Surviving South Korea

Hello! I finally had time to write about our Seoul trip in its entirety here. As a part of my "Surviving" posts, (first was Indochina) I'm sharing with you guys this South Korean itinerary including cost estimates. I'll try to be as detailed as I can telling you how to survive Seoul under P22,000, all in!

Of  course this budget guide includes only the basic expenses when traveling; accommodations, tickets, entrance fees, food, and commute.

Known as one of the most fashion & tech forward cities in the world and home of KPop, Seoul is currently listed as one of the top tourist destinations. To be honest  I wasn't a fan of Korean pop culture and I never really dreamed of traveling to Seoul but my 5-day trip to the South Korean capital turned me into a convert. And now I want to go back.

PRE-DEPARTURE PREPARATIONS

We booked our flight 9 months ahead of the trip during one of Air Asia's promo periods last year. Initially, we were looking into Japan as it was and is our dream destination but when the promo came out, lo and behold there were no Air Asia flights from Manila to Tokyo/Osaka! We were so ready to book a non-existent flight, hahaha!

Then we panicked because tickets were selling out fast and we really wanted to go somewhere, so our impulsive behavior got the best of us: we booked a flight to Incheon instead. Priced regularly at P10,000-15,000 ($213-320), our roundtrip tickets only cost P6,300 (135 USD/156,000 KRW) each inclusive of all taxes and terminal fees, #blessed!!!

GETTING THE VISA

I was pretty nervous about this since it's my first ever Visa application without my parents and as an adult (not a student anymore). I did my research on the application process and it was stressful because it required a bank statement and a bank certificate (I don't have a bank account other than my payroll which is almost always empty hahaha!). I asked around and found out about BDO's Korean visa promo, which exempts you from the financial documents if you can present your last two (2) BDO Gold/Platinum or AMEX Gold/Platinum credit card statements. Fortunately I had the latter which saved me a lot of hassle plus it guarantees you a multiple-entry visa valid for 3-5 years if you're approved. The promo's extended until the end of 2016 and the Korean embassy came up with another one with BPI this time, so don't miss it!

The application process is FREE and easy, no scheduled appointments needed. You just have to prepare the requirements (sans the financial documents if you have BPI/BDO/AMEX Gold/Platinum cards) and submit them to the embassy on a weekday between 8:30-11:00AM, they're pretty strict with the schedule because there's also a schedule for releasing of visas at 1:30-4:00PM, also on weekdays.

The processing time usually takes 5 working days but if you've been to any of the OECD countries in the last five years, it would only take you 3 working days + higher chances of visa approval. I've been to the States 3 years ago so I guess that helped lol.

OECD countries:

Australia	France	Korea	Spain
Austria	Germany	Luxembourg	Sweden
Belgium	Greece	Mexico	Switzerland
Canada	Hungary	New Zealand	Turkey
Chile	Iceland	Norway	United Kingdom
Czech Republic	Ireland	Poland	United States
Denmark	Israel	Portugal
Estonia	Italy	Slovak Republic
Finland	Japan	Slovenia

Also, always check the Korean Embassy website for latest announcements.

CLOTHES

This is important because our trip was scheduled on March which is still winter in Korea, and also because what's the point of traveling if you can't 'Gram your OOTDs? HAHAHA YUCK. Anyway, thankfully I still have some of my winter clothes from Beijing 3 years ago (good investment!) so I only had to buy just a couple of jackets and scarves. Take note of clearance sales after December but if you really want to save on bucks, go thrift shopping instead. They have a lot of good stuff there for very cheap prices.

ACCOMMODATIONS

This is my favorite part in traveling, looking for accommodations! There are many hotel/hostel booking sites out there like Agoda and Booking, but I always go for Airbnb for the sake of meeting other travelers (and because I have many referral discounts). We found this guest house (thanks to my cousin) in the middle of Myeongdong aka the fashion epicenter of Seoul and paid only P3,200 (70 USD/79,000 KRW) each for four nights. The guest house provides free wifi and food (bread, jam, coffee, noodles) all day and rents out their pocket wifis at P400 (9 USD/10,000 KRW) for the first day and P200 (4.5 USD/5,000 KRW) for the following days, with a P4,000 (90 USD/100,000 KRW) deposit which you can claim after returning the device. I highly recommend renting a pocket wifi so you're always online and experience one of the fastest internet speeds in the world.

CITY TRANSPORT

The Seoul subway system is one of the best in the world. Unlike Manila's MRT/LRT, it connects to anywhere around the Seoul Metropolis plus it's super reliable and efficient. Subway tickets cost at least P55 (1.1 USD/1,350 KRW) if paid by cash, but with the reloadable T-Money Card it's discounted at P50 (1 USD/1,250 KRW) per trip, this will save you a LOT of time queuing in the subway. T-Money Cards could be purchased at the subway at P200 (4 USD/5,000 KRW) and can be reloaded with a minimum of P125 (3 USD/3,000 KRW) at T-Money machines.

I also recommend downloading the Subway Korea app to navigate the subway system easier. It provides you actual schedule of your trip plus how much you're going to pay.

MEALS

Meals in Korea, to my surprise, are pretty expensive. Each meals costs about P500 (10 USD/12,300 KRW) each but the serving is too generous especially for for light eaters so you could share, however if you're a heavy eater like me one is enough.

Tip: Don't underestimate tiny back alley restaurants in Seoul, they're the best!!

Pre-Dep Expenses:

Pre-Dep Expenses	PHP	KRW	USD
MNL-ICN-MNL	6,300	156,000	135
Hotel (4 nights)	3,200	79,000	70
TOTAL	9,500	235,000	205

DAY 1

We landed at Incheon Airport around lunch time and immediately boarded the limousine bus from the airport to Central Seoul after going through immigration. Though there's an airport express train to Seoul station, my cousin told me there are no elevators for transfer from the airport train to the main station so it would be difficult carrying your luggage through the stairs. The limousine bus ticket is about P600 (13 USD/15,000 KRW) and it took us to Myeongdong in an hour. After checking in we had lunch near the hostel and since we only had half of the day to explore, we went straight to Common Ground and Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

Common Ground, a large pop-up store near Konkuk University is one of my favorite places in Seoul. Opened  April of 2015, the multi-culture complex houses several fashion and food brands by South Korean start-ups including social enterprises, but what’s interesting about it is its architectural form — it’s a huge shopping center made of 200 shipping containers!

And there's local coffee :3

Afterwards, we stopped by Dongdaemun Design Plaza before heading back to Myeongdong. This Zaha Hadid designed museum is one of Seoul's important landmarks especially for design freaks, and it looks like something straight from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus!

According to our research we were supposed to pay for an entrance fee but for some reason we got in for free, which was confusing. But maybe that's for a certain exhibit inside the museum so it's fine. While there we saw the LED Rose Garden exhibit, an art installation with 25,550 led roses scattered on the grounds of Dongdaemun Design Plaza representing the 25,550 days or 70 years of Korean independence from the Empire of Japan.

Our last stop for day one was Myeongdong, the area where our place is located.

Probably the most popular neighborhood in Seoul, Myeongdong boasts hundreds of shops from local start-ups to international labels like Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Ralph Lauren, and etc. The place is also known for cosmetic products, I'm not even sure how many branches of Etude House, Innisfree, and Nature Republic I've seen here haha!

Expenses:

Day 1	PHP	KRW	USD
Bus from Incheon to Myeongdong	600	15,000	13
Pocket Wifi	400	10,000	9
Lunch	500	12,300	10
T-Money Card	200	5,000	4
Myeongdong to Common Ground	50	1,250	1
Common Ground to DDP	50	1,250	1
DDP to Myeongdong	50	1,250	1
Streetfood	200	5,000	4
Dinner	500	12,300	10
TOTAL	2,550	63,350	53

DAY 2

The next day we went to the Palaces of Gyeongbok and Changeok and passed by Bukchon Hanok. Afterwards, we went to Hongdae for dinner.

In the middle of all the craziness that is Seoul lies the palaces of Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, reminders of the dynasty that once ruled the entire Korean peninsula for five hundred years.

The train ride took about 15-20 minutes from Myeongdong station to Gyeongbokgung and we arrived at the palace gates at 10am, just in time for the changing of the guards. I'm not sure how much the ticket is to each palace but we got the all access pass to all 5 Korean palaces (though we only visited 2) for P400 (9 USD/10,000 KRW).

Asian palaces hold a special place in my heart no matter how gruesome their histories are.

The palace grounds of Gyeongbokgung is massive! And even though the palace was burned down and restored multiple times, it still resonates the grandeur of traditional Korean architecture.

Then we stopped by Insadong for lunch and passed by Bukchon Hanok on the way to Changdeokgung (walking distance).

Bukchon Hanok is the most common stopover of tourists going to Gyeongbokgung from Changdeokgung or vice versa being in the middle of both, which is perfect because since you’re visiting 600-year old palaces, why not stop by a 600-year old neighborhood while you’re at it right? Hahaha!

The neighborhood is actually still a residential area up to this day, so tourists are advised to be quiet while visiting.

Changdeokgung was the second palace to be built just a few years after the construction of Gyeongbokgung, thanks to the civil war between envoys and princes. Like the Gyeongbokgung, this palace has also gone through multiple attacks during the Japanese invasions of Korea and was actually burned down twice.

The palace was built based on the natural topography of the land, unlike the imposed architectural principles of Gyeongbokgung, which makes this the royal favorite.

Located in the palace grounds of Changdeokgung, lies a 32-hectare garden built for the royal family called Huwon. This temporary retreat is where the king held archery games, poem contests, and several ceremonies.

Since the garden is huge, this part of the palace requires joining a group tour. It would last about 40-50 minutes and will only cover a portion of the garden. Take note that only limited slots are available so if you’re planning on going here, reserve your slot/s ahead http://eng.cdg.go.kr/main/main.htm additional P200 (4 USD/5,000 KRW) to the entrance fee.

The best time to go here is during fall when the leaves have just started to fall, unfortunately we went during the awkward phase between winter and spring so not much could be seen in the garden except for dead trees.

After the palaces, we went to Hongdae for dinner.

Located in the university area of Seoul, Hongdae is full of college kids. Multiple bars and a few retail stores can also be found here like New Balance, Bershka, and some local brands like Beyond Closet, which apparently is owned by the costume designer of Boys Over Flowers.

The area is pretty much the same as the others, but still worth a visit especially if you’re a K-Pop fan since there are street performers and the YG Entertainment Headquarters is in the area.

After dinner and going around Hongdae, we went back to Myeongdong.

Expenses:

Day 2	PHP	KRW	USD
Breakfast (McDo)	320	8,000	7
Pocket Wifi	200	5,000	4
Myeongdong to Gyeongbokgung	50	1,250	1
Palace Entrance Fees	400	10,000	9
Lunch	500	12,300	10
Secret Garden Tour (prebooked)	200	5,000	4
Changdeokgung to Hongdae	50	1,250	1
Dinner	500	12,300	10
Hongdae to Myeongdong	50	1,250	1
TOTAL	2,270	56,350	47

DAY 3

We dedicated our 3rd day visiting Nami Island and Petite France in Gapeyong county. Unike the previous places we visited, Gapyeong isn't in Seoul so it's kinda tricky going there.

From Myeongdong station, we boarded the train to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park station and transferred to another line going to Chyeongnyangni. From there, we boarded the Korail train to Gapyeong county which took us about 45-minutes. The Korail train pass is pre-booked since there are only limited seats and they usually sell out fast so book early. Tickets going to Gapyeong from Chyeongnyangni is P160 (4 USD/4,000 KRW). I suggest taking the 8:15AM train from Chyeongnyangni to Gapyeong so you'll arrive just in time for Nami Island to open at 9:00AM.

Upon exiting the station, you'll see a bus outside that goes around Gapyeong County for only P250 (5 USD/6,000 KRW) unli access. Board the bus, alight at Nami Wharf, and pay the entrance fee of P320 (7 USD/8,000 KRW), inclusive of the ferry to and from the half moon shaped island.

Almost everyone I know who has been to South Korea had their photos taken along Nami Island’s picturesque metasequoia footpath, making it the most cliched destination in the country (at least for me). Nonetheless, I believe visiting the country is not complete without a sidetrip to this beautiful island just a little north of Seoul.

The best way to enjoy the island is through biking and bike rentals are only P200 (4 USD/5,000 KRW) each, also since we arrived early there weren't too many people yet so we took our time taking beautiful(?) pictures, haha!

After Nami we had lunch at the wharf and boarded the bus again to Petite France.

Just a few minutes away from the Nami wharf is a French themed cultural village in the Korean countryside built in honor of Saint-Exupery, the author Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince.)

Except for taking pictures of the beautiful French houses and adoring all the Little Prince memorabilia, there’s not much you can do in Petite France. Though I’ve read somewhere that you can lodge there for a night and experience authentic French lifestyle.

The closest train station to Petite France is Chyeongpyeong. Again, book tickets ahead from there to Chyeongnyangni at P160 (4 USD/4,000 KRW), and take the subway from there to wherever you want to go next. We decided to go back to Myeongdong.

Expenses:

Day 3	PHP	KRW	USD
Breakfast (McDo)	320	8,000	7
Pocket Wifi	200	5,000	4
Myeongdong to Chyeongnyangni	50	1,250	1
Chyeongnyangni to Gapyeong	160	4,000	3
Gapyeong to Nami Wharf	250	6,000	5
Nami Island Fee	320	8,000	7
Bike rental	200	5,000	4
Lunch	500	12,300	10
Nami Wharf to Petite France	0	0	0
Petite France Fee	320	8,000	7
Petite France to Chyeongpyeong	0	0	0
Chyeongpyeong to Chyeongnyangni	160	4,000	3
Chyeongnyangni to Myeongdong	50	1,250	1
Dinner	500	12,300	10
TOTAL	3,030	75,100	62

DAY 4

We were supposed to go to Everland but we've been told that since it's winter, a lot of rides are closed because of the cold so we went to Suwon Hwaseong Fortress instead, the last remaining walled city in South Korea.

During the reign of King Yeongjo, his eldest son Prince Hyojang died at a young age leaving his second son, Prince Sado the rightful heir to the Korean Throne. Sadly, he was never given an opportunity to reign because of his mental illness and was accused of killing and raping people in the palace. As a result, he was sentenced by the king, his own father to death by locking him in a rice chest under the hot summer sun until he died.

After his death, there were rumors that he wasn’t actually mentally ill, but a victim of framing by the family’s political opponents to weaken the dynasty. When Sado’s son Jeongjo ascended the throne, despite the controversies his first public declaration was “I am the son of Prince Sado”, then he had the Hwaseong Fortress built in Suwon City in honor of the late Crown Prince.

We also stumbled upon the palace used for the Korean drama, Jewel in the Palace haha!

We went back to Myeongdong again that night for dinner.

Expenses:

Day 4	PHP	KRW	USD
Breakfast (McDo)	320	8,000	7
Pocket Wifi	200	5,000	4
Myeongdong to Suwon	80	1,950	2
Hwaseong Fortress Fee	40	1,000	1
Lunch	500	12,300	10
Palace Fee	60	1,500	1
Suwon to Myeongdong	80	1,950	2
Dinner	500	12,300	10
TOTAL	1,780	44,000	37

DAY 5

On our last day in Seoul, we went to the Namsan Seoul Tower through cable car which is just a few meters away from our place. The roundtrip cable car trip is P350 (8 USD/8,500 KRW roundtrip) and the access to the observatory is P400 (9 USD/10,000 KRW).

For lunch we went to Itaewon, the multicultural district of Seoul or what we Filipinos like to call “AFAM district”, haha! We visited during the day though so almost all the stores are empty, but at night I imagine the streets are full of foreigners getting wasted. Must return soon loool.

Then we went back to the hotel, checked out, and boarded the bus to Incheon airport for our flight back to Manila.

Expenses:

Day 5	PHP	KRW	USD
Breakfast	320	8,000	7
Pocket Wifi	200	5,000	4
Namsan Cable Car	350	8,500	8
Observatory Deck	400	10,000	9
Myeongdong to Itaewon	50	1,250	1
Lunch	500	12,300	10
Itaewon to Myeongdong	50	1,250	1
Bus to Incheon from Myeongdong	600	15,000	13
TOTAL	2,470	61,300	53

Total Expenses:

	PHP	KRW	USD
Airfare	6,300	156,000	135
Accommodation (4 nights)	3,200	79,000	70
Meals	5,980	147,700	122
Ticket/Passes	2,290	57,000	50
Commute	2,630	65,400	55
Pocket Wifi (optional)	1,200	30,000	25
TOTAL	21,600	535,100	457

Remember that these are the only basic expenses and if you include shopping, of course you'd have to spend more than the said budget. Also, most of these estimates were based in KRW and the ones in PHP and USD are either rounded up or rounded down. If you have other questions feel free to comment below or if you're shy you can always email me at paoloumpa@gmail.com, enjoy Korea!