[Asia] S.Korea trip in JAN 2010

[godprint]

Hi fellow snappers...
I would really appreciate if you guys could give me some advise on my travel to S.Korea in JAN2010....
I am trying to plan a F&E trip there for leisure, relax and some nice street photog....
Any buddies with itenaries which i can take a look at?
Please help me out guys and gals.... thanks a million zillion....

[reuters]

how many days will you be there? do you only go for street photography?

[godprint]

probably about 8 days. I am going there for leisure travelling and relaxing.
I would like to know where got places of interest and places of fun to visit.
actually got no preference in photog. street is something which i have always been doing..
i do take any shots that are nice.

[reuters]

ok.. i was there for about 13 days in middle of july.. basically there are not many places of interest in my opinion..

1. DMZ/Panmunjeom a.k.a JSA (2 different sites, PMJ is only available during weekdays but you can't take much photos though due to security reasons)
2. War Memorial of Korea (nice statues and exhibitions of tanks/planes in the surrounding area, you might want to visit the exhibition halls for the history of Korean war)
3. Seoul World Cup Stadium
4. The different palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung etc.)
5. Seoul Tower in Namsan
6. Myeongdong and dongdaemun (shopping places for ladies)
7. Everland (theme park)
8. Lotte World (Another theme park)
9. Olympic Park

Basically, the palaces are not very interesting as compared to the palaces in China (such as Forbidden City).. you cannot compare the theme parks with the ones such as Disney, Universal Studio or Warner Bros.. the World Cup stadium now has cinemas/supermarket/restaurants but you still can go for the stadium tour whereby you can go into the stadium, the dressing room and the world cup exhibition..

[hetfieldpaul]

do you speak Korean fluently or understand it? cause most Koreans are unable to communicate in English well, thus getting around would be pretty much of a hassle , was in Seoul 2 years back, had my Korean classmate show me around so it was good, so i would suggest if you should consider travelling by tour

[reuters]

if you do not understand korean, it is still ok.. i survived 14 days without understanding korean except some simple one such as welcome and thank you.. most tourist spots have people who can understand simple english.. the keyword is SIMPLE..

the trains are cheap as compared to the taxis.. they have english vending machines for you to purchase the tickets.. but you will need to get a map of the train network system so that you know where to alight.. some of the maps that you get from the hotel do come with it..

if you need help, do let me know..

[Bathtub81]

I was there last autumn. IMHO, i will recommend Jeju Island & Nami Island

You may wanna go up Seoul tower as well. Tourist spots are pack with Chinese speaking salesperson. No worry its easy even if you can't speak a single korean! I know abit korean but I have no courage to speak when I hear them blasting away. Korean will be surprise if you can at least say something in korean

Im also planning go next Winter... if I have the extra cash. F&E definately!

You may wanna checkout tour2korea website

[Seongjoon]

hey~~I am living Seoul now. If you need any help, don't hesitate to pm or e-mail me.

[solasido]

I am just back from there from about 8 days tour around the country (ASA holiday tour package at just about $1.5k per person including all taxes, before tax it was about $1.2k)

Jeju island is nice.
Everland is good if you like theme park.
Don't miss NANTA show and JUMP show!
They have a lot of mountains. So if you can find local tour package to the mountains, you can take nice pictures of them.

Some youngsters in Seoul can speak English. I was stuck in one of the train station in Seoul and bumped into a young man who was fluent in English who could explained to me what to do.

[godprint]

wow guys... thanks for the wonderful replies... havent been too active in the forum lately due to work commitments. but nonetheless thanks for all your replies... i will slowly read thru them...

[EstherQX]

I will be going in mid Dec....I will be going to the above mentioned places....apart from that, will be going to Mt Seorak. However, I am still confuse regarding the different trails and routes.

DMZ still considering due to the expensive price and H1N1 affecting visits in certain section of the panmunjeom tour.

I do not speak or understand Korean at all....but will be going on F&E.

[thengz]

Originally Posted by Bathtub81 I was there last autumn. IMHO, i will recommend Jeju Island & Nami Island You may wanna go up Seoul tower as well. Tourist spots are pack with Chinese speaking salesperson. No worry its easy even if you can't speak a single korean! I know abit korean but I have no courage to speak when I hear them blasting away. Korean will be surprise if you can at least say something in korean Im also planning go next Winter... if I have the extra cash. F&E definately! You may wanna checkout tour2korea website

Yeah, Jeju was great. I would recommend that you rent a car, and drive around Jeju. I spent only 3 days in Jeju, wasn't enough. Having a car helped, makes it much easier to see the various sights in Jeju. Don't need to be afraid that you can't read Korean, cause the majority of the signs in Jeju comes in English as well.

[Gizmore]

Originally Posted by thengz Yeah, Jeju was great. I would recommend that you rent a car, and drive around Jeju. I spent only 3 days in Jeju, wasn't enough. Having a car helped, makes it much easier to see the various sights in Jeju. Don't need to be afraid that you can't read Korean, cause the majority of the signs in Jeju comes in English as well.

can always rent a car with a gps. the maps there is so detailed that even the road humps will show up on the map.

[lestwe4get]

Originally Posted by EstherQX I will be going in mid Dec....I will be going to the above mentioned places....apart from that, will be going to Mt Seorak. However, I am still confuse regarding the different trails and routes. DMZ still considering due to the expensive price and H1N1 affecting visits in certain section of the panmunjeom tour. I do not speak or understand Korean at all....but will be going on F&E.

I stayed 4 nights in Sokcho and covered the various trails of Seoraksan. You can ask me if you have questions

[lestwe4get]

Suggest that TS get hold of Lonely Planet and have some idea of what to see in Korea. Or read up in the Korea tourism website. Otherwise, it is quite overwhelming.

F&E is doable. Street scene in Seoul, notably the palaces (guards changing), Insadong-Angsuk area (especially at night) is nice. For transport, you can go by subway for Seoul. For outside Seoul, you can travel by intercity buses. It is not difficult but you have to first get hold a guide book and be familiar with the surrounding. Depending on what you what to do, typically 2-3 days will be enough in Seoul.

Some hiking is still possible in winter but it is minimum or limited routes. However, you can enjoy hotspring (on-sen) and skiing in the mountain.

Hope the above helps.

[thengz]

Originally Posted by Gizmore can always rent a car with a gps. the maps there is so detailed that even the road humps will show up on the map.

Yeah, funny thing was, when I went and rent the car, the company told me that the GPS only give instructions in Korean.