Even before my mother and sister got their tourist visas, I already had an itinerary for their week-long stay in Seoul. So when they first stepped into South Korea, everything just happened as planned.
I know Seoul like the back of my hand, so to speak. Drop me blindfolded on any part of the city and I'd still be able to find my way to Itaewon just using the bus; no taxis, no subway. After many years of exploring Seoul, I can tell you which part of the city is more interesting than the other. Of course, interest is relative; what interests one tourist may not interest another.
I have friends from the Philippines who signed up on these package tours and stayed in Korea for days, only to be whisked to some so-called 'Korean traditional shops' and were milked as 'captive markets', literally, for things they weren't interested in. Others complained to me about being forced into the Han River cruise at night where they saw nothing but lighted apartments and the expressway traffic.
But knowing all these tourist spots' location in Seoul has enabled me to give my friends five-hour tours around Seoul during their stopovers at Incheon International Airport, and I doubt if anyone has ever replicated my feats.
My mom isn't into Korean cosmetics or Korean dramas, or k-pop. She and my sister just wanted to sightsee and savor the local cuisine. I planned to show them more.
So from Incheon International Airport, the most convenient transport for us was the airport taxi. Taking the airport bus with our almost empty pieces of luggage (almost empty as we reserved them for our shopping!) would still be a hassle as the airport bus stop was about 200 meters from my apartment in the Dongdaemun District in Seoul, and that's a long walk for tired travelers. With the airport taxi, we would be dropped off at my apartment's doorstep.
For a six-day, five-night stay in Korea, here are the places my mom and my sister got to see in Seoul, riding the subway, bus, and taxi:
1ST DAY
Arrival in Seoul at night. The weather during the week was a mix of yellow dust, rain, and sun. I had to adjust our daily itinerary to avoid exposing ourselves to the irritating yellow dust.
2ND DAY
It rained during the day, which was a good thing because we were able to sleep in after a late night arrival.
But when the rain stopped in the late afternoon, the three of us took a cab going to Myeongdong. This was more convenient for us and didn't cost that much compared to taking the subway or bus since there's the three of us traveling.
Myeongdong Cathedral
Being Catholics, we had to visit the premier place of worship for Catholics in South Korea.
Myeongdong food alley
From desserts to barbecues to roasted chestnuts, this food alley is a must for tourists eager to enjoy the local delicacies and snacks.
Mandu (dumpling) restaurant
We visited my favorite mandu restaurant in Myeongdong for dinner; their big-sized mandu never fails to give me a 'burp!'.
My mom couldn't get over the huge, sweet chestnuts (castañas) being sold at the Myeongdong food alley. For KRW5,000, she got a pack and a lot of childhood memories when she used to enjoy castañas at home during Christmas when she was a kid.
3RD DAY
Dongmyo toy alley
We had to buy toys from the kids back home, and this place is just five minutes by subway from my apartment! How convenient!
NPH bag market
From the toy alley, we simply walked towards the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and stopped at the bag market before they closed at noon. The bag market opens the night and closes before noon the next day. We went there around 10AM. Do bring cash.
Jogyesa Temple
My mom loves colorful flowers, and I remember the Jogyesa Temple has its own flower festival. I also needed to show her the unique architecture of the temple, which you don't see in the Philippines.
Insadong
From the temple, we crossed over to Insadong and walked around to see the unique shops selling traditional Korean wares and souvenirs.
From Insadong, a cab ride brought us to the Namsan cable car, where we got our ride going up the Seoul Tower.
Going back home, we took the Namsan Bus No. 3 from the tower and got off at Beotigogae Station from where we took a cab going home to Dongdaemun.
Dinner @ Bella's home
After dropping off our things at my apartment, we rushed to Bella's home in the Jungrang District riding a cab with pasalubong (presents) on hand for her. She and her Korean family treated us to an authentic Korean home-style cooking!
4TH DAY
Brunch @ Original Pancake Story
We went to my old neighborhood of Hannam-dong in the Yongsan District to have brunch at Original Pancake Story, a brunch place cited by CNN as one of the best in Seoul.
Garuso-gil
Since Garuso-gil was just across the river, we took a cab and in five minutes, we were at the Garuso-gil in the Gangnam District.
(Green tea patpingsu and green tea drink topped with green tea ice cream)
Since we already climbed up Namsan, why not go higher?
The Lotte World Tower is the fifth tallest in the world. Since we didn't want to be caught in traffic during rush hour, we decided not to go up the tower. At least, my mom and my sister saw up close the tallest building in South Korea.
Dongdaemun's Homeplus supermarket
From the Lotte World Tower, we left just before rush hour kicked in and headed to Dongdaemun District Office building, which was right next to Homeplus, a Korean supermarket chain where we bought some Korean snacks and choco pie.
5TH DAY
Yongsan Station
Our friend Gail, whose apartment is in the Yongsan District, was throwing a lunch for us. We took Subway Line 1 from my apartment to Yongsan Station; it took less than 20 minutes.
I showed my mom and my sister the center of Yongsan Station, which is a major train station (next to Seoul Station) for KTX trains headed to the provinces. The station has a mall and cinemas, where I saw up close Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise in person during their movies' premiere.
Lunch @ Gail's home
Bringing our piayas from Bacolod, my mom and my sister were able to meet my Filipina friends in Seoul over a lunch and coffee.
Namdaemun Market
From lunch, Maria gave us a ride to Namdaemun Market, where we had the popular hotteok and bought more Korean souvenirs.
(Namdaemun or Sungnyemun Gate is Korea's National Treasure No. 1)
Night food fair @ Dongdaemun Design Plaza
After resting the whole afternoon, we headed down to the Dongdaemun Design Plaza where a food fair was going on.
The back area of DDP was full of food trucks and people. This was a Friday night.
Cheongnyangni Fruit Market
Lunch @ Lotte - Cheongnyangni Station
We took it easy on our last day, waking up late and headed down to the nearest mall at Cheongnyangni Station.
Departure for Cebu International Airport
At 5PM, our reserved airport cab picked us up from my apartment. Our flight was at 10PM and since we had nothing else to do, we just left for the Incheon Airport after an afternoon nap.
It was a Saturday afternoon and the traffic was bad at the expressways up to the Mapo District. I made sure we had time even though we already checked in online.
We all have a blast traveling around Seoul together. After all, this city is my third home and it was fun introducing Seoul to them like a local.
So, if you also want to have a lazy sightseeing tour around Seoul without the needlessly forced visits to shops and drama sites you're not interested in, you can follow our itinerary and have fun like we did!
* * * * *
Tips:
1. Since there's a kimbap restaurant on the ground floor of my apartment building, I simply ordered take-out for our daily breakfast.
2. During weekdays, we avoid traveling during the rush hour in the morning (8-9:30AM) and early evening (5:30 to 7PM)
3. Don't exchange all your money at the banks at Incheon Airport. There are money changers at Myeongdong and Dongdaemun shopping areas that give better rates.
4. Bring your own eco bags when going to supermarkets. They don't provide shopping bags.
5. Bring face masks during yellow dust season. Check the Korean weather bureau's website for alerts before you head out every day:
https://web.kma.go.kr/eng/
6. Give enough time for your ride back to Incheon Airport for your flight back home. From Seoul, two hours may be enough. Also, make sure to check in online if you can to afford you a less crowded line at the check-in counter.
7. There's a digital weighing scale at the departure area if you want to make sure you're within your baggage allowance limit. If you have exceeded your limit, you can always transfer non-liquid things from your luggage to your hand-carry bag. I have done this with fruits, like strawberries and pears, and roasted chestnuts.
8. Have fun!
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