u/talwaredge

This sub helped us while we were planning, so hope these details are useful as well. Have not converted every cost in USD and KRW to avoid making this post visually cluttered.

Summary (in INR, USD and KRW) for 2 people, 11 days (14th-24th Nov'25):

~INR 500,000 | 5,400 USD | 8 Million KRW

Bangalore-Seoul return including seat selection: INR 125,000

Stay at 4/5 star hotels + Airbnb 10 Nights: INR 200,000

Excursions + Passes: INR 50,000

Local flights/KTX trains: INR 17,500

Local Uber/Subway: INR 20,000

Food: INR 40,000

Misc: INR 25,000

Entry Permit: INR 12,000

Shopping not included

Flights

We booked Bangalore to Seoul via Hong Kong (deliberate 7 hr layover). Indians can transit Hong Kong with online ETA. This gave us a chance to explore HongKong as well.

Paid more than ideal (about 25% higher). From what I have seen, INR 40-45,000 per person return is achievable if booked early and with lesser layover time. Cathay charges seat selection for each leg of the flight so that cost also adds up.

Discover Seoul Pass

Bought the 72-hour pass (~ INR 5,400 per person). Used it for:

• AREX airport train
• Gyeongbokgung + Changdeokgung
• N Seoul Tower (observatory only)
• COEX Aquarium
• Lotte World Adventure

Also came with a 5-day eSIM which was very useful.

Worth it only if you stack activities into 2 days. Skip subway hassle and use Ubers for short distance, costs 7,000-10,000 KRW (INR 400-700) and helps avoid unnecessary walk in subway stations.

Busan Pass

Bought the 48-hour pass (~INR 5,100 per person). Used it for:

• Busan X Sky
• Busan Sky Luge
• Songdo Cable Car
• Yacht ride

Stay

Stayed near Seoul Station (Four Points by Sheraton) for 4 nights (~ INR 90,000 with breakfast).

Very convenient for AREX, KTX, and general connectivity. Would recommend this area for first-time trips.

Day-wise itinerary

Day 1: Arrival (Seoul)
Reached via Hong Kong. Took AREX to Seoul Station, Exit 12 for hotel. Checked in, ramen dinner from convenience store, rest.

Day 2: Palaces + Myeongdong (very packed day)

• Gyeongbokgung Palace + guard ceremony (10 AM)
• Hanbok rental (included in pass), gives free entry to palace and makes for nicer photos
• Bukchon Hanok Village
• Lunch at Tosokchon Samgyetang (long queue, ~50,000 KRW for 2 people), 10 mins walk from palace
• Changdeokgung (included in pass) + Secret Garden (missed entry cutoff at ~3:30 PM)
• Evening- N Seoul Tower (cable car 30,000 KRW for 2 people return, 2 hours to get to the top, Tower entry included in pass )
• Myeongdong street food + HBAF store

Used Uber multiple times to save time. Uber helped save the hassle of running in and out of subway stations and changing lines, much recommended if you are packing so much in a day.

Day 3: Gangnam / COEX

• Uber to Gangnam, photos at Gangnam statue
• COEX Aquarium (included in pass)
• Starfield Library for photos
• Lunch at COEX
• Lotte World Adventure (enjoyed few rides though younger people will enjoy this more, included in pass)
• Jamsil to Hongkik University subway, evening in Hongdae
• Korean BBQ dinner at GIT TTEUL

More relaxed compared to Day 2.

Day 4: Nami Island day trip (Per person ~ INR 6,000)
Booked full-day tour. Covered:

• Nami Island
• Garden of Morning Calm
• Railbike

Easy and organised but needs 1 full day. Tour operator stops midway for lunch and you pay as per what you have, they serve meals on your table. Both veg and non-veg options are available. They also pitch you to buy Orange Bitter chocolate which was okay taste wise.

Day 5: DMZ + flight to Jeju Island
DMZ half-day tour in morning. Back to Seoul, then flight to Jeju in evening from Gimpo, take Uber to the airport. Flights to Jeju were really cheap, we paid like INR 2,000 per person only. DMZ half-day tour was ~INR 3,100 per person and was informative and not overly tiring. Got us back with sufficient time to spare to check-out and take Uber to the airport. Fried chicken at Chicken Syndrome near the hotel. Hotel Lotte City was nice enough to give us a free room upgrade. Hotel cost was INR 27,000 for two nights inclusive of breakfast and high floor upgrade. Plus they give some coupons for shopping at Lotte Duty Free.

Day 6: Jeju
West and south coast tour, INR 5,000 per person, full day tour (saw a full rainbow while hiking!). Lotte Duty Free in the evening connected to the hotel. We feel we should have planned for at least 1 additional day here to see the other part of the island.

Day 7: Jeju to Busan
Flight to Busan in the afternoon, morning we had to ourselves to explore nearby area by foot at Jeju. Flight was again cheap INR 3,000 per person. We took Airbnb here in Busan at Gwangalli Beach. Checked-in with keypad code, later went to Centum City and SpaLand (covered in Busan pass). Airbnb cost Gwangalli Beach facing on the main road INR 41,000 for 3 nights.

Day 8: Busan

• Busan X the Sky (included in pass) + Starbucks at 100th floor. Reachable by subway
• Haeundae Beach train + sky capsule. Walkable from Busan X Sky
• Lunch at Jagalchi Market
• Gwangalli Beach walk and dinner at night

Day 9: Busan

• Uber to Gamcheon Culture Village, Hanbok rental included in Pass
• Songdo Cable Car (included in pass)
• Busan Luge (included in pass), can be skipped
• Yacht ride (included in pass but you have to email them beforehand with name, passport and other details)
• Dinner at a sushi restaurant at Gwangalli beach
• Free drone show at Gwangalli beach on Saturday, which we enjoyed from our Airbnb

Busan overall felt more relaxed than Seoul.

Day 10: Back to Seoul
Took KTX (~2.5 hours). Book in advance, comes with seat number. INR 3,600 per person. Arrived by 1PM, lunch at station. Took Uber to JW Marriott hotel. Rested, then went to Gangnam in evening for a basic skin facial at PPEUM Global, which was 1+1 offer for a total of 40,000 KRW. Basic shopping for cosmetics and other stuff at Gangnam. Anniversary dinner at JW Marriott. Hotel cost INR 36,000 for 1 night inclusive of breakfast and high floor. Worth the splurge.

Day 11: Sumptuous hotel breakfast then final packing. Bus to airport, right outside the hotel. Need to pay cash in Won or USD. Fly back.

Food

Spent ~ INR 40,000 total. Mix of:

• Street food
• Korean BBQ
• Sushi
• Fried Chicken + Beer
• Convenience store meals

Food is great but can be limiting for vegetarians.

Transport

• Subway is efficient but line changes can be confusing, always use Naver maps
• Uber worked well, especially when short on time and helped conserve energy for walking that we would rather do at the tourist destination
• T-Money card reload didn’t always work with international cards, had to use cash

Things we would do differently

• Book flights earlier
• Not overpack Day 2
• Plan palace timings better (missed Secret Garden)
• Either spend more time in Jeju or skip it
• It was a bit colder for our comfort in Seoul, 15-30 days earlier would have been better

What was worth it

• Discover Seoul Pass & Busan Pass (saves money, gives structure to what you need to do in a day)
• Staying near Seoul Station
• Nami Island
• Busan (highlight of trip)
• Gwangalli Beach at night

Happy to answer any questions that you may have. We had a lovely time, strangers walking upto us to say hello, Uber drivers wanting to know more about India, turning on APT song, a young girl at Busan subway station helping us navigate the machine on which ticket to buy, countless examples of people being friendly and welcoming. We loved the place and would definitely plan another trip soon.

https://preview.redd.it/p6uz3002czvg1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f7e1b6e96338d2b1efbd7ae99c0c871f29bc79b

Despite the craze around Cherry Blossoms and Japan being a travel magnet in March-April, we visited Japan thrice, every time in Oct-Nov period. Japan managed, every single time, to feel like the first time. Tried to map each city with that one Japanese word that makes us go there again and again.

\*\*Osaka (kuidaore):\*\* Osaka is focused on eating well and enjoying itself. The city's unofficial motto is \*kuidaore\*, which roughly translates to "eat until you drop." We tried our best. We did the whole Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, 10 yen coin cheese pull at Shinsaibashi routine followed by Canelita Sweets for vegan pastries, Pablo for the cheese tart. Ended every evening with Rikuro's cheesecake, soft as a cloud.

\*\*Kyoto (kawaii):\*\* Kyoto is \*Kawaii\*, \*Kawaii\* is Kyoto. Be it Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, every place, every click of the camera was followed by this word Kawaii (cute). I think its Kawaii in the most noblest of sense. An anime figure can be Kawaii, Kyoto is the mother in whose lap you want to rest your head for a while before you venture out to wrestle with the noisy Tokyo. Bunch of hole-in-the wall Ramen spots at Gion that will light up a fire in your belly which will be hard to extinguish (the good one).

\*\*Kawaguchiko (keiro):\*\* You get the feeling of watching royalty every time you look at Mount Fuji. The whole "\*san\*"-ness on everything really sets up once you look at Fuji-san. Try the keisaki set dinner at any of the ryokans. \*Keiro\* (respect) in every step of the way.

\*\*Tokyo (haranbajo):\*\* From 4AM fresh fish at Toyosu to Michelin star fancy French-Japanese cuisine to a 6 seater bar at Golden Gai, Tokyo can satisfy all kind of food and drink urge. Tokyo represents the \*Haranbajo\* (ups and downs) of life. You can suit up for the Michelin meal and dress down for the drink at Golden Gai. Each will leave you satisfied.

\*\*Japan (omotenashi):\*\* There is a word in Japanese, \*omotenashi,\* that gets translated as "hospitality" but means something closer to "anticipating what someone needs before they ask". Japan runs on this principle.