends and i are planning to go~~ and we need a decent place to stay for a month.

we're working our butts off to earn money so please give me suggestions on decent priced hotels/motels!!

our budget is 150/night. thats the maximum. itd be nice to find someplace with 100/night though.. ^^

also, im planning to ride the subway a lot but i dont know directions or anything!!

is there anywhere i can get a map or something like that of the subway stations or whatever o_o

im gonna need to know how to get to apgu, dongnaemun, coex, etc.~

thank you~~

I am currently living in Korea as an exchange student.

So, I can try and help you out.

I would strongly suggest that you check out the guest houses around Seoul they seem really reasonable and super clean and cheap.

http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/index_e.html

or I am sure that you can just google guesthouse in korea and find some from there...

The subways are not hard at all. Once you ride a few times you'll get the hang of it. I got an english subway map from Myungdong at the tourist booth. At various places in Seoul you can find tourists and subway maps. The tourist office in the subway station in Itaewon has english subway maps. That's one of the few good things about Itaewon, they have alot of places that cather to foreigners so commicating there won't be too much of a problem. I recently went there to see if someone could fix this hole in my jeans and the first place we stopped at the shop owner spoke really good english, so did the staff that worked at Subway.

I wouldn't worry too much , just get a subway map in english and everything u need will be there. Oh yes try and see if you can find this handy little book.

"Seoul's best 100"

This book tells you the best things and places in Seoul to visit. It tells u the names in both english and korean, and it even tells u the exact way to get there, and it proves maps, and places to eat at. It highlites the top spots of the area too. This tourist book also has a subway map too!

When are u guys coming here to SK?!

Hope this helps~

[Guest FLY HIGHHH]

^ thank you sooo much!!! ^^ you were very helpful~

im planning to go there at the beginning of july with a couple of friends ^^

my friends want to check out condos.. i heard they're kind of like motels/guesthouses..

i hope they're not so expensive =x

ㅋㅋ