When booking our month-long trip to Japan earlier this year, we had to get creative with our flights. The prices were through the roof because of peak snow season, and we thought, well if we are going to be paying a premium, we may as well add a stopover and get another mini holiday out of our trip. So, I put on my travel agent thinking cap, looked at Jetstar destinations that connect to Australia, and bingo! Flights from Incheon appeared. We couldn’t have booked those flights faster if we tried.
Did we let the bitterly cold South Korean winter, no knowledge of the language, a 3-month-old baby strapped to me and an energetic 3-year-old in tow stop us? Heck no, we had the time of our lives! Take this as your sign to add Seoul to your travel list now!
Convenient Location
Seoul is a convenient destination when travelling to or from Japan. Only 2 hours from Kansai International Airport, or 2.5 hours from Tokyo, it is an easy leg of the journey. Not to mention you are spoiled for choice when it comes to flights. Whether flying Korean Air, JAL, or with an LCC, there are many different flights at different price points and times of the day to suit your itinerary.
Hot Tip: Korean Air has an extensive route map all over the world, and will naturally go via its hub, Incheon Airport, so I recommend looking into their flights from your nearest major city if you are interested in a Seoul stopover or longer stay.
Incheon Airport is famous worldwide for its modern, comfortable amenities and is currently ranked #3 best airport in the world in 2024. We found it easy to navigate, although it is a loooong walk through the terminal, and from there, it is roughly only 1 hour by bus or 45min by train to Seoul.
Easy to Get Around
Pack your walking shoes, because you will be walking a lot in Seoul. As mentioned above, from the minute you land, you.will.be.walking. It is a very walkable city. Actually, we found it easy to get around in general because the public transport was on point.
Hot Tip: We took a K Limousine bus from the airport into Seoul, as it just so happened to have a drop off point directly in front of our hotel (Koreana Hotel). They have many different routes to different areas of the city, so definitely check it out here before you go. This bus was absolute bliss because we could just throw our suitcases in the storage below, then sit back and relax in the comfy leather seats before arriving at our doorstep ready for check in. Instead of lugging our suitcases and tired children around, worrying about things like train lines and transfers and screaming hungry babies in crowded places. Nobody needs that stress when they are tired from travel and arriving in a new country. Save that for Day 2!
After we were rested, suitcase-free and ready to see *all the things*, it was time to tackle the subway. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was a refreshingly easy, quick and cost-effective way to get around Seoul. The different lines are colour coded, numbered, and all signposted in English. Definitely foreigner-friendly.
Another Hot Tip: if you are travelling in the freezing cold like we did, head underground! Some stations downtown are connected via underground walkways and shopping malls, which can give some much-needed relief away from the elements. We burrowed our way from City Hall Station to the shopping and restaurant district Myeongdong.
Family Friendly
I remember thinking my kids could have a future as pop idols in South Korea. They were so popular and got so much attention everywhere we went! It was only afterward upon reflecting that I realised maybe the attention we were getting was genuine surprise to see a baby out of the house in the middle of winter, sightseeing and going to restaurants. No one else we saw was brave (crazy) enough to do that. Nevertheless, we had so many encounters with friendly locals who flashed a smile and said ‘baby!’ or started conversations with us.
Hot tip: There are “child-free zones” in Seoul.
Before going to Seoul, we had heard a lot about the rise of “child-free zones” and were terrified that we would unknowingly upset the locals and be rejected from wherever we went. But that was not the case. Maybe we just got lucky? One night, we went to an all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurant, a typically non-family friendly kind of establishment, but the staff were incredibly generous and kind to my three-year-old, giving him chocolates and snacks and hi fives all night.
On our last day, we went to a public bath house (Dongdaemun Sparex Jjimjilbang- highly recommend) and the older ladies were particularly smitten with my baby, offering to take him and hold him while I got changed. It felt odd giving him to a complete stranger and I had no idea what they were saying, but I could feel the love radiating from them and felt safe. I felt that Seoul was very family friendly.
Limited Korean Knowledge OK
As a foreign language teacher, I always advocate for learning at least some of the local language before you go travelling. ‘Hello’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ always go a long way. This was about the extent of my Korean knowledge before going to Seoul and I was worried that we would run into communication breakdowns along the way. However, I was surprised to find that most people, especially the younger generation and people in the hospitality industry had excellent conversational English and/ or Japanese skills. There were also “information people” wandering Seoul’s hot spots with maps and information in different languages.
Hot tip: even though my vocab was limited, I did learn how to read Hangeul in 2 days! Yes, it really is that easy. I highly recommend watching Learn Korean with KoreanClass101.com on Youtube in your downtime. They break up the sounds and introduce them in short, easy to digest 5min videos. By the end of our trip, I was so excited to be able to read ‘bulgolgi’ on the menu, discover what the shop signs said, or translate where the next subway station is. It was the highlight of my trip, maybe even my year, and gives major flex points.
Something For Everyone
No matter what your interests are, Seoul has something for everyone. Foodies, Starbucks lovers, history buffs, Starbucks lovers, shopping addicts, K-Pop enthusiasts, thrill seekers and Starbucks lovers will all find something to enjoy on their trip (and a hot coffee on every corner). For history buffs, a great place to start is Gyeongbokgung Palace, which has an extensive rabbit’s warren of ornate structures nestled in beautiful gardens. Close by is the National Folk Museum of Korea or the Bukchon Hanok Village if you want to get your steps up.
Hot tip: If you rent and wear a ‘hanbok’, the traditional Korean dress, you will gain free entry into the 5 grand palaces of Seoul (and get some seriously stunning shots).
On the western side of the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds you can find Tong In food market, where you can fill up a lunchbox with street food purchased with traditional brass coins. Insadong, Myeongdong and Namdaemun Market are good places to start for shopping enthusiasts. For families looking for a bit of fun, take the subway across the river to the south to Jamsil station. There you can find the indoor amusement park Lotte World, Lotte World Aquarium, as well as endless shops and cute cafes.
Another hot tip: Go to Lotte World early in the morning on a weekday so that you may at least get to go on one ride. We went to Lotte World on a public holiday. Do not go to Lotte World on a public holiday. The entire population of Seoul will be there.
With so much to see and do, Seoul really is the perfect stopover destination. Our little 3 day stopover planted the seed for another much longer holiday in the future. Have you been to Seoul before? What are your must dos, must sees and must eats? Let me know !
Crane & Maple 