In this Seoul Travelogue, I will not be sharing on the common touristy places we have visited (i.e. Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insa-dong, Buchon Hanok Village & Namsan Seoul Tower) because many people have already visited these places and a lot of information can be found on the internet.
Ewha women university.
Instead, I will be sharing travel tips and highlights from this trip which I find will be more useful.
Namsan Seoul Tower.
Here are 2 travel tips to make your trip easier – WiFi Egg Rental in Korea and Discount Coupons for tourists!
KoreaWiFi
KoreaWiFi’s rental service provides high-speed internet access anywhere in Korea. We paid 50,000 won for 1-week rental of the WiFi egg (you can see it next to the hot drink in the photo above).
A pretty Korean lady met us at the lobby of Uljiro Co-op Residence at Dongdaemun during our first day in Seoul to hand us the WiFi egg. We made payment on the spot and simply deposit the WiFi egg at our hotel reception desk on the day of our departure and informed the lady to collect it.
Discount Coupons for Tourists Only
Just go to Visit Korea Committee website and print the vouchers you require. I used this website to print a few discount coupons for O’sulloc as the Dongdaemun branch is located just a stone’s throw away from our hotel.
You just need to select the branches of the merchant you would be visiting before printing them. Here are some discount coupons you can find in this website:
Missha – 10% discount on all products + 2 sheet masks
Hollys Coffee – 10% discount on beverages
O’sulloc- 10% discount on all menus
Lotte Duty Free – 10,000 won discount coupon
Ski Tour & Nami Island Package with SeoulnSki
Being our first time skiing, we were really excited about this trip. I search online for a reputable ski tour operator and found SeoulnSki.
The Ski Tour and Nami Island package cost 139,000 won per person and we paid Monica, our friendly guide cum ski coach, on the day itself. Monica, a Korean lady with 25 years of skiing experience, had lived in Canada for many years and is highly conversant in English.
Cute squirrel spotted at Nami Island! He looked like he is welcoming us to the island! 🙂
They picked us up at the hotel lobby at 7.15 am and drove us to Nami Island (1 hour drive away from Seoul, followed by a 5-mins ferry ride) which feels very romantic and scenic in winter although it was freezing at -7 degree celsius while we were there!
There were many great photo-taking opportunities at this small island (only 5 km across) which is famous for its beautiful tree-lined roads and the filming location of the popular K-drama, Winter Sonata. All electrical wires were also hidden from view and built underground to retain the natural and rustic feeling of the island!
Skiing at Gangchon Elysian Ski Resort
After Nami Island, we had Dak Galbi (stir-fried spicy chicken) for lunch which was already included in the package.
We then proceeded to rent our ski suit and goggles at 25, 000 won per person from a ski rental shop located near the Gangchon Elysian Ski Resort. The entrance fees, gloves, ski gears were already included in the package.
Monica was very patient in teaching and guiding the 7 of us on how to wear the boots and skis. She brought us to a gentle slope and ski down with me by holding on to me from behind and making sure that I don’t fall.
Of course, the first thing you should learn is to learn how to get up after you fall down because I can assure you that it is very cumbersome and difficult to get up wearing the skis!
A friend ever mentioned that I could just take off the skis on the snow so that it is easier to stand up with just the boots.
Thankfully, I know how to rollerblade and had no difficulty trying to balance and ski up and down the slopes independently because I just employed my rollerblading techniques here and the best part was that it does not hurt at all falling down on the soft snow.
We had so much fun skiing for 3 hours that we did not want to leave this place until Monica had to call us to return the skis. We were already contemplating to return every year just to ski.
Alive Museum, Dynamic Maze & Poopoo Land in Insa-dong
Where can you go in Seoul for new and interesting experiences if you have already visited all the popular places and attractions?
Alive Museum Korea (Anguk Station, Exit 6) has recently opened two new concepts in Insa-dong (Dynamic Maze & Poopoo Land) where we spent an amazing and fulfilling time at all 3 attractions.
Dynamic Maze was the most challenging attraction of the 3 where we have to clear obstacles of varying intensity to pass through the maze.
Streets of Insa-dong.
Poopoo Land is located at Ssamzigil in Insa-dong (a five-minute walk from Alive Museum) and was officially opened on the day we arrived in Seoul on 19 February 2016!
As the attraction was not huge, the admission fee was only 6000 won. The attraction simulates the entry of food into the mouth, movement through the gastrointestinal tract and exiting as “poop” as you go down a steep slide.
Do check out Asia361.com where I had written a detailed article and review of my experience at these 3 unique attractions.
Do check out Garougil (Sinsa Station, Exit 8) if you have the time as there is a LINE Friends Store there and we had a delicious Bingsu in Korean Dessert cafe at Garougil as well! The shaved ice was so fine and the bingsu was so delicious that I simply could not get enough of it!
LINE Friends Store (Garougil branch)
Blueberry Bingsu from Korea Dessert Cafe. Look at the amount of blueberries on the bingsu! 🙂
I hope you find my Seoul travelogue useful and I will be sharing on the unique theme-cafes I had visited in Seoul soon.
Thank you for reading! 🙂