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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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 Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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| sojusucks wrote: |
| It depends on what you want to do with your time, be it sightseeing at costco, shopping at costco, dining at costco, or whatever at costco. The list for each, good and bad, would be different. |
my thoughts exactly. |
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kimchi_pizza
Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Location: "Get back on the bus! Here it comes!"
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| Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Kimchifart wrote: |
| kimchi_pizza wrote: |
I hesitate even writing this 'cause I dread this area being full of dumb google-eyed tourists and/or drunk foreigners but....
as a nice getaway for fellow expat teachers I'll share a little secret, a gift of sorts.
Gyeongbuk Palace is nice, very nice BUT.....
Walk the road around the palace grounds.....it's like you're not in Seoul anymore, fantastic coffee shops, stores, museums, very artsy, cool, warm, friendly kind of area. You can even see the Blue House as well, but no pictures~ the plain clothes policemen/women will stop you. Which is actually kind of cool too since one confronted me. I really didn't know I couldn't take pictures. If you enter the road from the east, there's a high stone wall on the right and IF you look carefully one can see bullet holes left from the war.
Cheers and you're welcome~!
oh yeah, did I mention how quiet it is? Turn the corner and all the constant humming and honking of Seoul traffic literally disappears. amazing~ let the tourists have Insadong, let's keep this to ourselves. |
Is that down the little alley to the right of the palace entrance...an old looking lane sort of thing or somewhere else? God I wish they'd get proper street names here. |
That sounds about right, very nondiscript, but trust me....I also recommend going there with only one, maybe two other people. A perfect 'go on a date' location. Seoul is kind of high stress, tense, fast-paced city, but here I felt like I could breath deeply, relax and enjoy good company. |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I will also confirm that the Seoul City Tour Bus is well worth the 10,000 won for a day-long ticket. There are also some other buses that run to Seoul Tower from Itaewon. |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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| fermentation wrote: |
I didn't get to see all of it, but I enjoyed the National Museum. The area outside the exhibit is nice too. I think I'll go back someday to see the rest of it.
If you can ignore the government propaganda, the War Memorial is also a good place to visit once. I went there like 3 or 4 times in my life and it was always a trip to see all the names of the American soldiers who died in the war.
I'm not a fan of the Seoul Tower though. If you been to one tall building in a city, you've been to all of them in my opinion. |
The reason why Seoul Tower is such a draw is its location. You can't ignore it, eh? So, every newbie feels an obligation to go. But walking up from the bus stop is quite a workout. It's like walking up a cliff. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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| figshdg wrote: |
| edwardcatflap wrote: |
| I thought the prison at Sodaemun was worth a trip |
+1. I thought the prison was the most interesting place to visit in Seoul. |
Why have I never heard of this??
Sounds interesting. |
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alwaysbeclosing100
Joined: 07 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:09 am Post subject: |
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| Noryanjin fish market |
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HeavyTZM
Joined: 25 Aug 2011
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:02 pm Post subject: Re: Seoul tourist spots you should see or skip |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
BTW, I think it's helpful to take the Seoul City Tour Bus if you're
new to Seoul and want to get around town easily. It costs 10,000 won for the day and you can
get on and off as much as you like.
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I plan on doing this this week. I don't know my way around Seoul, and I see it says it departs from Gwanghwamun. Do I have to be at the departure spot to buy a pass? Or can I buy a pass at the stop at Seoul station? |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| figshdg wrote: |
| edwardcatflap wrote: |
| I thought the prison at Sodaemun was worth a trip |
+1. I thought the prison was the most interesting place to visit in Seoul. |
Why have I never heard of this??
Sounds interesting. |
Then read all about it.
http://tigersandmagpies.com/2010/10/seodaemun-prison-historical-museum/ |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:57 pm Post subject: Re: Seoul tourist spots you should see or skip |
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| HeavyTZM wrote: |
| wylies99 wrote: |
BTW, I think it's helpful to take the Seoul City Tour Bus if you're
new to Seoul and want to get around town easily. It costs 10,000 won for the day and you can
get on and off as much as you like.
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I plan on doing this this week. I don't know my way around Seoul, and I see it says it departs from Gwanghwamun. Do I have to be at the departure spot to buy a pass? Or can I buy a pass at the stop at Seoul station? |
You can get on the bus and pay on the bus. Just get on at the Seoul Station stop. BTW, save your ticket to show the tour guide when you get back on the bus, plus there's a 10% coupon, on the bus ticket, for Seoul Tower. |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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I've ridden the Seoul City Tour Bus and I wanted to tell everyone that there's a tour guide on the bus who sells tickets and who can answer any questions you may have about the individual tourist attractions on the Tour. They do speak English plus they have brochures in English.
The Tour Bus does stop in Itaewon, across from the Hamilton Hotel, so you can get out and have a bite to eat. The buses also stop in Myeong Dong and Insadong so you can eat later, if you choose. Other buses are also circulating on the same route and they arrive about 30 minutes later. Just show them your ticket and you can get back on the next bus.
I wouldn't recommend taking the Seoul City Tour Bus on Monday because many tourist attractions in Seoul are closed on Monday. They are open on weekends and closed on Mondays. That's the regular schedule. But if you take the bus any other day you will be able to see plenty of other attractions, including the War Memorial, which is a museum you shouldn't miss while in Korea. |
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Squire
Joined: 26 Sep 2010
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 1:59 am Post subject: |
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| I visited Chandeokgung about a month after Gyeongbokgung and found it disappointing by comparison. I think it would be best to leave a lot of time between the two because Chandeokgung doesn't have much to offer after Gyeongbokgung, which I found surprisingly impressive, by the way. It was like a Korean version of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Not as good but still by far one of the best sights in Korea and great value for money. If I one day return here for a holiday I expect I'll visit again |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Remember that if you are in Korea during Chuseok all of these attractions will be open, including the bus tour. They are always open during Korean National holidays. It's a good time to see some of these attractions without having to fight big crowds. |
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mnjetter
Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Location: Seoul, S. Korea
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 2:13 am Post subject: |
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| Insadong is a bit of a tourist trap and not terribly entertaining (unless all you want to do is shop), but I have to give it props for being the only place in Korea I've been able to find so far with good quality loose-leaf green tea. Osulloc is an amazing store, and if you take advantage of their 2+1 deal, it's decently priced. Not as cheap as the same product would be in Japan or China, but the quality matches anything I've seen there. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:22 am Post subject: |
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| mnjetter wrote: |
| Insadong is a bit of a tourist trap and not terribly entertaining (unless all you want to do is shop), but I have to give it props for being the only place in Korea I've been able to find so far with good quality loose-leaf green tea. Osulloc is an amazing store, and if you take advantage of their 2+1 deal, it's decently priced. Not as cheap as the same product would be in Japan or China, but the quality matches anything I've seen there. |
I will add that there are a few excellent restaurants there. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 4:52 am Post subject: |
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Gyeonggi Downs- Nothing says classy tourist like betting slips and dope sheets.
A baseball game at Sajik is a must for any baseball fan. Spend the extra money and get table seats, preferably the ones with grills for samgyupsal built in. Then enjoy BYOB, Plastic Bags, and Bat Girls.
Leeum museum was nice and quaint. A bit of a pain to find and get to. |
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