Holiday to korea in Dec

Hi all,

I will be in Korea in mid Dec for about 8 days. Planning the itinernary now.. so is wondering what is there to do besides snow-skiing and hot springs? Will it be too cold for shopping and other stuffs? I am not quite a history person so visiting one palace and Korean villiage will be good enough for me. Is the korean village open in winter?

If shopping is available, will there be any flea market besides the normal shopping malls?

Is it a good idea to stay in Seoul for a few days first then move to ski and hotspring resorts? or vice versa?

cheerios

Holiday to korea in Dec

HI Aurra,

Mid december will be pretty cold, the low must be going beyond zero, so be prepared for that, moreover you ar efrom tropics..

Practically, there is nothing much to see at Seoul, if you dont like palace much .... I suggest you may go to Olympic park, long open area with outdoor sculpture garden, u may take an evening ferry at Han River, if you lie nature, u may go to Seoul Grand Park.. lot oif open space , including some nominal hiking route,, i like that very much... recently Seoul inaugerated a stream at the city centre, not very good, spend some time there, avoid teh weekend.

Namdaemun market is at teh centre of city, not actually aflea market, but u can get everything cheaper, if u like cloth ( for ladies , as usual ! ) u may like to go Dongdaemun ....

if you like departmental stor hopping, there are quite a few , very central of teh city.. Sinseage, Lotte , Hyundai...

Ski earlier or seoul stay earlier may be strictly on you.... as here all teh ski resort have artifical snow making machine.. so u will get snow, definitely.. till March End.

Enjoy.. have a pleasent trip...

Let me know if you want something specific. I may not help about accomodation, as i dont stay at Seoul.

Holiday to korea in Dec

The DMZ Tour is a 1/2 day tour and is very unique. You can enter a tunnel dug under the DMZ by North Korea. The War Memorial also includes an excellent museum on the history of Korea and its wars throughout the ages. There are also several city tour packages available. Be prepared for cold weather.

Thanks for all the suggestions ya... weather will be beyond zero...think i will pack more clothings then.. its seems like its will be winter sales then....hahahah thanks ya...

Hi, Aurra,

Do u like to share your holiday trip there last Dec?

I thought of going Seoul and Cheju this Dec too.

Regards,

Hi Aurra,

In answer to your question where to stay first, I would recommend staying in Seoul first. It%26#39;s much more convenient to get to from the airport, you can have all your shopping done then move on to skiing and relaxing.

Shopping is available everywhere in Seoul. I guess it depends on what you%26#39;re looking for. There are various deparment stores around the city, the most upscale would be the Galleria in Apgujeongdong (also a good place for cafes, restaurants and nightlife), the Hyundai in eihter Apgujeongdong (a 20 min walk from Galleria) or Samsung-dong (which is connected to COEX mall, an American type shopping mall with movie theaters) and last but not least the Lotte Department store in Myeongdong which is in the heart of the city and a great place to start your tours as it%26#39;s near the palaces, Myeongdong a shopping district itself.

If you%26#39;re into more unique and/or traditional shopping you could try Samcheong-dong. Not many shops but here quality makes up for quantity. Also there are a lot of amazing restaurants along this strip.

Then there%26#39;s the bargain, market type. If you%26#39;re into clothes I would recomend Dongdaemun. Namdaemun is more for electronic goods rather than anything else.

Itaewon also has its share of clothes shopping and Antique furniture, but for clothes shopping, you need to know your way around and I would recommend Itaewon more for its restaurants and bars than anything else.

hi, baragalo,

Thanks for the info.

Hi Baragalo..

Can you tell me hotels that are near shopping area in Seoul. Not too expensive as I have 3 kids with me plus my husband.

Actually I planned to stay 2 nights in SEoul b4 going to Yongpyong resort for another 2 nights. However, is there any suggestions as to how should i leave some of my luggage without bringing to the ski resort. It would be troublesome for me to carry the baggage to and fro the ski resort. I have 1 more night in seoul b4 I depart to Hong Kong. Pls help....