To Megacity Seoul (South Korea)
Metro Manila · To Megacity Seoul (South Korea)
last revised: 15/04/2015 2:00 am written by Megacities
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South Korea's capital is a bustling Megacity of 10 million people, with a metropolitan area of more than 25 million. However, crowdedness, noise and traffic are not as bad as in many other cities, thanks to an excellent transport infrastructure and a high number of recreational areas and quiet temples. Korea and the Philippines have strong ties, with many Koreans coming to the Philippines to study English, work, or enjoy the beaches. 90,000 Koreans live in the Philippines, and 45,000 Filipinos live in South Korea, and there are many flight connections between Seoul and Manila.
A total of 120 countries is exempted from visa for South Korea, including the US and all EU countries. Click here for the complete list. Unfortunately, Filipinos still have to get a visa. Here is a link to the new tourist visa requirements as of March 2015.
Seoul has two international airports, Incheon and Gimpo. Direkt flights from Manila or Clark Airport all go to Incheon.
From NAIA, you can fly to Seoul with AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Korean Air, Jeju Air or Asiana.
You can also fly daily from Clark Airport to Incheon with Asiana and Jin Air, two airlines from Korea.
Arriving in Seoul
There are trains and buses going from Incheon Airport to Seoul. Trains leave every 12 minutes until midnight, take less than an hour to Seoul Station and cost around 4,000 won. Express trains take only 40 minutes and cost around 10,000 won. Buses take a bit more than an hour and cost roughly 10,000 won. For further options and more details, click here.
1000 KRW (South Korean Won) = 41 PHP / 0.91 USD / 0.86 EUR (aso of April 2015).
Currency exchange offices can be found at the airport and in all major tourist areas. Not all ATMs accept cards issued abroad but it is not a big challenge to find one that does, including at the airport.
Wi-Fi is standard in hostels, hotels, restaurants and cafés and also available in many public places, including the subway.
Seoul has a great subway network that brings you near all interesting tourist destinations and and even to far-away suburbs. It operates roughly until 12 mn. Tickets start at 1,150 won (46 Philippine pesos). Rides are cheaper and more convenient with rechargable transportation passes such as the T-Money card.