Types of Discover Seoul Pass
There are 2 types of Discover Seoul passes – a card and a mobile pass:
- The mobile pass can be purchased online and used immediately. It doesn’t need any additional efforts, like pickup.
- The card pass can be purchased online on the official website , but it needs to be picked up from one of the offices or Incheon airport. It can also be purchased in person at Incheon airport. Its advantage is that it serves as a T-money card, unlike the mobile pass.
Besides, there are 24-, 48- and 72-hour passes.
Is the Pass worth It?
It depends on what you are looking to do in Seoul.
If you are a history buff and are there for culture mainly, while not caring about the attraction parks, like Lotte World or Everland, or not wanting to see Aquarium for instance, then the Pass is not for you. Here are a few itineraries, where you won’t need the Pass at all:
See the best suggested 1-day itinerary for visiting Seoul.
See the best suggested 2-day itinerary for visiting Seoul.
See the best suggested 3-day itinerary for visiting Seoul.
If you follow one of these suggested 1 to 5-day Seoul itineraries, the Pass will definitely not be worth it, as these itineraries include Palaces, shrines and other places, which are quite cheap compared to the Pass price. For reference, even if you see all 5 palaces and Jongmyo Shrine, the combined ticket will cost you 10,000 won only. If you see only one palace, say Gyeongbokgung, then it’s just 3,000 won. While all national museums and most temples are completely free. As opposed to this, the cheapest pass (24 hours) costs 50,000 won. So if you do get the pass, don’t use it on the days you will be visiting palaces, museums or shrines.
On the other hand, if you are visiting more expensive attractions, definitely do your calculations to see, how much will the pass save you.
Here is the list of attractions for you to decide yourself. The attractions that may make the pass worth it include:
- Lotte World (62,000 won), Lotte Aquarium (35,000 won) and Lotte Tower (27,000 won)
- Coex Aquarium (32,000 won)
- Nami Island with round trip ferry (16,000 won)
- Namsan Seoul Tower (16,000 won)
- Seoul zoo and sky lift (18,000 won)
- Korean folk village (32,000 won)
- Museums – Coconut box (22,500), Alive museum (12,000 won), Colorpool museum (15,000)
I guess most of these would appeal more to people travelling with children and looking for family entertainment. If you want to do only one of these, then don’t bother, but if you want to do at least two (one of which is Lotte world), double check the prices and decide.
Suggested Itineraries with Discover Seoul Pass
Here is a suggested itinerary to make the most of your pass. I don’t suggest using the pass on the days you will be going to palaces or museums.
24-hour pass
2-day itinerary – if you activate it at 10 am on day 1, you can use it till 9.59 am the next day:
Day 1
- Start your day at 10am by going to Coex aquarium,
- Head to Seokchon to visit Lotte Aquarium and Lotte world
- Finish your evening at Namsan tower
Day 2
- Head at 9am on the second day to Lotte world. Once you enter, you can spend the whole day there.
48-hour pass
3-day itinerary:
Day 1
- Choose between heading out to either Korean Folk village (1.5-2 hours from central Seoul), Seoul zoo (1 hour from central Seoul) or Nami island (2-2.5 hours from Seoul). Either of these will take a big chunk of your day
- Head to Coex aquarium at about 4-5 pm. It works till 8pm.
Day 2
- If you didn’t manage to head there the previous day, start your day at 10am by going to Coex aquarium.
- Head to Seokchon to visit Lotte Aquarium and Lotte world
- Finish your evening at Namsan tower
Day 3
- Head at 9am on the second day to Lotte world. Once you enter, you can spend the whole day there.
72-hour pass
4-day itinerary:
Day 1
- Choose between heading out to either Korean Folk village (1.5-2 hours from central Seoul), Seoul Zoo (1 hour from central Seoul) or Nami island (2-2.5 hours from Seoul). Either of these will take a big chunk of your day
- Head to Coex aquarium at about 4-5 pm. It works till 8pm.
Day 2
- If you didn’t manage to head there the previous day, start your day at 10am by going to Coex aquarium.
- Head to Seokchon to visit Lotte Aquarium and Lotte world
Day 3
- Start your day in Hongdae by visiting Coconut box
- Head to Alive Museum in Insadong
- Walk to Colotpool museum also in Insadong
- Finish your evening at Namsan tower.
Day 4
- Head at 9am on the second day to Lotte world. Once you enter, you can spend the whole day there.
See also:
