Seoul
From Wikitravel
Seoul is the capital city of South Korea.
| Table of contents |
Understand
Get in
By plane
Nearly all international flights to Seoul land at the new Incheon International Airport (http://www.airport.or.kr/Eng/home.jsp) (ICN) to the west of the city. A train to the airport is under construction, but for time being the only practical option is to take either the bus (approximately US$11) or a taxi (approximately US$30-$US40).
The more centrally located but older Gimpo Airport (http://www.airport.co.kr/eng/dba/airport/gimpo/index.asp) (GMP) caters only to the shuttle service to Tokyo and domestic flights within Korea.
By train
By car
By bus
By boat
Getting around
By subway
In Seoul, you can visit most places by using subways. There are currently 8 lines, with a 9th currently under construction. The lines are numbered and distinguished by different colors. All signs in the subway system are in both Korean and English. The signs leading to the platform for a particular direction of travel on a given subway line typically list the names of a number of stations in that direction. Stations each have a 3 digit number, however Koreans don't really make use of these numbers and they're not on most subway maps, so don't rely on them.
Small magnetic stripe tickets are available for single trip or multiple trips, but most people choose to purchase a "T-money" stored value contactless smart card. You can buy this card at all subway stations and many newspaper kiosks near subway entrances. The card itself costs 1500 Won and cash can be charged onto the card as often as you like. When entering and leaving a subway turnstile, place the card on the reader (leaving it inside your purse or wallet is fine) and it will deduct the appropriate fare from the card. When using a T-money card you can transfer between subway and bus at a reduced fare.
Subway fares are based on the distance traveled, but the shortest ride costs 900 Won when using a magnetic ticket, or 800 Won when using a T-money card.
Although there is only one subway network, lines 1-4 and 5-8 are run by two different companies, so information is available on two websites:
- Seoul Metropolitan Subway Corporation (http://www.subwayworld.co.kr/english)
- Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp (http://www.smrt.co.kr/english/index.jsp)
By bus
Seoul also has an extensive bus service. There are four different kinds of buses. The color and size is different for each of them. The color (blue, green, red or yellow) describes the kind of route the bus takes. For example, red buses are long distance routes, and green buses connect subway stations to the surrounding areas.
By taxi
There are three kinds of taxis in Seoul: regular taxi, deluxe taxi and call taxi. Deluxe taxis are colored black with a yellow sign, and are more expensive than regular taxis but provide better and more comfortable service. Regular taxis are silver. It easy to hail a taxi any time of the day or night along any relatively major Seoul street.
You can call a deluxe taxi wherever you are by calling 3431-5100. Sometimes you can find a visitor's guide taxi which is a kind of deluxe taxi, the drivers of which know English and Japanese and can guide you around Seoul city.
The basic fare for regular taxis is 1600W, with additional fare of 100W applied according to time and distance. In deluxe taxis, the basic fare is 4000W and the additional fare increases in increments of 200W.
If there is more than one passenger, and you are traveling only a short distance (eg 1-2 subway stops) it is usually cheaper to catch a taxi than to take a bus or subway.
See
Do
Learn
Work
Buy
Duty free shops:You can use United States＄, Japanese ￥or Korean W. There are clerks who can speak Japanese in nearly every shop. Also the following credit cards are accepted: American Express (AMEX), JCB (Japanese credit card), Mastercard, or Visa. There are duty-free shops in both the Incheon airport and in Myonodon.
Markets:
- Namdaemun. The largest traditional market in Korea. This market is located in the center of Seoul and is a famous shopping place for tourists. Clothing for children and accessories are the most-commonly sold goods in this market.
- Dongdaemun. This market is of equal historical significance to Nandemun market. While Nandemun is and old-fashioned market, Tondemun market has large buildings grouping similar shops together so customers can shop efficiently and save time. "Tondemun sogo shijou" is one of buildings in Tondemun and sells Chimachogori, which is a Korean traditional dress, or bedclothes.
Fashion buildings: Local girls , as well as Japanese in Seoul are interested in fashion as well. Migliore in Myondon is one of the biggest fashion buildings in Seoul. It has 17 floors above ground and 7 basement floors. Infomation boards in Migliore are written in Korean as well as English, Japanese and Chinese for foreign tourists. In a fashion building you can find such goods as shoes, bags or clothing at a good price. Sometimes the stores hold various events on the rooftop so you can also enjoy the festivities in addition to shopping.
Eat
Budget
Seoul has plenty of budget places to eat. Everything from convenience store junk food and noodles to street stall food and lots of 24 hour Korean fast food restaurants. The 24-hour restaurants are great because they've usually got a wide variety of foods. Some great stews, soups, rice rolls, rice stir-fries and pork steaks with gravy. Prices do vary from about 2,000won to 9,000won at these restaurants.Mid-range
Splurge
Drink
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Contact
Stay safe
Cope
Get out
External links
- Official website (http://www.seoul.go.kr)
| This article is still a stub and needs your attention. Plunge forward and help it grow! |
