Sample ​8 Days 7 Nights Itinerary to South Korea

In our previous post, 5 Days 4 Nights Itinerary to South Korea, we shared a simple itinerary as a guide you on your trip. Staying in South Korea for longer days means that you’ll get to visit more places and experience more activities but it would entail additional cost. So more iponing pa!

Here’s a sample 8 Days 7 Nights itinerary to South Korea to guide you. You can change some of the destinations depending on your priority list but be mindful of their locations. Preferably pagsama-samahin mo lang din yung mga magkakalapit or kapag on the way naman.

Assumptions:

1. You are traveling with a companion.
2. Your flight to Incheon is in the morning and your flight back to Manila is in the evening.
3. You will stay in a hostel/guesthouse.
4. The hostel/guesthouse is located at Euljiro 4-ga or nearby stations.
5. One (1) Korean Won = 0.048 Php
6. Your budget for breakfast is P150 (3,000 KRW) and P700 (14,500 KRW) for lunch/dinner. Since you have a travel companion, sharing is caring.
7. Your primary means of transpo is the Seoul Metro (subway).
8. You will rent a hanbok so that the entrance to the palaces will be free.
9. The baggage allowance is optional.
10. Rates/Fees/Cost used in the provided budget breakdown was based on the date of actual purchase/use and may change without prior notice.

We booked most of our travel essentials from Klook. Since discounted yung mga products and services nila, you can save a lot. Sign up here.

On your first night, you may visit Ewha Womans University and Hongdae area to experience Korean Pop Culture thru their fashion and entertainment.

Essentials:

• 4G Pocket Wifi or
• 4G SIM Card (Korea Airport Pick Up)
• T-Money or Discover Seoul Pass (FREE entrance to 21 attractions for 24 or 48 hours; can also be used as T-Money)

On your second day, you may maximize Discover Seoul Pass’ free access to 21 attractions for 24/48 hours. See details here.

If you are going to the Digital Media City, make sure visit MBC World where you can release your ultimate KDrama and KPop feels. You can also watch the live music program SBS MTV The Show which showcases several talented Kpop artists. It is a nice experience if you are a Kpop fan. Note though that it’s every Tuesday only.

Activities:

• Trickeye 3D Museum
• MBC World
• SBS MTV The Show
• Discover Seoul Pass (FREE entrance to 21 attractions for 24 or 48 hours; can also be used as T-Money)

On your third day, you may visit Grevin Museum which houses wax figures of famous Korean and international personalities. Pwede mo nang mayakap sila Lee Min Ho, Hyun Bin,  Kim Soo Hyun, and many more! Entrance is free if you have the Discover Seoul Pass. Free access ka na rin to other attractions like Teseum Teddybear Mueum, N Seoul Tower Observatory, Royal Palaces, at marami pang iba so you get to save a lot!

Then if you still have the energy, you can drop by Myeongdong area para tumingin na ng mga possible pasalubong and to collect freebies na rin from different cosmetic shops.

Activities:

• Grevin Museum
• Teseum Teddybear Museum
• N Seoul Tower
• Discover Seoul Pass (FREE entrance to 21 attractions for 24 or 48 hours; can also be used as T-Money)

Nami Island and Petite France are must-visit locations to every Kdrama fan since a lot of famous Korean drama were filmed there like Endless Love, My Love From the Star, Secret Garden, and many more! During my first trip there, me and friends used their public transpo which resulted to mishaps nd misadventures. We arrived at Nami Island around 3pm so we didn’t have much time to explore it. So on my second trip, I just decided to book the tour with land transfers via Klook for a hassle-free experience and para maka-awra ng marami. Bonus na rin yung tour guide namin.

Activities:

• Petite France and Nami Island w/ Land Transfers

Your fifth day can be your KPop/Kdrama agency tour day. Most of the entertainment agencies are located in Gangnam area and halos magkakatabi lang. You can start your day at Cube Entertainment (BTOB, Pentagon, Highlight, Rain, etc.) in Seongsu. They have a cafe on the ground floor so you can also have your breakfast there. And since they have a drop box, you can drop your letter to your bias(es). Then you can visit SM Ent, JYP, FNC, BigHit, Starship in Gangnam. An don’t forget to see your favorite KPop group dolls in KStar Road in Apgujeong-rodeo. If you wish to buy official merchandise of SM Ent artists, visit SMTown@coexatrium in Samseong station. To cap off your day, you may go to Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain.

If you are into theme parks with extreme rides, visit Everland Resort and ride the T-Express. The queue may be long in some days but it will be worth it as you will have the most thrilling 2-minute of your life there. If you prefer a theme park near Seoul, you can book a ticket to Lotte World instead.

Activities:

• Everland Themepark
• Everland Shuttle Bus Roundtrip transfer
• Lotte World

Your visit to South Korea won’t be complete if hindi mo mapuntahan yung mga palaces and hanok villages, and to experience wearing a hanbok, their traditional clothes. Note that you can enter the palaces for free if you are wearing a hanbok. Since South Korea has a lot of palaces, you can just choose from the main ones: Gyeongbukgung/ Changdeokgung/ Changgyeonggung/ Deoksugung Palace.

Since this will be your last night, you might want to rest in traditional korean bath house known as jjimjilbang. You can get discounted rates via Klook din. The Dragon Hills Spa (one of famous jjimjilbang in Seoul) night ticket is from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM.

Activities:

• Hanbok Rental
• Dragon Hill Spa

If your flight is still in the evening, you can have your jjimjilbang experience in the morning. Just make sure that you request for a late check-out in your hostel/guesthouse or leave your luggage with them since the usual check-out is 10:00 AM to 12:00 NN depending on their policy. Or you can just go straight Incheon International Airport since may mga attractions din dun. Malay mo may makasabay ka pa na celebrity.

Budget Breakdown:

• Accommodation: Php4,200
• Transpo: Php3,000
• Food: Php6,100
• Other Fees/Cost: Php8,700

Total Budget: Php22,000

Total budget can still be reduced depending on the locations that you wish to visit. As previously explained, the round-trip airfare can go as low as Php1,800 if there’s a promo fare. With that, you must have at least Php25,000 to Php30,000 travel funds (exclusive of your budget for pasalubong).

For my first trip to South Korea, my total expenses including the airfare was just Php16,000 for 5 days and 4 nights. The food and transpo expenses were reduced because I travelled with my two other friends. My second trip this 2017 was more budget consuming mainly because of the following:

• Regular airfare rates
• Longer period of stay
• Only one travel companion
• More destinations specifically Kpop-related

Other Related articles:

• 10 Must-Bring Things in South Korea
•  Next Steps After Getting Your Visa to South Korea
• How to get a Multiple-Entry Visa to South Korea up to 5 years Without Submitting ITR, Bank Certicate and Bank Statements