The date of our flight (November 22-28, 2014) finally arrived! I’ve enumerated below the preparations prior to it and our first day in Seoul.
We reserved Namsan Guesthouse 3 (Twin Room) for 65,000 KRW/night for two people and 75,000 KRW/night for three people. Personally, I highly recommend this place for the following reasons:
– very near Myeongdong Subway station (3 mins walk)
– homey, affordable, and clean
– does not require advance payment and would arrange your trip if needed
TRANSPORTATION:
We prepared a detailed itinerary on our transportation from the airport to Namsan 3. We also prepared an alternative route just in case there will be challenges on our best option – the 6015 bus.
Please read our considerations carefully so that you can decide and choose the best option for your trip.
- Take Airport Limousine Bus 6015 at the Incheon airport 5B or 12A bus stop and get off at the Myeong-dong Station (The last stop). Cross the road to Prince Hotel side then turn right and go straight 30M. There is Y intersection with Pacific Hotel on your left. Walk straight up to the right side of the road until you see GS25, Family mart and the Namsan guest house.
- Fare is 10,000 KRW = 450 PHP
- Travel time is 70 – 120 minutes
ALTERNATIVE (TRAIN)
- Take AREX (airport railway line) from Incheon airport straight to Seoul station.
- From Seoul station, take subway line 4 straight to Myeongdong station and get out from exit 3.
- Look for Pacific hotel and walk towards the hotel. Then take the right side of the road from the hotel. Namsan guesthouse will be at your left. you will see Namsan 3 first.
- Journey will take 1 hr and 15 minutes
- From Incheon Airport to AREX Seoul Station cost is KRW 14,300
- From Seoul Station to Myeong-dong, the Subway ticket price is KRW 1,150.
- Taking train to Myeongdong is NOT advisable if you have heavy luggage with you. You have to walk for about 300 meters at Seoul Station to change line from AREX train to Line 4 of Seoul Subway to get to Myeongdong Station. In addition, the Subway station is huge and the stairs are quite high. Carrying a luggage could really be challenging.
IMPORTANT NOTE ON EXPENSES
You have to take special attention of how much KRW you would bring or would exchange while you are in Seoul. I have specifically calculated our first day expenses in won (KRW) (excluding the payment for T-Money) so I hope this would help:
The trip to Myeongdong was a breeze. We did not have a hard time at the airport since we knew exactly how we would go about with our trip to the city. The almost mid-night breeze of the air was really soothing and cold: it felt like an embrace and a whisper saying “WELCOME TO SEOUL”!
