Travel2gether

Our trip, on paper ✂

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul 2026

Aug 18–Aug 22, 2026 · 4 nights · 2 travelers

Five days, one AI Summit, one campus visit, and a city that runs on neon and 1,000-year-old temples. Tap through each day below.

🛂 Visa required for a PH passport — Tourist visa required.

Day 1 — Touchdown & Sejong University

Tue · Aug 18, 2026

28°/22°C — Hot, humid, ~35% rain chance. Gyeongbokgung is closed on Tuesdays anyway, so no loss — today stays close to the hotel while you shake off the flight.

06:00Land at Incheon T1

Immigration + bags, then Airport Limousine Bus #6103 — non-stop to the COEX City Airport Terminal, 2 min from the hotel. ~62 km, ~65–90 min. Board at Level 1 Arrivals, Gate 6–7, Platform 7A.

08:30Bag drop at Shilla Stay Samsung COEX

Check-in isn't until 3pm — the bell desk will hold your luggage. This is your base all four nights.

08:45Breakfast near the hotel

Pick: Four Stones Coffee Roasters · USD 8–10

09:30Taxi to Sejong University

~4.5 km, ~15–20 min by taxi from COEX — cutting it close after a red-eye, but keeps the 10am start on time.

10:00–14:00Sejong University visit

Meeting/visit on campus — lunch works best grabbed near campus before or after, since this runs straight through midday.

14:15Taxi back to the hotel

~15–20 min back to Shilla Stay Samsung COEX.

15:00Official check-in, rest / shower off the flight

45–60 min is plenty if you slept a little on the plane.

16:00Shopping nearby

Pick: COEX Mall / Starfield · USD 0–40

19:00Welcome dinner

Pick: Sam's Korean BBQ · USD 25–35

The Sejong University visit is fixed at 10am, so today is built around it — a quick bag-drop and breakfast near the hotel, out to campus and back, then check-in and rest before the welcome dinner.

Day 2 — Summit day one

Wed · Aug 19, 2026

28°/22°C — Warm outside, cold inside. Conference halls run heavily air-conditioned — the walk to COEX will feel muggy, the ballroom will feel like a fridge.

08:00Breakfast near the hotel

Pick: Jeonu Sogogi Haejangguk · USD 10–12

08:45Walk to COEX Grand Ballroom

10 minutes on foot — no transport needed.

09:00–18:00AI Summit Seoul & Expo — sessions

19:00Dinner near Gangnam

Pick: Hyeongje Teuksubuwi Gangnam · USD 25–30

20:45Shopping nearby

Pick: Sinsa / Garosu-gil · Free

21:30Evening, low-key

Pick: SMTOWN COEX Artium · USD 5–10

Registration lines on the first morning of a multi-day summit are often the worst of the whole event — the 08:45 walk-over beats arriving right at 09:00.

Day 3 — Summit + Namdaemun & Namsan

Thu · Aug 20, 2026

28°/22°C — Same pattern, evening loop adds sweat. Namdaemun and Namsan stay warm and crowded at night — breathable fabric matters more than style here.

08:00Breakfast near the hotel

Pick: Le Four Doré · USD 8–10

08:45Walk to COEX Grand Ballroom

10 minutes on foot.

09:00–18:00AI Summit Seoul & Expo — sessions

18:15Subway Line 2 to Euljiro 1(il)-ga

Direct from Samseong, no transfer, ~9.5 km, ~20 min.

18:45Evening loop, stop one

Pick: Sungnyemun Gate · Free

19:15Evening loop, snack stop

Pick: Namdaemun Market — hotteok & kalguksu · USD 8–12

20:15Evening loop, Namsan

Pick: N Seoul Tower via Namsan Cable Car · USD 11

21:15Shopping nearby: Myeongdong

Pick: Myeongdong Shopping Street + Olive Young · Free

22:30Back to hotel

Line 4 to City Hall, transfer Line 2 to Samseong, ~25 min. Or taxi, ~20 min.

A national treasure, Korea's oldest market, and the city's best skyline view all sit inside one 15-minute walking loop — one subway ride from the summit venue.

Day 4 — Summit finale + free afternoon + Banpo

Fri · Aug 21, 2026

27°/21°C — Slightly milder, still humid. An open afternoon by day, riverside dinner and a fountain show by night — casual, comfortable clothes work for both.

08:00Breakfast near the hotel

Pick: Cheongwaok Hakdong · USD 10–12

08:45Walk to COEX Grand Ballroom

10 minutes on foot.

09:00–12:30Closing sessions at COEX

13:00Lunch near COEX

Pick: Banchan lunch, COEX Mall · USD 12–18

14:00Free afternoon

Pick: Rest at the hotel · Free

14:30Shopping nearby

Pick: Express Bus Terminal Underground (Goto Mall) · USD 5–20

18:00Getting to Banpo Hangang Park

Pick: Taxi, direct · USD 10–13

18:30Dinner at Banpo

Pick: Beer Garden, riverside · USD 20–25

19:30Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain show — best viewing spots

Pick: Riverside deck by the Beer Garden · Free

21:00Back to hotel

~20-min taxi from Banpo to Shilla Stay COEX.

Dinner and the fountain show happen at the same spot, so there's no second trip — you eat, the sun goes down, and the show starts right where you're sitting. A memorable close to the summit for the price of a casual dinner.

Day 5 — Jongno friends + Seongsu

Sat · Aug 22, 2026

27°/20°C — Shopping morning, hanok afternoon. Highest rain chance of the trip late in August, so keep the umbrella handy for the Ikseon-dong stroll.

07:30Early checkout — luggage in hand

Flight isn't until 20:30, but bags travel with you today — you'll drop them off at the Jongno hotel next, not at Shilla Stay.

08:00Taxi to Hotel the Designers Jongno to meet friends

~9.3 km, ~25–30 min. Leave your luggage at the front desk here for the day — no need to swing back to Shilla Stay before the airport.

08:30Breakfast / coffee with friends

Pick: Cafes around Hotel the Designers Jongno · USD 5–8

09:15Taxi to Seongsu-dong

~7 km, ~20–25 min by taxi from Jongno. Subway also works — Jongno 3-ga to Seongsu on Line 2/3 with a transfer, ~30 min.

09:45Shopping nearby: Seongsu

Pick: Tamburins Seongsu Flagship · USD 20–80

12:00Taxi back to Ikseon-dong

~20–25 min back toward Jongno for lunch.

12:30Ikseon-dong Hanok Village, lunch

Pick: 익선취향 (Ikseon Chwihyang), Ikseon-dong · USD 15–20

15:30Go back to Jongno hotel for luggage

~1.3 km, 15-min walk or a quick taxi from Ikseon-dong. Grab your bags from the front desk and say your goodbyes here.

16:30Head to Incheon Airport

Airport Limousine Bus from a nearby Jongno/Gwanghwamun stop — ~52 km, ~60–75 min depending on traffic. Confirm the exact stop and schedule that morning, since it's a different pickup point from the COEX bus used on arrival. Direct taxi is faster but pricier (~$45–55).

20:30Depart — PR403 to Manila

Lands 23:40. Trip complete.

Leaving your bags at the Jongno hotel means no backtrack to Shilla Stay — Seongsu covers perfume, makeup, clothes, and bags in one compact cluster of flagships, then a relaxed lunch send-off with friends before swinging back for luggage and heading to the airport.

Budget worksheet

Item		Amount
Registration		$740
Conference / registration fee		$740
Meals		$300
Per diem	$20 / meal · per person	$300
Accommodation		$320
Room for 2	rate ÷ 2 × 4 nights	$320
Insurance		$45
Travel insurance		$45
Transpo		$460
PAL airfare		$330
Airport travel tax		$30
In-land transportation	5 days	$100
Communication		$15
Internet / communication allowance		$15
Total		$1,880