Summary of My 7D6N South Korea (2014) Travelogues & Travel Expenses

As usual, here is the compilation for all the posts relating to my trip to South Korea back in year 2014 where we covered Seoul and Busan within 7 days and 6 nights. Plus by end of this post, I also share on how much I spent throughout my trip.

Day 1: 20th March 2014
To South Korea with Korean Air and From Seoul to Busan

Travel Between Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Seoul Station
There are two types of trains operate between ICN and Seoul Station:
1) Express Train 

• Non stop train and it takes 43 minutes
• Runs every 30 minutes 
• Fare 8,000 won (6,000 won for group of four people or more)

2) Commuter Train

• Stops at 9 different stations and travel time takes 56 minutes between ICN and Seoul
• Trains run every 23 minutes and times vary throughout the day
• Fare and schedule are vary depending on the arriving station (click here)

Although the commuter train consumed lots of our time with plenty stops, but we chosen this cause it was cheaper at least by half of the express train fare.

In order to get to Busan from Seoul, we took KTX (Korean Train eXpress) by using Korail Pass which I pre-booked in advanced before the trip. Korail Pass is only available to foreign traveller, in other words only for the non-Korean with unlimited access on Standard Class seats within fixed period of time. There are 1, 3, 5 and 7 Days Passes and these passes must be used on consecutive days. As we're spending three days and two nights in Busan, we chosen the 3-Day Passes. If you are travelling in a group of 2 to 5, then you are entitled for the Saver Pass which is slightly cheaper than the standard fare. 

For more info, you can check out the type and fare here as the fare is vary from year to year. 

How To Purchase Korail Pass: 

1) Book online from Korail website - Besides your own details such as full name and passport number, other passengers details are also required. 

2) Print out the voucher and remember to bring along in order to exchange Korail Passes.

3) The voucher can only be redeemed at Seoul Station. All passports and credit card used for booking are required for validation. It's crucial or else, the booking is void. 

Stay: E-Fashion Hotel (Permanently closed down) 

Talking about accommodations in Busan city, two areas I would highly recommend to stay:

• Jung-gu, area closer to Busan Main Station like Toyoko Inn 1, Hotel Gwang Jang; or
• Hauendae-gu, an affluent beach area and home to Korea's most famous beach.

Get Around Busan: 

In order to get around Busan, one can either opt for Busan Hanaro Card or Busan Metro Day Pass. Busan Hanaro Card is a travel card system which similar to Seoul T-Money Card that can be used on subway, light rail and buses. The card itself costs 6,000 won and you need to reload money into the card. We opted the latter one, Busan Metro Day Pass which cost 4,500 won per day.

Haeundae Beach & Market 

How To Get To Haeundae Beach & Market: 

Align at Haeundae Station on Line 2. It takes more an hour from Busan Subway Station.

Day 2: 21st March 2014
Gamcheon Culture Village, Santorini of the East

How To Get To Gamcheon Culture Village:

Get off from Toseong Station (Line 1) Exit 6. Turn right at the corner and walk straight until reach the bus stop in front of the Busan National University Hospital. From there, take Bus 2-2 or 2 and get off at Gamcheon Culture Village.

There is no admission fee charged for entering here but if you are interested to get the map, it cost you 2,000 won (approx. to RM8).

Taejongdae Recreation Area

How To Get To Taejongdae Recreation Area: 

From Busan Subway Station Exit 7, take bus 88 or 101 and get off at Taejongdae Cliff.

In order to get back to Busan Subway Station, take bus 8, 30, 88 or 101.

Admission fee is free of charge but in the case you are too lazy to walk, I would personally recommend you to take the Danubi Train ride which cost 1,500 won for adult and 600 won. It stops at 5 main attractions:

Platform à Taejongsa Temple à Yeongdo Lighthouse à Observatory à Gumyeongsa Temple à Taewon Jagal Madang à Platform

BIFF Square

How To Get To BIFF Square:

Nampo Station - Exit 1 or 3 and walk straight for few minutes and BIFF Square on the right

Day 3: 22nd March 2014

From Busan, we took KTX Train bound to Seoul. We're so wrong when we decided to reserve the train time we preferred on the spot but unfortunately it was fully booked. At the end, we waited for almost two hours in Busan Main Station for the next train ride. Be sure to reserve earlier, at least a day in advance. The journey from Busan to Seoul takes about 2 and half hours. There are food and beverages selling inside the train and the best part, there's a free WiFi internet connection. 

Stay: Namsan Guest House 3

It might be small and cramped, but this guesthouse is perfect place to stay for its unbeatable location. Less than 5 minutes walk from Myeongdong Subway Station, and opposite of the road is where the busy Myeongdong Shopping Street situated. 

Day 4: 23rd March 2014
Changdeokgung Palace

How To Get To Changdeokgung Palace: 
Jongno 3 (sam)-ga Station - Exit 6; or
Anguk Station - Exit 3.
From the station, walk straight about 5 minutes to the palace entrance.

Admission Fee: 3,000 won for Changdeokgung Palace only and 5,000 for Secret Garden Tour. 
However, if you are interested to visit all the Grand Palaces except for Gyeonghuigung Palace , you are advisable to purchase the Integrated Ticket of Palaces which cost 10,000 won only.

Bukchon Hanok Village & Insadong

How To Get To Bukchon Hanok Village:
Anguk Station - Exit 2. Walk straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village

Insadong

How To Get To Insadong Street:
1. Anguk Station - Exit 6; or
2. Jonggak Station - Exit 3; or
3. Jongno 3 (sam)-ga Station - Exit 1

Day 5: 24th March 2014
The Day I Wandered Alone In Seoul

Ewha Womans University and surrounding area - another popular shopping districts in Seoul among the young ladies. 

How To Get To Ewha Womans University:

Ewha Womans University Station - Exit 2 or 3. From the station, 5 minutes walk to the university.

Sichon Area


Itaewon

N Seoul Tower

How To Get To N Seoul Tower:

By Public Bus - click here. I took the bus from Myeongdong Station - Exit 3 and board on Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus No. 5 for only 1,200 won (approx. to RM4) for a single trip. 

By Cable Car - Walk about 10-15 minutes following the street of the right side of the Pacific Hotel, after coming out from Exit 3 of Myeongdong Station. A return ticket cost 8,500 won (approx. to RM26) for adult and 5,500 won (approx. to RM17) for children. 

Admission Fee for Observatory: 10,000 won (approx. to RM31) for adult and 8,000 won (approx. to RM25) for children

Day 6: 25th March 2014
Free Traditional Korean Costume Experience

How To Get Experience on Free Traditional Korean Costume: 

Myeong-dong Station - Exit 6. Walk straight until you see M Plaza on right side. Seoul Global Culture & Tourism Center is located on the 5th floor of M Plaza. 

Korean Culture Experience: 10:30 am to 6:00 pm daily 

COEX Aquarium

How To Get To Coex Aquarium: 
Samsung Station - Exit 5 or 6 connected to the Coex Mall. The aquarium is located at the end of the Ocean Walk section. It is next to Megabox Cinema on the Basement 1 arcade.
Admission Fee: 22,000 won for adult and 19,000 won
Opening Hours: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Day 7: 26th March 2014
Cat Playground Cafe

How To Get To Cat Playground Cafe in Myeongdong:
Myeongdong Station - Exit 6. Walk straight until spot New Balance shop and turn right. The cafe is located on the 3rd floor.
Opening Hours: 12 pm to 11 pm (Close on Sunday)
Admission Fee: 8,000 won for adult and 7,000 won for children including one drink

Leaving South Korea & My Shopping Loots

There are three options to go to Incheon International Airport from Myeongdong:

1) By bus 

Take Bus 6015 which departs in front of Sejong Hotel (Myeongdong Station - Exit 8). The first bus departs at 4.50 am while the last bus departs at 8.35 pm. One single ride costs 15,000 won and T-money card is accepted inside the bus. 

2) By AREX train 

From Myeongdong Station, it requires change line at Seoul Station before taking AREX train.

3) By taxi/van

We hired a van from Namsan Guesthouse 3 and it cost 65,000 won for four of us. 

As usual to end each of my travelogue, the following are the details of travel expenses breakdown throughout my 7 days 6 nights to South Korea: 

PARTICULARS	NOTE	AMOUNT
		Korean won	RM
Air Fare KK-Seoul-KK via Korean Air Accommodation E-Fashion Hotel Busan – 2 nights Namsan Guest House Seoul – 4 nights Transportation Korail Pass – 3 Day Passes (Pre-booked online) Busan Metro Day Pass (2 days) Taxi around Busan Reload for T-Money card Van to Incheon International Airport Admission Fees Danubi Train - Taejongdae Recreation Area Changdeokgung Palace COEX Aquarium  Food & Beverages Around Busan Around Seoul Others Shopping loots, postcards & stamps	1 2 2 3	- - 130,000 92,400 9,000 3,250 22,600 16,250 1,500 3,000 19,500 27,550 73,275 296,650	2,167 83 404 290 28 10 70 50 5 9 60 85 228 923
		TOTAL:	4,412

Exchange Rate - 1,000 won = RM3.11

Note:

1. It was impromptu trip. It would be slightly cheaper if my family decided to book earlier as Cathay Pacific airfare cost less than RM1,800 with a short transit at Taiwan.

2. For more details about the two accommodations, check out here.
3. Photo as below - I spent lesser comparing to my first trip to South Korea.

Frankly speaking, if I don't take the airfare into the account, the total damages for my trip to South Korea would be only RM2,245 including accommodations, transportation, admission fees, meals and shopping loots. How I wish AirAsia X could start to operate in Kota Kinabalu so flying to South Korea would be much more economical and convenient? Plus, the flight duration from Kota Kinabalu to Seoul Incheon International Airport takes 5 and half hours only, compare from Kuala Lumpur which takes more than 7 hours.

Can't wait to be back to South Korea again!

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South Korea (2014): Accommodation in Busan & Seoul

Choosing accommodations in South Korea are practically quite subjective, most of the times depends on the locations and needs of one own preferences. Some might travel in tight budget, whereas some might don't mind splurge themselves in finding better accommodation. For me, I'm in between, depends on which cities and countries I visited. I often received email from blog readers asking where to stay in Busan and Seoul. So, this post I share where I stayed before and which area I personally like. 

Accommodation in Busan: E-Fashion Hotel

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Foodie Friday: My Favourite Korean Local Delights

Kimchi - Nay!
Bibimbap - Nay!
Tteokbokki (Spicy Korean rice cakes) - Nay!

Although I dislike the above food which are indeed authentic Korean dishes but thank goodness for their diverse cuisine, Korea has wide array of food to explore ranging from traditional dishes, Korean BBQ to finger licking good street food. So what were my favourite local delights when I was in Korea two years back? 

1) Korean Spicy Chicken 

#1: Street food in Haeundae Market - Korean spicy chicken, my favourite

I'm so addicted to Korean spicy chicken lately. Probably I love the spicy and sweet sauce coated with chicken. One bite and you want more! 

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BIFF Square, Busan

Date Visited: 21st March 2014

Once we got back to the Busan Station from Taejongdae Recreation Area, the day is still shining bright and since it's our last day in Busan before heading back to Seoul, we moved on to visit BIFF Square.

#1: Coffee break at Angel In Us Coffee Cafe

BIFF Square, or in full - Busan International Film Festival Square was a center of attraction dedicated to promote Korea's film industry. This was where the annual film festival held but now has became hustle and bustle of busy shopping street lined with variety of Korean beauty products, cosmetics and fashion.  

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Taejongdae Recreation Area of Busan, South Korea

Date Visited: 21 March 2014

There are plenty of things to do and see in Busan but because we only spent 3 days and 2 nights, it's impossible to cover all with only limited of time given. Right after we spent our wonderful times in Gamcheon Culture Village, we proceeded to Taejongdae which is well-known for its rocky cliff overlooking magnificent deep blue sea.

As Taejongdae Recreation Area is situated at the southern-most tip of Yeongdo-gu island, it took almost an hour bus ride from Busan Subway Station. It might seems long ride but all along the journey, I was pretty fascinating with all the scenery and without we realised, finally we reached - the final and last bus stop. From the bus stop itself, a short walk before reaching Taejongdae and in case worry of getting lost, no worry cause it's easy to spot with many tourists and travellers outside the main entrance.

#1: Danubi Train Ride tickets 

Admission to Taejongdae is free of charge but I personally would recommend to take the Danubi Train ride which cost 1,500 won for adult and 600 won for children, if you are lazy to walk. It stops at 5 main attractions:

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Gamcheon Culture Village of Busan, South Korea

Date Visited: 21st March 2014

Santorini of the East! That's what Gamcheon Culture Village claimed to be. With a panorama of endless rows of pretty pastel houses, cheeky art murals and curious sculptures, no doubt this has instantly becomes one of traveller's favourite destination in the city of Busan.

There are plenty of things to do and see in Busan but one thing for sure, I know I shouldn't miss out this place or else, I will regret for not visiting here. So on our second day in Busan, we took subway from Haeundau to Busan Station which the journey times took almost an hour.

In order to get to Gamcheon Culture Village, one can drop off at Toseong Station but then, we opted for cab to the top directly from Busan Station. Luckily I always well-prepared my itinerary in dual language (both English and Korean) for all the places I intended to visit cause the taxi driver didn't seem to understand when I mentioned in English. 

#1: Gamcheon Culture Village, less than half hour away from Busan Station

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Haeundae Beach & Market of Busan, South Korea

Date Visited: 20th March 2014

From Seoul to Busan, it took two and half hours travelled via Korean Train eXpress (KTX) and the ride was exceptionally pleasant and comfortable. I just love bullet train like the one in Japan, Taiwan and Shanghai! Once we arrived Busan, the first thing we did is to check-in into the hotel I booked beforehand. From what I research, the most recommended areas are nearby Busan station and Haeundae Beach area. But do bear in mind as the journey times between these two areas takes over an hour by Busan subway. Hence, plan wisely to avoid wasting the travelling times. 

I chosen to stay nearby Hauendae Beach area mainly for one reason, for its pristine and notable sandy beach. There are ample of motels and guest houses can be found throughout Hauendae area and the one I picked, it was literally a love motel to be precise (will blog this in the upcoming post). 

#1: Buildings in Haeundae district

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To South Korea with Korean Air and From Seoul to Busan

Annyeong-haseyo once again!

I never thought I will going back to South Korea for the second time after my maiden trip to the "Land of The Morning Calm" back in year 2011. The reason I return was because my mom and sister who wish to go there but refused to join the organised tour guide. Therefore, they assigned me to become their personal tour guide since I've been there before. This trip is kinda last minute decision and because ran out of time, I simply amended my itinerary which I did for my previous trip.

Initially we decided to book Asiana Airlines or maybe Cathay Pacific but Asiana Airlines was relatively expensive whereas Cathay Pacific requires long transit in Hong Kong. After taking everything into account, we chosen Korean Air as our official flight to South Korea. 

#1: Overall, it was pleasant flight with Korean Air but slightly uncomfortable with the hard seat

The flight duration from Kota Kinabalu directly to Seoul took 5 hours, comparing from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul which took 7 and half hours. And because it was midnight flight, by the time we landed Seoul on the next morning, it was still dark and grooming when I woke up and looking outside the plane's window. 

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Seoul & Busan, South Korea Trip 2014 (Sneak Peek)

Going Korea for the second time wasn't really part of my plan but my mom and sis really love to go there and hence, they assigned me to become their personal tour guide. It was kinda last minute decision that I don't even have the time to do a well-preparation. Simply amended my itinerary which I did for the previous trip.

#1: So here we off to South Korea with Korean Air and the flight duration from Kota Kinabalu directly to Seoul only took 5 hours, comparing with AirAsia X from Kuala Lumpur which took 7 and half hours. 

Initially we plan to fly with Asiana Airlines or Cathay Pacific but Asiana Airlines was too expensive whereas Cathay Pacific required transit in Hong Kong for few hours. After comparing both fares between Cathay Pacific and Korean Air, we chosen Korean Air since we never flew before with them. It was a pleasant flight and we really enjoyed it. 

#2: Once we landed Incheon International Airport, we took commuter train to Seoul Station for the Korail exchange bound to Busan city, South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul.

#3: Sun & Fun at Hauendae Beach - the most popular and well-known beach in South Korea. But too bad the weather in Busan is so cold and windy.

#4: Exploring the colourful and cherry alleyways of Busan's Gamcheon Culture Village. It's also known as "Korea's Santorini". My most favourite attraction comparing the rest.

 #5: Another Busan famous attraction, Taejongdae Resort Park which located 20 minutes away from Busan Station. The thing must see here is the Yeongdo Lighthouse. 

 #6: The second gong or palace I visited in Seoul - Changdeokgung Palace. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 #7: When my mom and sis went to Everland Resort Park, I decided not to join and wandered around Seoul alone. I went to Ewha Womans University and oh man, it's so enchanted and beautiful making me wanna return back to uni life again.

#8: Since I missed out Itaewon during my maiden trip, so for this time around I must go.

 #9: Took bus alone to N Seoul Tower

 #10: A day before we left, we went Coex Aquarium. Again, another of my travel wishlist accomplished.

 #11: Can't believe I got to try free hanbok experience for the second time. Thanks to Kampungboycitygal's blog (one of my favourite blog when relating to travel)  for the sharing this.

#12: I'm not really fond of Korean cuisines but then these were the best meals I ever had in South Korea - jjim dalk, budae jjigae, Korean BBQ and dak-galbi. The one on the bottom right, dak-galbi seems halal cause I saw many Muslims were eating there.

We went South Korea seems to be pretty early for spring season but then we bumped into sakura (eventhough it was few) in Seoul. This is the third time I stumbled upon sakura or known as cherry blossom (after the first one in Japan last year and in Inle Lake, Myanmar early of this year)

Till then, hope to see you soon, South Korea. Wish I could go back for the third visit. Perhaps I should plan to go during middle of April next year for sakura. #daydreaming again

Guess I love East Asia countries so much (Hong Kong, Macau, China, South Korea, Japan & Taiwan) than South East Asia countries that I don't mind to do another repeating visits.

P/S: Might not able to blog my latest Seoul & Busan travelogue at this moment cause catching up to blog my outdated and overdue travelogues. However, if you have any enquiry regarding this trip of mine, you are welcome to leave me a message at dtdianateo@gmail.com, or you can even check my first ever trip to South Korea (Seoul & Jeju Island) travelogue - Summary of 8 Days of Seoul & Jeju Island Travelogue. 

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