Hello, everyone! We are Creatrip, a group of Korean travel experts.
When traveling Korea, to enjoy your travels you have to spend some amount of money. But, there are small tips when traveling Korea that not a lot of people know where you can save money.
Some locations are close to each other without you knowing, some items you have to buy and some other attractions are never mentioned. Along with this, I have included details needed when traveling Korea so I hope people traveling to Korea read this post before they go.
Save Money When Traveling Seoul
1. Airport Transportation
When arriving at Incheon or Gimpo Airport, the first issue you will run into is transportation. It is said that you can receive T-money transportation card for free at Incheon Airport so make sure to get one. If it is all gone, make sure to still buy a T-money transportation card.
The most cost-effective transportation is to take the airport railway. To go to Hongdae from Incheon Airport will cost you around ₩4,850 and will take around an hour using the airport railway.
Airport bus prices generally range from ₩10,000 to ₩15,000. If there is no traffic, it will take about 40 minutes, but it will take longer during peak hours.
2. Seoul City Transportation
In Seoul, if you want to take the subway, you only need to swipe the transportation card once, which will cost 1,250KRW. If you are going to a stop that is one or two stops away, I also recommend walking.
Euljiro 1-ga - Myeongdong Shopping District - Myeongdong - Chungmuro
The nearest station to Myeongdong is of course Myeongdong Station but it will take longer to transfer if you go to this station.
It only takes a 20 minute walk from Euljiro 1-ga station from the Myeongdong Shopping District and only a 15 minute walk from Myeongdong to Chungmuro making it a better option when transferring to other lines.
Gyeongbok Palace - Anguk (Bukchon) - Insadong - Jongno 3-ga (Ikseongdong)
Gyeongbok Palace is a scenic spot that many people will visit but did you know that Ikseondong, Insadong, and Bukchon are all very close to each other and can be reached within a 20 minute walk?
Ikseongdong
Insadong
I recommend you spend around half a day or a day of your schedule around this area when visiting Korea.
Tips : Jongno 3-ga Station Exit
Subway Lines 1, 3, and 5 pass through Jongno 3-ga Station making it possible to be reached from a variety of locations and also the station to be very large. (Takes about 10 minutes to transfer from Line 1 and 5 in the same station)
I recommend that if you decide to come here you go out the nearest exit and walk on the surface and not underground as it will be less crowded and easier to get by.
Jongno 5-ga (Gwangjang Market) - Dongdaemun - Dongdaemun History and Culture Park (DDP)
Gwangjang Market
The Gwangjang market is actually very close to Dongdaemun. If you have a whole day in your schedule I recommend you go to Gyeongbok Palace and Ikseondong in the morning and come to Gwangjang Market and Dongdaemun in the afternoon. It is completely walkable and there are a lot of cafes in the road where you can go and rest if you are tired.
In addition to reach DDP, you have to transit at Dongdaemun Station from Line 1 to 4 which takes a lot of time.
I recommend you come out of any exit of Dongdaemun Station and walk to the direction of Cheonggyecheon and you will reach Dongdaemun DDP and the shopping district.
Hongdae - Hapjeong - Sangsu
Hapjeong
Hongdae, Hapjeong, Sangsu is the area of the Hongdae shopping district and has many accommodations located for travelers here.
Hongdae
All three places are walkable within each other and getting an accommodation near Hapjeong or Sangsu will be much cheaper than in Hongdae.
3. Free Entry Attractions
There are many attractions in Seoul, but not all of them need to be paid to enter. I have now compiled a list of free attractions that everyone can visit.
Seoul Royal Palaces
For Gyeongbok Palace and any other royal palace in Seoul, you can enjoy free entry as long as you wear a Hanbok. There is no need to buy a separate ticket and you can enter right away.
If you want to save money by not renting a Hanbok, you can enter the palace by buying a ticket for ₩3,000.
N Seoul Tower (Namsan)
Many people will visit N Seoul Tower when visiting Seoul as it is a popular landmark. People normally buy a ticket to ride a cable car to go up but if you are confident to go on your feet I recommend you walk up the mountain to reach the top (Around 40 minutes).
The Observation Deck is paid to enter but you can enjoy the view from the outside of the N Seoul Tower for free and still be able to see the night view of Seoul.
Lotte Tower
To enjoy the Seoul scenery from Lotte Tower's observatory SEOUL SKY you have to buy a ticket. But, I recommend a way to go up the tower for free to enjoy the scenery.
SKY 31 on the 31st floor of Lotte Tower is free to enter from 11:30 to 22:00 daily. It is a food area ranging from the cheapest convenience store (7-11) to high-end cuisine. You need to register your name and number of people on the first floor counter to get a pass and go upstairs.
The night view from SKY 31 is beautiful and does not cost a lot of money to enjoy. the 7-11 here is unmanned which offers another unique experience.
Starfield Library (COEX)
The Starfield Library COEX is located at Samseong Station and is free to enter and very popular.
It is a place where many people and fans also visit as SMTOWN is also located here allowing you to take photos here as well as buy various souvenirs.
Other Information
Other attractions such as Lotte Park, Olympic Park, and major university campuses such as Kyung Hee University, Ewha Women's University, and more are all free to enter.
However, make sure to expect a large crowd at popular locations that are free to enter.
4. Save Money Tips
Place where a lot of Korean Restaurant are
To save money I would refrain from going to Myeongdong a lot as for example, the street food there may be overpriced compared to other locations in Seoul.
But there is a place you have to visit in Myeongdong! It is the Myeongdong Money Exchange which is located near the Myeongdong Embassy and Ilpumhyang which are the two best money exchanges in Korea.
If you really want to eat in Myeongdong, I recommend you go in the direction away from the shopping district as there will be more office workers making it to be possible for restaurants that offer food at a more reasonable local price.
Also, the traditional market is also a great place to fill your stomach where you can try a variety of different Korean dishes for cheap.
In addition, buying food from the supermarket and cooking it at home is also very cost-effective, and it is possible to make delicious Korean cuisine by yourself.
University Food
If you want to eat food in Korea, I recommend you go to the districts near South Korean colleges where a lot of students go to as you will often be able to find local restaurants that have local students as their major customer. All these stores will have a low price.
Of course, the Seoul university districts will also have famous shops that tourists like that offer dishes at a higher price but if you are lucky and can find a restaurant that locals go to, you will be able to enjoy delicious dishes at a cheaper price given you overcome the language barrier.
Supermarkets
The supermarket is also a great place to get food especially the fried chicken in Lotte Supermarket. When a large bucket is at a discount, it is very cost-effective. I, myself will go to the Lotte Supermarket to buy fried chicken to go home from time to time.
In addition to not only Lotte Supermarket, E-mart, Home-plus, and other large Korean Supermarkets also sell cheap cost-effective local Korean food. Make sure to visit a local supermarket when you are hungry and buy food from here.
Underground Shopping Center
In addition to food, shopping is a very important part when traveling. A point to take note is that Dongdaemun is not always the cheapest option when shopping.
So why do people buy a lot of clothes at Dongdaemun? that is because many stores here offer a discount when you buy a lot of clothes so if you are only buying one or two pieces of clothing it will not be that cheap.
But it is false to say that there are no cheap clothes in Dongdaemun, rather it takes time to find the best piece of clothing and even at the department stores it takes time to find good quality cheap clothes.
However, if you want to go shopping in Seoul, I recommend the Gangnam, Express Bus, Yeongdeungpo Underground Shopping Center. The Underground Shopping Center's sell similar clothes to one another and due to the fierce competition between the stores they lower prices.
Korean Beauty Products
Korean Beauty Products are famous across the world making their price become expensive overseas with the majority of people knowing about it.
This is why I strongly recommend buying cosmetic brands in South Korea such as innisfree, Etude House, A'pieu, and other cosmetic brands. It is very cheap and cost-effective to buy locally in Korea.
And in many beauty stores, there are Chinese staff, so you can quickly and easily find the products you want.
Korean Brand
In addition to beauty brands that you must buy in Korea, FILA products are also very cheap to buy in Korea. Although FILA originate from overseas, after being bought by a South Korean company, the price of FILA products in Korea has become very cheap with various limited edition designs available only in Korea.
In addition brands such as SPAO, TOPTEN10, and other brands have products that are all much cheaper in Korea than other countries. Come visit Korea and buy products from these brands for cheap!
5. Other
There are many other ways to save money as you can travel more like a local, such as riding a night bus instead of calling a taxi. Or just grabbing a cup of coffee and enjoying a quiet afternoon rather than going elsewhere.
However, during your trip you don't have to necessarily spend to gain a sense of success in your trip. This is why, recently, a lot of people have chosen to travel to the suburbs of Korea after they have travelled to Seoul for a few times.
Dumulmeori
Suwon
Jade Garden
You can enjoy the scenery of nature in Seoul away from the bustling city making it gain a rise in popularity.
This was a post about how to save money while still having fun when traveling to Seoul, Korea. If you have questions about information not covered in the blog post, please email us at help@creatrip.com
