Given that there doesn't seem to be much reporting/interest on Seoul (at least relative to many other Asian destinations), I want to give the city a small plug.
I just returned from leading a group of graduate management students on an eight day trip to Seoul. Although much of our time was spent visiting organizations, we did find time to explore this captivating city. Allow me to share a number of observations.

We stayed the entire time at the Ibis Myeong-Dong, a relatively new hotel right in the heart of the Myeong-Dong, which itself is right in the heart of most everything north of the Han River (which bisects the city). From a tourist standpoint, the location could not have been better. Easy walking distance to three major Seoul markets (Myeongdong, Namdaemun, and Insa-dong), and a slightly longer walk to a fourth (Dongdaemun). Across the street from the Lotte shopping complex (upscale department store). 500 meters from the Shinsegae shopping complex (upscale department store with several luxury boutiques. And, the 10th floor of Shinsegae has several nice restaurants with views of the city). In the shadow of N Seoul Tower. 10 minutes to Itaewon. And, the subway stop is 100 meters down the street.

The hotel itself exceeded expectations. Nice, cozy, comfortable rooms. Electronic toilets (you've got to see it to believe it). Excellent buffet breakfast with extensive Korean and Western choices. The staff was extremely efficient and friendly. The rates are around $100/night w/breakfast. This is not a five-star hotel, but it it an excellent value for the money - especially in Seoul - and the location can't be beat.

The subway is, IMO, one of the best in the world. Big, clean, well-signed, and the signage is also in English. It's extensive - nine lines all-together - and will take you to any part of the city. It's confusing at times, but great fun if you have an adventurous streak in you.

We took a 3/4 day trip to the DMZ, which I highly recommend. There are a couple types of tours, and ours included the "Third Tunnel," one of the North Korean tunnels discovered by South Korea. You can take a small rail car into the tunnel, or walk it. The entire DMZ is a surreal environment. Signs of war/the military presence are everywhere (including land mine warnings that line the road), but it's a strangely peaceful place.

The markets were a highlight. Each is unique in its own way - Insadong has lots of Korean crafts, Dongdaemun specializes in clothes and fashions, Itaewon has tailors and luxury knock-offs, Namdaemun's focus in jewelry, wholesale goods, and a bit of everything else.

Our hosts often took us out for lunch/dinner, and I don't recall names of specific restaurants. While Korean food often doesn't resonate with American palates, our group enjoyed the Korean cuisine. Korean barbecue (where the food is prepared in a grill set in the middle of your table) was a hit, as was bulgogi, which is thin strips of beef boiled with vegetables at your table. Also tasty was the street foot - and very inexpensive.

A couple of the restaurants we visited were more traditional Korean establishments, where you take off your shoes and eat seated on the floor. I encourage seeking them out (they are prevalent in the city) as it's a unique cultural experience.

A couple members of the group took the cable car up to N Seoul Tower (think the Seattle Space Needle), where is there is a high end restuarant that has wonderful views of the city.

The hotel was also a short distance from Seoul's two major palaces, which are adjacent to each other. We arrived at Changdeokgung Palace at 9:30, only to discover the first English tour was at 11:30. So, we tagged along on a Korean-language tour. With the aid of some landmark descriptions in English, as well as the free guide we were given, we felt we acquired sufficient information about the palace. There is a fair amount of walking on the tour, and some of it up and down hilly terrain.

Unfortunately, none of us explored on foot areas south of the Han River, including the famous fish market and a trendy neighborhood (I forget the name).

We also didn't explore any of the countryside outside Seoul, which apparently is quite beautiful. We heard that skiing is somewhat popular in Korea, and there are a number of resports within a couple hours of Seoul. In the summer, beaches are popular, including Jeju Island, which is a popular destination for Korean honeymooners (somewhat akin to Hawaii for Americans, I suspect).

Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised by our experience with the city - we found it vibrant and welcoming.

Thanks for the detailed report - you're right, we don't get much info on Korea, and I have been considering a visit.

thanks for this review...i must admit that on our first asian trip we visited there about 14 years ago, and vowed never to return....boring...

Great review. It's good to get input on different destinations. You just returned, so report is timely and no penalty attaches. BTW, anyplace Bob thinks is boring is a must-see.

Thanks for the trip report. I was in Seoul a few months ago and remember a lot of what you mentioned. I stayed at the Westin which was great but more expensive than I really wanted or needed, so maybe I will try the Ibis Myeong-Dong next time. During my stay, I got some brochures on places outside Seoul and am looking forward to going back soon, particularly to southern areas such as Busan and Jeju Island. There's some pretty good information at: http://english.tour2korea.com/index.asp

Very interesting trip report. A frined is going to Seoul soon. Wondering if you can suggest what are good items to buy there. Something unique that is not easily availbale in the US.

Thanks for the report! I will be in Korea in a bit less than one month. Our son teaches English there and DH has a meeting in Yokohama so we have a great travel opportunity. We will meet in Seoul for a couple of days then take one of the limo buses to the town he lives in south of Seoul.
We are debating the DMZ trip since it takes most of one day but we may still go. I am interested in the shopping but dragging two bored men along may curtail some of it!

Hi, ileen and Mary2go,

I apologize for the delay in responding.

First, a tour to the DMZ needn't take all day. There are a few different types of tours, and the one we took (the Third Tunnel Tour) left the hotel at around 8 a.m. and we were back around 2 p.m. - still lots of time left in the day to pursue other activities. The tour guide kept us to a tight schedule - if you like to linger for long periods at places, the Third Tunnel Tour may not be for you.

What to buy in Seoul that's not easily obtained in the U.S.? Tailored clothing is an option, although this certainly is not unique to Seoul. Itawon has several shops that will outfit you in custom made suits, shirts, shoes, etc. The Insadong market is known for Korean crafts, and a number of unique Korean handmade gifts caught my eye - however, prices can be high.

Funny as this may sound, the female members of our group raved about the Korean cosmetics. There are several different brands, and you can find most of them in the Myeong-dong market. I bought some for my wife, and she really likes them.

Lia, I heard neat things about Busan and Jeju island - especially the latter. I hope you can get there!

Bob, I understand your comment about Seoul being boring. It doesn't have the outward and obvious panache that some other large cities possess. However, I think much of the excitement lies below Seoul's surface, so to speak, and I think it requires somewhat of an adventurous spirit to find and experience (and I'm not suggesting you don't fit this profile).

One other tidbit I forgot to mention in the original post. Nanta is a traditional Korean comedic/percussion theatrical performance I recommend. It's somewhat similar in style to the Blue Man Group, but (unlike Blue Man) has a neat storyline. I forget the theatre at which it plays, but it's a delightful, small venue downtown (not a bad seat in the place), and the ticket prices are reasonable ($20-30).

I LOVED Nanta !!! Not as good as Blue Man but very entertaining indeed. We could have picked up enough veggies on the floor to make our own Chop Suey or any kind of Stir Fry.

Forgot to say that I prefer Korean Nori over the Japanese ones we have here. It has a ton more flavor. It's got to be all the sesame oil, salt & MSG.

We also visited the Korean Folk Village

http://www.koreanfolk.co.kr/folk/eng...out_intro.html

about an hour away from Seoul where we found relocated traditional style villages/ homes, artifacts, they grow crops the traditional way, home industries are still being shown, we watched a cultural show featuring traditional Korean dance & acrobatics.

Nicktique, I missed reading your post before I left for Seoul, wish I had. Returned a week ago - was visiting my son who has been teaching there for 3 years - I enjoyed it very much...since son lives 1 1/2 hours via their wonderful, clean subway out of the city, I chose to stay part of the time in the city at the Ambassador Sofitel which had a great buffet breakfast and a gym which I used every day, had a shuttle bus and was close to a subway stop but walkable to Myeong-Dong. His father will be staying at the Ibis and I've forwarded your report to him.

Since son knows the city so well, I think I saw parts of Seould that may be off the beaten track - we hiked along the walled part of the mountains in Seoul and Suwon and spent time across the river wandering in neighbourhoods, too.

The Korean Cultural Centre had a good V&A ceramics exhibit - the young girl working there told me they hadn't had too many visitors - I was the only one there the hour I spent at it.

Julian Schnabel had an exhibit at the Hyundai Gallery and the War Memorial had a Dead Sea Scrolls and the Birth of Christianity exhibit. I found the Korean War part of the War Memorial very worthwhile.

Never got around to booking the DMZ trip and still wish I had but others I chatted to in the hotel who went told me it's kind of boring.

Nanta plays at the Nanta theatre - right behind the Canadian Embassy and near the former Russian Legation in a leafy area of Seoul where the cherry blossoms were blooming.

Just to mention we also stayed at Ibis Myeong-Dong last year - fine, functional hotel with all you need and very good location.

Thanks for the good report on a city we do not often see covered here. I agree that the fish market, Noryangin, is something for tourists to see. I did go to the area south of the river that my relative, who was living there, called "Swankytown." Lots of glossy shopping centers with western luxury goods seemed to predominate in that area. Across from the shopping centers featuring this year's Louis Vuitton and Prada are second hand-shops selling last year's versions of the designer handbags!