South Korea

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South Korea was a 17 hour layover for us on our way back from Thailand. In just the few hours that we were there, we fell in love with this beautiful country. We found Seoul to be incredibly clean and organized. (It was so organized that at times we were confused haha. We literally struggled to cross the street! Take a look at the top photo on this page with about 20 lanes of traffic from Seoul Station.  We literally could not figure out how to cross the road with a blockade to the far right so we ended up taking an uber 0.3 miles away to our hotel 🤣 #WhyDidTheTouristCrossTheRoad). Nonetheless, Seoul deserves a return trip for a full vacation.

We had a personal tour guide while in Seoul. I (Krystle) met this South Korea native while we both studied at an international university in China. This was our reunion 16 years later! We booked a hotel just to have somewhere to put our bags down and relax/freshen-up before our return flight to the states.

After grabbing a delicious cappuccino at a local coffee shop, my friend took us on a driving tour of the city. We grabbed a mouthwatering lunch, saw the monuments (from the car), went to a mall (Lotte Department Store) and outdoor shopping area (Myeong- dong  located in Jung-gu of central Seoul). This outdoor shopping experience is one of Korea’s top shopping areas with a mix of luxury, affordable and vintage shops. I found the cutest cardigan at a vintage shop. Did I mention K-beauty shops? I bought a few great moisturizers at Olive Young, known as the Sephora of Korea. We relaxed at the hotel, ate a quick snack before heading back for our flight! Not bad for a layover, right? Full trip loading!

A Candid Cost Calculation:

Accommodation – As mentioned, this was a long layover for us and not an overnight destination. We wanted to stay close to Seoul Station and stayed in the Gwanghwamun/City Hall area at the Four Points by Sheraton Josun, Seoul Station. It was walking distance to Seoul Station, with an underground tunnel to get there. I would even consider staying here if our hotel room wasn’t primarily a resting place for our bags ☺️

Food – We only went to one restaurant 착한한상 (Chakhan Hansang) inside the Korean Broadcasting System building in Yeouido, Seoul. was a causal style restaurant but do not be fooled, the food was amazing! We also tried Cass, an amazing Korean beer.

Transportation – Thankfully, we had a friend who drove us around but Seoul is very efficient transportation wise. Always be ready to walk but uber is also operational. There is also a highly efficient subway system.

We were so amazing about how efficient, clean and ontime the transportation was to/from the airport. It was about a 50 minute ride from Incheon International Airport to Seoul Station (where we tried to walk to our hotel and ended up ubering). We took the Airport Railroad Express (AREX) train.

I remember being in a huge subway station and getting slightly lost. Everyone from the locals to security were super sweet in helping us!

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