Seoul travel guide_Gwangjang Market

If you’re a vintage junkie and in a habit of raiding your grandparents’ wardrobes, Gwangjang market is the place to go. It’s filled with millions of vintage items; from clothing, accessories and handicrafts.

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If you’re a vintage junkie and in a habit of raiding your grandparents’ wardrobes, Gwangjang market is the place to go. It’s filled with millions of vintage items; from clothing, accessories and handicrafts.

It is Korea’s first market and continues to thrive as a popular tourist destination today.
The market provides high-quality fabric including silk, satin, linen, bedding as well as imported vintage clothes and accessories and shoes, agricultural products, handicrafts and so on. It’s a vast sized market so you need to know the directions to find vintage clothing.

Gwangjang Market is next to Cheong Gye Cheon and close to the Dongdaemun Market area.
Starting from Gwanghwamun near City Hall and Kyungbok Palace, you can take a stroll along the Cheongyecheon stream walk path or take the subway. The traffic’s mad in this area so I strongly suggest you take the subway.

There are two stations nearby.
Jongro 5ga Station (blue line, line no. 1): exit no. 8
Euljiro 4ga Station (green, purple line, lines no. 2 and 5): exit no. 4

Coming from Jongro 5ga Station, find the entrance marked star in the map. This is the easiest way to find the vintage shops.

The narrow corridors

Stacks of vintage clothing.

Stacks of clothes and accessories.

Colorful !

It's a granny style knit cardigan but for a vintage junkie, it's the hottest item to mix and match.

Bags and shoes

You can also find fur jacket and coats at reasonable price range. Most of them are as good as new.

Leather jacket is always right.

Some stores reform the old vintage item themselves. This item used to be a jacket but now reformed into a vest. The Rolling Stones patch, studs and safety pins have been added.

Like Dongdaemun, the stores accept cash only and of course, you can haggle. The clothes stores are open AM 10:00 ~ PM 4:00

Maps

http://emap.visitkorea.or.kr/Scripts/EngMap.aspx?beginCmd=mapurl&pos=45720588-135242257&cpname=Gwangjang%20Market

Pictures

• http://blog.naver.com/mindealre?Redirect=Log&logNo=50122818784
• http://thisisafashionblog.com/135925455
• http://blog.naver.com/shpn21?Redirect=Log&logNo=80144126048
• http://dahlia0718.blog.me/70119311231

Seoul travel guide_From airport to Dongdaemun by bus

Incheon International Airport.

There are four ways to get to Dongdaemun from the airport.

1. by bus
2. by subway
3. by taxi
4. by car

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Incheon International Airport.

There are four ways to get to Dongdaemun from the airport.

1. by bus
2. by subway
3. by taxi
4. by car
I strongly recommend taking the airport limousine bus.

The limousine bus system is well organized, fast and easy.
Plenty seats and free wi-fi are available on board.

There are two types of buses that go to Dongdaemun from the airport.
Bus 6001 is a premium class one and bus 6002 is a regular one.
You can take them from the same platformts: platform 5B and 12A.
See below for locations of platforms.





If you’ve exited from Gate A or B or C

Find exit no 5 or 6, platform 5B will be right ahead.

There’s a ticket booth in front of platform 5B. Here, you can purchase tickets to ride bus 6001 (KRW 14,000) or 6002 (krw 10,000). You can pay for the tickets in either KRW or USD.


OR

You can pay the driver directly with cash, but in Korean WON only.

OR

You can purchase a T-money card.

You can pay for most transportation with T-money card in Seoul. Using T-money, you get a discount of KRW 100 on bus or subway. You can also use T-money to pay for cabs and the limousine bus. Below are different designs and types of T-money. T-money cards are available from most convenient stores and you can ask to recharge the amount at most convenient stores, subway stations and designated booths dear bus stops.
Checkout more information on http://eng.t-money.co.kr.

Take the 6001 or 6002 bus from platform 5B.

If you’ve exited from Gate D or E or F

Find exit 12, and platform 12A will be right ahead.

Take the 6001 or 6002 bus from the platform.

Seoul travel guide_From airport to Dongdaemun by taxi

aking taxi from Airport to Dongdaemun is not cheap but it's the easiest, laziest way to get there.

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Taking taxi from Airport to Dongdaemun is not cheap but it's the easiest, laziest way to get there.

Exit from the gate.

Cross the road. You can see taxi stands across the road.

This is where you can get a taxi.

But this isn’t all. There are a few things you should know about Korean cabs. There are three types of taxis: regular cabs, black cabs, big black cabs.

Regular cab	Black cab	Big black cab
Minimum Fare : KRW 2,400 Feature : Free interpretation service using pickup phone Vehicle Type : Sedan Color : Orange(Seoul), Silver(Gyeonggi-do) Est. fare to Seoul Citi Hall: KRW 40,000(Minus highway toll fee) *May differ depending on traffic situation	Minimum Fare : KRW 4,500 Feature : Hospitality, free interpretation service Vehicle : Large sedan Color : Black Est. fare to Seoul Citi Hall: KRW 80,000(Minus highway toll fee) *May differ depending on traffic situation	Minimum Fare : KRW 4,500 Feature: Hospitality, lots of room to store luggage Vehicle : Van Color : Black Est. fare to Seoul Citi Hall: Same as black cab but surcharge may be added for extra luggage or persons

Which type of cab should you take?

1. We’re two people group travelers with not too much luggage. We know little Korean. We don’t want to too much money on the road. = regular cab

2. I don’t have too much luggage but I’m loaded with cash. = black cab

3. I’m carrying a lot of baggage and traveling with more than two people. =big black cab (you can’t fit a football team in the cab tho)

Once you're on the cab and the drive doesn't understand your pronunciation and you can't be bothered to use the interpretation kit, copy and past below and show it to the cab driver.

'동대문운동장역 가주세요. 그리고 바가지요금 싫어요.'

=Take me to the Dongdaemun Stadium Station(old name of the station cab drivers are more familiar with). I don't like to get ripped off.

Seoul travel guide_From airport to Dongdaemun by subway

Subway is the cheapest way to get to Dongdaemun.

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Subway is the cheapest way to get to Dongdaemun.

1. When you’re taking bus, you have to pay at least KRW 10,000
2. When using subway, KRW 3,600 (using the T-money card)
3. When using taxi, at least KRW 40,000 or more
4. 4. By car, at least KRW 30,000

The price goes, from top,
Taxi > car > bus > subway

But if you use the subway,

1. You have to transfer
2. You have to be smart enough to transfer
3. 3. You may have to stand all the way

But the Seoul Metro system quite efficient and easy to use and you might want to take this opportunity to first experience the subway system.

You arrive at the airport passenger terminal on level 1.

Please go to the basement level to transportation center and then to subway station which is subway line number 9.

Transfer to line number 2, the green line at Hongik University Station. and off we go at Dongdaemun History Culture Park Station.

Click on the picture to see enlarged version of the Seoul Metro route map or go to below link.

http://www.seoulmetro.co.kr/station/eng/linemap.action

and here we are !!