My boyfriend and I went to Korea for the 4th time last December to experience White Christmas! This was my 4th time visiting Korea and I've blogged about itineraries for both first time travelers and multi-city travel in Korea (Seoul-Busan-Jeonju). So if it's your first time visiting Korea, check out my previous blog posts as it will be much more helpful for you.
We've spent a total of 11 days in Korea during the December holiday break which includes visit to Ski Resort, Nami island, and outlet stores which we've not visited in the past, and of course a lot of SHOPPING and FOOD TRIP! This trip was different from all our previous trips since we wanted a more relaxed itinerary than what we usually have and we were not in budget traveler mode to enjoy the holidays.
Itinerary Summary:
Day 1-3 [Dec 20-22]:
We did not go out much in the first 3 days since we were waiting for my sister to arrive on the 23rd to start our itinerary when she arrives.We decided to go to Namsan tower to add to our padlock collection, eat TwoTwo chicken in Myeongdong, Hongdae to visit the night life, and went to Dongdaemun to visit Design Plaza.
Day 4 [Dec 23]:
Shopping and food trip in Myeongdong and dongdaemun.
Day 5 [Dec 24]:
We went to Nami island and Petit France [aka Little Prince]. Originally, our plan was to split into two days but realized that it was doable to complete both within the day since they are near each other and there is not much to do there aside from sight seeing.Spent dinner in Gangnam (Korean BBQ) and Christmas eve in Hongdae for nightlife.
Day 6 [Dec 25]:
Went to Sinchon Chrismas Bazaar (sight seeing only) and Children's Grand Park to do ice fishing and sledding (but would not recommend since activities are for kids!).Spent rest of the day in Myeongdong for food trip and Chrismas shopping! Note: Christmas is NOT as celebrated in Korea compared to Philippines so don't expect a lot of festivities during this time.
Day 7 [Dec 26]:
Went to Jisan resort to Ski. We went to Jisan since it's the nearest in central Seoul city and we only wanted a quick day trip rather than spend 2 or 3 days in a resort. For ski or snow boarding enthusiast, you can take an overnight package in a bigger resort which is farther away from the city.
Day 8 [Dec 27]:
Went to outlet stores (Lotte Premium Outlet and Paju Premium Outlet) in Paju which is already near the North Korean border! The outlet is around 1 hour away by bus.Went back to our place to rest and went to Dongdaemun at midnight for its midnight shopping!
Day 9 [Dec 28]:
Relax day. Went to Myeongdong and Lotte Mart to do pasalubong shopping.
Day 10 [Dec 29]:
Had seafood brunch (Dampa style) in Noryangjin Fish Market and continued another round of Christmas shopping in Sinchon near the university.
TIPS: You can visit Korea to experience white Christmas for only 4-5 days. My must do recommendation during this time is to experience visit to ski resort. One day will be sufficient but you'll be extremely tired because of the weather and travel time so if you want a more relaxed trip (but spend a bit more money), you can book an accommodation in the resort for an overnight stay.
Nami island is also recommended but do not go during winter since you'll only see dead trees.
You can skip a lot of the things we did except for shopping places (Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, Hongdae, Sinchon) if you're pressed for time. Be prepared also to go around in a slow pace since the weather outside is extremely cold especially at night where it becomes unbearable due to the wind. So we had to stay in coffee shops or restaurants at every stop.
Disclaimer: This is an old post from my Blogspot account dated October 30, 2016.
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