South Korea: Seoul - How to plan Seoul trip + Comparison of TMoney card and TMoney MPass card.

For all of my trips planning experience, Seoul is one of the toughest one, because you couldn't imagine how big is the city and you've to understand the subway-lines, figure the transport cost, the route map, and the biggest challenges is language.

So you have to study and research a lot a lot.

I suggest to those who are planning a trip to city like Seoul (or English-is-useless's city), you gonna understand what you want to do in the city (eg, shopping or sightseeing or food), then scale down accordingly to plan your accommodation and transport.

If you wanna do some of each, with no choice you have to read a lot of information and figure out the best route.

We were travelling in 5 and each of us with different purpose in visit Seoul, I gathered all of their interest and draw a rough plan after read countless of information from forums and blogs (both in Chinese and English. I found Chinese forums have far more info than English, there i feel so lucky that i understand both languages), just to fulfill everyone's desire.

But i gotta tell you, Seoul is the city for shopping and plastic surgery. I don't mean there have no any others thing, but mainly (i'd say 85%) is for shopper and patient.

After research on Seoul, i concluded a few other things for non-shopper or patient:

What you can do except shopping or plastic surgery in Korea? 
1. Food 
Make your nom-nom route plan, try the unique food culture in Korea that you couldn't find in any other place like Korea.
2. City Planning / Attraction trip
If you love to see the city more than clothes, Seoul actually do have a lot of attraction that worth to pay a visit, eg: N'Seoul Tower, MyeongDong Cathedral, park and the palace.
3. Relax
Korea Spa （汗蒸幕）is different with other Spa, you have to be naked and you can stay as long as 12 hours, interest ain't?
If you feel shy, go for Korea's world-famous theater and enjoy coffee in the busy street.
4.  Entertainment 
Ski, hiking or theme park you can get it done in one day trip.

My plan of Seoul for 5d5d included all above and shopping except entertainment and plastic surgery (haha, we don't need to anyway), we don't feel like doing day trip because we're busy enough to do the other 4 aims.

After figure out what you wanna do, now scale down to where can do the thing that you wanted to do.

Find all those places and how to go, then you may download a subway map, plan the schedule out.

But for my experience, don't worry too much about the route or transport AS LONG AS YOU GOT A TRANSPORT CARD, or aka day or few day transport pass in Seoul.

Subway in Seoul is sooooooooooooooooo convenience, just like HK and Taiwan, but the cost is not cheap at all if you purchase one-off ticket, get yourself a travel card so you can control your budget well (I will blog it out soon).

First thing to do when you arrive in airport is get a free map

And try to understand the complicated subway map. 

Understand the lines too. 

Below is my rough plan of the trip. I actually have a detail one like what i planned for Jeju, but to not confuse readers, i choose to post a rough one.

Seoul Day 1

Incheon Airport – Gimpo Airport – Check in Hostel Korea - Myeongdong

Seoul Day 2

Noryangjin Fish Market – Korea Spa (汗蒸幕) / Apgujeong – N Seoul Tower – Dongdaemun

Seoul Day 3

Ewha Womans University - Sinchon

Seoul Day 4

Gyeongbokgung (The Palace) – Insadong – Theater

Seoul Day 5

Back to KL in midnight 

Every district above is integrate with shop and nice food, including The palace, you can always find other thing to do if you're accidentally go to a shopping district (well, as i say 85% of the area is shopping), don't worry, you always can find a very well design cafe to sit down and play the game of "guess which nose is real" like my friends did while Elaine and I went for crazy shopping.

Or you can always find good smell restaurant or vendor on the street, then you can go for your own nom-nom mini trip.

Ah bo, almost every tourist area has Korea Spa, just like Thai is full of massage center. Pay RM20-RM30 and get yourself soak in the hot water and watch naked people passing by, at the same time do survey on the size of Korea and Malaysia, hahahahahaha.

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I never use break-down line in my english version blog, this is the first time.

Break down line mean i'm writing some other things, but the thing is not complete unrelated with the above.

Ok, the 2nd challenge when planning a trip is accommodation and transport.

Accommodation in Seoul is not an issue, backpacker is everywhere or you're richer you can go rent a hotel rooms. Most importantly is figure out your plan, then find place to stay in the convenience point to travel around.

So i push accommodation in the next post, together with the backpacker review.

The breakdown line is for transport.

I believe a lot of people come through a bout TMoney right? Something like Touch'n Go in Malaysia, pay money for the card and reload credit into it, scan it whenever you take public transport and it will deduce credit from the card with a discount.

If i'm not mistaken, TMoney discount 100won each time you spent.

But i tell you what, i choose  the less well-know TMoney M-pass instead of TMoney, because of lazy to count on the fees of subway.

FYI, the fees of subway is counting with km, if not mistaken, within 10km is 1000kw one way, which mean return ticket is 2000kw, if with your TMoney, that is 1800kw return (100kw discount per way).

If you're out from the 10km area, 100meter charge you extra 100kw (i hope i remember right).

I give up TMoney because i don't want to count the distance and difficult myself to budget the transport fees.

Although TMoney MPass do not have discount, but they offer 10 return ways per day in all the subway without caring the distance, this is a lot easy for me to budget the fees.

Ok, what is TMoney MPass card, from the name you can guess that is the combination of TMoney and a travel pass.

Cost of the TMoney MPass card. Go to information counter in Incheon airport and let the lady explain to you.

We got the 3 days pass, so after the 3 days pass and you actually stay 4 days in the city, what should you do?

Top up your MPass card, just like how you top up your TMoney card.

That's why it call TMoney MPass card.

But TMoney MPass card is not avaible everywhere, just few places, i don't remember all but i remember one of the place is Incheon Airport information counter.

Same as TMoney card, you've to pay for the card, as you can see from the photo, 5000kw, but if you return the card, you got 4500kw refund (if not mistaken), but TMoney card you got nothing back.

If you're lazy to read, READ HERE, i've summarize TMoney and TMoney MPass cards:

	TMoney	TMoney MPass (2in1 card)
Price of the card	2500kw for the card ONLY	3 days pass is 25500kw + 5000kw (deposit of the card) = 30500kw
Charge	Fees + 100kw discount whenever you scan it	20 times per days (equal to 10 times return ticket)
Where to get it	Convenience store eg GS25 and station's machine / counter	Few places ONLY (I got it from Incheon airport information counter)
Where to top up	Convenience store eg GS25 and station's machine / counter	Convenience store eg GS25 and station's machine / counter (After finish the 3 days pass and use it as TMoney card)
Where to refund	Convenience store eg GS25 and station's machine / counter	Few places ONLY (I got it from Incheon airport information counter)
How much could refund	ONLY the balance inside of the card can be refunded, no for the card itself (worth 2500kw)	Balance inside of the card + 4500kw deposit. (which mean only charge you 500kw for “rent” the card)
Expired date	As long as you continue to use it, it won’t be expired.	MPass (for 3 days pass) = 3 days from you scan from the first time (Eg: Start in Wed and finish in Fri, even you’re not using in Thurs). TMoney =  As long as you continue to use it, it won’t be expired.

TMoney MPass is better choice when you're:
1. Do not have a clear plan on where to go (So you can travel without worry the credit)
2. Have a very busy schedule to travel and to further place
3. You're not familiar with complicated subway station as you might get into wrong line / direction and wasted your credit if you're carry TMoney card. (Like us do, luckily we're with 10 times return, when we know we're in wrong platform, just scan out without heartache, hahaha)
4. You're lazy to budget the transport fees yet you don't have much budget. (30500kw = about RM100. For me, RM 100 for 3 days transport is very reasonable, and cut down my worried of transport fees).

TMoney is better choice when you're:
1. Very familiar with Seoul subway and confidence that won't get into wrong platform.
2. Know clearly where you wanted to go and ready to spend whole day on that area. (So you won't need to take subway few times a day).
3. Only travel within the city and has no plan to go sub-urban area.

I didn't say which card is better but leave it to you to judge, i meet someone that a repeat visitor of Seoul who travel with TMoney card, they only spend about RM50 in 3 days, which is half of my budget, but they're only travel within the city and know where they wanted to go la.

I'm not sure if any other travel pass offered in Seoul, but i believe TMoney and TMoney Mpass are the most popular one, and i think both is conveniece enough when you're travel with public transport in Seoul.

Well i guess here is the info i know about both cards, if you've any other question that you couldn't find you answer here, leave your message and see if i could help.

OKAYYYYYYYY, next blog is another backpacker review~ Stay tuned weeeeeeee






Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
20120813, 0437pm
Rach in goin to run with Pudding later mood.