South Korea Theme Park Planning 2024

[ThrillsThrillseeker]

I'm starting to plan a trip to South Korea next year and had some questions for anyone who's been. It looks like they've got some great parks like Everland and Lotte World. For those who've visited, any recommendations on must-do parks or rides? Also, any tips on getting park tickets or using the transportation systems would be appreciated.

I'm also curious about the best way to visit the different areas of the country.

Anyway, looking forward to checking out the parks there. Let me know if you have any other South Korea theme park advice!

[Baconjack]

Haven’t visited but it and Japan are the first countries on my list when I’ve got enough money to travel.

Something I would mention is that if you want to visit Everland I’d advise travelling later on in the year as their major coaster (t express) is allegedly going to be down until April/May

Edited December 15, 2023 by Baconjack

[wikiverse]

Korea Generally:

If you get a hotel close to Line 2 (green line) you can get to pretty much anywhere in Seoul quickly. Download the Jihacheol (지하철) app for subway routes before you go so you can choose a hotel close to the things you want to do.

Have cash.  Korea doesn't really use tap-to-pay.  They still use swipe or chip/pin with signatures, and merchants (especially at Lotte World Mall) will offer to do the currency conversion for you and will sting you 5% - sometimes the staff will just accept this on your behalf and it adds up. If you've got a 28 Degrees Mastercard or something with no foreign fees, it can help.  American Express is usually the most limited.  Mastercard is usually fine and Visa is ok too. Korea is a very safe country, so you can carry some extra cash without having to worry.

Subways are the best way to get around. You will need a T-Money card and can load money onto it at every station if you need to.  It also works for local busses if you're brave enough to catch one.  You don't need to tap-off with the bus though.  The bus is a fixed-fare system, so you tap on and it's the same amount regardless of travel distance.  There is a T-Money card for tourists called M-Pass, but only get this if you're going to be travelling by train a LOT during a single day.  It's 15,000 Won for one day with up to 20 trips. This can be a saving if you use it, but most people won't use that much.  It's better to just get a regular t-Money card from a convenience store for 3.500 Won or at a station and then charge it as much as you think you'll need.

From Incheon Airport - The airport is quite far (an hour) from Seoul.  If you're staying at any of the major hotels in the city (or near them) don't bother with the train, just get a KAL Limousine bus.  You can buy tickets at the airport, or if you fly with KAL you can buy them on the plane from the duty-free catalogue. They will drop you directly at the main hotels, and you can walk to another place nearby if you like.  It costs about $12-15 but is worth it.  The seats are very wide and comfortable, there is free wifi and aircon, and you don't need to fight for a seat.

When returning to Incheon Airport, if you're flying with KAL, Asiana or a few other airlines, you can use the 'City Airport'.  It's not really an airport, it's just a check-in desk and immigration at Seoul Station (and possibly Coex Mall, but I think that is closed at the moment).  You do the same things as you would at the airport, check/drop bags, get your passport scanned, get boarding passes.  Then you buy a Limousine bus ticket and travel to the airport.  Your bags will follow you on the bus and will get loaded straight onto the plane.  The best part is you get to skip the security line and go through the 'diplomat' line, which has almost no wait.  You'll need to be there at least 3.5 hours prior to departure, but you'd need to leave that early to get to the airport anyway.  It's very convenient and I don't know why more cities don't have it.

Lotte World is at Jamsil (pronounced Jahm-Shill) station on the Green Line.  Get there early at opening, plan to stay until closing.  It's going to be a massive day, but it's a great park and it's worth it.  We were there from 9:30am untill 11pm and there were still things we didn't get to do.  There are a lot of hidden areas that are really nicely themed - like the kids area is Disney-level.

The lunch-time parade is ok, but the evening light parade is incredible.  Better than Disney parks IMO, so don't miss that.  It takes place above and around the ice rink.  The ice rink is technically not part of Lotte World, but you can go there for a second day if you're just visiting the area.  It's not too expensive, you get proper leather lace up skates, and when I went, foreigners got 30% discount - which is roughly equivalent to free skate hire.  You need to wear gloves on the ice, but they cost about $1.

Get there as soon as the park opens and IMMEDIATELY go to Atlantis.  Do not wait, do not look around, do not look at a map.  Know where it is and how to get there and go straight from the entrance. This is the best and most popular ride in the park and within 15 minutes of opening it will have a wait of 90 minutes to 2 hours or more. You will have a lot more time to enjoy the park if you're not waiting for Atlantis.

The line for Comet Express is deceptive.  The outside line is just a queue for the inside line. It's a pretty basic indoor spinning coaster.

The Gyro Drop and Gyro swing are fun, but have scream guards to keep the neighbours happy. so don't expect to get wind in your hair.  Also, don't vomit.

French Revolution now has VR.  It sometimes fails so you could get a VR experience or you could get a blindfold.  The mystery makes it even more fun.

There are a lot of small 4D simulators and shooting theatres that are actually pretty cool and you should check them out.  They can be a bit hidden out of the way on the lower levels of the indoor section.

Everland is a great park but it's very spread out and there is a lot of walking so be prepared.  T-Express is one of the world's greatest wooden coasters. It might even be worth getting a local hotel and getting a multi-day pass.  There is a water park and speedway there also, and you can spend a lot of time looking at the animals.

It's also quite far from Seoul and depending if you need to get to a station for a shuttle, it can take a couple hours or more.  You can get shuttle busses directly from various subway stations including:

SOUTH of the river: Sinnonhyeon (line 9 exit 6, Gangnam (line 2 exit 6), Suwon (Line 1 exit 6). The return bus leaves at around 7pm, there is only one.

NORTH of the river: Hongik University, Sinchon (don't confuse with Sincheon), Seoul Stationn, Myeongdong, Dongdaemun. There are usually two return busses for some of these stations at around 6:30pm and 8:30pm.

You can take the subway.  It's a lot of transfers though and if you're not familiar with Korean Subways it can sometimes get confusing, but if you've traveled a lot and understand transfers and can navigate the Jihacheol app, you'll be fine.  The shuttle is easiest, but the train allows you to stay later if you want.  According to the Jihacheol app you need to go from:

Gangnam Station (Line 2, Green) > Jeongja Station (Sinbundang Line, Dark Red) > Giheung Station (Bundang Line, Yellow) > Jeondae Everland Station then take a free shuttle bus.

There is parking, so if you're renting a car you can drive there, but good luck driving in Korea.

Seoul Land is just outside of Seoul.  It was built for the 1988 Olympics and it looks like it.  The coasters are old but fun and weave around the forest and the park, but they're hard to squeeze into if you're over 6ft. They're a but like an old arrow or Thunderbolt if it was taken care of.  It's a large park with a decent amount to do - especially if you have young kids - built between a couple of mountains in the Seoul Grand Park.  Of all the theme parks in Korea, this is in the most beautiful location.  It's also fairly cheap and has a lot of great, cheap food options inside.  It's about 50,000 Won ($60) for a full day ticket - you can sometimes find discount tickets online for entry after 12pm.  I enjoyed the day there, especially some of the dark shooting rides and the double-down log flume.  Lines can get long though, so be prepared and have an extra phone battery.  This is definitely a park you'll want cash for.

You can get there by Subway - take Line 4 to Grand Park and Seoulland station - exit 2.  There is an 'elephant' bus that you can pay to drop you at the main gate, but otherwise it's just a pleasant 5 minute walk.  Easy to get to, not as well themed as Lotte World and not as big as Everland, but it's a fun and beautiful park.

Gyeongju World - this is down near Busan.  It's a small local theme park with a standard clone B&M dive coaster. Probably not worth the trek unless you're down that way anyway.

Korea is a great place to visit.  Not too expensive compared to Japan and much more English Friendly.  Lotte World is a great day out, Everland is a hike to get to, but fun and generally more chilled if you don't mind a lot of walking. Seoul Land is a mix of Royal Show and Dreamworld but is worth a visit just to have some fairly classic rides with beautiful scenery.

 

[ThrillsThrillseeker]

1 hour ago, Baconjack said:

Haven’t visited but it and Japan are the first countries on my list when I’ve got enough money to travel.

Something I would mention is that if you want to visit Everland I’d advise travelling later on in the year as their major coaster (t express) is allegedly going to be down until April/May

Thanks for the heads up about T Express, I'll have to keep that in mind with my planning. Do you know if any of the other major parks like Lotte World typically do a lot of ride maintenance in the spring too? Also, as someone who wants to visit SK and Japan theme parks someday, any tips on getting the best value on park tickets or hotel packages? Always looking for ways to maximize my budget on these trips!

[ThrillsThrillseeker]

Wow thank you so much for all the detailed info, this is incredibly helpful! Lotte World definitely sounds like a must-do. I actually came across a guide about visiting Seoul that had some similar advice https://gowithguide.com/blog/seoul-tourism-statistics-2023-the-ultimate-guide-5535

I'm surprised to hear you say the ice skating is worth checking out too. Good to know about timing Atlantis - I'll be sure to make a beeline there first thing. Also great tip about taking the City Airport route back, I'll have to see if my airline works with that. Really appreciate you taking the time to give such a thorough rundown.

[Gazza]

Quote

Gyeongju World - this is down near Busan.  It's a small local theme park with a standard clone B&M dive coaster. Probably not worth the trek unless you're down that way anyway.

They have a custom B&M invert too!

 

Re Everland, T-Express is being retracked till April so just keep that mind.

[wikiverse]

3 hours ago, ThrillsThrillseeker said:

Wow thank you so much for all the detailed info, this is incredibly helpful! Lotte World definitely sounds like a must-do. I actually came across a guide about visiting Seoul that had some similar advice https://gowithguide.com/blog/seoul-tourism-statistics-2023-the-ultimate-guide-5535

I'm surprised to hear you say the ice skating is worth checking out too. Good to know about timing Atlantis - I'll be sure to make a beeline there first thing. Also great tip about taking the City Airport route back, I'll have to see if my airline works with that. Really appreciate you taking the time to give such a thorough rundown.

I'd only recommend Ice Skating if you're spending a day at the mall or are otherwise in the Jamsil area.  It's a great rink, reasonably priced, large and well maintained, but it is just ice skating.  But you could do ice skating, the Lotte World Aquarium, and some time at the mall on the same day.  Sometimes if you spend $XXX at Lotte World Mall, you get free tickets to an SM Town Kpop Concert - but the concert is usually in summer.

Generally little to no maintenance is done at the parks during Spring or Autumn because it is peak tourism time.  Lotte World's indoor section is open all year round, and Everland is open for special winter events.  It can get humid (and wet) during summer, so Spring is a great time to go.

Re: T-Express, it's an amazing coaster.  One of the best woodies in the world, but it was getting rough and needed a re-track, so it's great that they're doing that. Try to plan your trip toward the end of spring to maximise your chance of getting to ride.

If you know anyone in Korea, they can get discounts for park entry usually through Credit Card offers or local coupon-style sites.  Otherwise you can check sites like Viator and Klook to see if they have any offers.

Here's a half(ish)-price Seoulland link:

https://www.viator.com/en-AU/tours/South-Korea/Seoulland-Theme-Park-Discount-Tickets-Luna-park/d972-185378P2

Here's a bunch of other packages they offer, some are reasonably priced, some are kind of pricey.  The private tours are not really necessary:

https://www.viator.com/en-AU/South-Korea-tours/Amusement-Parks-Product-Tickets-and-Passes/d972-tag21779

 

For accommodation, you can generally find something on Trip Advisor and then check different aggregators for the best price.  Qantas Hotels is sometimes cheaper than Agoda or Trivago.  AirBnB is common and usually a bit cheaper, but can often be a little further from transport than the hotels and your host may have limited English. There are a few hotels near Everland and they're all similar.  It's probably only worth staying down that way if you're doing a couple days at Everland/Carribean Bay/Speedway, otherwise a shuttle bus or train are your best bets.

If you take a taxi - don't take a BLACK taxi.  They cost a lot more - usually 3x the price.  Just use translator on iPhone or google translate to show an address to the driver (who usually have poor English).

If you're in Seoul anway, N tower gives a great view of the whole city, and you get a sense of how massive Seoul is. You can take the cable car, or a bus, or if the weather is good, you can take the cable car up and walk down the mountain to Namdaemun or Yongsan.

Gongbukgung Palace is pretty.  It's mostly just a park with some nice buildings, but you get a sense of the history of the area.

For food and restaurants, just get 1 or 2 streets back from the main roads and there will be a bunch of really great restaurants.  A lot of restaurants will serve just one meat - usually pork or chicken - sometimes beef or fish.  Some will serve a single dish cooked at your table.  Also, don't be a vegetarian in Korea.  You're gonna have a bad time.  They put meat in everything.  Like, a salad sandwich is usually a pretty safe bet for a vegetarian, but they will put ham in it.  You'll be eating nothing but tteokbokki, kimchi and rice.

Also, it's not technically a theme park, but you can go up to DMZ and look into North Korea, and go into the tunnels. It's a good history trip and surprisingly there's a small amusement park up there.  It has a pirate ship and a wave swinger and a carousel with some very nervous looking horses for some reason.  Plus some other rides like dodgems and the usual amusement park stuff.  It's called Pyeonghwa Land.  The history of the Korean war is interesting, and the politics of current day Korea is also interesting - especially if you go to North Korea and hear their version of it.

This might sound like over-kill but it is actually really helpful.  Download this app https://apps.apple.com/us/app/korean-letters-lite/id500641131

It will teach you the Korean Alphabet in a few days. You will learn some food words in it also.  It's mostly useful to be able to pronounce words correctly - especially place names - and read a menu or common signs once you learn a few words.  You'll also be able to read a lot of the Konglish that exists - English words written in Korean with Korean pronunciation. It's a phonetic alphabet (like English) so each symbol is a sound.  You won't learn the whole language which is complicated, but being able to read and pronounce is a huge advantage when trying to get around.