"must see tips" for a short trip to seoul

[nilfisq]

Hello all! 안뇽하세요!
On 21 and 22 November I'll be in Seoul for work (airline crew) and I'll have one and a half day to visit the city.
- What are the things one really must see on a first trip (apart from the palaces)? Also less touristic tips are welcome.
- Is there a good bookstore which provides learning material and Korean literature translated into English? (I am an enthousiastic newbie)
- Does anyone know of websites/books with (self guided) walking tours?
- Nice, fancy, hip (gay?) bars?
- Any other tips?
Really looking forward to your replies.

[Chris1]

I think one of the best experiences in Seoul is to go up to the Seoul tower (a.k.a. Namsan Tower). You have to do it at night; it is an amazing experience.

You can go to Kyobo bookstore that has an entrance right outside one of the exits at Gwanghwamun station (Line 5 - Purple). I don't remember the exit number. It has a lot of good material.

I'm not really into palaces either, but my personal favorite and a must-see is Gyeongbokgung (경복궁). It's right near Anguk-dong and Jongro 3 Ga. It has nice mountains in the background and is very pretty during the day.

As far as bars are concerned, the Korean atmosphere is different. I definitely recommend going with at least one other person otherwise you might feel a little out of place. I haven't been to very many bars, but some of the best are in Gangnam (Line 2).

Considering your timeframe, you'll have to prioritize your activities, but these are my personal favorites. Definitely go to the Seoul tower if you can't do anything else.

[nilfisq]

Thanks a lot Chris!
I put the tower and Kyobo bookstore on my list!
Don't get me wrong: I definitely want to visit one or two palaces: they look beautiful on all the pictures I have seen so far.

[manyakumi]

If you go to Namsan Tower, you can follow the line below in order to save your time.

Namsan - Myeong dong - Sicheong Ap(city hall) - Insa dong - Gyeongbokgung - Samcheong dong

I think that to start from Samcheongdong would be better so that you can enjoy a night view of Seoul on Namsan Tower.
Or you could go to J.J. Mahoney's Bar or Club in Hyatt Hotel which is located on Namsan.

[nilfisq]

excellent advice! 감사합니다

[pucca246]

Hi I find this site very useful
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto

Look at the travel planner
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/tpRecommend.kto
it has suggested itineries for short stays too - with info about each place!
You can also checkout lots of info about korea, e-books etc.,

[nilfisq]

hello! i am back from seoul and... loved every minute of it! thanks for all the tips!
on the day of our arrival my colleague and i visited the gyeongbokgung palace and had dinner in insadong; the second day we saw the changdeokgung palace, insadong, myeongdong, namdaemun, went up the tower in the evening, bought books (including a very good grammar for internatiobal students) at kyobo bookstore and had dinner. really looking forward to my next trip, ready to discover more!

ps: the only thing i did not like about seoul was the aweful smell of the black substance sold in the streets as a snack, which i suppose is composed of larves of some insect and looks like this

some pics on my website

[gillesvdp]

Good that you liked it~~

I was going to mention that Namsan by night can be cold in the winter (especially because it is more windy than other areas of Seoul). But it seems that it was not a problem.

And nice to see a fellow Belgian interested in Korea. ^^

[nilfisq]

thank you gilles!
greetings from antwerp (although born and raised in the netherlands)
and yesss: namsan was quite chilly!