Day 7 in Seoul ~ Everland Themepark

My first real dilemma when I started planning for our Seoul trip was which theme park to visit ~ Seoul's most well loved theme  parks are Everland and Lotte World.

Everland is a open park located about two hours away from Seoul, while Lotte World is an indoor theme park easily accessible via the Seoul Subway.

I eventually ended choosing Everland since

it is spring time and the weather is perfect for an outdoor adventure.

We got an Everland tour package with transfers (as we do not want to worry about ending up lost somewhere) via Klook.  The tour is serviced by KTours, one of Korea's well established tour agencies.

Pick up was near Myeongdong Station (we were quite familiar with this place now, as this is the pick up point for most of our booked tours) ~ we were there early and had enough time for coffee. 

Hmm, coffee is this cold weather is perfect!

Yehey, finally arrived at Everland.  We got there around 10am and the place was already packed (30-50 minutes waiting time per ride, longer for the crowd favorites).  

We did not really want to do rides anyway and were more interested in taking souvenir photos, so we were just fine with the crowd.

We managed to squeeze in a couple of rides at the European Adventure area for my youngest though.

We did the following:

Festival Train 

Rotating House (my boy loved this ride, and declared it his "best ride ever")

Mystery Mansion

Carousel

Spooky House

We also watched the Panda Musical (not very exciting though and made us a bit sleepy... it was a musical and in Korean so go figure)

We left the park early and availed of the early return to Seoul options.  I have read from the other blogs that the fireworks should not be missed, but as it was our last night in Seoul, we (actually mostly "I") wanted to so some last minute shopping at Myeongdong.

Heading back to the Bus Pick-up Station, we took the Sky Cruise.  

Goodbye Everland!

Here are some tips when heading to Everland:

1. If you are a Disneyland or a Universal Studio frequent visitor you may find the park mediocre. So if you are not really into theme parks, you might as well give this attraction a pass.
2. Wear comfortable shoes (It is a huge park) and be prepared for the long (sometimes uphill) walks and wait time. Don't get discouraged with the waiting time posted at the attraction entrance though, in most of the rides we've visited actual wait time is less (e.g., posted wait time is 40 minutes, but actual wait time is only 20 minutes).
3. If you are there for the rides, plan your itinerary accordingly to cover more grounds.  Get fast pass called "Q-pass" for an easy entry.
4. Download the Everland Application.  Details were in Korean, but it was fine as it also prompts user with the wait time. It was also very useful in navigating the park.  
5. Food is a bit costly inside the park. We had our lunch at Garden Terrace (average cost per meal per person at W10,000) also located at the European Village, but bought along snacks and water from Myeongdong.
6. If you want to save yourself the hassle of planning your transfers, I suggest you book the Everland with transfer option,
7. Have fun and enjoy!

More from our Seoul Korea trip up in my blog, just click the link: 

• Day 6 in Seoul ~ DIY of Seoul (National Museum of Korea, Hondae, Trick Eye Museum, Jump Show)

• Day 5 in Seoul - Part 3 (The Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island and Strawberry Picking) 
• Day 5 in Seoul - Part 2 (The Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island and Strawberry Picking)
• Day 5 in Seoul - Part I (The Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island and Strawberry Picking) 
• Day 4 in Seoul (A Private Tour : Seoul ~ Sanjeong Lake, Pocheon Art Valley and Herb Island) 
• Day 3 in Seoul (Seoul City Tours: Gyeongbokgung Palace, National Folk Museum, Jogyesa Temple and Korean Folk Village) 
• Day 2 in Seoul - Part 2 (War Memorial of Korea, Grevin Wax Museum and the funny Nanta Show) 
• Day 2 in Seoul - Part I (War Memorial of Korea, Grevin Wax Museum and the funny Nanta Show)
• Day 1 in Seoul (Namsan Tower)

Day 5 in Seoul - Part 3 (The Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island and Strawberry Picking)

Part 3 of our Day 5 in Seoul is the day's highlight  ~

Strawberry Picking!

Seoul has the reddest and most luscious strawberries we have seen and being to able to Pick-Our-Own right from the vine was very exciting.

Strawberries are very healthy and good for us. I was actually surprised of the many health benefits of eating strawberries.

• anti-aging
• anti-oxidant
• boost memory
• good for the heart
• regulates blood pressure
• aids digestion
• good for eyes and bones health
• lowers depression
• helps burns stored body fat
• strengthen the immune system

The health benefits list wants me to just keep on eating strawberries. 

Leaving the Strawberry farm with (4) container full of strawberries

was a perfect way to end our day. 

#OurDeliciousTrophies

This tour is part of the tour package I got through Klook and came with a trip to Nami Island and Garden of Morning Calm.

Day 5 in Seoul - Part I (The Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island and Strawberry Picking)

I was a bit scared since, the weather was rather gloomy and afternoon rain shower was in the weather forecast ~ so with outdoor activities on schedule, we've decided to buy umbrellas just in case.

We walked our way to the Myeongdong Station, where the tour provider picked us up.

Our first stop was The Garden of Morning Calm.  This place showcases the best gardens in Seoul.  We must have taken hundreds of photos here.  It was near impossible to choose which ones to include in this blog.

I can't stress enough, how you must include it in your itinerary if ever you plan to visit Seoul.   

Fans of the Korean telenovela "Love in the Moonlight" will be thrilled to know that The Garden of Morning Calm was actually one the telenovela's filming location. 

 The morning drizzle added to the cool mountain breeze, which made our stroll more leisurely and refreshing!   

Unfortunately as the day progressed, rain starts to pour ~  Our Next Stop is going to be a wet one.  It was good we were armed with umbrellas :P

Please follow us to our Day 5 in Seoul ~ Part 2 at the NAMI Island.

Day 4 in Seoul (A Private Tour : Seoul ~ Sanjeong Lake, Pocheon Art Valley and Herb Island)

Our Day 4 in South Korea was in the outskirt of Seoul ~ Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do.  As it was a little difficult to reach I contacted, "This is Korea" Tours to customize a private tour for my family.

Andy, our Tour Specialist (TS) cum driver and photographer picked us up at the Metro Hotel at 11am as agreed.  It was an easy ride on board a 7-seater limousine van for our family of 4. 

Our tour was personalized based on what we wanted so long as the entire trip is all within the 10 hours we've commissioned.  For our trip, we've decided on Sanjeong Lake, Pocheon Art Valley and Herb Island.



SANJEONG LAKE

Sanjeong Lake is situated between Myeongseongsan and Mangbongsan Mountain.  Its name means "as clear as a mountain well". It was built in 1925 as a reservoir to supply to farmlands in Pocheon.

Reached Sanjeong Lake Park early afternoon ~ perfect weather for a cup of hot coffee 

Lots of things to do in the lake park.  We took a paddle boat and walked the lake promenade.

I am the designated photographer, while the big boys paddle

The view of the  Sanjeong Lake is calm and relaxing.  I could kill hours here, just be looking at the lake.  During winter the lake freezes and turns into a huge skating rink (that would be fun).

Every turn ~ is picture perfect.

POCHEON ART VALLEY
The Cheonjuho Lake in Pocheon Art Valley is a one of the filming site for the Korean telenovela Legend of the Blue Sea. 

There are 2 ways to reach the main attractions, walking a steep hill or via the monorail. It was an easy choice for us ~ via the monorail.  

The Pocheon Art Valley used to be a quarry and later transformed into a culture and art gallery.  

#FeelingLikeAMermaid

My once little boy, again fooling around.

Click here if you want to see a video of

Cheonjuho Lake and Art Valley.

THE HERB ISLAND
This attraction is an herbs complex complete with a museum, arts and crafts center and beautiful herbs garden.  We specifically mentioned to our guide, that we wanted to visit this attraction last to see the night garden illumination (which is timed at sunset).

Oh and if you are into Kdramas ~ scenes from Hyde, Jekyll and I; Criminal  Mind, Oh my Venus where shot here.

We had early dinner in one the restaurants located inside the Herb Island complex.

Us with our Tour Specialist (TS).

Upon the recommendation of our TS, we tried Bulgogi and Mushroom Hotpot.

Even the food is "Instagram worthy". Our TS insisted we try bulgogi with flowers ~Yes, we tried it... the meat and spices overpowered the flower so it was okay with me.  However, my hubby doesn't like it with flowers.  He liked the soup though and wont stop talking about how flavorful it is. 

Jalapeno anyone? 

Pictures from the Herbs Island Garden ~

We enjoyed our private tour of Pocheon ~ it was every bit the relaxing and  de-stressing trip we have hoped for.  Our TS genuinely cared for our interests and appeal. 

For customized and hassle free tour of Seoul, we highly recommended "This Is Korea".

For inquiries please check This is Korea webpage at 

This Is Korea Tours

Or contact them via email to:

inquiries@thisiskoreatours.com