Seoul - Jeju - Busan Itinerary

[Chrysanthemum Tea]

is gimpo premium outlet worth going?

thinking of going there instead of DMZ (because cant got Panmunjom...)

 

[nomoreliaola]

ok dun feel like going jeju le. any places to stay outside seoul, e.g farm ataytor nature stay or busan? firsst thimg is plan where to stay ,outside seoul, suitable for kids

Think will have to go Gimpo. It’s a short train ride away.
Jeju have like Snoopy land, Moomin land etc, but dk active ur kid is and what s/he likes

Secret garden don’t need to book in advance, just go there and buy tickets but u should go on time

blue house iirc can book from online but their website quite buggy.

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[chocolate&cookies]

hi, sorry to hijack this thread too. i'm planning to go Korea in end-Oct this year with my 2yo. is the itinerary ok? hubby doesnt want to do f&e cos we need the stroller/babywear but i really prefer f&e:

day 1 - arrive seoul at ~1pm. Do PCR test then flight to Jeju (not sure what flight time i should book for this. is 3pm a safe time? or 4pm?) arrive jeju airport then cab to hotel in downtown jeju (google says 12min drive. will the cab fares be astronomical?)

day 2 - book a day tour of east jeju on klook

day 3 - if cab fares are similar to sg, i dont mind cabbing to Osulloc then cab back to hotel and flight to Seoul
check into hotel at myeongdong then go namsan tower (not sure if i shld go namsan in the day for the autumn foilage or evening/night for the night view). is the hike up stroller-friendly? if not, i will go lotte mart at seoul station to stock up on milk for my girl/snacks

day 4 - day tour to Alpaca World and Naomi Island on klook

day 5 - namsan tower or lotte mart (seoul station). would wanna go bukchon hanok village for rental of hanbok but not sure if the journey there is stroller friendly/need to walk a lot etc. my hubby will probably nag me to death if so. if not, any cafes to recommend around seoul station or myeongdong or hongdae?

day 6 - day tour to Everland

day 7 - chill around myeongdong/go airport for pre-departure PCR test (still need to do this right?) until flight @2pm

appreciate any advice. thanks



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[wongkc]

hi, sorry to hijack this thread too. i'm planning to go Korea in end-Oct this year with my 2yo. is the itinerary ok? hubby doesnt want to do f&e cos we need the stroller/babywear but i really prefer f&e:

day 1 - arrive seoul at ~1pm. Do PCR test then flight to Jeju (not sure what flight time i should book for this. is 3pm a safe time? or 4pm?) arrive jeju airport then cab to hotel in downtown jeju (google says 12min drive. will the cab fares be astronomical?)

U landing in Incheon right? Need to go Gimpo to fly to Jeju... so you need to give buffer time for travelling depending on the mode of transport u choose to go Gimpo... U can download Kakao Map which has an estimate of taxi fare... not sure how accurate though... never took taxi in Korea before

day 2 - book a day tour of east jeju on klook

East side should be mostly scenery...

day 3 - if cab fares are similar to sg, i dont mind cabbing to Osulloc then cab back to hotel and flight to Seoul
check into hotel at myeongdong then go namsan tower (not sure if i shld go namsan in the day for the autumn foilage or evening/night for the night view). is the hike up stroller-friendly? if not, i will go lotte mart at seoul station to stock up on milk for my girl/snacks

Osulloc is at least 30-45mins away from Jeju city... to and fro already 1.30hours... and what time is your flight back to Seoul... by the time u check in hotel after 3pm u should have time to go Namsan Tower... I remember there is one route up that is quite stroller friendly... anyway there are multiple routes up there... all got sort of cable car and elevator which stroller can be brought in... so not a problem bringing a stroller up... Lotte Mart closes quite late so still can go after Namsan Tower...

day 4 - day tour to Alpaca World and Naomi Island on klook

Personally i dunno how to appreciate Nami Island... maybe the last time we went is winter... so no autumn foliage to see... quite boring and waste time... I rather go Garden of Morning Calm... the winter lightings are some of the best i have seen... so the autumn foliage should be quite awesome as well...

day 5 - namsan tower or lotte mart (seoul station). would wanna go bukchon hanok village for rental of hanbok but not sure if the journey there is stroller friendly/need to walk a lot etc. my hubby will probably nag me to death if so. if not, any cafes to recommend around seoul station or myeongdong or hongdae?

I think most pple rent hanbok than go palace to take pictures... palace not all areas are stroller friendly but should be good enough to cover most of the ground... I think some of the guys here recommend Hongdae rather than Myeongdong... I will probably take my kids to the cat and sheep cafes in Hongdae... they like animals...

day 6 - day tour to Everland

day 7 - chill around myeongdong/go airport for pre-departure PCR test (still need to do this right?) until flight @2pm

No need to do another test if you are returning back to Singapore (assuming u are Singaporeans and fully vaccinated)

Anyway felt your trip quite rush... but doable... should consider either concentrate on Jeju or Seoul... a bit waste to spend air tickets to Jeju and can only do 1 full day tour on the east side...

 

[hdtvsg]

hi, sorry to hijack this thread too. i'm planning to go Korea in end-Oct this year with my 2yo. is the itinerary ok? hubby doesnt want to do f&e cos we need the stroller/babywear but i really prefer f&e:

day 1 - arrive seoul at ~1pm. Do PCR test then flight to Jeju (not sure what flight time i should book for this. is 3pm a safe time? or 4pm?) arrive jeju airport then cab to hotel in downtown jeju (google says 12min drive. will the cab fares be astronomical?)

day 2 - book a day tour of east jeju on klook

day 3 - if cab fares are similar to sg, i dont mind cabbing to Osulloc then cab back to hotel and flight to Seoul
check into hotel at myeongdong then go namsan tower (not sure if i shld go namsan in the day for the autumn foilage or evening/night for the night view). is the hike up stroller-friendly? if not, i will go lotte mart at seoul station to stock up on milk for my girl/snacks

day 4 - day tour to Alpaca World and Naomi Island on klook

day 5 - namsan tower or lotte mart (seoul station). would wanna go bukchon hanok village for rental of hanbok but not sure if the journey there is stroller friendly/need to walk a lot etc. my hubby will probably nag me to death if so. if not, any cafes to recommend around seoul station or myeongdong or hongdae?

day 6 - day tour to Everland

day 7 - chill around myeongdong/go airport for pre-departure PCR test (still need to do this right?) until flight @2pm

appreciate any advice. thanks



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My suggestion
Day1 - I would just chill in Seoul and explore the place for the day/night instead of spending whole day in flying (wasted). Book an early flight to Jeju on following day. Since you like to do f&e, suggest you to stay at Lotte Gimpo City Hotel if the budget is ok with you (I think well under $150). Make sure to join the membership since you will earn the points and can use it directly on you next stay. When flying out to Jeju, if you don't need to carry all the excess luggage that you don't need to bring to Jeju, you can leave them at the hotel and they will keep them for you for free and is very safe. Plus, this hotel is right next to Gimpo airport which serves all the domestic flights, is very convenient and under one roof, Lotte Mart, department stores and many eating places. On your arrival day, you can hop on subway and can go to Hongdae (3 stops away).

For Day2 & Day3 - I think you are trying to cover too much with such a short stay. Which you would be wasting time more on travelling than sightseeing. Maybe better spend the time somewhere else within Seoul for Autumn foliage. I would leave Jeju trip for another time and would recommend at least 3 days for Jeju.
For shopping at Lotte Mart, I would leave it to last day or 2 as you don't want to lug around.

Day4 - no comment

Day5 - namsan tower (depending on where about in Myeongdong you are staying), you can take cable car to the top but you still need to get to the cable car station by taxi. Just be aware there can be a super long queue during both day and night. But less during weekdays.
I would avoid Seoul station as it is huge and crowded and can get lost easily if you are not familiar with the place.
At Bukchon, you can stroll, just need to stroll up and down iirc.

Coffee and desert shops in near Myeongdong area but close to Cheonggyecheon stream which you can stroll with your baby.

These 2 shops are right next to each other, check the google map links below as they are hidden in small alley near Myeongdong Lotte City Hotel

Coffee Hanyakbang 커피한약방​

https://www.google.com/maps/place/C...9061ae6982a305!8m2!3d37.5665301!4d126.9885936

Hyemindang 혜민당 (Desert shop)​

https://www.google.com/maps/place/H...0241d87be62a4e!8m2!3d37.5664392!4d126.9885982
Near Hongdae, I recommend you to go to Mangwon Market to explore and so many nice cafes there near the market. End of Oct or early Nov, you can stroll around with nice cool weather (especially sunny days)
https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...cfdd1b789bf926!8m2!3d37.5559764!4d126.9064303
Just type Mangwon market on google map, you can see so many cafes there.

Whenever I go to Korea, I stay last 1 or 2 nights at Gimpo Lotte Hotel do all the shopping as lotte mart and department stores are on same building, which helps me as I just bring the goods to the room. This helps me to avoid all the frustration and unnecessary headaches plus saving on taxi fares. On the day of departure, just hop on airport train to Incheon from there too.

Day6 - no comment

Day7 - I don't think you need to do pre departure pcr test.

Bon voyage!

 

[Hisashiburi]

hi, sorry to hijack this thread too. i'm planning to go Korea in end-Oct this year with my 2yo. is the itinerary ok? hubby doesnt want to do f&e cos we need the stroller/babywear but i really prefer f&e:

day 1 - arrive seoul at ~1pm. Do PCR test then flight to Jeju (not sure what flight time i should book for this. is 3pm a safe time? or 4pm?) arrive jeju airport then cab to hotel in downtown jeju (google says 12min drive. will the cab fares be astronomical?)

day 2 - book a day tour of east jeju on klook

day 3 - if cab fares are similar to sg, i dont mind cabbing to Osulloc then cab back to hotel and flight to Seoul
check into hotel at myeongdong then go namsan tower (not sure if i shld go namsan in the day for the autumn foilage or evening/night for the night view). is the hike up stroller-friendly? if not, i will go lotte mart at seoul station to stock up on milk for my girl/snacks

day 4 - day tour to Alpaca World and Naomi Island on klook

day 5 - namsan tower or lotte mart (seoul station). would wanna go bukchon hanok village for rental of hanbok but not sure if the journey there is stroller friendly/need to walk a lot etc. my hubby will probably nag me to death if so. if not, any cafes to recommend around seoul station or myeongdong or hongdae?

day 6 - day tour to Everland

day 7 - chill around myeongdong/go airport for pre-departure PCR test (still need to do this right?) until flight @2pm

appreciate any advice. thanks



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As others mentioned
1 or 2 days in jeju is really short n not worth the time n money to go there.
Maybe save jeju for a different trip.

For namsan, suggest to take cable car or bus or taxi up n then walk down.
Some parts are stroller friendly but not all
I think the daytime autumn leaves are nicer.
Night view of Namsan can be seen from below or other parts of Seoul.
If u want can book a hotel room with view of Namsan though might not be cheap

Bukchon village is quite nice for a stroll together w the nearby palaces.
There is some uphill walking though.
Many people rent hanboks for the palaces n bukchon as well since they are close by.
Hubby n u can both wear!

Other places I recommend in Seoul would be the Insadong area(has osulloc cafe as well), palaces like Changdeokgung(has very good autumn foilage), cheongyecheong stream, namdaemun market area.
They are all more or less clustered in the same area.

Cafe wise, off the top of my head, I like Layered Cafe in Anguk, Osulloc in Insadong, Onion Cafe near Gyeongbokgung Palace

 

[chocolate&cookies]

thank you all for the replies! will likely not go Jeju this time round then but stay in Seoul. good replies helping me to plan. xie xie!


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[wongkc]

As others mentioned
1 or 2 days in jeju is really short n not worth the time n money to go there.
Maybe save jeju for a different trip.

For namsan, suggest to take cable car or bus or taxi up n then walk down.
Some parts are stroller friendly but not all
I think the daytime autumn leaves are nicer.
Night view of Namsan can be seen from below or other parts of Seoul.
If u want can book a hotel room with view of Namsan though might not be cheap

Bukchon village is quite nice for a stroll together w the nearby palaces.
There is some uphill walking though.
Many people rent hanboks for the palaces n bukchon as well since they are close by.
Hubby n u can both wear!

Other places I recommend in Seoul would be the Insadong area(has osulloc cafe as well), palaces like Changdeokgung(has very good autumn foilage), cheongyecheong stream, namdaemun market area.
They are all more or less clustered in the same area.

Cafe wise, off the top of my head, I like Layered Cafe in Anguk, Osulloc in Insadong, Onion Cafe near Gyeongbokgung Palace

Onion Cafe looks cool... Near Palace can go as a rest stop...

Just looked at the map of Hongdae... got lots of cafes with interesting concepts... got cafes with cats... dogs... sheeps... Harry Potter themed... Halloween themed... etc...

Maybe will go to the sheep and Harry Potter themed ones for my Dec trip...

 

[Hisashiburi]

Onion Cafe looks cool... Near Palace can go as a rest stop...

Just looked at the map of Hongdae... got lots of cafes with interesting concepts... got cafes with cats... dogs... sheeps... Harry Potter themed... Halloween themed... etc...

Maybe will go to the sheep and Harry Potter themed ones for my Dec trip...

There are 2 sheep outside that hongdae sheep cafe.
They are very cute!

Also have a Raccoon cafe with many racoons inside.
Recommend this too

 

[wongkc]

There are 2 sheep outside that hongdae sheep cafe.
They are very cute!

Also have a Raccoon cafe with many racoons inside.
Recommend this too

Damn... thats cute... have to increase my coffee quota for that day!

 

[joeson]

There are 2 sheep outside that hongdae sheep cafe.
They are very cute!

Also have a Raccoon cafe with many racoons inside.
Recommend this too

i saw got the meerkat cafe at hongdae too... pencilled it into my itinerary for next month..

 

[nomoreliaola]

hi guys - similar to above, i going with 4 year old for 7 days.. not going jeju. where is recommended to see animals, or playground ah . i know legoland open so might be going. i going in 18-25nov. whats the characteristics weather wise? see botak leaves? snowing? or? any thing is appreciated.

oh is busan anything for young children to see? or any recent kid stuff other than Legoland


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[hdtvsg]

hi guys - similar to above, i going with 4 year old for 7 days.. not going jeju. where is recommended to see animals, or playground ah . i know legoland open so might be going. i going in 18-25nov. whats the characteristics weather wise? see botak leaves? snowing? or? any thing is appreciated.

oh is busan anything for young children to see? or any recent kid stuff other than Legoland


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Seoul Children's Grand Park & Children's Museum
https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...69df594b1f221cc!8m2!3d37.549363!4d127.0818126
Seoul Grand Park
https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...7cc1df700d052687!8m2!3d37.4337504!4d127.01126
You can get to these places by subway and Children's grand park is maybe closer which is located within Seoul.
Weather wise, it will be very cold and mostly dry, temp would be around no more than 20 max and min can hit below 10 degrees. You should be able to experience Autumn foliage even though the peak has passed for it. No snow.

 

[Hisashiburi]

hi guys - similar to above, i going with 4 year old for 7 days.. not going jeju. where is recommended to see animals, or playground ah . i know legoland open so might be going. i going in 18-25nov. whats the characteristics weather wise? see botak leaves? snowing? or? any thing is appreciated.

oh is busan anything for young children to see? or any recent kid stuff other than Legoland


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There is Seoul zoo and also Everland and Lotte world.
Bunch of aquariums as well in the Seoul area.

No more autumn leaves and also no snow
Weather will be cool temperatures, probably light jacket, depending on your temp tolerance.
Wont have rain i think.

In Busan, nature beach and some mountain scenery.
Also have new Lotte world.
Have seafood wet market

 

[nimrod69]

any ski resort in or near seoul to recommend?

 

[hdtvsg]

any ski resort in or near seoul to recommend?

This place, Pyeongchang, was where the 2018 Winter Olympic was held and you can stay at Intercontinental Hotel.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/I...03!2i3!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d37.6580087!4d128.6698127
Or
Yongpyeong and recommend you stay at Dragon Valley Hotel
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Y...03!2i3!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d37.6450074!4d128.6829686
They are right next to each other and this place is quite easy to get to either by KTX (faster) or Intercity bus from Dong Seoul Terminal. Which will take just under 3 hours by bus. So depending on from which part of Seoul are you departing you have the options to choose.

Dong Seoul Terminal
https://www.google.com/maps/place/D...89edaf55f0ec5925!8m2!3d37.534385!4d127.094045
Please check the map for your references.

Closer to Seoul would be one near Nami Island, called Elysian Gangchon Ski
https://www.elysian.co.kr/global/eng/index.asp
https://www.google.com/maps/place/E...-03!2i3!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d37.8163989!4d127.587019

 

[wongkc]

Can check with the Jeju experts here... whether early to mid December the 1100 wetland roads will it be covered with snow? need to use snow chain or winter tyres will do?

 

[hdtvsg]

Can check with the Jeju experts here... whether early to mid December the 1100 wetland roads will it be covered with snow? need to use snow chain or winter tyres will do?

I have been to Jeju numerous occasions, but not in December. From what I can gather, there is a high chance of snowing (how much I don't know), as it sits on a reasonably high altitude. If you want to experience snow in mid December, you may try Yeongsil which isn't far from 1100 and more likely to see them. I am planning to do this in Jan if I decide to go to Jeju.
At the moment, I am planning to go to Korea in early Jan and go to Jeju to do a hike along Yeongsil trail as I already have climbed to the Baeknokdam peak of Hallasan about 7 years ago. It took all day starting at around 7 am and it was almost 6 pm by the time I came back to the base.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/영...3e2869bd663c2f!8m2!3d33.3570635!4d126.5115628
This video will give you a good idea of the Yeongsil trail if you are interested.

 

[wongkc]

I have been to Jeju numerous occasions, but not in December. From what I can gather, there is a high chance of snowing (how much I don't know), as it sits on a reasonably high altitude. If you want to experience snow in mid December, you may try Yeongsil which isn't far from 1100 and more likely to see them. I am planning to do this in Jan if I decide to go to Jeju.
At the moment, I am planning to go to Korea in early Jan and go to Jeju to do a hike along Yeongsil trail as I already have climbed to the Baeknokdam peak of Hallasan about 7 years ago. It took all day starting at around 7 am and it was almost 6 pm by the time I came back to the base.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/영...3e2869bd663c2f!8m2!3d33.3570635!4d126.5115628
This video will give you a good idea of the Yeongsil trail if you are interested.

I am unlikely to do serious hiking up Hallasan as i am with kids and my 70+ mother... Just considering the wetland hike which seems pretty ok for kids if there are snow... checking whether the road leading to 1100 wetlands will be snowed covered in case need snow chain...

 

[nimrod69]

This place, Pyeongchang, was where the 2018 Winter Olympic was held and you can stay at Intercontinental Hotel.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/I...03!2i3!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d37.6580087!4d128.6698127
Or
Yongpyeong and recommend you stay at Dragon Valley Hotel
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Y...03!2i3!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d37.6450074!4d128.6829686
They are right next to each other and this place is quite easy to get to either by KTX (faster) or Intercity bus from Dong Seoul Terminal. Which will take just under 3 hours by bus. So depending on from which part of Seoul are you departing you have the options to choose.

Dong Seoul Terminal
https://www.google.com/maps/place/D...89edaf55f0ec5925!8m2!3d37.534385!4d127.094045
Please check the map for your references.

Closer to Seoul would be one near Nami Island, called Elysian Gangchon Ski
https://www.elysian.co.kr/global/eng/index.asp
https://www.google.com/maps/place/E...-03!2i3!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d37.8163989!4d127.587019

thanks for the great info. What abt Vivaldi Park Ski Resort ?