My First Trip to Korea Together With My Mum!

This is my fourth trip travelling out of ASEAN region, where I have to plan every bit of the itinerary myself (the first was back in May 2024 where me and my mum travelled together to Japan, the second was back in November 2024 where me and my mum travelled together to Hangzhou and Suzhou in China, and the third was back in November 2025 where me and my mum travelled together to ZhangJiaJie and Guangzhou in China).  With these prior experiences, I am less concerned and worried about what to plan for our itinerary this time round, as I would have roughly known what my mum would like to experience, and hence what to include and what to exclude in the planning.  This is the first time we are travelling during peak season to see cherry blossoms, thus it will be a trip highly dependent on luck to see if we get lucky to view full bloom.  In addition, this is also the first time we get to experience Singapore Airlines Business Class travel for single trip, which is definitely an experience for us to remember!

Without further ado, I will share the travel journey below:  

Day 1

This was one of the most exciting day in my life to date.  Besides being my first trip with mum flying via Singapore Airlines Business Class (through miles redemption), it was also the first time I found out that I forgot to bring my passport to the airport during early check in.  Thankfully (or not), as I wanted to experience the Silver Krisflyer Lounge, we left for the airport very early, and that meant that I still have ample time, at the price of extra Grab charges.

After the drama, we finally made our way to Silver Krisflyer Lounge and had our complementary lunch. We were mindful not to overeat, as we still have in-flight meals waiting for us.  This was truly an experience for me and my mum.  I believe the comfortable seats, 2 movies we watched during flight and the champagne, snacks and "book the cook" inflight meals we were fed with, made the journey a breeze.  Details of our experience can be found here.

After we arrived at Incheon Airport, we were also allowed to disembark first.  Thankfully, when we reached the immigration, we were glad that there was no queue anywhere and we cleared the immigration within 10 minutes.  As it was already almost 11pm, I decided to skip the AREX and just bought the tickets to Seoul Station via Airport Limousine Bus.  From Seoul station, we quickly made our way to Hotel the Designers Seoul Station (at Sookmyung Women's University Metro Station), which is 1 stop away via metro from Seoul Station, to rest for the night.

Day 2

The second day started in Seoul.  Due to news that the rain during the weekend that just passed may end the cherry blossom season early, I decided to spend the first half of this day in Seoul, before making our way to Busan in the afternoon.

After much research, I decided to choose an unpopular spot (or relatively unknown spot among tourists) for cherry blossom viewing - the Seoul National Cemetery.  The first reason is the National Cemetery was an underrated place, so we could definitely avoid the crowds like in Yeouido.  Secondly, the national cemetery was famous for its Weeping Cherry Blossoms, which was quite different from the Yoshino cherry blossom in other areas.  As we were early, we started the day with a simple breakfast at Starbucks, as there were not many options available at that time.  After breakfast, we made our way to Seoul National Cemetery via metro.

   
Weeping Cherry Blossom

Indeed, the cherry blossoms here were splendid, and most importantly, there were no crowds at all.  We were able to enjoy every inch of scenery here, strolling leisurely and slowly to find the perfect spots to take photos with the nice blossoms.  As such, I managed to take quite a bit of nice photos without the need for AI to remove the crowds.  After this, we decided to move on to the next stop nearby recommended by AI, which was Banpo Hangang Park.  Apparently it was a mistake, as there were nothing to see.  So the lesson learnt here, was to do all my homework and not just depend on AI.  As such we decide to go back to somewhere near to hotel and have our lunch.  We came to this restaurant called Hangangro Noodle Soup Napa Wraps with Pork.

 Noodle Soup

Wraps with Pork

Initially I never understood why everyone was excited to eat pork in Korea when I was researching through travel vlogs but now I know.  The pork here was really good.  It was just simply blanched, no fancy way of cooking, but the pork exudes a natural sweetness, it was juicy and not dry, and already tasted great on its own.  Combined with spicy kimchi, it really tasted awesome.

After the meal, we went back to the hotel, collect our luggage and went to Seoul Station to take KTX to Busan.  By the time we reached Busan it was already evening time, and we took the packed metro to Haeundae.  From there, we walked to Haeundae BlueStory Hotel.  As it was quite late, we just settled down with a simple dinner from the convenience store, and the rice rolls were not bad.  Time to rest for the night after the long travels!

Day 3

This day was the day of culture appreciation.  We started the day with the hotel breakfast.  It was quite a pleasant breakfast spread and I got to say I loved the pork dishes in Korea.  After the satisfying breakfast, we set out by metro to Huinnyeoul Culture Village.  In vlogs, this place looked like a mini Santorini but I did not manage to find the same view.  Nonetheless the sea view here was pleasant.  However the walk down the stairs to see the wall art was no joke.  I probably need to practice more stairs-climbing.  Mum walked along the pathway as well, but skipped the parts that required climbing up and down the stairs.

 Huinnyeoul Culture Village

Wall Paintings 

After the visit, I decided to go somewhere to experience something different.  We went to the Arte Museum of Busan.  It was quite a fun place with interactive exhibits.  The most amazing place for me got to be the tornado room and the lightning visuals. 

 Tornado 

Lightning 

After the experience, we proceeded to our next venue.  Instead of going to the famous Gamcheon Culture Village with endless flights of steps, I tried something different and went to Dakbatgol Mural Village.  We saw an interesting monorail meant for the local elderly to take them up the stairs, and it was also open to tourists.  So mum experienced the monorail up and down the place while I took the stairs.  Across the road, it was just flights of stairs again.  So for this area, mum went to rest at the bus stop while I went down to see this mural village, which just portrayed some wall murals with local lifestyles in the past. 

 Monorail

Dakbatgol Mural Village

After all these activities, it was around 5pm.  We went to a restaurant I saw on vlogs, however it was only available for reservations and no walk-in allowed.  Hence I had to find another dining place nearby.  In the end we went to Sigol Medicinal Herb Pork and Rice Soup, and it was a pleasant experience.  They were generous with their servings of pork slices and it was a filling meal.  As it was almost 6pm, we just went back to hotel to rest.  

 Pork Soup with Rice

Day 4

The day started with the hotel breakfast as usual.  The menu was almost the same with just a couple of different dishes.  After the meal, we got ready to leave the hotel.  Based on the weather forecast, this day was going to be a rainy day all over Korea, and it was going to rain the whole day.  I have planned to go for a day trip outside of Busan on this day, as the rain in Busan was going to be the heaviest.  Once again, many people will proceed to Gyeonju for the wonderful cherry blossoms, but I decided on something different based on research, to Ulsan.  Another reason for going for this day trip despite the rain was, the rain in Ulsan started later and it was less heavy compared to in Busan, based on forecast.  Ulsan's Taehwagang Bamboo Forest would be the main attraction to go.  

Taehwagang Bamboo Forest

 Cherry Blossoms Along Streets of Ulsan

Travelling itself had taken up too much time, and by the time we reached the bamboo forest, it was already past 11am.  Thankfully it was just drizzling and we could still venture into the bamboo forest and walk around the area.  However, the rain started getting heavier and when it was almost 1pm, so we just cut short the trip and we went back to Busan.  Upon reaching Busan, we braved the rain and went to Handasot for pot rice.  We had salmon and unagi pot rice, with all the complementary side dishes. 

Salmon Pot Rice

 Unagi Pot Rice

Overall I would say it was a satisfying hot meal in the cold rainy weather.  After the meal, we just braved the rain again and went back to hotel to hide from the rain.  Back in hotel, we just snacked and binged watch "正义女神" on my phone.  We would resume our scenery-watching and flowers-hunting tomorrow, when the skies are forecasted to be clear and sunny.

Day 5

This would be the last full day we would stay in Busan, so it was time to catch up with places we need to visit.  After the usual hotel breakfast, we went to Oncheon-Cheon Stream, a simple but lovely place where the locals do their morning exercises and strolls.  We came to to see the nice scenery.  Thankfully the cherry blossoms were still largely intact, coupled with the yellow canola flowers and the quiet stream gave a quintessential vibes to this beautiful morning after yesterday's storm.

Oncheon-Cheon Stream

 Oncheon-Cheon Stream Bank

After that, we proceeded to Hwamyeong Ecological Park, which was researched to have beautiful tulips.  However when we arrived, it was kind of shocking as it was indeed an ecological park, with wetland and swamps.  Thankfully with Google, I managed to find out that the tulip garden was near carpark 1 at one corner of the park.  Thus we took a rather long stroll towards the garden.  I was worried that my mum would feel annoyed with the endless walk, but thankfully the view of the tulips garden did not disappoint.

Tulips Garden

Although the garden was not gigantic, but the various colors of tulips lighted up our spirits, and joy returned to mum's face as she excitedly took out her own phone to start snapping photos on her own.  There were at least 8 different colors of tulips grown in the garden, and it was definitely uplifting from the endless cherry blossom fatigue one might experience at this time.

After the flowers, time to view the sea.  We returned back to Gwangalli Beach to enjoy the sea view and the sea breeze.  As it was not Saturday, we were not able to catch the drone display at night.  Nonetheless it was a tranquil time for us.  After that, I brought my mum to try the cold noodles in Busan, at Milmyeon near Gwangalli Beach.  I could only say it was acquired taste and I do not really fancy it, but nonetheless it was an experience.

 Cold Noodles

After that, we proceeded to Haeundae Beach to stroll for a while as well to do what tourists did.  After that we just walked back to our hotel to rest for the night.

Day 6

This day would be another day of travelling so nothing much was done.  After the hotel breakfast, as we were still early, we just watched an episode "正义女神" in the hotel room.  When it was time, we just made our way to Busan station, where we took the KTX back to Seoul to continue our holiday.

After almost 2.5 hour ride, we arrived at Seoul Station and made our way to Hotel Lumia Myeondong at Hoehyeon metro station.  We rested in the hotel for a while, and finally made our way to Nutrition Center at Myeondong for the Ginseng Chicken.  Compared to the cold noodles the day before, this was definitely much more satisfying.  It was good, the chicken was tender and even the ginseng tasted mildly sweet.

Ginseng Chicken

After the meal, I brought mum to stroll along Myeondong shopping street to experience the vibes, and then brought her to the famous Cheonggyecheon Stream (Seoul Canal) to take a look, but it definitely did not impress, probably because it was not night time yet and the lightings had not been switched on.  Thus I just took a few photos and left.  Going to rest early to prepare for our day tour tomorrow!

Day 7

For this day, we would be joining a full day tour to Gardens of the Morning Calm, Gapyeong Rail Park and Nami Island.  We woke up super early for the day tour, had simple sandwich breakfast bought last night, and went to the meet up point to wait.

The first stop was to Gardens the Morning Calm.  It was quite a distance away, but thankfully we can nap in the bus.  The gardens were quite pretty, with some pretty cherry blossom, bonsai, tulips and beautiful trees.  Generally a nice place to be, and I believe it would be most splendid in autumn.

 Gardens of the Morning Calm

We stayed there for about an hour, then we had to move on to the next place, the Gapyeong Rail Park.  Surprisingly it seemed like mum enjoy this the most, and she was peddling all the way, not feeling tired at all.  I felt that it was a nice experience too, to do something different and enjoy the scenery, as well as the nice effects they made within the various tunnels.

Gapyeong Rail Park

 Tunnel Ride

Last but not least, our last stop is the renowned Nami Island, famous because of the Korean drama "Winter Sonata". I didn't watch that drama, so no special feelings about it. We need to take a ferry to reach the island, and throughout the journey I was trying the find the best spot to take photos of the beautifully aligned pine trees. However I can't seem to find the perfect spot and the pine tree seemed crooked. At this juncture, mum is also tired. So most parts she just find a place to sit while I go around taking photos. Then we just took the ferry back to the meeting point and board the bus for our journey back.

Cherry Blossoms at Nami Island

At this point we were quite tired, so we just went to Labab to have some comfort food, Korean instant ramen noodles with dumplings and chicken bites. It's a simple and comforting meal, and after that we just went back to hotel to rest for the night

 Ramen at Labab

Day 8

Time flew by and it was already day 8!  On this day, some of the places that I wished to go will be added to the itinerary.  After a simple breakfast in the hotel, we just went to the first stop, 943 King's Cross Cafe.  It was a Harry Potter themed cafe.  As I had no intention to dine inside, I chose to come before the opening hours just to take pictures outside the cafe.  There were more interesting stuff/rooms inside the cafe, but I guess I have outgrown it.  Just taking these photos will suffice.

943 King's Cross Cafe

After that we made our way to Boramae Park to see the second wave of cherry blossom.  Based on some simple research, there were suppposedly 2 waves of cherry blossom in Korea.  First was the Yoshino cherry blossom (the white ones), and the second was the King's Cherry Blossoms (the fluffy pink ones).  As such, after getting strict guarantees from Gemini, which promised me that there was a 90% chance of seeing King's Cherry Blossoms at Boramae Park, I decided to go with it.  Well, sadly I only managed to find one tree in the whole park with King's Cherry Blossom. Quite a disappointment I must say.

 King's Cherry Blossom

After that we made our way to Gangnam.  We went to see the Gangnam style sculpture, and the starfield library, before heading out nearby to dine at Jaesudon Pork Back-Bone Stew.  It was quite a nice meal, but once again I over ordered again as usual, so we faced some difficulties finishing the large pot of stew.  Nonetheless, after pigging our way through, we manage to finish all and did not waste any food.

Pork Back-Bone Stew

After the meal, it was quite evident that mum was very tired.  So we just proceeded back to the hotel to rest.  After a while, mum continued resting in the hotel while I went to Myeondong for a walk on my own.  And that concludes another day!

Day 9

This was the final full day in Seoul.  Finally had the time and chance to try Issac Toast here.  Maybe because we did not eat it on the spot, by the time I packed and brought it back to the hotel, it was a little soggy due to the steam, but taste wise it was still good. 

 Issac Toast

After breakfast we walked to the nearby Namdaemum Market for a stroll.  There were some interesting things for sale, but we just decided not to buy anything.  After a short walk, we proceed with our palace tour.  Once again, I decided to deviate from what usual tourists do.  Instead of going to the famous Gyeongbokgung Palace, or the Changdeokgung Palace, I went to the peaceful and quiet Changgyeonggung Palace instead.  My feel was that these Palaces were more or less similar, and only differ in the "grandness" of the palaces, which was not important to me.  Furthermore, my mum was not too interested in these, so paying the lowest entrance fees for a visit made most sense.

Changgyeonggung Palace

After the palace, we went all the way to Lotte World to see the magic castle and Seokchon Lake. By this time there were no more towering cherry blossoms, which also meant less crowd.  It was fine I guess, as I thought we had seen enough flowers.  

 Lotte World Magic Castle

After that, we went back to Myeondong for our barbeque meat late lunch at Wangbijib.  We did not order any premium cuts.  Instead we just went with the set lunch, which was good enough for us. It was a hearty meal to have, and similarly, after the meal, mum was tired and we just went back to hotel to rest.  

BBQ Pork with Sauce

 Scallion and Seafood Pancake

Tofu Soup

The remaining time in the hotel was spent watching "正义女神".  Getting ready to leave tomorrow!

Day 10

This marks the end of our trip!  We woke up early, took the Airport Limousine to Incheon International Airport.  Along the way we still saw massive cherry blossoms at the roadside near the airport to send us goodbye!  At the airport we just settled breakfast with local ramen, rice rolls and tried Eggdrop.  Flying back to Singapore via Scoot!

 Eggdrop

Post-Trip Thoughts

This is the fourth time that my mum and I have travelled together outside of Southeast Asia for more than 7 days.  On the country itself, I think the working class in Seoul is indeed stressed, as it was the first time, in any city/country, I saw people running in the metro station to chase after the next train so that they would not be late for work.  Besides that, Korea is generally a lovely place, but on a personal level, I think I still prefer China for the ease of communication, and Japan for the food and vibes.  

On a personal note, I guess things were getting better, and trips become more comfortable between me and mum.  I hope this will be a memorable trip for us, with the first ever Business Class experience, to our first ever cherry blossom views in nature.  May my mum remain mobile and healthy, and cheers to more adventures to come.  Looking forward to the next one!

Just some numbers for the trip!

Flights for 2 from Singapore to Incheon: SGD 130.40 for taxes + 104,000 miles redemption

High Speed Rail for 2 from Seoul to Busan and back to Seoul: SGD 233.02

Flights for 2 from Incheon to Singapore: SGD 168.89 for taxes & misc + 25,000 miles redemption

Accommodation (5 Nights in Seoul & 4 Nights in Busan) for 2: SGD 1,100.48 (most expensive in all our trips thus far, probably because of peak season)

Insurance for 2: SGD 231.00

Transport + Meals + Shopping + Souvenirs + Klook Day Tour: SGD 838.45

Total Damage: SGD 2,702.24 + 129,000 miles

That's all for this Korea trip!  Barista FIRE, here I come...!