Are you ready for a holiday? In our Testbirds Holiday Apps series, our employees from all over the world present the must-have mobile apps when travelling throughout their respective countries. This week we head east. With more than 10 million inhabitants in the city and another 13 million in the suburbs and surrounding rural areas, this metropolitan world is one of the biggest and most stunning places in Asia. Give it up for Josephine who was living and working in Seoul before joining our team in Munich.
Seoul
Seoul is an amazing city that is most definitely worth visiting. The list of things to do is so long I’d need another blog post for it, but just to give you an idea of what you can expect: tons of historical palaces and temples, massive shopping districts, amazing night life, huge parks and recreational areas, crazy-looking yet delicious street food and… the list goes on. I’m here to recommend three apps that will make your visit to Seoul a bit smoother.
This app is a lifesaver for anyone trying to navigate the massive subway system in Seoul, the longest in the world with 18 lines. Yes, 18. It’s available in Korean, English and Japanese, and provides all the information you need to get to your destination: subway map, travel time, fare, transfer, and even what subway car you need to get on in order to transfer the fastest. For all you party people, this app will tell you the last train of the night you can catch. The app also works for other big cities like Busan and Daegu.
If you’re planning on meeting and hanging out with some locals, then you’re going to want to keep in touch. And in Korea, it’s all about KakaoTalk – the What’sApp of Korea but even better! It’s a messaging app with all the good stuff: group chat, free calls, plus friend (i.e. add H&M to your contact list and they’ll send you discount codes – yes please!). It’s a bit of a process to install, but you don’t need a mobile number to use it, just an internet connection. Your new friends can add you by searching for your username. And the best part is that they have the most amazing animated emoticons that What’s App can’t even compete with! Just for that it’s worth downloading
Created by the Korea Tourism Organization, this app will help you get to any major (or minor) attraction. You can search for any point of interest (attraction, dining, hotel, shopping, etc), and find out everything you need but most importantly… directions! Forget using streets and building numbers in Seoul, to get anywhere you need to know two things: What subway station you need to get to, and which exit number to take to get above ground. This app provides you with that information and so much more, like admission fees, hours of operation and a little introduction of the site you’re visiting in case you didn’t have time to google it beforehand. I speak from personal experience – this app has saved me so many times! ㅋㅋㅋ (that’s “haha” in Korean – See! You’re already an awesome tourist for knowing that)
