The consideration that you need to factor is the proximity of your accommodation to Arex or Bus. Bear in mind if you were to take Arex then you still need to continue your trip either on foot, another train or even taxi. And there are technically 2 types of Arex - the Express version or the multiple stop version. In both cases, the end destination is the Seoul Station. Arex Express version (Right side if you are walking from the main terminal) cannot use TMoney and the multiple stop version (Left side if you are walking from the main terminal) can use TMoney.

Some Airport Limo (this is what they call the bus) have stops which are nearby to certain accommodation.

So ... it is not about cheaper or not. I'd advise to consider the distance of those stops to your accommodation.


Now there are travellers in here who would bring their folks who are elderly people. Please remember that Seoul and some parts of Korea are very hilly. It is very much different than in Malaysia where the buildings are built according to the shape of the geographical contours vs. Malaysia way of just cutting away the hills to make way for development. Almost all of their subways do not have escalator access from the main street. What does this means ? Some effort in walking is required.

I recommend those thinking to bring old folks to ensure they are fit to tackle the occasional hilly terrain and the many stairs. (Can very very steep in certain locations) Consider this ... back in the days where the tram up to the Namsan cable car was non existent, you could easily see elderly Korean walking up the steep hill (gradient of more than 50 degrees) without breaking a sweat or stopping. I'll stop here but you could figure out what I mean.

Please leave at least 3 hours before the departure time. Via bus, it'll take you about 1 hour to the airport and taxi about 45-50 mins. Alternatively you could travel to Seoul Station and take the Arex to the airport. Arex journey time is 43 minutes but you need to factor in the travelling time to Seoul Station.

If my memory doesn't fail me, Insadong Mall starts around 10am / 11am. I'm not sure what time you wish to set off to Busan but the trip will set you back about 2 hours and a half (at least) and you will arrive in Busan circa 3pm-5pm. IMHO Jagalchi Market is best appreciated in the morning although some other members may have differing opinions.

Fuel prices in Korea are market based prices and included in the fuel prices are the taxes which the government imposed. The fuel prices are one of the reasons the public in Korea are conscious about driving, leaving the engine running, using public transport, heating, air conditioning, etc - something we Malaysians take it for granted and abuse on a daily basis.

You don't see general prices for essentials / food / transport going up when fuel prices gone up like in Malaysia. Likewise bus companies there don't hike up the prices and safety and service delivery is far better than many bus companies in Malaysia.

This post has been edited by hye: Feb 28 2015, 05:44 PM

Recommend to budget about KRW10K per day for transport via subway but this is highly dependent on you. The definition is "3 or 4 places, not that far, mainly subway" is very subjective.

You can take the airport limousine bus to your location and the fare is about KRW14K per way. If you take the Arex, it is KRW8K into Seoul but you need to take the subway again which is about KRW1050. Take a direct transport if you could coz you may think you are saving money but you are lugging your luggage around which is likely to be inconvenient.

Decision to take ski clothing is entirely optional and to bear in mind the wind factor. If you bought your own water proof clothing from Malaysia then I'll caution you on whether it will work as it should when you are in Korea.

BTW ... it is also possible to have the black pork BBQ in Seoul. The place is around Dongdaemun
Located in a low key area, it would be a bit hard for anyone without knowledge of the language to actually be able to find the place.

This post has been edited by hye: Sep 14 2015, 01:11 PM

On the subject of using your credit card and then presented in dual currency payment, it happens everywhere and not only in Korea. It is not a scam but merely the system way of allowing you to choose in what currency that you wish to pay. One thing good is that you know roughly the converted value of your purchase as shown on the terminal.

To @bearbear claim that it is a scam ... it is not nor does such exist and I disagree such misleading info. Just that the system uses the current local interbank rate which may not be favorable to you. Sometimes the converted currency is better ... I had encounter this experience using my card back in Thailand several years back. However with our currency fluctuating so much ... it is better to use the local currency (which is KRW) instead of using MY rates.

To give @bearbear credit ... yes. No such thing as your cc is not accepted as long as it is Visa or Mastercard. Additional 1.5% is charged on top of your overseas purchase (Non MYR). Visa and Mastercard international interbank rates may marginally differ thus it is not a big deal.

Yes ... correct layering of your clothes would be essential.
Effectively you would need 3 layers (Top) and the below are generally worn in sequence. For bottom, 2 layers would be just fine.

1. Thermal
2. Normal clothes / Long sleeves
3. WindProof / Heat

Thick clothes does not mean you are adequately protected against the cold. I disagree that Korea isn't cold as it depends on which part of Korea you are talking about. Seoul has a colder weather as compared to Busan in winter. Busan is a bit warmer due its location to the coastline/sea and being more south in the Peninsula. Peak of winter in Seoul can get as low as -18 or -20 degrees C and the wind just heightens the cold weather more.

Hahaha

Correction my friend. Korean debit card can work internationally - they have 2 debit cards. One that work just within Korea itself and the other works internationally. 99.5% of Korean foreigners issued debit cards will only work locally.

Most ppl in Malaysia thinks that their debit cards will work internationally right from the beginning. They actually have to "activate" the card to be able to do so and there's a limit to the expenses per day. Even the activation for international use have a validity period (at least for MBB), they don't stay on forever.

Many folks here will write all sort of stuff credit card / debit card use. Hopefully I could help by dishing out the correct info.

Hi ... FYI Korean names are gender specific and they have a meaning attached to it.
Some names are unisex.

You can easily google for the common names that Koreans name their child. You probably have some idea on what you want to name your baby so it's best to start there.