It's been about 10 years since I last visited Seoul. A couple of quick questions.

Incheon airport to Seoul (Shilla) hotel - I assume Airport Limousine bus is still the way to go, but I can't find a good website with route, travel time, and cost info. I can arrive either late afternoon, or 4am (non-stop from JFK). Still undecided. If I can checkin my hotel at 6am I'm tempted to go the midnight departure from JFK.

Is Airport Limo bus still the best way, and does anybody know the current cost. IIRC the travel time was 90+ min door to door - maybe worse at pm rush hour.

Cash/ATM. Again, 10yrs ago it was hard to find an ATM that accepted my US (visa logo) debit card - I recall needing to find a Citibank or changing cash. Any tips on getting cash?

I won't need much krw since most of my expenses will be paid for at a business conference or at the hotel. Subway, shopping, and some touring if I can swing it. I'm not against just changing $US for the small amount I'll be spending with cash.

As I figure out how much free time I can get (if any), I'll come back with some more questions. This website http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto seems to be a good source of info. Happy to hear any other tips.

Thanks,
J62

Here is a link for KAL limo - I am using this info for transportation from ICN to Hotel in September. I will be watching for other replies re: ATMs.

http://www.kallimousine.com/

ATM Information - You shouldn't have any problems using your ATM debit card. You will need to have your four digit pin.

Don't forget to get your card approved for use in Korea. I forgot to do this once and my card kept getting rejected. I finally figured out the problem and was able to get Korea charges approved via my credit union's online website.

I was able to get money at Airport using an ATM right outside of the customs exit. I also used my debit card easily at ATM machines located in the small convenience stores throughout the country. I did not have any luck using ATM machines at the big banks.....they would not accept my visa card and I tried many, many times.

I was in South Korea for 6 weeks this summer and traveled throughout the country--and had no problems with ATM machines once I realized that the small stores were my best bet for getting cash.

Have a great visit!

Perfect - just what I needed.

I dug a little deeper on the ATM issue. It seems as though transactions at a bank ATM require are Korean bank account. Perhaps private ATMs at small stores don't have that requirement.

Next thing to decide is if I arrive at 6pm or 4am, non-stop from JFK. The 4am arrival which departs JFK at midnight gives me either an extra day at home or an extra day on the ground in Korea. I can do that flight on KAL or Asiana (Star Alliance). The 6pm arrival which departs JFK mid afternoon is more sane hours, but is on KAL/Skyteam, so the miles are no good for me. I'm tempted to fly the midnight departure just to get the Star alliance miles...

I face the same situation.... Last year I used Asiana and this flight leaves ORD at 1am and arrives at 4:30am. I really like the late night flight. I ate a big dinner before boarding the plane and took 1/2 an Ambien after about an hour or two in the air. I slept much of the way because my body said it was time to sleep. The problem was the next day...I was ready to sleep at noon and had a huge struggle to stay up and moving for the afternoon.

The last trip...I used Korean and arrived at 4:30pm. The positive aspect of this timing is that you are trashed when you arrive and are ready for bed.

I am heading to Hanoi next week and again will use Korean Airlines--the 12:30pm departure from ORD. I decided I like the timing better. Or perhaps I should say that my body likes this timing better. Also I can get Delta mileage credit for these flights. The other main decision maker for me was that my layover time at ICN is only 4 hours on Korean and a huge 12 hours on Asiana. But--Asiana will give you a hotel room in the transit hotel for this long of a layover...it still isn't worth it to me to increase my total flight time from 25 hours to 35 hours! So...easy decision this trip.

There are two ATMs at the airport when you arrive. I don't remember which one I used but a taxi driver told me that one was better than the other. Seem to remember it was closest to the exit doors. I used my debit card from TD-Bank and never had any problems.

The bus starts running at 4.30 am and costs 14.000won. It took me to Seoul station and I took a taxi from there.
I was told that a black taxi cost 45.000 won and a green one 75.000won.

My hotel provided a room for my early arrival, and then switched me to a better room later in the day.

Enjoy your trip

Here's a quick report from my trip

Flew Korean Airlines from NY-JFK to Seoul. Long 14 1/2 hr flight, but it was non-stop which is always a plus for me. KAL 777 was comfortable 3-3-3 seating. I had an aisle seat. Legroom in coach was good. Seat was ok. Not really that comfortable, but no different from any other coach seat. The 10" seat back entertainment system was great. Choice of 20 movies & about 10 TV shows, plus flight map and some games & audio.

I chose the 2pm departure, which arrived about 5pm in Seoul (instead of the 1am departure). Food was fine - nothing special but quite edible. I had two western meals on the way over - lunch shortly after takeoff and a light dinner before arrival. Cabin crew was attentive - frequently offering drinks (water, juice, etc). Amenities were limited to a small pillow, a blanket, slippers and a toothbrush. The reason I chose the mid day departure was that my hotel would have charged an extra day for a 6am arrival.

Arrival at Seoul was easy. Immigration took no more than 5min, although the line behind me grew, so it might take 15min or so. Carry on only, so no baggage claim.

Right outside baggage claim is the KAL airport bus desk. Can't miss it. Ticket to Seoul hotel is 15,000 KRW, or about $14 US. Buses depart every 20-30min depending on the route. I had to wait 50min, as the next bus was full.

There is a bank ATM right outside baggage claim - also hard to miss. It's clearly labeled GLOBAL ATM. English instructions. Put in card, enter PIN, select amount. I got 200,000 KRW. My bank (local credit union)/visa charged me 1% foreign exchange fee, and no foreign ATM fee. The exchange rate was the electronic rate of the day, about $179 for the 200,000 KRW, plus the 1%.

The KAL bus took about 90min to get to my hotel. Right on schedule.

I had one free day to tour/shop. I had wanted to visit the DMZ 1/2 day tour, but the DMZ is apparently the MZ on Monday, so it's closed to tours. Instead, I spent 1/2 day shopping at the Itaewon area. Lots of tourist shops ranging from cheap Korean souvenirs to mid priced arts and crafts to expensive art.

Getting around Seoul by subway is quite easy. My ticket cost 1000KRW, or less than $1US. Sign boards scroll through English with every stop, as do announcements. I also took a few taxis when I went out to dinner and was surprised how cheap it was. A 15min taxi ride came to less than 5000 KRW.

Getting back to the airport I took the same KAL airport bus. 90min to the terminal, then no more than 20min for me to check in, pass through emigration and security to get to my gate. Free wi-fi near the departure gates. Flight back was uneventful. Arrived 30min early. Got through US immigration & customs (no baggage claim) within 20min of arrival at the gate - most of that wait was getting off the plane since I was in the back. Immigration line for US citizens is decidedly shorter than for foreigners at JFK T1.

Thanks for all the tips. I was busy most of the week with business meetings, but had an enjoyable, problem free visit to Korea.

Hello - I have a question for those of you who have been to Seoul. We are getting a Goodwill Guide (they are provided free of charge). I know tipping is generally not customary in South Korea - but do we tip the guide? We have his services for about 7 hours. We pay for any admissions, transportation and meals, but his guide services are free. As Americans, we would normally tip, but I don't want to offend him. Advice? Thanks!

I didn't use a Goodwill Guide in Korea, but I did in Japan and I certainly would NOT tip. What I did was take a small present from the US - I was advised that something edible or useful was best as they accumulate way too many tchotchkes. It was so nice in Japan and Korea and now in Taiwan not to have to keep thinking about tips.