[Seoul Series] Day 1: Gyeongbokgung Palace

This is a continuation of my earlier post about our first day in Seoul. After exploring the neighborhood of Samcheongdong and Bukchon, we went to Gyeongbokgung or Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace is also called the “Northern Palace” because of its location as compared to the neighboring Changdeokgung (east), Gyeonghuigung (west), and Deoksogung palaces. Each of the palaces has its own beauty but Gyeongbokgung is arguably the most beautiful and grandest of all palaces. It is the main of the five grand palaces built by the Joseon dynasty and when translated, it means the “Palace of Shining Happiness.”

[Seoul Series] Day 1: Arriving in Seoul and Exploring Samcheongdong and Bukchon

My initial plan was that our Seoul trip was just going to be for hubby and myself. I was then armed with information on how to take the public transport from Incheon International Airport to Seoul. Incheon Airport is big, clean, and nice, and along with the one in Hong Kong, and Changi in Singapore, they’re probably the best airports I’ve seen in all our trips to some parts of Asia and the United States. I would have loved to loiter around if only we didn’t have just 5 days to spend in Seoul.

Seoul Series: Why I Love 126 Mansion

After my posts on how to get a Korean visa and sharing our travel itinerary, here comes the next one to talk about the lovely guesthouse we stayed in while we were in Seoul last March 21-25. The guesthouse is called 126 Mansion in 126 Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The guesthouse is located in the quiet but artsy neighborhood of Samcheong-dong.

I haven’t stayed in a hostel or a guesthouse in any of my travels before because I am picky when it comes to hotels. However, as I was planning for our Seoul trip, I already had my mind fixated on staying in a guesthouse than in another corporate chain. I have seen so many K-dramas already (I started getting hooked on K-dramas since 2004) and I’ve always been fascinated with their ondol floor. This is why I thought it would be a waste of chance to experience Seoul for real if I stay in a hotel.

I dropped by AirBnB to look for guesthouses in Seoul but there’s nothing there that captured my attention except for 126 Mansion. Just by looking at the photos of their rooms alone, I already got convinced that it’s where I want to stay. But I didn’t book via AirBnB. I directly went to the website of 126 Mansion to make my own booking. And that’s how I started becoming friends with the owners of 126 Mansion.

Seoul Itinerary for 5 Days / 4 Nights

As promised, I’m sharing our itinerary for 5 days/4 nights in Seoul.

Just want to tell you in advance that I went to Seoul with my husband and our family. We’re 12 in the group with 5 people just around my age and 7 senior citizens. Had I traveled with my husband alone (we will definitely go back there on our own), our itinerary would have been a more taxing one but definitely budget-friendly. Overall though, given our group demographics and physical considerations, I would have to say that we pretty much covered a good number of tourist attractions but just so you know, the itinerary I’m sharing might not reflect the cheapest way to go around town.