4 or 5 days in Seoul

I will have 5 days in Seoul at the mid of December and need recommendations for the ';must sees';. I am interested in experiences that will give me a sense of culture, history and current trends. Also, any recommendations for accommodations? Travelling solo so want to play it relatively safe.

4 or 5 days in Seoul

Your budget is important! Shilla is best hotel in Seoul, but can be pricey! Mill Hilton is not enormously easy to get to. Ibis cheap and OK.

I always stay in Grand Intercontinental, but that%26#39;s for work reasons, and it%26#39;s in Gangam, not downtown.

President is splendidly central, and pretty good.

To see: Changdeok palace; Namsan folk village; Namsan tower (at night); DMZ; Suwon folk village (much bigger than Namsan, pm me if you want details)

Changing of the guard at Deokksu palace (in front of President). One of the temples: Bongeung temple by Samseong station is the best in my view, and does a temple experience on Thurs afternoons for foreigners.

And wander the streets of Myoengdong and Insa dong

Mave fun!

4 or 5 days in Seoul

I would recommend staying in Gangbook area (north of Han river). There are many tourist friendly hotels around Myeongdong areas. I don%26#39;t know your budget, but hotels in Korea is relatively inexpensive compared to London or New York. You can probably enjoy favorable exchange rate. I stayed at Best Western Premier Kkukdo hotel, which is between 2 subways stops and had very nicely designed room, but surrounding area weren%26#39;t that lively. It seems Myeongdong Ibis or Savoy are very popular according to many reviews on hotel review site of this forum. I definitely recommend Insa-dong (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp鈥?/a>), Gyeongbokgung Palace (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp鈥?/a>), Namsan Hanok Village (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp鈥?/a>) Cheonggyecheon Stream (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp鈥?/a>) and nearby Gwangjang marketm as per museums, Samsung Museum of Art Leeum (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp鈥?/a>) is my favorite, but National Museum of Korea is equally nice (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_2_4.jsp鈥?/a>)

For shopping definitely head to Myeong-dong (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_4.jsp鈥?/a>), Dongdaemoon market (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_4.jsp鈥?/a>) and Itaewon (鈥isitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_4.jsp鈥?/a>)

If I book it, should I pay deposit? If I pay deposit, how much should I pay?

Gyeongbokgung as there are furnishings in the palace halls. Changdeokgung has a great garden, but the halls are empty. Namsan folk Village has traditional performances on weekends and it%26#39;s FOC!

I stayed in Yim%26#39;s House opposite the changdeokgung and the owners are great people, speak english and it%26#39;s cheap too.

shop at Myeongdong to see the latest trends.

don%26#39;t understand about deposit; what are you booking? hotel? flights? tour?

for hotel, you normally leave credit card to guarantee rooom and there%26#39;s a cancellation policy. No deposit as such.

For flights you leave a deposit of say 拢100, and then pay balance 6 weeks before flying (if using a travel agent)

Hi UK London,

Can reccomend the Ibis Myeong Dong. It%26#39;s very good. Myeong Dong is a great place to eat especially in the evening. I am sure you will be quite safe there. We stayed in a Junior Suite at the Ibis last month 24 - 28 Nov. It%26#39;s very good. I think you%26#39;ll find that a single room will also be of a high standard.

Must see sights are;

1. The Korean Folk Village which is a 1 hour drive from Seoul. Best option is to take a guided tour. We took a full day tour which also included the Hwaseong Fortress.

2. Gyeongbokgung palace,Seoul.

3. The changing of the guard at Deok Su Gung Palace and then visit the palace itself.

4. Changgyeonggung - built 1418 by king Sejong. It is linked by a bridge over a highway to;

5. The Royal ancestral shrine of the Jodeon Dynasty.

Cheers.

you CAN take a tour to Suwon Folk village but it%26#39;s perfectly easy to do under your own steam for much less than a tour cost. Also more flexible to do it yourself, you stay as long as you wish, so you can see the juggler, the farmer%26#39;s dance, the wedding AND the tightrope. And have lunch in the market square.

Train to Suwon; outside station on the left is a traditional-looking Korean house (stands out as everything else is modern). Go in and buy your ticket- there%26#39;s a bus that runs from there which is included in the price.

On the way back either go for the bus (times are advertised) or outside the village gate there are taxis that take you to Suwon station for about 拢2.50.

We had a good time there, Thanks a lot

I had 5 days in Seoul, it was a wonderful trip there. Many thanks.

We got a wonderful trip in South Korea. Thank for your help.