Money in South Korea (Seoul & Incheon)

u2o

Hi all

Ive just got my flights booked to Japan and opted for a free stopover on the return sector, Seoul for 2 nights :j

the question is, is there many places i can withdraw cash using Cirrus in Seoul city centre (im staying at Ibis Myeong-Dong, opposite Lotte Department store apparently) and Incheon airport? As MSE, i'll be using my Nationwide Flexaccount card.

also ive only got a standard red card from NW Flexaccount, no debit facilities, just Cirrus (as it states on the back). anyway would this be a problem? Im under impression that the recommendations by MSE was using debit card from Flexaccount.

and whilst im here theres another question -

Asiana airlines website seemed to mention something about airport tax for departing passengers and how they have to pay when departing. is this what ive already paid under my flight tickets or is this something extra? I paid £330 flight + £158 tax for LHR-ICN-NRT-ICN(Stopover)-LHR.

many thanks!

ps. if anyone has any recommendations for what to do in Seoul thatd be great. i really cant go outside seoul though, basically ive only got one full day in seoul.

u2o

anyone?

cheers

E.m.m.a_2

Hiya. I spent a short time living and working in Pusan, South Korean (and Yokohama, Japan!) a few years ago. I did far more travelling around and stuff in Japan but this is what I can remember of Korea...

Money: I was paid cash in local currency, so I never needed to look for or used a cash machine/bank. I only ever passed through Seoul's airport but it is a modern city and I understand that many international banks have branches there. Depending on where you are shopping you may find that they will accept American Dollars and sometimes even Japanese Yen (though relations with Japan are not always too good). You will find that most banks and hotels can exchange money, and most will also take travelers checks. If you are worried, it may be worth asking NatWest before you depart.

Airport Departure Tax: The latest info I have is that this is now set at W15,000 (for all non-Koreans leaving by air). This can only be paid for at the airport when you turn up and is separate your airline ticket. I remember paying this tax in cash, I don't think there was an option of paying by card but I'm not sure! By the way if you've heard of the Airport Tax in Japan (2050 yen), I have been told that this is now incorporated into the cost of your airline ticket, so you need not worry about it.

Things to do: I guess it depends on what you're into. As I've not really been to Seoul, I really can't advise personally but I've heard about a Cable Car with good views of the city. Some people go shopping. Me, I'd go for some Korean meals (make sure that you try the traditional side dish "Kimchee" that the country is famous for - it's a bit spicy/salty!) and perhaps a temple. The Korean temples look a little like the ones in Japan but they are beautifully painted.

Other tips: Not sure what you are planning on doing in Japan, but if you intend to travel intercity by rail do consider buying a Japan Rail Pass (only available for purchase BEFORE you arrive in Japan) as this can save you a fortune! Also, please be aware that you are required to carry identification (i.e. your passport) with you at ALL times in Japan - not actually sure if the same applies in Korea!

Hope that helps. Let me know if you need any more info, by the way when are you going? I hope to be back in Japan for a few days end Feb/early March!

Albert2

Hi,

Went to S.Korea a couple of times with work 3-4 years ago, did not get too much time for sight-seeing etc. but ....

1) There definately was a departure tax and also sure it had to be paid in cash (I remember just putting however much it was beside my passport on arrival).

2) Not sure how you are planning to get from airport to your hotel, but the limousine bus service (I'm sure that's what they called it !) was pretty good and back then cost about 10GBP each way (memory !!), called into various hotels.

3) Echo comments from E.m.m.a., kimchee is excellent & I'm a fussy eater, but really enjoyed the food overall in Korea.

4) There was a really good tourist village site just outside Seoul that I got taken to (loads of Korean visitors there also), I'll have a dig on Monday when back at work just in case I still have the leaflet. Basically step back in time over the centuries with some shows & buildings etc. showing housing, culture etc. was well done and you could get into it as much/little as you wanted.

5) Day trips up to the DMZ (demilitarised zone) are interesting, organised bus trips, there should be information from your hotel lobby.

6) A few markets, but at the time I was spending a bit of time in HK/mainland China, so they were not as attractive as those ones.

7) At that time, guessing still the same, the mobile phone system was completely different, could not use a tri-band. Plenty of outlets at the airport hiring out phones though. Do not remember details of costs, but it was not too bad. May not be applicable, but.

8) Taxi drivers in general not too good with English, much better than my Korean though, but they all had telephone numbers in their cabs that would offer a translation service if required, think it was a throwback to when the World Cup was there.

That's about all I can remember just now, will post if I think of anything else.

BTW, good price. I flew Asiana from Seoul to Shanghai, no issues.

Cheers

u2o

Thanks for the tips so far - really helpful especially with what to do, keep them rolling! :beer:

Looks like i'll be OK for getting Korean Wons when Im in Seoul then. I'd rather take advantage of Nationwide's exchange rates instead of getting it exchanged somewhere else - and sounds like theres some places in the airport I can use. although i'll probably get some exchanged before i get there just in case.

I'll be getting one of those airport limousine buses - apparently I should get off at Lotte Hotel which is round the corner from my Ibis hotel. so i'll take enough cash for that to start with.

Info on the tourist village will be great thanks - sounds just perfect for my short trip there. hopefully money i saved on the air fares will allow me to treat myself with all sorts of food in korea too, looking forward to it! and i was lucky to get those cheap tickets too. all the seats were full but i put myself on waitinglist with the travel agent, and luckily seats came available for me although I had to change the inbound date, but well worth it! and cheaper than getting it online too.

and in Japan I wont be travelling, just going to see my family etc and have a nice time to sit back since I couldnt go in christmas. tho saying that i'll probably end up taking few trips out of the city which would be nice.