This trip was another 4-day trip utilizing my summer weekend, departing for Seoul on Friday and returning Sunday night.

Pre-Trip Preparations

Visa

Compared to Japanese visas, Korean visas are relatively easy to apply for, and for university graduates, it’s practically a “click and get” process. University graduates only need a graduation certificate from CHSI (China Higher-education Student Information and Career Center) and their ID card to apply for a 5-year multiple-entry Korean visa. Visa applications can be submitted offline at various “Korea Visa Application Centers” (such as the Guangzhou Center). Postal applications are also possible (but require sending the original ID card and incur a small mailing fee; apply offline if you have concerns). As of summer 2024, no appointment is needed for offline applications; just go to the visa center after it opens in the morning and get a number.

Flights

My friend and I purchased Greater Bay Airlines tickets, HKG-ICN roundtrip for about 1100 CNY. For a detailed flight experience with Greater Bay Airlines, refer to this blog post: First Experience with Greater Bay Airlines: More Like a Budget Airline on the Hong Kong-Tokyo Route (hee.ink). In short, it’s a budget airline with pre-selectable seats and a complimentary bottle of water, similar to a full-service airline’s intra-European flight. It’s worth mentioning that upon checking in at the counter for our return flight, we were offered a free upgrade to emergency exit seats, which was a plus.

Accommodation

We booked a guesthouse near Seoul Station on Agoda (R Guesthouse Seoul Station). The stay was quite pleasant, costing about 190 USD for 3 nights.

Internet/Power/Essentials

I bought a SIM card from a random seller on Taobao for about 20-30 CNY for 3 days. While advertised as unlimited data, it was speed-capped at around 10Mbps, which was sufficient.

Korea uses 220V/60Hz power, similar to mainland China. The outlets are European standard, so a European adapter purchased online, paired with a charger usable in mainland China, works perfectly.

Payment

Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere except for subways and buses. I only used the Korean Won I exchanged to top up my transportation card. The T-Money card can be used on subways and buses in Seoul and Busan and is available at subway entrances in the airport and some convenience stores. T-Money also offers an HCE card emulation app, KOREA TOUR CARD Tmoney, downloadable on some Android phones. This app allows top-ups with foreign credit cards (with a fee).

Navigation

Due to Korea’s restrictions on geographic information, Google Maps and Apple Maps don’t function optimally for route planning in Korea, with significant POI omissions. I recommend downloading a local Korean map app like Naver Map (website is in Korean only, but the app has Chinese, English, and Japanese versions). Naver Map is also useful for finding restaurants, as it has comprehensive reviews.

Itinerary

Day 1 Hong Kong - Seoul

Immigration in Seoul took about an hour (Korea still requires a handwritten arrival card), including fingerprinting. After immigration, you can take the slower but cheaper AREX All Stop Train (similar to a subway, you can buy a T-money card at a nearby vending machine), or the faster AREX Express Train (more expensive, but can be purchased cheaper on OTA websites).

That evening, we ate at Cheiljemyunso near Seoul Station, having naengmyeon (cold noodles) and dumplings. I didn’t expect ice cubes in the naengmyeon, which might not be suitable for those with sensitive stomachs, but the chilled noodles were indeed chewier.

Later, we went to N Seoul Tower. Combined tickets for the cable car and tower access can be purchased on OTA websites. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, so we only saw the evening sky, no sunset.

Day 2 Busan

Early next morning, we took the KTX train to Busan from Seoul Station. KTX tickets can be purchased on some OTA websites (like Trip.com, with a fee) or through the “Korail Korea Rail Ticket” mini-program on WeChat/Alipay (no fee). The purchase process is similar to mainland China: select the train, seat, fill in your name, and pay. Most tickets can be fully refunded up to 24 hours before departure (OTAs might charge a fee).

Boarding the KTX is similar to Europe. No pre-boarding ticket check is required; just go directly to the platform and wait. The conductor might randomly check tickets onboard; just show the QR code on your ticket.

After arriving at Busan Station, we went to the Cheongsapo area. There’s a tram and a small monorail-like train that offers scenic views.

You can search for Cheongsapo Station (해운대블루라인파크 청사포정거장) for navigation. Take a bus from the bus stop outside Busan Station (get off near an SK dormitory and walk about 10 minutes).

If you don’t want to take the train, you can stroll along the coastal walkway. It was quite foggy when we went, but it cleared up around 10 am. This coast is quite close to Tsushima Island in Japan (less than 100km). I wonder if it’s visible on a clear day.

The coastal walkway leads to Mipo Beach, with street food stalls nearby. I had a typical Korean hot pot at the food court of Shinsegae Department Store Centum City for lunch.

I spent the afternoon wandering around the city center.

We returned to Seoul on the evening KTX.

Since there were only fast food options near the station, we tried convenience store ready-made meals and sundae (blood sausage) from a nearby stall (the name was something like “Locomotive Tteokbokki,” but it was too spicy for me).

Day 3 Seoul

Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) and Gyeongbokgung Palace

We visited Cheong Wa Dae and Gyeongbokgung Palace. Since the presidential office and residence have moved out of Cheong Wa Dae, it’s been open to the public since 2023. Advance reservations are required on the website.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is south of Cheong Wa Dae and can be reached on foot. Its architectural style is similar to Greater China’s. A major difference from ancient Chinese palaces is that Gyeongbokgung’s grounds are unpaved, primarily sand and earth.

We had beef and glass noodle soup for lunch at a roadside restaurant (Geumseonggwan Naju Gomtang 금성관 나주곰탕). I found it delicious, but my friend thought the portion was too small.

The War Memorial of Korea

We spent the afternoon at the War Memorial of Korea, which primarily presents the Korean perspective on the Korean War.

We explored the Hongdae shopping district in the evening and had Korean BBQ at (Yukmong Hongdae Main Branch 육몽 홍대본점, reservations are recommended on Naver Map) (about 700 CNY for two).

Day 4 Seoul - Hong Kong

The weather and visibility were excellent during our return flight, and we had a great view of Victoria Harbour from the plane.