First time going to Korea (winter in jan-feb for 2 weeks), travel tips please, what cards do they take etc?
A more specific question: doing a light hike on Mt Hallasan (jeju) but the only equipment hire place I can find is Oshare near airport, which opens at 9am, which means I can’t start hike til 11am (takes 1.5 hours to mt Hallasan). If I hire the day before, I may need to pay for 2 days… any alternatives?
South Korea Winter Travel Tips
LBruleesmittens on 09/11/2022 - 09:49
Comments
Try to avoid the zerg rush-hour
Was there for work for a couple of months.
Bring cash you'll still need it (especially for street food) or at least a way to withdraw whilst there
Bring winter clothes - be ready for walking in snow
Apart from Jeju probably don't need a car on the mainland - their bullet trains will take you around quickly - one time even did just a day trip from Seoul to Busan by taking an early bullet train and returning after dinner.
Quite a few restaurants will likely have an english menu too if you ask.
Google maps sucks there - you'll probably have to download something like Naver to get around. I forget which navigation app specifically (might not have been Naver) but with their train system it'll even tell you the best carriage & door to be at to be closest to the steps to make your transfer or exit the station.
From memory SIM cards aren't cheap but still worth it having internet with you during trip.
Winter illuminations/gardens are quite popular around this time and some are quite nice - worth going.
Thanks! Do you think I’ll need waterproof shoes, or anti-slip? Considering scotchgard for my regular walking shoes, unless it’s too slippery.
Anti slip perhaps, waterproof I didn't bother, but did bring 2 pairs so that I could let one dry off overnight.
Jeju is great, stayed in Seogwipo a few times but never done that hike. Avoid western food, it is expensive and no where near as good as Korean food
Make sure your gear is good and be prepared for Snow!!! I have had a few flights delayed by weather.
Stop back in at Seoul on the way back and go to Siloam Sauna, Tuesday is the quiet day from memory.
Man I love Korea, need to go back.
Any specific questions just let me know
Thanks! Very keen for Jeju, were the flight delays >2 hours? I didn’t think of the weather impacts on flights
I had one where it was an overnight in Busan as was delayed until the next morning and one where it was around 1-2ish hours. Winter is pretty brutal but the wind was the real killer landing into Jeju, never had issues leaving and flying to Seoul or Busan.
There is a burger place in Seogwipo called 88 burger and a place across the road i think was called good chicken or great chicken…. can recommend both
Submarine in Seogwipo is ok but not worth the money really, went on it just to say i had been on it. There is some great walks around Jeongbang Waterfall heading up the stream which i did a few times, really easy walk but just pretty
Overnight! How did you go about finding last minute hotel etc did travel insurance cover? I’m flying to Jeju from Busan as well. Does the flights allow >100ml liquids on carryons or is it same as international.
@Bruleesmittens: A friend booked a hotel (had an abseiling kit in the room, not relevant but interesting) on net (phone) while in airport and we took the light rail in, people generally are very friendly in Korea and will help you out, most people speak some English. I really wouldn't stress, keep and eye on weather forecasts and give yourself some decent time between transfers just to be safe.
Liquids for carry on was definitely restricted, I just checked bags in and just had my day pack with a book etc for carry on.
Oh just a thought too and this is important, Manners are huge in Korea, make sure you put rubbish in the bin ensuring you recycle correctly (they will get grumpy if you don't) Also always two hands when giving money or receiving it .
Link for detail: https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-etiquette/ (lots of basic stuff)
Hey sorry to bother you, but I’m flying jeju air from Busan/Seoul to Jeju, it says I need to be at the airport three hours before to check in but domestic flights doesn’t usually require that long. Did you have to go that early?
Hey, all good, sorry just noticed this message.
I think I was there a bit before hand, the airport was really busy and it did take a good hour to get through security. I did Seoul to Busan on the bullet train and then flew from Busan to Jeju.
When do you head over?
Thanks! I’ll do 1.5-2 hours before just in case, I don’t have to check in luggage. Yeah I’m doing the exact same, end of jan.
@Bruleesmittens: Yeah i was checking in luggage and also had my 65 year old dad with me that trip
Enjoy the hell out of it
Just checked out their opening hour (8am to 9pm). It seems their rental terms are for 24 hours from the time of hire. So if you are returning back to their office within 24 hours, you should be fine.
Also, if you wish to collect the gears at Mt Hallasan, it seems this option is available at 10000 Korean won (Approx $11 Aud). It seems collection is only availabe between 6am to 8am. The collection point seems to be here
It appears that you can aslo return the gears at Mt Hallasan for additional 10000 Korean won, which is available here. The description says this return service is availble between 3pm to 6pm.
Try contacting them for exact collection, drop off locations and time if you are interested.
Alternatively, you can also try Bilisin. Their rental term is that you rent the gear the day prior, and return the gear by 7pm on the day. They also provide delivery and pickup at your accomodation for 15000 Korean won each.
You’re a lifesaver! I still need to translate the website to refer to your links but I didn’t know Oshare had a branch near Mt Hallasan! I tried to contact them on Instagram but I don’t think they man their inbox. Are you Korean by any chance?
Kakao Talk is the most popular communication channel in Korea. So it might be a good use to you for your trip to Korea.
Oshare has their Kakao Talk Channel, you might get a faster response through here.
Also, try using Naver as well when you are searching for any information in Korea. Naver is the most popular search engine in Korea. So you would get more helpful info when planning your trip.
I am an existing user of KakaoTalk (not frequently), I tried to add them to enquire but it didn’t work. Your link worked tho! Thank you so much
Korea is particularly cold in winter as it snows so dress warm. If footpath is filled with snow, don't walk on anything clear as it is likely ice and you will slip.
If you have the Citibank transaction account you can use their atms to withdraw korean won. They also have partnerships with local banks there which make getting money easy. Suggest keeping cash with you as Korean's still use it a lot. There are card facilities available but usually at chain stores.
Getting around Seoul is fairly easy using the metro. Suggest using the Korean Government travel website which also lists out how to get to places (particularly in Seoul) and which stops/entrances to get out of.
Do you think 28degrees/latitude is a good card to use there?
Never used it myself but a friend of mine did and said he had no issues.
Which Citibank transaction account is this? Just the basic free one?
Withdraw enough cash so that you have the equivalent of 1,000,000 Korean Won to tick that off your bucket list, make sure to take photos of all that bling.
Also, highly recommend a day trip to the DMZ (demilitarised zone), which you'll need to book a tour in advance - I think via the USDF site or something or rather, I'm sure google is your friend there.
Thanks, as in photos for insurance?
Warm shoes I got frostbite on the tips of my toes at the DMZ.
BRING WARM CLOTHES