Last year, we were able to finally mark this country off our bucket list. We went to South Korea for a week-long vacation: staying 3 days in Jeju and the remaining 4 days in Seoul, and spending around Php 60,000 ($1,200) all in (good for 2 adults and 1 child). Here’s how we did it:
Airfare
Like almost everyone else, we look out for seat sales. We chanced upon Airasia’s seat sale sometime late 2015 and managed to book ourselves all in roundtrip flights from Manila to Incheon for around Php 10,800. However, 2 months before our original flight, the husband had some conflict with his work schedule so we were left with no choice but to rebook to a more expensive flight, Php19,800 for 3 pax =(. The good news is, from originally staying in South Korea for 5 days, we decided to extend it to a week so we can visit Jeju as well.
There are no direct flights from Manila to Jeju Island so we booked separate plane tickets via Jeju Air. The tickets cost us Php5,123 for 2 adults, reasonable, but it can still get cheaper if you book around March. The best part of booking with Jeju Air is that children below 2 years old get to ride for free, yey! There are also other airlines that fly to Jeju: Eastar Jet, Asiana, Korean Air, JinAir.
Philippine Travel Tax: Php 1,620/person + Php 200 infant
Total airfare: Php28, 363
Accommodations
For our first night in Jeju, we stayed at Jeju Tong Hotel located in Seogwipo for only Php2,010. This hotel is a five-minute walk from the airport limousine bus stop and very near convenient stores and restaurants. You can walk from the hotel to Cheonjiyeon Falls as well. On our second night, we transferred to Ilchulsun Pension House (Php2,345/night) which is very near Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) since we wanted to climb it early the next day.
Our room at Ilchulsun Pension House, Jeju. It comes with heated floors.
In Seoul, we rented out an apartment in Gangseo-gu via Airbnb for four nights which costs Php 2,313/night. Read my review of the Airbnb apartment here.
Total accommodation cost: Php13,607
Food
This meal is definitely worth every krw!
Amazingly, food in Korea does not cost much. You can eat a decent meal for Php 350-450 or less. In our case, we spend less on breakfast and lunch and then splurge on dinner. Our budget for food is Php 1700/day.
KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), Cheese Tteokkboki and Udon makes one hungry…
Total food cost: Php 11,900
Transportation
We used public transportation (subway, bus) during our stay so we purchased a T-money card. This card costs Php 160 and we loaded it for Php 1,000 each. You can get this card at any convenience store at Incheon Airport. The card works just like the Octopus card in Hong Kong.
Buses are the main modes of transport in Jeju. Luckily, we were still able to use our T-money card there. You only cannot use the card when you ride the airport limousine.
Here is a breakdown of our transportation costs:
T-money card with load good for 7 days: Php 2,320
Airport Limousine to Seogwipo, Jeju: Php 440
Cab to Jeongbang Falls: Php 200
Cab to Seogwipo Bus Station: Php 200
Total Transportation cost: Php 3,160
Attractions and Entrance Fees
Jeju Attractions
Since we only have 2 days to explore the island, we were only able to see a few tourist attractions.
Cheonjiyeon Falls: Php 160
Jeongbang Falls: Php 160
Seogwipo Olle Market: Free
Sea-Yeon Bridge: Free
Seongsan Ilchulbong: Php 160
Seongsan Ilchulbong
Seoul Attractions
We have very nice friends in Seoul who offered to tour us around so we ended up not having to pay for most attractions on our first day in Seoul.
Cheonggyecheon Stream: free
Gwanghwamun: Free
Hanbok rental at Hanboknam: c/o Korean friend
Hanbok rentals ranges from Php 500-600
Gyeongbokgung Palace: free if you are wearing a hanbok =)
*Tip: If you feel like you can visit the four Korean palaces in 4 hours, rent a hanbok and purchase an Integrated Palace ticket for Php 431
NSeoul Tower
NSeoul Tower Cable Car: c/o Korean friend;
EHWA Women’s University: no entrance fee
Teddy Bear Museum Seoul: Php 1,040
Insadong – free
Selfie at Insadong =P
Ansan Starlight Village: Php 640
Total Attraction Cost: Php 2,160
Grand Total of all Expenses: Php 59,190
If the flights weren’t rebooked the total cost would have only been Php 50,190.
We hope you were able to find inspiration in planning your budget and itinerary for your trip to Seoul! Check out my other posts about our travel to South Korea.
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Tagged: cheonggyecheon stream, cheonjiyeon falls, family, family fun, jeju, jeongbang falls, korea, must visit, nseoul tower, seoul, south korea, summer, sunrise peak, teddy bear museum, Travel, travel budget
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