5 Reasons to Visit Seoul, a Capital of The Land of the Morning Calm

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Flower Festival 2012

It is a first day of 2020. And I will start this day with a list of reasons, why you should visit Seoul.

I already told about Korea a lot, and introduced to you many beautiful places. And today we will talk about 5 main reasons why you should visit Seoul.

Reason #1

Travel abroad is always related to Visa. Many countries of the world don’t allow foreigners to enter their country without special permission, i.e. without Visa. Fortunately, South Korea has an agreement with many countries, so citizens of these countries don’t need to pay extra money to get a visa. For example, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, US, Colombia etc. Of course, it is for a short-term trip, and only for travel. If you want to work or study in Korea, or stay here for a long time, so you need to get a visa first.

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Reason #2

Special events and promotions for foreigners are always looks temptative. Especially, for the last few years, Korean government pay a special attention on tourism industry, and they try to attract as many travelers as possible. Therefore, you can often find different events, concerts, festivals etc for FREE. Those who like shopping, can find some sales and DCs too. For example, sometimes you can get a ticket to Jeju just for 10 dollars instead of 80.

Reason #3

Also, it is important to mention customer service in Korea. Staff at any public place will always meet you with a smile, and will try to do the best to help you. Yes, it is not a financial side of the trip, but won’t you be happy if you see a smiling face and not a angry or neutral one?! In addition, due to globalization policy, the most of staff of the information desk speak at least 1 foreign language (a few years ago, Koreans didn’t speak even English).

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Reason #4

One of the most important reason and goal of any trip are historical and cultural places. And there are a lot of unique places with a long-term history, which are worth to visit. Each traveler should visit at least one of the 5 Royal palaces in Seoul. The largest and most famous one is Gyeonbokkung. It was contructed in 1395, and it is located in the heart of historical part of Seoul. The palace is surrounded by the modern glass Highscrappers, and the back side of the palace is protected by Bekagsan mountatins. So, this view combines present and past.

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Royal throne

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Main entrance to the palace

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Main building of the palace

Personally, I like more another palace — Chandeokkung. Especially, I like a Secret Garden, which became more famous after a release of ‘Secret Garden’ drama. That garden is really beautiful and peaceful.

Historically, Seoul and South Korea received a big impact from Buddhism, therefore, there are many Buddhist temples all around Korea. One of the largest temples in Seoul is Bongeunsa temple. The temple was built in 794. A heart of the temple is Buddha’s monument with 20-meters of height.

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Reason #5

Have you ever watch Korean performances, musicals or concerts? Yes, I don’t talk about films and dramas, I am talking about live performances. Korean artists are super talented and creative, they create amazing shows, and usually you even don’t need to speak or understand Korea, you can fall in the atmospere without Korean language. The most famous shows is Nanta (about Korean cooking). Also, you can walk, eat, look, read, feel the places where have been K-Pop stars. And if you are lucky enough, you can even see them in reality with your own eyes.

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