mowrites

My husband and I will be going to Seoul (from JFK) next Thursday and arriving Friday evening. We will have Sat and Sun to tour around. We don't want to fill our days too much, but would love some advice to the top things to do. We do like history but even more we like to shop, people watch, and eat. I'm not terribly adventurous food-wise but I have my moments; my husband will try almost anything. Because we have business in the vicinity of the Ritz Carlton, we will be staying there. We may make a day trip to Busan (I know, three hours by fast train), so we'd appreciate any advice for a day there as well. I have guide books, but I always like to come on here and see what people have to say.

indianapearl

There are some palaces and temples in Seoul that you should see, as well as some ancient pathways (too narrow for cars) near Seoul University with lots of antique shops and funky stores in Seoul.

Koreans like tea shops a lot ("room for time and space," as my friend said when I was with her). Koreans are reserved with foreigners as compared with other countries.

rhkkmk

suggest you take an organized tour of the city arranged from your hotel, just ask...

i found seoul to be pretty boring....in fact we will be there next monday and plan not to even leave the hotel at incheon...

the shopping is good in the etuwan (sp) area....everyone knows it just ask how to get there...

thursdaysd

"plan not to even leave the hotel at incheon..." - that seems kind of a waste. Unless you're recovering from jet lag? According to LP, if you don't like Korean food you could go eat in Chinatown, or you could go to the beach on Incheon or one of the neighboring islands and eat seafood.

someotherguy

I've not visited Busan, just transferred from plane to bus there, so I can't offer an opinion on the city. However, a few miles north is Gyeongju, which is a very interesting historical city (probably the most interesting place in Korea from that point of view, and one of the few places not destroyed in the war). You can get there by direct train from Seoul (Cheongnyangi station, not Seoul main station), or on the fast train via Dongdaegu. www.korail.com is pretty good.

Seoul is worth a couple of days--I'd say it holds about the same level of interest as Hong Kong or Singapore from a sightseeing point of view. I haven't set foot inside a shop so cannot compare from that perspective. The mountains reach right into the city so there are some impressive parks right there, and Gyeongbok Palace, for example, has granite domes behind it so it's almost like it's set in Tuolumne Meadows. The fortress at Suwon is a pleasant day trip. Panmunjom (the armistice place at the DMZ) is a unique experience, and rather sobering.

rhkkmk

some.. i disagree....i find hong kong a fabulous place to visit with tons to do, singapore less but certainly more than seoul...

jet lague will slow us down and it does not seem there is much of interest around the hyatt where we will be, unless someone can tell me otherwise

mowrites

How do you generally dress while in Seoul? We have heard they are a little more formal than we are. One problem is that it's supposed to be pretty hot there next week. Do they ever wear sandals or shorts?

jyoung

you can wear sandals and shorts with no problem. i won't say koreans dress more formal than americans. you'll see young korean girls running around in short skirts and high heels. but, they are also running around in jeans and shorts. whatever the trend of the moment is, that is what they will be wearing.

since you are staying near the ritz, you can venture out and see gangnam (it's close). it's the more modern part of seoul. ton of shops and eateries. if you want to see more traditional korea, go north of the river (han river). that is where the palaces are. insadong, samcheondong, and gyeongbok palace are all clustered together and can be done in a day. insandong has a ton of tea shops, and there is also a buddhist temple nearby (Jogye-sa). since you will be in seoul next week, i highly recommend checking out that temple, esp. at night, b/c it's buddha's birthday next friday and they are holding a lantern festival.

if you decide to go to samcheondong, i would recommend visiting the maple tree restaurant. it is near the end of the samcheondong and it looks like a house. their speciality is grilled pork, and they have good soups you can order with your meal. best part, their prices are decent (and trust me when you are dealing with meat in korea, your bill can tally up fast). we usually pay about $15-20 per person.

as rhkkmk recommended, itaewon is good for shopping, but it can be a little much. i go to itaewon just to eat good, non-korean food.

hope this helps.

jyoung

forgot one thing. i would highly recommend the dmz tour with the uso (now run through koridoor). very interesting and informative, but it will take most of your saturday (7:30 to 3:30).

http://www.koridoor.co.kr/01_about/about01.php