Flight
This will be the most common airport to fly into S Korea. It offers a host of services to help you kick off your trip on a well-prepped note and it offers direct access to Seoul. We've included some travel recommendations here based on our previous trips to S Korea! It also has COVID testing facilities that you can book (and should) for the required PCR test you have to take upon arrival. See the entry policies section for the whole overview.
Travel Note
(As of Aug 2022) Korea is now open for general tourism for most nationalities without mandatory quarantine. The entry process consists of: (1) Applying for an online travel authorization called K-ETA at least a few days before your flight, but you can do this as early as when you book your lodging and have an address, which we recommend. See link. (2) Submitting proof of a negative test, either a PCR within 2 days of departure or a professional administered antigen test within 1 day of departure. You must submit these through a system called the Q-Code BEFORE departure and also bring a PRINTED COPY. (3) Take a PCR test upon arrival at the airport and upload the results to Q-Code. To save some time, you can make an appointment through a system called Safe2GoPass (don't worry too much about making the time exactly).
Hotel
Pricey, though very convenient: ~$250-300 a night Located in the trendy upscale neighborhood of Sinsa-dong, the Andaz Seoul is a short distance away from our wedding venue. Built very recently, the hotel is right on top of a subway station, making it extremely accessible.
Hotel
Affordable, with room sizes on the petite side: ~$50 - $100 a night For a more affordable option and a more boutique feel, check out the Hotel Anteroom located in the same neighborhood, just down the street a bit. While the rooms are on the smaller side, the rooftop bar offers great views of the city and the location is also a very short distance away from the subway.
Travel Note
While many restaurants, cafes, and shops offer free wifi - we strongly recommend our out-of-town guests consider either renting a wifi egg or getting a temporary Korean SIM card. Both of these can be done from rental kiosks from telecom companies located within Incheon International Airport. Usually a few bucks a day, either option should offer unlimited data. Here's a blog walking through the options. You can pre-book if desired, but it is not necessary!
Travel Note
Most major credit cards are accepted in Seoul. Just make sure to alert your credit card company of your travel plans! For good measure, we recommend going with a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees while making purchases abroad! Cash is also recommended to have on hand. We've historically had little issue (or major exchange disadvantages) when withdrawing money at the airport. The amount to withdraw is at your discretion. Most common use cases will be for purchases from street vendors/markets, re-loading your transportation card, and smaller local restaurants/shops that may prefer cash over card.
Train
We have found the subway to be the most accessible in terms of getting to and from different sights in Seoul and the most forgiving for English-speakers (all stops are called out in different languages, including English!). It also can be used to travel directly from the airport to Seoul. You will need a transportation pass. Tmoney and Cashbee are transportation cards that can be used on public buses and subways in several different metropolitan cities and locations throughout the country. We recommend Tmoney since it is the oldest and therefore most widely accepted. This can be purchased at Incheon International Airport (~$4) and loaded (we recommend an amount less than ~$30 to get you started) at almost every station or store that bears the logo. To use the card, you must tap your card when boarding and getting off buses or entering and exiting subway stations. Transfer discounts are also available, limited to four times a day, within a transfer time limit of 30 minutes.
Travel Note
We recommend you download and use the KakaoMap app for English directions in South Korea. Naver Maps also has an English version, which you may want to download as well, but it is a bit more difficult to use. Unfortunately Google Maps DOES NOT work very well in Korea for directions. The subway stop directions generally work well enough, but due to national security reasons other aspects like walking directions and whatnot are non-existent.
Travel Note
We know that a lot of you have plans to explore Seoul and the surrounding areas before our wedding. And that exploring can be fun with more people! If you want to coordinate flights, lodging, and/or activities with others, please fill out the linked Google Sheet and feel free to reach out to others on there.