It was year 2016 when I first visited Seoul, South Korea. While I was there, I fell in love with its culture, food, and many of its other elements. It was definitely interesting to explore the place and wished I was there longer. I had wished I did more research before going to save myself some time. Therefore, I decided to write some blog posts to share my experience and tips.

Let start with some facts. 

1. Map

Photo credited from:  http://english.visitkorea.or.kr

2. Currency

Official currency is Korean won (KRW). On an average, the exchange rate to Canadian dollar is 840. 

Example: $100 CAD = $84000 KRW

There are lots of currency exchange shop in South Korea. I found the best rate is Myung-dong. Make sure you bring some new bills if you are going to exchange in South Korea. Sometimes new bills give you better rate. 

Lots of places accept credit card as well. You should have some cash with you as well as the smaller shop accept cash only.

3. Language 

Official language is Korean. There are English speaking helpers in major tourist attraction and airport but English is not a common language. I found that, in certain places, Mandarin was more common than English.

4. Weather

Winter (Dec to end of Feb): very cold and very dry

Spring (March to May): cool but maybe wet

Summer (June to August): very hot and humid, possible typhoon

Autumn (Sept to Nov): Warm and sunny 

South Korea has very four distinctive seasons which each last three months. You can experience and see different flowers and fruits in different season.

5. Transportation

International airport is Incheon Airport (ICN). Once you arrived, you can either take train, bus, or taxi to your destination. Please see “How to get around” post for more information.

6. Voltage

Voltage is 220V. It is different than Vancouver. Make sure you bring an electric plug converter. 

7. Telephone

Area code is (+82). Phone number in Korea is between 9 to 11 digits. Most of them start with number 0. If you are making call in South Korea, you don’t need to dial the 0. If you are making call from Vancouver to South Korea, then you need to enter the 0.

Emergency (Police) number is 112.

Emergency (Fire, Ambulance) number is 119.

General Tourism Inquiry/Complaint is 1330.

8. Time Zone

It is sixteen hours ahead of Vancouver in the Summer and fifteen hours ahead in the Winter as we changed our clock for time saving. 

These are just some tips I would find helpful. There is also the official tourism website. http://english.visitkorea.or.kr