Traveling
in South Korea can be expensive. Things are expensive here. However,
there are ways to travel for free or inexpensively and you will have
a lot of fun and you'll enjoy Korea to the fullest. I personally did
free traveling here, which was awesome. I made new friends, met
people, had a lot of delicious Korean food and saved money.
If
you're planning to travel to Korea, the first thing you should do is
to sign up for the Visit Korea website to get their latest promotions
and offers in the newsletter. That website is a treasure. It's filled
with useful information and links, and it has great hotels/parks
deals, promotions and contests with awesome prizes like free round
trip tickets to Korea.
Best
Time to Visit Korea:
Autumn
is absolutely the best time to visit. The red, golden, yellow and
orange leaves are just beautiful. Autumn in Korea is cold but not
freezing. You can go out for walks and see the lovely trees.
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| www.koreankick.net |
Winter
is freezing cold. It's pretty when it snows, but very hard to do
outdoor activities.
Spring
is lovely, not cold and not hot, mild weather, cherry blossoms and
flowers in full bloom.
Summer
is very hot and humid, not my favorite season.
Accommodation:
There
are some choices for free or inexpensive accommodations in Korea.
I've done most of them.
1-
Home-stay: I did this in Seoul. A Korean family hosted me for a week
for culture and language exchange. I found the family online. They
were very nice and good to me. But don't forget, not all people are
the same, so choose wisely. Also, some families would host you in
exchange for some money. Don't be shy and ask about details in their
hosting deal.
2-
Couchsurfing: I've done it, and I had some wonderful experiences and
some bad ones. Unfortunately, some Korean guys use the website as a
way to hook up with women. So, if you're a woman make sure to read
all of host's references. If you're a guy, you have no problem. It's
a bitter truth, but I have to admit it. Also, you can couchsurf with
expats, but it's the same here - check the references.
3-
Jimjil Bang or Sauna: For 6$ you get a hot sauna and you can spend
the night there too. The sleeping area is very basic, just the wooden
floor. It's a unique experience.
4-
Hostels: of course, they start around 17$ per person. The price
depends on the location, too.
5-
Love Motels: I love them, they aren't as cheesy as they sound.
Basically, it's a cheap hotel. During the day, the room is rented by
the hour. You can spend the night there, but you'll have to check in
late. The decent love motels start from 50$ weekdays and 70$ on the
weekends. If you're two people traveling, I would recommend you stay
in a love motel instead of a hostel. You get a private room and a
bathroom for 50$, which isn't that bad for two people, but it depends
on your budget. Love motels don't offer breakfast.
6-
Temple Stay: it's the only thing I haven't done. Friends of mine
stayed in a temple for free before. Some temples charge you a fee to
have the full experience, like eating with the monks, praying and
chanting, and martial arts performances. Again, if you're planing to
stay in free temple stay, make sure it's free.
There's
Seoul Templestay Week from Dec 1-7 2014. Free of charge.
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| www.seoulselection.com |
Eating
Korean Street Food:
There
is nothing I like to eat more than street food, delicious and cheap.
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| www.followmefoodie.com |
- Warm kimbab for breakfast, 3$.
- Corn and ttokbokki spicy rice cake for lunch, 5$.
- Hot fishcakes and broth for dinner, 2 $.
- Sausages (made of pork), 2$.
- Hotteok for dessert, 2$.
For more Korean street food, visit the link below:
Eating
International Food:
Well,
eating foreign food here isn't cheap, especially if you go to a
restaurant.
- Itaewon area is filled with international restaurants: European, Middle Eastern, American, Turkish, Mexican and Indian. There are some shawarma trucks sell cheapish sandwiches.
- Hongdea area is also have a lot of international restaurants.
These
two areas are famous for the variety of food there.
Transportation:
1-Subway
is the best way to get around the city. You can buy a ticket for
single trip for 1500KW, about a dollar, and after your trip you can
return it to the machine and get 500Won back. The subway has
announcements for each stop in Korean and English.
2-
KTX trains travel from city to city. KTX are nice trains with clean,
comfortable seats and generally on time. A bit expensive, but again,
the Visit Korea website updates offers and discounts on trains
tickets for international visitors.
3-
Taxi. I would recommend to take the orange taxi ,as it is generally
for tourists and usually the drivers can speak some English.
4-
In the summer, Visit Korea offers a shuttle bus service between Seoul
and Busan city for free, but you have to register.
Parks:
These
are my favorite parks with free admission:
1-
Olympic Park, in one word, AMAZING. I could spend entire days there.
It's beautiful in every season.
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| www.flicker.com |
2-
Hangang park: Han river park.
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| Banpo Bridge hangang riverside park www.discoveringkorea.com |
3-
Namsan park: the park is free. The cable car and Seoul tower aren't
free, so be aware of that.
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| www.plus.google.com/Ahmedsubahman |
4-
Seoul World Cup Park
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| www.phollowmethere.blogspot.com |
5-
Seoul Grand Park, best in autumn. There's a zoo by the park which
isn't free.
Palaces:
Palaces
will take you back in time with their peaceful beauty. And the
admission is very affordable.
1-
Gyeongbokgung Palace 3,000W, closed Tuesdays.
2-
Changdeokgung Palace 3,000W, closed on Mondays.
3-
Changgyeonggung Palace 1,000W, closed on Mondays.
4-
Deoksugung Palace 1,000W, closed on Mondays.
Seoul's
Gates:
1-
Heunginjimun Gate, located in Dongdaemun the east side of Seoul. Free
admission.
2-
Bosingak Belfry, free admission.
3-
Hyehwamun Gate, located in the northeast side of Seoul. Free
admission.
4-
Gwanghuimun Gate, located in the southeastern side of Seoul. Free
admission.
For information about the gates, please visit the link below:
A
Must Go Places:
1-
Cheonggyecheon Stream: I wish I could find the right words to
describe it. It was one of the first places I visited in Seoul and I
fell in love with it. Free admission.
The
following are market places, you don't have to shop there, just walk
around and enjoy the atmosphere.
2-
Insa-dong: at first glance you would think it's a very touristic
district for shopping for souvenirs. Believe me, it's more than
that. Insa-dong is a unique place with a unique flavor. Of course,
you don't have to buy souvenirs from there, just go and enjoy walking
around the street.
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| www.layoverguide.com |
3-
Myeondong.
4-Dongdaemon.
5-Namdeamon.
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