Three days, three stadiums, three games, six teams: a baseball weekend in Seoul

Thinking of visiting Korea for baseball?  Read on.

The goal was as many games as possible in as many stadiums as possible within a three-day weekend.

After confirming work obligations, I looked first to Taiwan, but the CPBL schedule had only two stadiums in play on my weekend. 

Visiting the second stadium would require an eight-hour round-trip, more than might be comfortably doable on a weekend.

The KBO, though, had on its schedule two games in two different stadiums in Seoul, and another game in Incheon, a neighboring city between Seoul and the international airport. (The previous weekend had only two of these stadiums in the play, the following weekend only one.)

A search of Google maps for transport between the airport and three stadiums revealed plenty of options and a maximum travel time, from the two farthest points, of only two hours.  Travel between other points was 30 minutes to one hour and if properly scheduled the two-hour trip could be avoided.

Google flights showed plenty of options between Shanghai and Seoul.

As I moved to China less than a year ago, there weren’t a lot of people I could ask to share the trip.  One colleague expressed interest, but begged off for work and financial reasons. Surprisingly, my wife said she’d be happy to go.

A post to a Korean baseball forum resulted in excellent advice about where to look for a hotel central to all three stadiums.

The only thing left to chance was ticketing.  Online presales are available, but apparently only to holders of Korean national ID cards.  Unless you have a Korean friend to buy tickets for you, foreign visitors have no choice but to get in line at stadium ticket gates.  (Inquiries about brick-and-mortar ticket vendors left Korean interlocutors confused.)

Total cost for two roundtrip flights, four nights at mid-range hotels (US$70.00 per night), local transport (trains, subways and buses), three baseball games, plus meals and beverages, came to approximately US$1400. You might be able to shave $300 off this total if you get a good deal on air tickets, stay at guest houses, don’t drink, and don’t mind sitting in the outfield.

#