Seoul is the capital and largest “city” of South Korea. Technically, Seoul is a province but classified as a Special City, and is under the direct administration of the central government. The city itself is culturally rich and diverse; at the same time, it has quickly become very metropolitan. As of 2007, the city was named the most expensive city in all of Asia, and the 3rd most expensive in the entire world after Moscow in Russia and London in UK.
Planning a trip to Seoul entails a bit of logistics solving. We highly recommend that you try getting around the city using the less traveled roads and off the main thoroughfares. There is a heavy congestion of traffic within the city, so if you really need to travel by road, you should at least get yourself comfortable. You could always sign up for a city tour that includes a tour bus package; or if you prefer, you could take the bus or the subway. Bus runs are frequent in the city, but yes, you can still get stuck in traffic. Taking the subways is faster and cheaper. Subways are also the main mode of transport for some 8 million locals daily, so it can get crowded a bit. You may want to skip taking the rail trains though, because these will only take you beyond the borders of the city itself.
It is also our utmost recommendation that you find someone to help you tour the city. Touring this large city on your own can be a daunting task, to be sure; but a great guide can help you avoid the tourist traps and get you into these out of the way locations that are better than most conventional attractions. Just to illustrate to you how vast the city is, Seoul is home to the Five Grand Palaces created during the Joseon Dynasty. They are: the Chandeokgung, Changgeyonggung, Deoksungung, Gyeongbokgung and Gyeonghuigung. The city is also home to the former Olympic stadium and the World Cup stadium. Walking tours around the city is non-existent, so any form of arranged transport would be a welcome relief to your traveling feet.
For nature trippers everywhere, one place you should not miss is the Seoul Forest, one of the larger parks in the city. It is located in Seongdong-gu and can be reached through the subway via Seoul Subway Line 2, Exit 8 at the Ttukseon Station. Seoul Forest is not really a forest, at least, not to the exact sense of the word. Rather, it is a state of the art recreational park that offers manicured lawns, man-made paths and a pristine wetland garden. Other amenities of the park include: the Arts and Culture Park, an eco forest, the Hangang Riverside Park, a nature experience center, marsh plants gardens, restaurants with waterside terrace views, and sports facilities.
If you feel like to want to experience every bit of Seoul, without traveling any distance at all, then we highly recommend you set your sights on exploring Lotte World: the world’s largest amusement park. This grand structure contains a hotel, an island linked by monorail, a Korean folk museum, a large indoor theme park, movie theaters, an outdoor amusement park, shopping malls and a number of sports facilities.
When it comes to nightlife, Seoul will certainly overwhelm you. The city is so vibrant during the nocturnal hours that it is easy enough to lose yourself in gaiety. There are a number of themed bar, discos and pubs in city, as well as great restaurants offering quality food at very cheap rates. However, as a gastronomical adventure, we would recommend that you try one of the eating establishments that offer “sannakji”: the newest novelty health dish in South Korea. Sannakji is live baby octopuses dipped in sesame oil – and usually taken with local brew or rice wine (and lots of it.)
Seoul is a wonderful holiday destination.
Comment by Vladimir — April 26, 2008 @ 1:27 am