Interested in palaces, shopping, culture for a short stay.

My husband will be there on business for a day and a half, and I will have time to explore on my own.

I hear the subway is fairly easy to use.
Any tips on wandering around the city on my own are greatly appreciated!

thanks so much!
dina

We were in Seoul for a day in March last year. We did a walking tour on our own with a city map. It was easy and interesting. One I would feel fine doing by myself (60ish woman).

We had a tight time limit because we had to catch the train to the port around twoish, so didn't linger at a couple of places I wish we could have... like the National Folk Museum by the palace and a temple area/park we passed right after we left the nice shopping area/eating area, on Insadong-gil, on the way to the Cheonggyecheon Stream area. Try to be at the front of the Palace at noon to see the changing of the guard ceremony too. The old street market area was also a great place if you are into people watching and street food. You can find most anything there.

I was pleasantly surprised by Seoul, it was an interesting city and easy to walk and use taxis.

Look at our trip report and pictures for the details of the day.

www.aroundtheworldin132days.blogspot.com

Click in March and scroll down to March 9.

Hi Dina:

I spent a total of about 7 days there in 2007; I was visiting a relative but was on my own for a fair amount of time. Because I am consumed right now with getting ready for my own return to Asia, I will post here my trip report in which you will find Seoul at the beginning and at the end; I recommend a trip to Noryangin Fish Market, a DMZ tour, and Insadong, at the very least, as well as the palace. Forgive me for not being more forthcoming right now, but please come back with questions and I will do my best to answer. Note that the English is not commonly spoken in restaurants, shops, and by taxi drivers, at least in my own experience.

Lest I forget, one of the most memorable experiences of my visit was a half-day at a Korean Health Spa. If you have never done this, you must try it--look for details in my report. A sense of offbeat humor will be helpful, especially when you see the get up you need to wear.

Yes, the subway is easy and clean and terrific!

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...g-shanghai.cfm

Hi ekscrunchy,
i had read and loved your report.

at the Gyeongbokgung palace, did you basically just do the one-hour tour? was the folk musuem worthwhile? not sure how much time to allow there...

i'm definitely planning on visiting Dragon Spa. you've made me really curious, though -- what do they make you wear?!?

thanks!
dina

I was there October 2008 and here is my trip report. For the first two days I was basically on my own.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...trip-korea.cfm

You have to wear ridiculous baggy shorts and a t-shirt. They lend these to you with entry. You can also buy the special scrubby thing to use in the shower/bath areas and they also sell shampoo, soap, etc, or you can bring your own. You will also want to book a massage/skin scrub in that area--it is a real experience. That area is women only but the main parts of the spa are coed.

I went swimming in the outdoor heated pool (very hot water) and made the mistake of then just putting back the t-shirt over my bathing suit. I got reprimanded strongly for not wearing the shorts as well.

I took the basic tour in English--I think there is only one. I think an hour or so is enough for the Palace and then maybe another hour for the Folk Museum. The Museum has a nice shop, too.

Dina--

It's actually the Dragon Hill Spa in Seoul (and the "Dragon" part comes not from the mythic creature but from dragonflies, or so I was told). More interesting than what they make you wear when you are in the common areas is what you wear when you are in the baths and saunas - your birthday suit! I went there when I visited Seoul in December and enjoyed it -but you can't be bashful. I saw only one other Westerner while I was there (a regular patron who told me it is one of the nicest in Seoul, if not THE nicest).

It was fairly crowded, too, as it was a Sunday afternoon; if you go on a weekday it might not be as busy. One fun part was getting invited to join a group who was hanging out in one of the rooms in the common area - they shared their snacks with me and we chatted a little, although their conversational English was limited. My Korean friends in the US were impressed that I went to jjimjilbang (the generic Korean term) and even more impressed that I went by myself.

As the jjimjilbang are open long hours (some even 24 hours) you could do this at any time if you want to see other things during the day. As the baths and saunas are gender-segregated, you could not do those with your husband, but you could meet up in the common room. Also note that although admission is relatively cheap, the cost of the various treatments can add up.

There were two English tours at Gyeongbokgung while I was visiting. The tourist info guide said there was a third, and that is the one I tried to do, only to be told it was not offered. If you can, double-check tour times before you go.

Anyway, I just rented the audio guide and did it by myself. It was informative, but the brochure about the palace that you can pick up at the entrance was almost as informative as the audio guide (and it was free!). There are also a few information signs.

I saw the changing of the guard at noon, but they were doing it again when I left, so it seems like it is presented more than once a day. This was in sub-freezing weather, too!

I wish I had had time to see the National Folk Museum (at the "back" of the palace") and the National Palace Museum (at the "front" of the palace, next to the subway station) but I had to skip both.

The National Museum of Korea has interesting displays on Korean history, archaeology, and fine arts as well as special exhibits. I enjoyed the one on Uzbekistan but did not see the Inca one. Signage in English is limited, however. You can check out their website to see if it interests you (http://www.museum.go.kr/EngMain.do).

Bookmarking

Thanks so much!

Re: the spa...
i'm fine with the birthday suit and funny outfit, but i'm worried about knowing how to order treatments when i'm there by myself. i'm sure it will be an adventure. i definitely want to get the scrub down, and perhaps a massage as well.

Re: the palace...
i checked the website and they don't list the times of their english tours. other sites list them at different times, so i guess i'll just ask the concierge when i arrive.

nywoman -- thanks for your website. i loved reading your trip report!

Dina: You will have no trouble making yourself understood. You get the scrub down in the women's section which has an array of bathing tanks, with waters of different temperatures and properties, along with showers and the tables where you will lie down for the scrub. Just walk over to the area with those tables and approach one of the women doing the scrubbing--you can use hand gestures.

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/S...jsp?cid=610092

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/no...r-guide-773412

I am seeing English palace tours at: 11:30, 1:30 and 3:30, according to the signs on these links:


http://www.knto.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3...jsp?cid=264348



http://www.justenoughkorean.com/blog/tag/seoul-palace/

Thanks!
Those websites are great!

Eks-- did you got to Changdeokgung Palace or Gyeonbokgung? I thought you went to the G palace, but those websites are for the Ch Palace. Do you think that one's better?
I read that the Ch Palace is a lot of walking around outdoors, and I'm worried it might be quite cold. But maybe that's not even true about the indoors/outdoors issue...

Dina--

Don't know about Changdeokgung, but at Gyeongbokgung there was NO indoors! It is not a palace in the Western sense at all, but a number of smaller buildings making up a compound. You see them from the outside, but many of them have open doors or windows you look in (usually to a single large room). Even knowing about the "ondol" system of heated floors, I wondered how they kept warm in the winter!

And it certainly was COLD when I toured it - if it was above freezing, it was not by much!

When I went to Dragon Hill, they had a spa "menu" in English, so you should not have any problems selecting whatever treatments you want. Just ask for it at the desk where you pay the entrance fee.

ekscrunchy--

The Tourism Korea book I had listed three English tours of Gyeongbokgung (maybe at the times you mentioned - I am too lazy to go find it right now!). I went for the tour at the middle time, whatever it was, and was told the booklet was wrong - it was not offered.

ok -- so now i'm not sure which palace to see!!

maybe i should just wing it and see what fits better into my day when i get there...

thanks,
dina

if you do go to dragon, i would recommend only getting the body scrub. i've found the massages at the saunas can be a little rough and not very relaxing. also, after you pay your entrance fee at dragon, you'll get a locker key. that key has a chip embedded in it and you will use it to pay for all the services/food you get. and, when you head out, you’ll settle the bill.

FYI--The subway system is pretty straightforward, just make sure you have an English subway map. Also, the taxis are cheap, but the taxi drivers don’t speak much English. Just make sure you have where you are going written out in Korean. Oh, and the black taxis are considered “deluxe” taxis and cost more money. I avoid them and stick with the silver taxis (which can just as nice as the black taxi). Seoul has tried to become more tourist friendly and has created “foreigner” taxis. They are either orange or black with a huge orange stripe. Those taxi drivers usually speak some English.

There are also taxis that have a way to call someone who speaks English - can't remember what they are called, but they are labeled as such.

Ok great!
I will stick with a scrub.

Btw, another place I'd like to viist is Bukchon Village.
Just found a great website I'll share in case someone else is interested...
http://www.hanokgirl.net/index.html

Also, since I love gardens, I'm wondering now if the Changdeokgung palace would be more appealing for me.

Dina--

As you expressed concern about the cold in a previous post, I am assuming that you will be in Seoul fairly soon.

I did not go to Changdeokgung, so I cannot speak from experience, but I imagine the gardens will be at less than their best right now (no leaves on deciduous trees, no lotuses in the pond, etc.). Others might be able to address that.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to check that is will be open when you plan to visit. Most things are closed on Monday, for example.

Thanks. We'll be there in 2 weeks!