Paradise City, the Luxurious Integrated Resort That Stole My Heart!

1. Pre-trip Preparation: Visa: The first thing for a trip to Korea is the visa. Although it is a developed country, getting a Korean visa is not too difficult; Taobao can handle it!

SIM Card: You can buy a SIM card on Taobao, and they may also include a plug adapter, but some users have reported slow internet speeds. I used the Yidian Global SIM Card, which is data-only and cannot make or receive calls. The internet speed was very stable, with almost no disconnections. You can also get a SIM card at the arrival hall of Incheon Airport.

Korean Won: I exchanged 3000 RMB via the ICBC app after making a reservation. According to travel guides, ICBC offers a good exchange rate, and it's not recommended to exchange at the airport. The exchange rate at the Myeongdong Ambassador Exchange Office is quite favorable. In Korea, most convenience stores accept WeChat Pay; you can ask before paying.

Transportation Card T-money: The T-money card is widely used in Korea for transportation and purchases. It is sold on Taobao, sometimes pre-loaded. I bought one on Xianyu, but I lost it on the second day. Later, I bought a new one at a convenience store for 3000 KRW; some limited editions or customized versions cost 5000 KRW.

Day 1-2: Paradise City

Day 3: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Myeongdong Night Market

Day 4: National Museum of Korea, War Memorial of Korea, Itaewon

Day 5: Bukhansan National Park, Jingwansa Temple

Paradise City was my top choice for my Korea trip, and I headed straight there after landing. It is Korea's first integrated international resort, combining hotels, casinos, shopping streets, and more. It perfectly blends accommodation with leisure and entertainment, offering high-end services across all aspects of living, surely exceeding your expectations. It is also the 'Paradise Island' from the Korean variety show 'Single's Inferno', and the 'Baeksang Arts Awards' has been held here too. Not only has the show 'Running Man' filmed at the hotel, but the drama 'Hotel del Luna' also shot scenes here. You might even run into celebrities at the hotel!

Paradise City is located on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, just minutes away from Incheon International Airport—essentially a stone's throw away—and a 40-minute drive from Seoul. It is a perfect start or end to a Korea trip. You can also take a free shuttle bus from the airport, which is very convenient. For the shuttle schedule, follow the WeChat official account: Paradise City Korea. The account's articles provide specific times for different terminals and special features at the hotel.

My first impression upon entering Paradise City was the meticulous and perfect integration of environment and art. World-class artworks are everywhere, making it feel like a game of hide-and-seek with art. Just inside the main entrance is Damien Hirst's sculpture 'Golden Legend', featuring a mythical winged horse. It is unique because half of the horse is covered in gold, while the other half is dissected, revealing its interior—a sculpture of reality and essence with strong visual impact, embodying Damien Hirst's iconic shocking aesthetics and creativity.

The famous artist Yayoi Kusama's representative work 'Golden Pumpkin' is in the center of the hotel lobby. Additionally, Paradise City boasts over 3,000 pieces of art, large and small. You might casually encounter a masterpiece by a top-tier artist! For example, Italian designer and architect Alessandro Mendini's representative work 'Proust Armchair', Jaume Plensa's iconic giant sculpture 'Anna B in Blue', and many other masterpieces by renowned artists. Be sure to explore thoroughly. In the hotel lobby, you can enjoy a masked ball-themed performance twice a day. Masked couples dance a waltz together under romantic music and a glamorous atmosphere, as if a fairy tale scene has come to life. Visitors also have a chance to join the dance.

The guest rooms are simply designed, warm, and elegant. Details like decorations and furniture quality discreetly showcase Paradise City's high standards. The large floor-to-ceiling windows in the rooms allow you to watch planes taking off and landing at Incheon Airport. It's only natural to indulge your shopping desires when in Korea. You don't have to go far; PLAZA within Paradise City is packed with various boutiques, ensuring you shop to your heart's content!

As one of Korea's most popular luxury resorts, Paradise City offers the modern luxury hotel 'Paradise Hotel & Resort', the European-style boutique concept hotel 'Paradise Art Hotel', the water leisure park 'Sami', the indoor amusement park 'Wonderbox', Asia's premier club 'Kemai', and 'PLAZA' for various K-Contents events, performances, shopping, and dining.

Of course, my favorite is the unique spa and hot spring park 'Sami'!

'Sami' is not your average hot spring or spa pool. It features top-notch facilities comparable to international spas, with a design that combines LED media art and concept pool parties, perfectly blending romantic European style with Korean traditional jjimjilbang culture. The spa area has various themed relaxation facilities, such as cave spa and fantasy spa, creating a mysterious atmosphere that is incredibly realistic and perfect for photos—your social media will be stunning! In the jjimjilbang area, you can experience Korean traditional sauna culture with options like cypress room, amethyst room, charcoal room, yellow earth room, and fire kiln sauna, providing a detailed rest for body and mind. The outdoor infinity pool gives the feeling of being able to touch the sky, where you can see planes flying overhead while soaking. The thrilling water slides and tornado slides keep you screaming with excitement! There is also a large indoor water plaza and aqua club, allowing you to fully experience the dynamic and calm aspects of water. 'Sami' is definitely the most unforgettable memory of my Korea trip.

Paradise City is a gathering place for top chefs, with first-class restaurants run by renowned domestic and international chefs—a paradise for food lovers.

There is ON THE PLATE buffet restaurant, RAKU Japanese restaurant, LA SCALA Italian restaurant, IMPERIAL TREASURE Chinese restaurant, and RUBIK bar and music hall. Breakfast was at ON THE PLATE buffet. As soon as I entered, I was attracted by the trendy environment: exquisite lighting, comfortable seats... every detail shows care. Dining here is truly enjoyable! The dinner buffet at ON THE PLATE is also very rich, offering seafood, sashimi, and various delicacies... The prawns are plump and large, full of roe and meat... Each bite is a sweet taste of shrimp! You can take whatever you want, and having one of each is incredibly satisfying! PLAZA also has ginseng chicken soup and Korean BBQ, as often seen in Korean dramas, with plenty of food options.

Whether you come with family, friends, or your partner, Paradise City will be an unforgettable memory. Eat, drink, play, and have fun all summer long!

In the hearts of Koreans, Gyeongbokgung Palace is equivalent to our Forbidden City; it is part of the Joseon Dynasty royal complex. The area and scale of the palace strictly follow the suzerain-vassal relationship with China, built according to the prince's mansion regulations of the Ming Dynasty. All buildings are painted in dancheong colors to distinguish them from the yellow of Chinese imperial palaces. Although this is the largest palace of the Joseon Dynasty, it could only be built according to Chinese princely standards, so it is relatively small.

The architecture of Gyeongbokgung Palace is marked entirely in Chinese characters. To the east is Geonchunmun Gate, to the west is Yeongchumun Gate, and to the north is Sinmumun Gate. Inside, there are halls such as Geunjeongjeon, Sajeongjeon, Gangnyeongjeon, Gyotaejeon, Chugyeongjeon, Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, and Hyangwonjeong Pavilion. The main hall, Geunjeongjeon, is the largest wooden building from ancient Korea, the most magnificent and grand, used for formal ceremonies and receiving court officials.

The Gyeongbokgung Guard Changing Ceremony performance recreates the guard duties and shift changes of the soldiers responsible for opening and closing the palace gates, guarding, and patrolling. It is comparable to the Changing of the Guard at the British royal family and is an activity that revives traditional Korean court culture.

Bukchon Hanok Village features many traditional Korean houses. 'Bukchon' refers to the area between Gyeongbokgung (one of the Joseon Dynasty palaces) and Changdeokgung (another Joseon Dynasty palace). It retains countless alleys, showcasing the traditional scenery of Seoul's 600-year history. It is a short walk from Gyeongbokgung Palace.

During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the ruling class—yangban—lived here, leaving behind many traditional houses. Today's Bukchon is not a folk village built for tourists; it is a living residential area, including over 900 hanoks across 11 neighborhoods. With the arrival of hanok galleries, traditional workshops, and hanok restaurants, it has become a highly regarded new cultural and arts district.

Myeongdong is Seoul's most bustling and stylish district during the day, transforming into a combination of food and fashion at night. The street food stalls are abundant. If you want to try all of Korea's street food in one go, come to Myeongdong!

Fried chicken: Korean fried chicken is very famous, and there are many fried chicken shops near Myeongdong to taste authentic Korean-style fried chicken. BBQ: Korean BBQ is a must-try. You can enjoy a delicious BBQ feast at a BBQ restaurant near Myeongdong. Bibimbap: This is a traditional Korean dish, and you can also enjoy delicious bibimbap at restaurants in Myeongdong.

The War Memorial of Korea is a national museum and the largest war-themed museum in the world. It opened on June 10, 1994, with the purpose of collecting, preserving, and exhibiting historical materials of Korean wars.

To the right of the museum is a large outdoor weapons exhibition area, displaying many actual weapons used in the Korean War: tanks, howitzers, aircraft, armored vehicles, radar, and various missiles. Most are American and Soviet weapons, with some Chinese replicas like the T53. The largest is the B-52 bomber. Through these killing machines, you can fully imagine the brutality of war.

The National Museum of Korea is enormous. It covers an area of 307,000 square meters, with a building area of over 134,000 square meters. Located to the right of Gwanghwamun Gate outside Gyeongbokgung Palace, it is a building with one underground floor and two above-ground floors.

Its interior design is most splendid, with tall, simple interior walls clad in ivory-colored marble. Sunlight pours in from the high ceiling and skylights, creating a majestic and elegant atmosphere.

Most exhibition halls are on the second and third floors. They are categorized into various sections, including prehistoric handmade artifacts, relics of Goguryeo and Baekje dynasties, remains of the Gaya Kingdom, handicrafts of the Silla Kingdom, relics of the Unified Silla period, Buddhist sculptures, metal crafts, Goryeo dynasty ceramics, Joseon dynasty ceramics, calligraphy works, and Buddhist paintings. There is also an outdoor exhibition area, a special exhibition hall, and two halls dedicated to two art connoisseurs who donated their private collections to the museum.

Itaewon is located at the foot of Namsan Mountain in Yongsan District, Seoul. Today, it has become synonymous with Korean-style artistic and bohemian culture. It gathers various lifestyle stores, galleries, and brand boutiques, all of which are the hottest brands in Korea. If you are not trendy enough, you might not dare to enter.

During the day, Itaewon's clubs are closed, and there are not many tourists. The various coffee shops and concept stores have different styles, but most have adopted a Nordic design, making the streets look particularly orderly. The main street connects to several alleys, hiding cuisines from around the world and vintage shops for treasure hunting.

What is most abundant here are coffee shops. Being able to overlook half of Seoul from a high vantage point is one of Itaewon's features. There are many rooftop cafes and rooftop bars. Young people like to sit on the top floor with a cup of coffee and watch the sun slowly set. So, it is recommended to visit in the evening!

Located in Bukhansan National Park (also known as Triangular Mountain), amidst rolling mountains and babbling streams, Jingwansa Temple is a direct temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Jingwansa Temple also offers temple stay programs.

In the outskirts of Seoul, there are four major temples: Bulyeonsa in the east, Jingwansa in the west, Samaksa in the south, and Seunggasa in the north. Jingwansa is one of them, famous for its water and land rituals.

With its beautiful natural scenery and cultural history, Jingwansa Temple provides a place for Seoul citizens to rest their minds.

Travel Journal Contents: 1. Pre-trip Preparation 2. Itinerary 3. Paradise City 4. Gyeongbokgung Palace 5. Bukchon Hanok Village | Traditional Hanok Gathering of Ancient Nobility 6. Myeongdong Night Market | A Shopping Paradise for Photo Location 7. War Memorial of Korea 8. National Museum of Korea 9. Itaewon 10. Bukhansan National Park 11. Jingwansa Temple Travel Information Hotel Index Strategy Index Ticket Index Website Navigation Travel Index Cruise Index Corporate Travel Index Cooperation Distribution Alliance Links Corporate Gift Card Purchase Insurance Agency Agency Cooperation Hotel Cooperation Destination & Scenic Spot Cooperation More Cooperation About Ctrip About Ctrip Ctrip Hotspots Contact Us Careers User Agreement Privacy Policy Business License Security Center Ctrip Content Center Intellectual Property Trip.com Group Algorithm Publicity