48 Hours in Seoul:

An Itinerary for Getting the Most From A Too Brief Trip

Are you looking for history, culture, nature, great food, good shopping, and a little taste of Korea?  Well, Seoul is definitely the best place for all of these things!  In fact, Seoul has so many amazing things to do that you could spend years there and still never see everything (I spent 3 months and barely cracked the surface). But sometimes you don’t have forever to spend in a place.

While in Korea, I spent day after day, weekend upon weekend scrounging about Seoul  in an effort to take everything in before I went home.  So when my best friend Beth decided to visit for a couple of days and asked for “The Full Tour,” I began cutting down my list of “Must Sees” to something we could accomplish in 2 days.  We were worn out by the end, but Beth says the trip was definitely worth it.  So here it is; my recommendation for 48 Hours in Seoul.  It will be in 2 parts: Day 1 and Day 2

Day 1

Day 2

Costs

Approx. 1,000 Won = $1

Disclaimer: My friend and I are cheap.

We’re students, so we didn’t try to take on anything too expensive.  I had $200 to spend over her stay, and I was $10 short the bus fair to the airport for home.  So $210 isn’t bad for a fun weekend.  I was amazed; she was amazed (but then she’s from Japan where everything’s expensive!)  So everything I will recommend is relatively cheap., Then again most sightseeing/shopping/activities in Korea are cheap unless you try eating at a 5 course restaurant.  Here’s an estimate at what you’re looking at per person:

• Museums =  about $3-5
• Taxis = usually at most $5-7 and that’s if you’re going a fair distance, usually only $3-5.  Lots of times its cheaper to grab a taxi and split the fare rather than all paying to take the subway.
• Ferry Trip = $15 (The day trips are cheaper, but it’s worth the additional price since you see the bridges light up at night which is most of the trip)
• Namsan trip = $20 total + Taxi fare, and we did it all (museums and cable car included) except the big restaurant up top.
• Dragon Spa = $12 +$2 for sodas (we slept here so we didn’t pay for a hotel.  It was actually more fun since we wouldn’t have had time to enjoy a hotel anyway. It had a bed and baths, and actually a ton of families with kids were even staying there. For $12 a night, awesome!!)
• Food = $8-15 per person, plus an extra $10 if we had a couple treats for snacks (you can eat for less or more, up to you).
  • Note: Korean BBQ = $20+ but that will get you an entire table filled with food.  Literally, check out the photos on Day 1’s post if you think I’m kidding.  4-5 of us would split 1-2 orders all the time, my friend and I just shared one and had too much to finish (and we can put away some food so that’s saying something).
• Coex = Free, with an additional $17 if you do the Aquarium (recommended), save about $5 for Ice cream at Baskin Robbins or Cold Stone though.  Perfect for a hot day!
• Souvenirs = $50 and I got a ton of stuff.  I didn’t buy anything more than $5 but I still got some cute fans, a carved puzzle train for my uncle, postcards, pictures, hair pins, etc.  You can spend more or less as you choose.  I came home with a whole suitcase full.
• Clothes = I didn’t get many clothes there (I ran out of room in my suitcase), but my friend came with an empty suitcase and left with a full one, and only spent about $100.  I was happy with my silver cross, a few hair pins, and a gorgeous dress for me and one for my mom for only $40 total.  Yay!
• Clubbing = $10-30 to get in, +drinks.  We did this a lot over the summer, but it does cost quite a bit.  And they don’t always like big groups, sometimes you have to reserve tables in advance which costs more since they come with a stipulated drink fee ahead of time.  Still, if you don’t have kids and you’re ready to party, they’re open late and ready for fun!

Additional Resources

1. VisitSeoul Guide Map online.  –Try to grab one of these if possible.  The maps are AMAZING!!
2. VisitKorea–Has all the information on the places I recommend that you could possibly need; check it out!
3. Subway Map

Tags: guide, itinerary, Korea, recommendations, ROK, Seoul, south korea, Travel, travel guide, visit