From Wikitravel

Seoul (서울; [1]) is the capital of South Korea.

Contents 1 Understand 1.1 Orientation 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.1.1 Incheon Airport 2.1.2 Gimpo Airport 2.2 By train 2.3 By bus 2.4 By boat 2.5 By car 3 Get around 3.1 By subway 3.2 By bus 3.3 By taxi 4 See 4.1 Palaces 4.2 Temples and shrines 4.3 Other 5 Do 6 Learn 7 Work 8 Buy 8.1 Markets 8.2 Fashion 8.3 Duty free 9 Eat 9.1 Budget 9.2 Mid-range 9.3 Splurge 10 Drink 11 Sleep 11.1 Budget 11.2 Mid-range 11.3 Splurge 12 Contact 13 Stay safe 14 Cope 15 Get out

Understand

With over 10 million people, a figure that doubles if you include neighboring cities and suburbs, Seoul is by far the largest city in South Korea and the unquestioned economic, political and cultural hub of the country. By some measures, it is the third largest urban agglomertion on the planet, after Mexico City and Greater Tokyo.

Seoul suffers from a partly unwarranted reputation for pollution and traffic jams. These days, strict emissions laws have brought the pollution under control (but then again, it's certainly no worse than, say, Tokyo) and, while traffic jams do still snarl up Seoul's streets at rush hour, the extensive subway network means that the traveller can easily shortcut through it almost all of the time. With beautiful palaces, great food and a hopping nightlife, Seoul is worth a visit.

Orientation

Seoul is so vast in size that getting to grips with it takes a while. The city is divided in two by the Han River (한강 Hangang), which runs east to west across the city. The Joseon-era historical core of the city, containing most palaces and government offices, lies on the north side in and around the district of Jongno (종로), overlooked by the 262-meter peak of Namsan (남산). The south of the river, known as Gangnam (강남), is brasher and more modern. The island of Yeoui-do (여의도), in the river, is the closest Seoul gets to Manhattan with skyscrapers, the National Assembly and the Seoul Stock Exchange.

Get in

By plane

Incheon Airport

Nearly all international flights to Seoul land at the futuristic and brand-new Incheon International Airport (인천국제공항, ICN) [2] west of the city. The airport is well signposted and caters to all your traveler needs, and even includes a sauna, an optician, and a small mall. There are two tourist information offices and many Global ATMs.

A train link to the airport is under construction. Continual delays have pushed back the scheduled opening of the section between the airport and Gimpo to mid 2007, with the final stretch to Seoul Station projected to open by 2010. For now, the options are to take a taxi or bus.

The taxis are around W40000/60000 regular/deluxe. The buses, especially the limousine buses, are much cheaper running W8000-W14000. Many limousine buses travel directly to major hotels in Seoul, and the public buses will take you to major transit hubs. Consult the big maps to figure out which route best suits your needs; you can then find the shuttles outside 1st floor arrivals. Or simply, walk out and ask the many ticket sellers (they are wearing vests) which bus goes to your hotel.

As both buses and taxis are subject to traffic, allow extra time for rush hour delays; one possible shortcut is to take the subway to Gimpo and transfer to a bus there (see below).

If you have time to kill at the airport but don't have the time or energy to face Seoul's traffic, see Yeongjong Island or Incheon for some layover suggestions. If you're connecting through ICN to another destination on Korean/Asiana and have over 6 hours to spare, you may be entitled to a free transit tour or hotel — ask at the transit desk.

Gimpo Airport

The more centrally located but older Gimpo Airport (김포국제공항, GMP) caters only to the shuttle service to Tokyo and domestic flights within South Korea. Gimpo Airport is easily reached on subway Line 5 (W1100 and 50 minutes to downtown). There is also a direct bus service between Incheon and Gimpo every 10 minutes, which takes about 30 minutes and costs about W5000.

By train

Seoul is the western terminus of the KTX high-speed line to Daejeon, Daegu and Busan. There are two KTX stations within city limits: Seoul Station (서울역), on lines 1 & 4, and just a few stops south, Yongsan Station (용산역), on line 1.

Nearly all ordinary (non-KTX) services also use one or both of the above terminals, but services east to Chuncheon and southeast to Gyeongju via Danyang use Cheongnyangni Station (청량리역), to the east of the city on line 1.

By bus

Every weekend approximately 2 million Seoulites leave the city, which goes a long way to explaining why the city has no less than five major intercity bus terminals.

• Central City Terminal, also known as Honam Terminal, Express Bus Terminal stn (Lines 3, 7). Directly adjacent to the Express terminal, serves buses to North and South Jeolla.

• Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (동서울버스터미널), Gangbyeon stn (Line 2). Buses to points east of Seoul (Gangwon).

• Express Bus Terminal (서울고속버스터미널), Express Bus Terminal stn (Lines 3, 7). Also known as Gangnam Terminal and Gyeongbu-Yeongdong Terminal, this is the largest of them all and serves pretty much the entire country, but most services head east (incl. Busan, Daegu, Daejeon). Lines to Jeolla, however, use the Central City/Honam Terminal right next door.

• Nambu Bus Terminal, Nambu Bus Terminal stn (Line 3). Serves places southwest of Seoul (South Chungcheong).

• Sinchon Bus Terminal, Sinchon stn (Line 2). Buses to Ganghwa Island. Note: That's Sinchon station, not Sincheon, which is also on Line 2 but on the wrong side of the city!

By boat

By car

Get around

Traffic jams are all too common in Seoul and drivers like to release their pent-up frustration by mowing down pedestrians, so be careful on the streets and head underground when possible.

By subway

In Seoul, you can visit most places by using subways. There are currently 8 lines (10 if you count the Bundang Line and Incheon Line), with a 9th under construction. The lines are numbered and distinguished by different colors. All signs in the subway system are in Korean, Chinese, and English. The signs leading to the platform for a particular direction of travel on a given subway line typically list the names of a number of stations in that direction. Stations each have a 3 digit number, however Koreans don't really make use of these numbers and they're not on most subway maps, so don't rely on them.

Subway fares are based on the distance traveled, but the shortest ride costs 1100 Won when using a magnetic ticket. Small magnetic stripe tickets are available for single trip or multiple trips, but the vending machines accept only coins; if there's no manned ticket office, there's usually a bill exchanger lurking nearby. Hang onto your ticket until the end of your trip, as you'll need it to get out.

If staying for more than a day or two, consider purchasing a T-money stored value contactless smart card. You can buy this card at most subway stations and many newspaper kiosks near subway entrances. The card itself costs 2500 Won and cash can be charged onto the card as often as you like. When entering and leaving a subway turnstile, place the card on the reader (leaving it inside your purse or wallet is fine) and it will deduct the appropriate fare from the card. When using a T-money card you'll get a small discount on subway fares, and you can also transfer between subway and bus at a reduced fare.

Although there is only one subway network, lines 1-4 and 5-8 are run by two different companies, so information is available on two websites:

• Seoul Metropolitan Subway Corporation
• Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp

By bus

Seoul also has an extensive bus service. There are four different kinds of buses. The color and size is different for each of them. The color (blue, green, red or yellow) describes the kind of route the bus takes. For example, red buses are long distance routes, and green buses connect subway stations to the surrounding areas.

By taxi

There are three kinds of taxis in Seoul: regular taxi, deluxe taxi and call taxi. Deluxe taxis are colored black with a yellow sign, and are more expensive than regular taxis but provide better and more comfortable service. Regular taxis are silver. It's easy to hail a taxi any time of the day or night along any relatively major Seoul street.

You can call a deluxe taxi wherever you are by calling 3431-5100. Sometimes you can find a visitor's guide taxi which is a kind of deluxe taxi, the drivers of which know English and Japanese and can guide you around Seoul city.

The basic fare for regular taxis is 1900W, with additional fare of 100W applied according to time and distance. In deluxe taxis, the basic fare is 4000W and the additional fare increases in increments of 200W.

If there is more than one passenger, and you are traveling only a short distance (eg 1-2 subway stops) it is usually cheaper to catch a taxi than to take a bus or subway.

Another kind of taxi is the AAFES taxi, although this type is mainly used by US military personnel on post. These taxis generally speak English better than the local taxis and take US$. The basic fare is $1.80 with additional fare of $0.30 according to time and distance. You can call for an AAFES taxi by calling 0505-736-5113.

See

Palaces

As the ancient seat of Korea's royalty, there are no less than 5 major palaces in Seoul, and some are definitely worth a visit.

• Gyeongbokgung, Yulgukno (subway Gyeongbokgung). Seoul's grandest palace and the seat of power for centuries before it was razed in 1592 by a Japanese invasion (and they did a repeat after 1910). Large parts have now been restored and the vast grounds also house the Joseon Palace Museum and the Korean Folk Museum. Entry W3000, open 9 AM to 5 PM daily except Tuesday.

• Changdeokgung, Yulgukno (subway Anguk). Second only to Gyeongbokgung in historical importance, this was first built in 1405 and was the seat of power between 1618 and 1896. The buildings have all been recently restored and freshly repainted, creating a dazzling but still elegant effect that got the palace listed as Seoul's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Buildings of particular note include the blue-roofed Seonjeongjeon, which was the king's office, and the Daejojeon ("Great Making Hall"), his bedchamber, but most famous of all is the Biwon ("Secret Garden") in the back. Access to the complex is by guided tour only (W3000), Korean-language tours run every half hour but English tours are offered at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM (as of September 2005). Closed Mondays.

Temples and shrines

• Mount Inwang (인왕산 Inwangsan), near subway Dongnimmun. This 336-meter hill is home not only to the eponymous Inwang Temple (Inwangsa), but also Seoul's most famous shamanist shrine Guksadang (국사당). To get there, take Exit 2 and start climbing uphill following the "Inwang Temple" signs, through the huge construction site (as of 2006) and up through the temple gate. You'll see a map board and several paths, take the left staircase upward, past the bronze bell of Bongwonsa and you'll reach Guksadang. Behind it are several creeks with shamanist offerings and the bizarre rock formation known as the Zen Rocks; there are plenty of trails if you want to poke around, and the Seoul fortress wall can be seen running near the top of the hill. Be careful not to photograph or disturb any rituals you see being performed.

Other

• Namdaemun (subway City Hall). The Great South Gate is a symbol of Seoul and has been designated as National Treasure Number 1. Particularly beautiful when floodlit at night, and best combined with a visit to the adjacent Namdaemun Market.

• Dongdaemun (subway Dongdaemun). The old eastern gate of the city still stands though not as impressive architecturally as Namdaemun, the Dongdaemun market is infinitely more interesting than the its couterpart.

• Seodaemun Prison, 101 Hyeonjeo-dong, Seodaemun-gu (subway Dongnimmun, exit 5). Tue-Sun 9:30 AM-6 PM (5 PM in Nov-Feb). Originally built in 1908, the prison became infamous during the Japanese occupation, when it was used to torture, starve and execute Korean political prisoners. Actual prison cells, wax figures and videos are used to demonstrate the shocking brutality; most signage is only in Korean, but volunteer guides can describe the sights in English. W1500.

• COEX This very large mall is located in Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu. This state-of-the-art complex for international conferences, and holds 150 specialized exhibitions and 15,000 conventions/events a year. The center also plays a role in promoting international trade by connecting international buyers with local businesses. At COEX is the COEX aquarium [3], large cinema and the Kimchi museum [4].

Do

• Horse Racing can be found at Seoul Racetrack in Kwach'on. Races are normally only held during weekends, night racing also takes place during August. During the week, visitors can take guided tours of the grounds.

• Everland [5] is the Korean version of Disney. It is south of Seoul and transportation by bus is the easiest way to get there. Non-stop buses to Everland leave from various parts of Seoul daily.

• Seoulland [6] is a theme park located in Seoul. This park was opened just before the Olympics in 1988. It is easy to get to by subway and is open year round.

• Children's Grand Park [7] is located in Neung-dong, Gwangjin-gu. The park was constructed after the decision of the City Planning Facility in 1971 and was opened on May 5, 1973. The park has a zoo, amusement facilities and restaurants. To get there, simply take the subway to Children's Grand Park. Avoid weekends because the crowds are fierce!

Learn

Tae Kwon Do, Korea's most popular martial art! For information :Kukkiwon, WTF Headquarters[8] For training in Seoul: Sangrok Gym [9]

Work

There is an immense demand for ESL (English as a Second Language) instruction in Seoul. See the main South Korea article for details.

Buy

Markets

• Namdaemun [10] The largest traditional street market in Korea. This market is located in the center of Seoul and is a famous shopping place for tourists. Clothing for children and accessories are the most-commonly sold goods in this market, but there's lots of food as well and many outdoor eating options, especially in the evening.

• Dongdaemun [11] This market is of equal historical significance to Namdaemun market. While Namdaemun is an old-fashioned market, Dongdaemun market has large buildings that group similar shops together so customers can shop efficiently and save time. One of the buildings here, Dongdaemun General Market, sells Chimachogori, which is a Korean traditional dress, or bedclothes. Some of the shops like Nuzzon are open all night, and one of the most popular buildings for shopping is Doosan Tower (aka Doota).

• Insadong. Insadong is known for its art galleries and shops. It is a great place to buy cultural souvenirs. There are also a few stores that offer interesting vintage toys and various kitsch. Insadong also contains many traditional tea and coffee shops.

• Ehwa Women's University. At the front gate of Ehwa Women's University, visitors can find a dense market geared towards young women. You can find stores that sell clothes, shoes, hats, handbags, and so on. There are also clothes for men. Recently franchise stores have started to move into the area.

• Yongsan Electronics Market. Yongsan is one option in Seoul if you are looking for electronics goods. Made up of over 20 buildings housing 5000 stores, you can find appliances, stereos, computers and peripherals, office equipment, telephones, lighting equipment, electronic games and software, and videos and CDs. A lot of the products are bought in Japan and resold in Korea by dealers. The market has a reputation for fleecing foreigners, particularly due to its proximity to Yongsan Air Base. If you go, it's best to bring a Korean guide so you can ensure you're getting a good deal.

Fashion

Fashion shopping in Seoul isn't a mere industry, it's an art form. Myeongdong is probably the largest and best-known area.

• Migliore, [12]. One of the biggest fashion buildings in Seoul. It has 17 floors above ground and 7 basement floors. Infomation boards in Migliore are written in Korean as well as English, Japanese and Chinese for foreign tourists.

Apgujeong (앞구정), widely known as "The Beverly Hills of Seoul" is the land of the brand name goods. International brands like Gucci and Prada sit alongside Korean designer brands.

• Galleria [13] A very popular department store.

Near the Cheongdam Intersection lies the heart of the Korean shoe scene. Cutting edge shoe shops include Sue Comma Bonnie, Hyaang, Heels and Namuhana.

Trends often begin in University areas like Hongdae. Hongik University boasts Korea's most famous art school, thus fashion in this area is often influenced by the students' artistic sensibilities. The shops in this area feature funky, punky, boho, and vintage style. Ewha Women's University also has a big shopping area in front of it’s main gate. Many trends also originate here. There are even sewing ladies who can help you make your own designs come to life.

Duty free

Duty free shops: You can use United States＄, Japanese ￥or Korean W. There are clerks who can speak Japanese in nearly every shop. Also the following credit cards are accepted: American Express (AMEX), JCB (Japanese credit card), Mastercard, or Visa.

There are duty-free shops in both the Incheon airport and the major department stores: Lotte, Shilla Hotel, and Hyundai.

Eat

It would take a determined man to starve to death in Seoul — much of Korean social life revolves around food. You may still befall this fate if you insist on English menus and meals consisting only of easily identifiable, familiar ingredients; see South Korea for a quick Korean menu reader. An alternative is to just point and eat, your hosts generally will accomodate.

Budget

Seoul has plenty of budget places to eat. Everything from convenience store junk food and noodles to street stall food and lots of 24 hour Korean fast food restaurants. The 24-hour restaurants are great because they've usually got a wide variety of foods. Some great stews, soups, rice rolls, rice stir-fries and pork steaks with gravy. Prices do vary from about 2,000won to 9,000won at these restaurants.

• Sadongmyenok (사동면옥), Insadong 5-gil (down the alley). Justly famous for its manduguk, a soup of gargantuan homemade dumplings stuffed with meat and veggies and served with side dishes for W5000. English menu available.

Mid-range

• Gae Soon Ok, 91-2 Jeodong 1-Ga, Jung-gu (near Euljiro 1-ga station, in small lane opposite Myeongdong cathedral). 50 years of dog meat soup (bosintang) and still going strong.

• New Delhi Restaurant, Itaewon (Noksapyoung station exit 1, cross overpass, turn right, 2 min up the hill on your left). Run by a Canadian-Indian owner, 15000 won gets you a a wonderful Indian meal. Try the chicken vindaloo, the garlic nan and the samosas.

Splurge

• Once in a Blue Moon [14] Great food and atmosphere are a plenty at this snappy restaurant/jazz bar. Well worth the money for a nice night out. Live jazz music every night.

Drink

Itaewon is Seoul's foreigner town, housing a variety of western-styled venues to eat, drink and be merry. Being a place where many foreigners congregate, it remains somewhat of a niche nightlife area for Koreans who are interested in a more international scene. A number of notable bars and clubs spot the area, both on the main street and in the alleys off it. It should also be noted that many bars in Itaewon celebrate Thursdays as Ladies' Night which often means that ladies drink free before 12am. Finally, there are a few gay bars, located two alleys east of the main street. There you can find a club and a few bars a skip and jump from one another.

Bewarned however, although Itaewon provides some home comforts and plenty of white faces it would be a shame if this was your only impression of Seoul.

• Geckos, (opposite Burger King). A relaxed bar scene and good food.
• Seoul Pub
• Hollywood
• Rocky Mountain Tavern, [15]. A Canadian bar for expats living in Korea. Located north of the main intersection.
• The Loft
• Polly's Kettle
• Old Town
• Jesters

For some good House/Trance music, try some smaller bars like

• Bricx
• Bar Nana
• Electric Cat
• Spy Club
• King Club. Gawdy and a tad sleazy.
• XO
• Del Disco. Reportedly a gay club.

There are plans to re-open the old Limelight soon, which was until it's closure the biggest club in town.

Shinchon (신촌), home to universities including the Ehwa Women's University (이화여대 Ihwayeodae) this is a great place to soak up a more Korean environment. (Shinchon is not to be confused with Sincheon, the only difference being the sound of the last o!) Shinchon is set up like many Korean 'play' areas, whereby bars, clubs, restaurants, singing rooms, and sometimes even motels, are structured in a grid-like fashion. The only way to familiarize yourself with the area is to stroll the alleys and discover all the different places. Korean bars tend to be rather antisocial compared with their western counterparts, with people sitting at tables with friends and not tending to mix. There are a number of western style bars in the area:

• Woodstock
• Zen II
• Nori Ha Nun Saram Dul. A bar infamous for both its great rock music and it's decrepit interior with writing on the walls.

• Zen I. A large club and always popular with young people. There are some motels in the area, making it a nice place to stay for a short vacation.

Hongdae (홍대), short for Hong'ik University, is the premier club area in Seoul by far. Located around Hongik University, clubs and bars are strewn everywhere around the place. The clubs aren't near the station, but aren't hard to find. The most popular clubs are:

• M2. Trance/techno.
• MB. Hiphop.
• Q-Vo. Hiphop.

On a Friday or Saturday expect all of these to be packed tight. Last Friday of every month is Club Day where 15,000 won (15 US dollars) will get you into all of the clubs. Expect squillions of people. There are a number of bars popular with foreigners here too:

• Tin Pan
• Route 66
• Bricxx

The place is huge and you could party for a whole week in all the bars and clubs. The best way to see it is to stroll around and find something you like.

Apgujeong (앞구정) is the upmarket area of Seoul. Walk around the streets and you'll see kids valet parking their new Benz or Audi, strutting their new designer threads and looking generally, well, rich. That said, a lot of people who party in Apgujeong aren't necessarily rich and actually live far away. There are some clubs and bars here, but it is a rather subdued venue for partying. Nightlife here consists mainly of designer bars and restaurants. Places where it isn't possible to valet haven't turned out to be great hits traditionally. That said, there are a few small clubs in the area. Expect English to be more commonly spoken in this area too, due often to overseas education or excessive private tutoring. However with it comes a certain desensitization to foreigners, so don't expect people to stare or approach you as much as they would in other parts of Seoul. Consider Apgujeong as a great place to hang out, not rock out. If you wanted to impress a date for example, this would be a great place to go to.

Gangnam (강남) is probably the second most popular club area. Also set up in a grid structure, clubs, bars, restaurants and various other entertainment venues decorate this upmarket location. While not as upmarket as Apgujeong, it definitely is busy and lively. If Apgujeong is the place for rich kids to hang out and look cool, Kangnam is the place for those rich kids to party and look sexy. You will not be lost for something to look at in that respect. The station in central and a ton of buses run through the heart of the entertainment area, so finding your way there is extemely easy.

• NB. Full of clubbers pretty much every night of the week. The drawback is they have a rather racist policy of charging foreigners 5000 won ($5 US) more than Koreans. It is however the best club in the area.
• Harlem
• 4X. Popular with foreigners.

Sleep

Budget

• Try a Jjimjilbang for between W4,000 and W12,000 per night. You don't get a room of your own but, if you can get your luggage into one of the small lockers you can live quite cheaply for a long time, sleeping in the public sleeping rooms and enjoying the hot-tub and steam room facilities (sometimes a gym is available, also movies and TV shows often play until 11pm or so). To find a Jjimjilbang keep an eye out for the distinctive symbol of a plate with rays of heat rising from it. You may have to investigate as smaller hotels often use the same symbol as well.

Seoul's unofficial backpacker district is Anguk (subway line 3), located just to the north of the city center, within walking distance of the Gyeongsandong and Changdeokgung palaces. You can also reach the area directly from Incheon Airport with bus 602-1 to Anguk-dong stop (W8000, 80 minutes).

• Seoul Backpackers, 30-1 Iksundong, Jongno-gu (subway Anguk), tel. +82-2-3672-1972, [16]. Popular backpacker hangout with English-speaking staff. Dorms W17000, single/double W27000/W37000 with own tiny bathroom. Free breakfast, internet and laundry.

• Seoul Guest House, 135-1 Gyedong, Jongno-gu (subway Anguk), tel. +82-2-745-0057, [17]. Basic rooms with air-con in a traditional Korean-style house from W35,000/night. Shared bathrooms, Internet, TV etc.

• Kims' Guest House, 443-16 Hapjeongdong, Mapo-gu (subway Hapjeong), tel. +82-2-337-9894, [18]. This comfortable guest house, run by a friendly English-speaking family, is located in the western part of Seoul, 15 minutes walk from Hapjeong subway station. The dormitory (W15000), single, double and triple rooms (W27000/W37000/W47000) all have air-conditioning and heating. Guests share a kitchen, toilets and showers and have free use of cable TV, washing machine and internet. Breakfast (jam, toast & coffee) is included. No curfew. Discounts for stays over 1 night.

Love hotels are also a great option. They cost from W25,000 to W80,000 a night, more on saturday nights and holidays. They are usually in pretty good condition and they sometimes have a PC in the room. They are a lot more fun if you bring a friend or two.

Love hotels are mainly visited by couples who want some private places during day or night, most of the Love hotels (especially those in Gangnam district) are exceptionally clean and usually have widescreen TVs, PCs and so forth.

Mid-range

• President Hotel - right next to the Lotte and conveinent City Hall metro. Go take a spa break at the Lotte for 18,000 won ($15) with the money you saved.
• Hotel Inn (Mapo-gu) - get out of the central business district and stay in a real old-school Seoul neighborhood. Ask where "Mapo meat street" is and eat to your BBQ heart's content. (subway - Mapo). This is also extremely conveient to Yeouido island if you're a financial bigshot.

Splurge

Seoul's top-end hotels are very good, but pricy.

• Intercontinental Seoul, 159-8 Samseong-Dong, Gangnam-Gu, tel. +82-2-5555656, [19].

• JW Marriott Seoul, 19-3 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, tel. +82-2-62826262, [20]. Marriott's flagship property , well located in the Central City development in Gangnam, right next to the Express Bus Terminal and with good airport connections via the CCAT. Rooms are as stylish and fully-equipped as you'd expect, but the star here is the stupendous Marquis Spa & Gym, which sprawls over two floors in the basement and contains a huge gym complete with indoor running track, Olympic-size pool, sauna and spa facilities, climbing wall and golf driving ranges. Rooms from US$200.

• Lotte Hotel, Myeong Dong (subway Euljiro 1-ga), [21]. The grand old lady of downtown Seoul's hotels with 1,300 rooms, all kept in tip-top shape. The obvious choice for ornate Korean luxury.

• Shilla Seoul, Located on Namsan, this is the premiere hotel in Seoul. [22]

• W Seoul. The latest boutique hotel in Seoul, located in far east Seoul.

Contact

Internet cafes known as PC bang (PC 방) are ubiquitous in Seoul, and usually cost just 1,000 won (about 1 USD) per hour.

Stay safe

Seoul is generally a remarkably safe city.

Cope

Medical bills can be expensive, so try make efforts to ensure this won't be problem. Some people with sensitive stomachs should be careful in Korea, as the amount of pepper and garlic in the local diet is intense.

Get out

• Panmunjom — The only border crossing between North and South Korea, easily visited on a day trip
• Yeongjong Island — beaches, hot springs and fresh sea breezes

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!