South Korea is one of the unexplored places for many Indian travelers. There are many spots in South Korea, which can be covered in a period of 7 days.
Recently I've been to South Korea for 7 Days and I'll share my experience with you guys.
I was planning for this trip from last 4-5 months. The main reason I wanted to visit South Korea is the DMZ and JSA.
South Korea requires a visa for Indian travelers. The cost of the Visa is Rs.2800.
So finally I boarded Singapore Airlines Flight SQ 421 from Mumbai on 7th Feb 2019.
Reached Incheon International Airport on 8th Feb 2019 at around 7.45 am in the morning(Korea Time). The local temperature was -5°C at that time.
The actual immigration process took less than 1 min, but the queue for immigration was a bit longer. Inside the Airport premise, you will find multiple telecom operators offering Rental SIM Cards or Rental WiFi eggs. I bought KT Sim Card with 5 Days Unlimited data for around 27000 KRW (~ 27 USD). You will find tourist information centers inside the Airport, check with them, how can you reach your Hotel in Seoul city. You can also grab some free tourist information booklets and city maps. People are very friendly in South Korea. But the language barrier is real as most of the people don't understand English.
From Incheon Airport to Seoul City the distance is around 50 Kms. The best place to stay in Seoul city is Myeongdong which is centrally located and tourist friendly place.
You can either use Subway(Metro) or Bus (Airport Limousine) to reach Seoul city. I paid 14000 KRW for Bus to reach Myeongdong station. It took me around 90 mins to reach Myeongdong Station. My hotel was around 100 meters away from Myeongdong station. I was exhausted, so after breakfast I slept till evening.
In the evening I explored Myeongdong shopping street which is famous for street food, shopping, cosmetics. This street is very crowded in the evening, but nothing compared to the Indian market crowd. I tried pancake wrap with Nutella and fresh strawberry from a street vendor, which costed me 6000 KRW. Street food in Seoul is quite expensive as you can buy Mc'Donald's Chicken Burger Meal for around 6500 KRW.
Tried the Real Gun shooting experience at Myeongdong Shooting Range. I spent 50 $ for 10 Rounds of Israeli Desert Eagle Pistol. Rates keep changing according to the Gun you chose.
On 9th Feb 2019, I have visited the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). The market near DDP is famous for clothing and souvenirs affordable price. You can buy tee shirts with Seoul City logos or fridge magnets or Keychains for very cheap prices.
In the afternoon I visited the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA)
In the evening I visited the N Seoul tower, which has 360 degree observatory. I took the cable car to reach the tower for 9500 KRW both ways. There is one place on the tower like Pont des Arts Paris , where couples put love locks.
The ticket cost for the observatory is 10000 KRW. I would recommend to avoid this place on weekend or public holidays, as it took 1 hour and 15 mins to get inside the cable car and around 30 mins to reach the observatory. Otherwise, this tower is very beautiful.
On 10th Feb 2019, I visited the famous Korean DMZ which is the most heavily guarded border between North Korea and South Korea. I booked this tour from Viator.com for around 40 $. This was a complete guided tour. We visited the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Dora observatory (You can see the North Korean Model village) , The Bridge of no return and Dorasan Station in this tour. The best part is , in this tour I met one Indian person Mr. Kamalnayan. After a little chat we came to know that we are from the same city and we have some friends in common. He has been to many countries so he shared his experience with me also some suggestions for my future travel plans. I made a new friend that day.
It was a great and informative experience about the Korean war.
In the evening I explored Namdaemun Market, which is also known for the traditional Korean stuff.
On 11th Feb 2019, I visited the famous Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was built in the 14th century. The ticket cost is 3000 KRW, but you can avail a free entry if you wear traditional Korean dress.
Then I visited Changdeokgung Palace, which is UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3rd place of the day was Bukchon Hanok Village, which is the Korean traditional village with 600 year old urban environment. This is an excellent place for photoshoot.
On 12th Feb 2019, I visited 3 places i.e. Nami Island, Petite France and Garden of Morning Calm. I booked this full day tour via Viator.com for 68$.
Nami Island is famous for shooting of Korean Drama. One song from Emraan Hashmi's movie Gangster was shot at Nami Island(Bheegi Bheegi si hai).
Petite France is a French styled theme park.
Garden of Morning calm is a botanical garden located near east part of Seoul. This garden has around 5,000 kinds of plants. In the winter season (December to March) you can enjoy the Lighting festival.
On 13th Feb 2019, I visited the Gangnam District which is a business district in Seoul.
Then I visited the Lotte World tower which is the highest observatory deck in South Korea and 5th highest in the world.
Then visited the Coex Mall which is the biggest underground mall in Asia.
Also visited Seoul Olympic Park and Museum which was built to host the 1988 Summer Olympics.
On 14th Feb 2019, I visited the best place in Seoul according to me i.e. War Museum of Korea.
Here you will find India’s Forgotten Links to the Korean War. India sent a Medical division of 627 doctors during Korean war. South Korean government has build one memorial in the memory of forgotten Indian medics.
The war Museum has 3 floors. 1st floor for the history of ancient wars. 2nd and 3rd Floor for 1950 war between North and South Korea. This museum has multiple 4D movies to realize the actual war scenarios. You will find the weapons, Fighter planes, Howitzers, Tanks, Vehicles used in the Korean war.
In the war museum you can spend the entire day and you will not get bored. They have multiple coffee shops inside the museum. The best part is there is no entry fee for this museum.
This was my last day in Seoul, South Korea. Reached Incheon International Airport by Bus.
Boarded Singapore Airlines flight SQ 609 in the evening with amazing memories of this very beautiful country.
감사합니다
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If you have any queries then please contact me at,
email - subodh_619@yahoo.co.in
Instagram- subodh619
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