Hoping to go to South Korea, need travel agent.

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  1. #11

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    Not really. It was under construction the last time I was there, but I asked my client if it would be possible to get to the airport when it was finished and he said it would be quite troublesome because the railway line connects to the subway some way from the city. The airport buses, on the other hand, are excellent and go to all the major (and many minor) hotels.


  2. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    Not really. It was under construction the last time I was there, but I asked my client if it would be possible to get to the airport when it was finished and he said it would be quite troublesome because the railway line connects to the subway some way from the city. The airport buses, on the other hand, are excellent and go to all the major (and many minor) hotels.
    According to the Seoul Metropolitan Subway website the station in Incheon International Airport is complete and the airport line only goes to the Gimpo Airport it is possible to transfer and go straight to the train station which is less than 5 minutes from the hotel. Also according to the Seoul Subway website it takes about 95 minutes and only costs 4500 won although honestly I am not sure if this will work or not.

  3. #13

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    I'm not 100% sure I understand your post, but I had a look at the info myself (I might have to go back to Seoul on business, like it or not, so I was keen to find out about the new railway) ... the new railway will take you from Incheon to Gimpo (3200 won, 33 minutes) and then you transfer to the subway and go the rest of the way. Was that what you meant, your hotel is close to Gimpo and it only takes 5 minute from there? Or the 95 minutes is the whole journey (33 mins plus 5 mins transfer plus 55 mins or so on the subway?).

    Anyway - it sounds doable. The Airport Limousine bus that I used to take (to the Central Air Terminal near Coex) used to cost 11,000 won (it was a NICE bus!) but there might be cheaper "local" buses, not sure. It went every 10-20 mins or so, so pretty convenient and took about 90 mins (coex is on the other side of the city from the airport -if you hotel is closer then would be cheaper and faster on whatever bus you choose).

    I have travelled twice on the subway. It's not simple. As I recall you have to purchase little tokens at a machine before you go in (a local helped me figure this out, you will probably find more helpful signs if getting on at the Gimpo airport station!). But it was clean and well signposted. VERY crowded during rush hour - and it's a HUGE system so does take quite some time to get from one side to the other. But very usable - a good way to get around Seoul I thought.

    Anyway - whatever you decide I'd be interested in feedback when you return.....


  4. #14

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    I just thought of a small problem I will encounter while in Seoul.

    I have a Bank of America debit card from the USA and I recently recieved an HSBC ATM card (due to me opening an HSBC savings account in HK).

    What am I going to do in regards to money when I go to Seoul?


  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by darabo:
    I just thought of a small problem I will encounter while in Seoul.

    I have a Bank of America debit card from the USA and I recently recieved an HSBC ATM card (due to me opening an HSBC savings account in HK).

    What am I going to do in regards to money when I go to Seoul?
    Use an ATM?

  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by pin:
    Use an ATM?
    What ATM can I use while in Seoul without having to incur some fees?

  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by darabo:
    What ATM can I use while in Seoul without having to incur some fees?
    The local branch of HSBC is probably the only one and even then not 100% certain to be fee-free. You can find the location on the hsbc website - so far I have found an HSBC in every place I visited, but maybe only one!

    Otherwise, just do what everyone else does when they travel:
    1. Take some cash
    2. Pay big bills with a credit card
    3. Take some travellers checks (usually as a last resort, imho)
    4. Withdraw cash from ATMs and incur fees! Note - NOT ALL ATMs in Korea will cope with a foreign card. I used to use one bank of them in Coex that worked, but many didn't. You'd have to hunt around.