Travelling Seoul by Bus

When I initially planned my Seoul trip, travelling by bus was not my first choice. Not being able to read Korean Language and speak in Korean except saying Saranghae and Kamsahamnida was my concerned. How will I know which stops to get off if I cannot understand their language. This is where the handy dandy google translate came to be the best tool ever.

First thing you need to do is download Kakao Map (not google map) application to your phone. This application is very high tech and shows the real time for all transportation. Next take a screenshot of your destination then use google translate to translate the words.
You board the bus from the front and swipe your T money card on the swipe reader located near the driver. Remember to swipe again when you exit the bus.

We did not purchase the Korea Tour Card because we did not think we could used up the benefits that it offers within the span of time we were there. It would not be cost effective. 

This trip I took my 73 year old mother along so planning a less walking kind of tour was my main objective. That is why bus was my main mode of transportation throughout our trip in Seoul.

We booked 6 nights stay on AirBnB. It was a very clean and fully equipped 2 bedroom apartment in Yeonnam Dong area about 400m away from Exit 3 Hongik University Station. The location turn out to be a wonderful place dotted with lots of hip cafes, bistros and restaurants managed by young entrepreneur. 

The apartment was located right smack in the middle surrounded by other houses. What I love about our apartment was how equip it was. There was a washing machine, vacuum cleaner, Mac desktop, egg wifi, cloth hanger and even sauces for cooking. The only downside was the size of the living room cum dining which can get a little crampy for the four of us. Also the splashy bathroom cum toilet. How I hate wet toilets.

We did not meet its young owner even once during our stay there. Everything was done on remote from ordering extra toilet rolls to getting into the house on our first day.

Day One.
Fight by Airasia was smooth. We got the 2nd last seat in the plane (row 50) which turn out to be not bad in the end because you can stretch your legs from time to time at the kitchen area.

Upon arrival, we stopped at Gate 6 to collect our egg wifi from KT Olleh counter. Their egg wifi has a much stronger connection than the egg wifi supplied by our apartment owner. It also allowed us to switch between the two when one of them runs out of battery. Lucky the process was fast because our booked private taxi started to hint about the extra overtime fee if we failed to get to the car within 60 minutes from arrival.

The private taxi was not cheap but it was hassle free especially when you arrive close to midnight in a foreign country.

It was a mad dash from gate 6 to gate 12 where according to our mediator the taxi was waiting for us. Seoul airport also had strong wifi connection so our communication was smooth the whole time.

We found our taxi with the young driver waiting for us patiently. He dropped us off a the front entrance to our apartment.

The picture above shows the driveway entrance to our apartment. Despite doing a detailed study of the area months before our trip, it was still disorientating to be there at night. With our bags in tow, we walk around the corner and found the house that looked exactly like the photo sent by our Airbnb owner. 

This was the point where the confusion started. I punched in the 4 digit password but the door would not opened. For a brief moment I was drenched with fear that we would be stranded outside our apartment in the middle of the night and regretted I did not stay in a proper hotel. I also tried the door in the apartment below because it looked empty but that door did not opened either. It turned out I had to punched in all the 4 digit AND the star buttons too then it opened. What a relief for us four weary travellers.

Day Two
G25 supermarket was our regular breakfast stop. It is fully stocked with a many choice to choose from.

You can also opt to eat at the shop itself but we prefer to bring the food back and eat at the apartment.

After breakfast we started walking to find Exit 3 and take the metro out to COEX mall. 

COEX mall is huge and it also comes with a huge library with books stacked almost 3 stories high. We did not hang around long because our destination was the Lucky Seven Casino located outside the mall. They gave free vouchers for new membership application.

You have to play a table game to win the cash that comes with the voucher. We were lucky and won all four so we had free 80,000 won. We splurged it with a scrumptious lunch at a nearby BBQ Korean restaurant.

It was so delicious that it prompt us to eat BBQ meal twice more during our stay in Seoul. After our meal, we decided to do some shopping at Underground Shopping Subway located at Express Bus Terminal Station.

Reviews from other bloggers said this mall was budget friendly. After comparing with other places I definitely agree. It is huge and extremely crowded. We missed the entrance twice because there was no proper direction indicating the mall. 

We walk until we reach the other end then felt too tired to walk back to the metro. This was the point I decided to try the bus. The walk to the bus stop was nearer than the way back to the metro. 

When we got to the road level and I saw all the traffic I started to wonder if I had made a right decision. Miraculously the whole journey went smoothly. The bus came on time exactly as indicated in the Kakao Map app and the direction was pretty accurate.

Day Three

I booked a tour to visit Suwon Fortress, Nammun market and the Korean Folk Village through Klook.com The tour also includes lunch. However it does not include a pick up from your hotel. Luckily one of their pit stop is very close by along Hongik University Station.

I feel doing both tour is a little too short. The visit to Suwon felt a little too rush and we could only manage to visit the main entrance. There is also a train car that you can ride on which could take you to see all the gates. Since it only moves out at 10.30 am we had to opt out.

Suwon Nammum market is huge. We were only given 45 minutes so we had to whiz through everything. Korean berries and cherries were in season. They were sweet and simply refreshing 

Lunch was at one of the restaurant located inside the Korean Folk Village. We were given coupon voucher which list down the set meals being offered. All of us ordered the set meal spicy stir fried pork.

After our lunch we toured around the village. It was huge village with many things to interact with and things to do. Half a day was not enough. We had to skip the amusement village because everyone was getting tired.

We made a request to our tour guide if the bus could dropped us off nearer to our hotel. Luckily they obligated. None of us wanted to walk anymore.

Day Four

Day three was less walking because we bought the hop on and hop off bus tour. That morning we had a western breakfast. We bought our tickets from the ticket booth located at Gwanghwamun.

We took the historical tour route which covers Namsam Seoul Tower. We opt to do only one stop and the rest a quick tour around the city on the bus.

Day Five
Its Palace Day. I pick Gyeongbokgung Palace because it was supposed to be the largest palace and most grand among all.

You can also find the National Folk Museum adjourned to this palace. You need one whole day to cover all the grounds.
Day Six
A visit to another Casino. Paradise casino is seriously out of the way. It took two bus interchange to get to the bus stop with shuttle provided by the casino. No free bets but you get a really solid and nice key chain if you apply for membership.

The park near Hongik University Station comes alive at night with young people having picnics and musicians doing their thing.