7 Days in Seoul Budget : Verified!


Pictures courtesy of Akma / Idatul from Facebook

One of this blog readers; Akma/Idatul is kind enough to share with us their 7 days itinerary in Seoul! They just returned from Seoul, fresh from the oven yeay..^^ Thanks to them that  we are now assured that it is actually NOT IMPOSSIBLE to spend RM2,000 for accommodation, transportation, food and admission (including shopping) for the 7 days itinerary in Seoul.

Warning: Itinerary may suit budget traveler ideally - 2 pax

Lodging for 6 days @ Hostel Korea (room with toilet)

KRW 35,000 x 6 days = KRW 210,000
KRW 105 000/per person

Day 1

Visiting shopping malls around Dongdaemun
Strolling along the Cheonggyecheon Stream till night (best view)

Day 2

Itaewon
Perform Solat @ Seoul Mosque
Lunch @ Mr.Kebab
Gyeongbok Palace
National Musem of Korea

Day 3

Shopping @ Myeongdong
Shopping @ Namdaemun Market

Day 4

Nami Island
Dinner @ Istanbul Kebab at Dongdaemun

Day 5

Chandeok Palace
Namsangol Hanok Village
Namsan Tower @ Seoul Tower
Insa-dong (buy cheap souvenirs)

Day 6

Visit Insa-dong Tourist Centre (wear hanbok for free)
Itaewon (Seoul Mosque again+Namdaemun market (last shopping)
Yoeinaru-experiencing a night cruise along the Han River (fee= krw 15 000)
Hangang Park (strolling along the river till bored)

Day 7

Visit Hongik University
Walking along the Ewha University
Visit King Sejong & Jeneral Park statues @ Gwanghamun

Day 8

Sleeping @ Incheon airport
Flight to Malaysia


Her verdict: Total budget: RM 2,000 (I bought lots of souvenirs for family, officemates and friends). I just returned from Seoul. Only one word can I describe Seoul : Fantastic!! Akak, thank you for your backpacking tips & advices. I did follow your 7 days itinerary but with a little change. I skipped Lotte World and Apgujeong. Seoul is very safe and totally clean! I do love the people there. They're so helpful. Only sometimes, I feel uncomfortable when they glanced awkwardly to us just because we're wearing tudung. :)

In a nutshell, I love Seoul and will return next year. Insya-Allah. Lots of thanx to your blog. Kamsa hamnida :)

Post a Comment

65 Comments

Lily 84 said…
Yeay!saya sgt terharu!thanx sis for put my itinerary in your superb blog!take care and hope u'll achieve your dream there! aja2 fighty!!!
Anonymous said…
akak..1OOO KRW bape RM..mcm mahal je.tp kagum lak bajet rm2000 je hehe
Zarina BT2K said…
1000 KRW equivalent to around RM2.90 with the current rate
iylia said…
i miss korea sooo much right now.. and i spend around rm4000 including rm1000 flight ticket staying there for a month. =) i save a lot from doing wwoof (10days), all thanks to your tips and stories! =D
Anonymous said…
idatul zulkipli: ada blog x?hehehhe...
Anonymous said…
Assalamu'alaykum ya ukhti, i'm from indonesia, i see your blog is very very good, you gave so many great info and also providing many useful tools such as currency converter :D

i'll read every single post here since i plan to visit korea next feb, and click some adsense, i know it'll help you :p

btw, do you think i will save significant money if i bought flight ticket now compared to if i bought ticket at december (for february visit)? thx ;)
Zarina BT2K said…
W'salam wbt Rizasaputra,
Thanks for dropping by ^^

If you buy ticket earlier, definitely you will get cheaper price. Rather than that, it's better to play with the dates as if you you buy on weekend the price is higher than on weekdays.

Transit flights are cheaper too because you will lose some time but it's a win-win situation
Anonymous said…
Salam, Hai Zarina. I'm Lily and planning to go with my husband from 16/4 - 23/4. We wish to see cherry blossom bloom and included Jeju in my list.I'm pretty sure that we can survive this trip eventhough we don't have tourist guide? What do you think ?. If I start planning right now in details and follow yr tips, can we hv smooth vacation?
Anonymous said…
Salam Zarina. I'm Lily and planning to visit Korea during Spring (16/4-23/4) to see Cherry Blossom festival with my hubby. This is my 1st time and we try to save as much as possible. I'm pretty sure can survive this trip if we follow yr tips and without tourist guide help. What do you think?
Zarina BT2K said…
W'salam Lily,
InsyaAllah boleh. Kalau saya boleh, Lily pon boleh! Malaysia boleh!! Hehe..Try to follow the tips in the blog as much as possible. Seoul is really easy to explore minus the language ^^
Azie.Fauzi said…
idatul...wahhhhh best..i akan guna yr itinerary ni for my may2012 trip to korea...

err RM2000 for transport,food,accomodation n shopping???
Azie.Fauzi said…
hostel korea tu kat mana??how to book the hostel..??info pls..thanks
Zarina BT2K said…
A'salam Azie.Fauzi,

Please check post http://budgettravel2korea.blogspot.com/2009/07/budget-hostel-single-room-for-30000.html
Anonymous said…
Salam Zarina, Lily again. Just want to check, when is the suitable time to book for the accomodation & flight ticket to Jeju? Once confirmed the depart date or few months before depart? To Jeju, is it safe to purchase once we reach there?
Azie.Fauzi said…
thanks zarina..
Zarina BT2K said…
W'salam Lily,

Try to book the accommodation and ticket to Jeju at least 2 mths ahead.
You can also buy ticket from the counter, as always the ticket might be more expensive if you buy a day before going
Anonymous said…
Hai Zarina. Which one is more convenience to move around Seoul, with cash or T-Money?
Zarina BT2K said…
Hi Anonymous,
You need both. As T-Money can only be used for public transportation and selected merchants.
Anonymous said…
Thank you for the info. Will contact you again soon for more guide n help.
Bangkok said…
thank you, I am going to make a plan to visit Korea
Anonymous said…
Hi Zarina,
Your blog is so informative, thanks for the good effort! I am going to Seoul next month. I'll try to remember some of your travel tips (esp. the 'tasteless jagung ayam'). hehehe.
Need to check with you one thing. Why we should buy secondhand handphone in Korea? Can we easily buy the Korean prepaid and use our own handphone instead?
~nita~
Nurul Nuha said…
Assalamualaikum,

Yes indeed it is possible to spend under RM2000 because I already did that also on my summer trip (26/7 - 3/8) to Seoul ^^ Thanks to Zarina, this blog is very helpful & informative. I think everyone who is passionate in travelling patut signup for couchsurfing. I stayed with my hosts, made new friends and gained a lot while I was in Seoul :) Unfortunately I'm so lazy to blog the every details abt my seoul trip :( I even (almost) had the chance going to Busan for FREE but I missed the bus hehe.
Anonymous said…
salam adik zarina,

thanx for the information n itinerary of seoul. i'd been there last month for 6 days n spent only rm1.7k, but i skipped lotte world, insadong, and hanok village. just wanna suggest travellers out there to stay at our guest house in itaewon www.hostels.com/hostels/seoul/is@k-guest-house/46605 (their staff could speak english), it's easy to find 'halal' food and near to seoul mosque.

Firdaus
Nurul said…
Hi!

I came across your blog, and I really find it is so helpful!! I'm planning to go Korea this coming end of Nov for just 4days 3nights. Any suggestions in terms of the itinerary for a 4days 3nights trip? About Dongdaemun, how's the shopping there? Is it quite cheap there? For foods, got to know that we can find halal foods only at Itaewon. Any recommendations on this?

Thanks Zarina!

Look forward to your reply.

Nurul ;)
Anonymous said…
i spent around RM1,700 for 6 days in kor.. all in! thanks zarina for all the tips and guide!!! but gotta say the food in itaewon is expensive! huuhu
Zarina BT2K said…
Hi Anonymous,
agreed!! Because the food in Itaewon is international good. It's cheaper to eat local stuff ^^
ida said…
hi...planning this mid January..sesuai tak bawa kids during winter
ida said…
zarina...masa winter sesuai bawa kids aged fr 10 years - 5 years?? my kids nak tgk snow..plan to be in Korea this mid January 2012
Zarina BT2K said…
Salam Ida,
It doesn't matter as long as they wear thermal wear or warm clothes.
Paan said…
hye.. just wondering... kalo pegi korea time summer okay ta? how's the weather ehh??
Unknown said…
Assalammualaikum kak zarina... Sya bercadang hendak pergi ke korea dlm bulan January thun dpn bersama kluarga. Tpi, sya still tak tau harga ticket yg pling murah. Then, harga ticket untuk 18 thun ke bwh and untuk dewasa berapa ye? Or harganye sama?
Zarina BT2K said…
W'salam Safirasnabmar,
Are you refering to flight ticket?
If yes, you may need to refer to the flight website on latest promotion. ^^
FarahLina said…
sis.
stay hostel mana yer??
105000 won per person for 6 nights??
not bad!
tell me which hostel??
NJ@goboklama said…
As'salam, went to Seoul for 5d 4n with 8 others in June this year & spent around RM1000/pax including transport,accommodation & meal. Do read my blog http://gobok-lama.blogspot.com/search/label/South%20Korea

~ sharing is caring
Zarina BT2K said…
Salam Farah Lina,
They stayed at Golden pond gueshouse
http://goldenpond.co.kr/
Zarina BT2K said…
Salam Farah Lina,
They stayed at Golden pond gueshouse
http://goldenpond.co.kr/
Azmira Akmal said…
As'salam.

I just want to say that your blog really help me a lot during my visit to Seoul last November. Especially ur entry on how to go to Nami Island. :DD
My budget is around RM2K and we stayed there for 8 days and 7 nights.
I stayed at Yellow Submarine guesthouse (coz they got female dorm). Quite cheap and comfortable. Hope to go to Seoul again, probably this May^^
Anyways, thanks you again :DD
Nadihah Wahi said…
Assalamualaykum. Nak tanya kalu nak solat kat mana2 cth: kt stesen ke selamat tak?
Anonymous said…
salam..
do we need to make online reservation b4 the trip to seoul??(for the goldenpond hostel)-lili-
Zarina BT2K said…
W'salam,
you have to reserve first before you go, if not it could be fully booked.
Reen said…
Hi Zarina,

Saya n husband akan pegi korea this weekend..just nak tahu still snowing ka kat sana? TQ
Dr.S & Mr.E said…
hai...just nak tau kalau pegi without tourist guide bole je kan? is it safe and easy?
Zarina BT2K said…
Salam Syahirah,
Of course, I've been here, done that myself most of the time alone. ^^ InsyaAllah selamat. Segalanya atas ketentuan Allah.
mnmgirl said…
Salam kakak,

nk tnye la mcm mane nk book Hostel Korea yg affordable ek?
Sy plan nk stay kt IS@K guesthouse tp bile bace entry ni mcm lg murah je accomodation die. So any suggestions x kakak? InsyaAllah sy pergi this coming Jun.
Tq.
ibudalili said…
Salam akak .... saya dan family bertiga akan ke korea bulan Apr nie ... ada x student yg available tuk bwk kami berjalan2 di Seoul .... need ur help pls ... tqvm
Anonymous said…
salam kak zarina,kitaorg dah reserve bilik kat golden pond for this april..nak tanya..kakak tau tak kalau makanan halal ada kt area tu?
paji
mimie said…
Salam kak zarina t-money boleh purchase di mana
blog-tips-kurus said…
menarik! jom menabung utk ke sana. :-)
Anonymous said…
nak tanya..kalau pergi korea 4d3n budget untuk 2 pax dalam rm1000 cukup tak? any suggestion tak nak pergi mana sebab masa kitaorg kat seoul 3 nights je... boleh tolong email saya? tq

fia_feehily2001@yahoo.co.uk
Anonymous said…
Salam Zarina,

Saya bajet nak pergi tahun depan 2013 dalam bulan feb atau mac...so saya kene inform Zarina sebelum tarikh bila? dan 1 lagi....maknanya dari msia, termasuk tiket busuk2 rm 3000 la???
Azie.Fauzi said…
hello zarina..

verified juger..RM2000 untuk 6hari 5malam mencukupi..this 2k untuk entrance fee to nami island,korean folk house,everland,transport via subway/train and bus..selebihnya jalan kaki..makan ala kadar masa jenjalan...bwk maggi n sup dr msia tuk dinner, souvenir kat satu kdai di insadong wit lots discount given, beli tuk diri sendiri di nature republic,etude,face shop and ada lebih dlm RM200 malaysia..will share wit you my itenerary insya allah and how we manage to allocate the RM2k :)
thanks to you for all the infos..
Anonymous said…
salam kak, saya rancang nk pegi korea awl thn hadapan dlm bln 1, perancangan nk honeymoon kat korea.. dua 3 bln ni saya servey tour packges agak mahal n membeban kn.. so rasa impian nk ke sana pun mcm pudar je..bila tgk blog akak ni rasa trbukak plak nk coba g korea dgn badget yg ada... boleh tak akak email saya mcm mana cara nk brbelanja kt sana nanti,

adi6827@yahoo.com
Nakamura Kazuki said…
salam kak,

i plan nak pergi korea alone next year around april as to see cherry blossom sessions... tapi risau juga nak pergi sorang2.. any info or any contact yg saya bleh dptkan once sampai di sana.. atau akak juga provide tourist guider with the lowest package?
Zarina BT2K said…
W'salam Nakamuri Kazuki-san,

Akak stay sini sampai year end 2012 je.

Ada juga students lain yang buat travel package, u boleh tengok under my tourist guide page tab
Hidayah said…
Salam Zarina....yes saya sgt setuju bila sebenarnya boleh belanja less than rm2k di korea..saya experience sendiri...perjalanan ke Seoul & Jeju, makan di luar (tak makan makanan Malaysia yang dibawa pun), siap sewa 1 and half day taxi in jeju (cost 190,000 won), asyik naik taxi di Seoul sbb penat naik subway...n surprisingly, saya hanya belanja dlm rm2k je!itu pun sbb mcm dah terlebih shopping!hehehe bawak balik duit berkepuk lagi tu masa balik Malaysia... =) semuanya tak mustahil, tp dgn syarat, kena byk buat survey n study in details dulu b4 pergi... =)

btw, thanx for your info in korea...sgt2 membantu...Allah je dapat balas jasa baik Zarina...Thanks yer!
shahrul nordin said…
Nakamuri Kazuki-san

klau nk fllw aku on april 2013 g korea jom..backpack je g sne for 10 days (g jeju skali mybe)..aku nk g snap pic cherry blossom n try tuk rasa cherry blossom fstival kt sne klau bksempatn..pls email at arul2509@gmail.com
Anonymous said…
hai zarina. kalau 4 days and 3 nights in seoul and only seoul,no jeju island, etc, cukup tak?is it too long or too short of a trip?
Anonymous said…
hi,

i found your blog very informative i'd like to ask if you have any suggestion of a travel agency or tour guide with a lowest package? I'm planning to go there on May 2013. THanks in advance.
Phuong Tran said…
thank you for such nice posts about Korea. I will be travelling to Korean this August and your posts appear very helpful to me! thank you again!
rainy day said…
Assalam kak Zarina,

Saya nak tanye. RM2000 tue kan, termasuk flight fee ke?
Zarina BT2K said…
w'salam Rainy day,

excluding flight tix.
Unknown said…
If I go dlm Bulan February 17 to 22 masih snowing tak
Zarina BT2K said…
Zhaharah,

InsyaAllah masih ada...weather ni cume Allah yang control ^^
Unknown said…
seronok tengok blog ni rasa cam ok xde lah susah sangatkan terigin nak pergi tengah kumpul2 duit kalau anak 4yr ok dak bawa bersama
MiaAngie said…
Salam.
Sebelum ni saya silent reader jer...woooowww ur informations about korea is amazing. Insya Allah sya & rakan akan ke seoul april ni. Blog ni bnyk beri input.
Tq very much :-)