Tampa to Seoul Flights

  About Tampa

Nestled on Tampa Bay is the quaint and quintessential city of Tampa in Florida's Gulf Coast. Due to its proximity to Cuba, much of the culture, cuisine and lifestyle is Cuban-influenced. Tampa is a famous tourist destination which sees a huge crowd of travellers visiting during peak season.

Best time to visit Tampa

Tampa's busiest months are from May through August as the weather is hot, just the way some people like it. However, it is the months of September to December that you should root for as the weather is very pleasant and the hotel prices are also cheap and convenient. The temperatures range from 22 degree Celsius to 31 degree Celsius, which is quite ideal if you are travelling from India. The hotel reservations in Tampa during these months are also affordable as they have discounted rates, making the trip perfect. You might even end up getting rooms facing the water, which is quite the sight. Plus, the city also sees fun events such as Oktoberfest Tampa and Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. You should know though that summer is also a good time when it comes to hosting events in the city. They have some really amazing events such as Sunset Music Festival, BeeFest and Bolts Brew Fest. Basically, Floridians of Tampa like their beer chilled and crafted. It reflects perfectly with the way they celebrate beer several times in a year. Despite being hot, the city does manage to attract a lot of crowds and along with them, heavy hotel prices.

The winter and spring months at Tampa are exquisite. Even though the temperature falls to 11 degree Celsius sometimes in January, the season still sees a good amount of tourist activity. Due to this, the flight and hotel charges are also quite steep. In fact, it would be best for you to start looking for hotels and accommodations along with your flight tickets, well in advance. You might still get expensive rates for flights and hotels in Tampa, but it always seems like you can manage to get some online deals. It is recommended that you start three months in advance to book flights and hotels in Tampa for a lush vacation. There are some fun festivals too that take place in the city such as Tampa Pride, Taste @ the Straz, Tampa Bay Beer Week, Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival. While the prices might be steep and even the streets might be full of crowded tourists, you should still opt for this time of the year for a trip to Tampa. The city's vibe is certainly something that would make you want to relax and have a good time.

Places to visit in Tampa

Tampa is ideal for a family vacation and especially for animal lovers. The place has a lot of tourist attractions that would keep anyone engaged. From the Florida Aquarium to the Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa continues to bustle with tourists as there are many natural locales to explore. You can start with the Riverwalk which is located along the Hillsborough River. You can walk it up or use a bike. The Florida Aquarium is recognised to be one of the best in the world and houses a colossal number of marine life with over 14, 000 residing within. It will take you a long time to complete your tour in the Florida Aquarium, but it will be quite an experience. You can also engage in some interesting shows at the Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Centre ZooTampa at Lowry Park is a fun expedition to explore with the family. The zoo has some beautiful animals, including African elephants, orangutans, tigers, koalas, penguins, to name a few species. You can also check out the Henry B Plant Museum, which is located on the campus of the University of Tampa.

Things to do in Tampa

Busch Gardens is a theme park which is sprawled across 297 acres of land. There are many live shows, roller coasters games and shops that would hold your attention. To enjoy the entertainment sphere of Tampa, you should try to get a ticket to watch a show at the Tampa Theatre. The theatre is recognised to be one of the most elaborate theatres in the world. The city also organises several boat tours, and all you have got to do is to pick a cruise or yacht trip and make the most of Tampa. Another fun amusement park is the Adventure Island where you can unwind with your family. Even though the beach is right there, you should visit the amusement park as your kids will definitely love the entertaining activities and rides present. Not to mention how you should indulge in some of the festivals and food tours.

Food and Restaurants in Tampa

Tampa's food is heavily Cuban-inspired. It is Cuban food and waterfront dining that the locals recommend and for all the right reasons. You can enjoy the lip-smacking seafood with Cuban flavours while watching the sunset. It is quite a sight and the ideal dining experience one can ask for. One of the best waterfront seats that you can find in Tamp is at the Oystercatchers, which is associated with Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. The place has the freshest and best seafood that you'll find in Tampa. While Oystercatchers does have a great view of the water and the best waterfront in Tampa, you can also opt for Cafe Dufrain which is located in the Harbour Island. The establishment gives a fancy spin to locally sourced dishes. For some exquisite Cuban food, you should visit Ybor City and make reservations at Columbia Restaurant. The establishment is recognised as one of the top-notch in all of Florida for serving the best Cuban cuisine. Besides Cuban, you will also find Spanish and Caribbean meals from the respective kitchen. What's fascinating is how you'll find flamenco performances while you relish the food.

La Teresita Restaurant is another fun establishment that makes lip-smacking food and offers a great vibe. For special occasions, you should visit Bern's Steak House. The dining scene of the said restaurant is exquisite, and the food is divine. Far off to the other side of the spectrum is the Rooster & the Till, which basically has beautiful farm-to-table dishes to cater to the American tapas. Ulele is also a lovely joint which is perfectly nestled on the Tampa Riverwalk. They specialise in Native-inspired cuisine which includes charbroiled oysters with garlic butter and cheese. Tampa Riverwalk also has many other food joints that would get your attention. They favour Cuban food interspersed with wood-fired pizzas. Hillsborough River is another famous point where the foodies will have a good time indulging in classic to modern dishes.

How to reach Tampa

Flight connectivity to Tampa from India is quite good. Although there are no direct flights that fly to Tampa from India, a plethora of connecting flights and layover options are available. Thanks to a slew of flights that fly to Tampa from the US as well as some European cities, travelling to Tampa is not cumbersome. Instead, it is actually very convenient. Some of the airlines such as British Airways, Swiss, United Airlines, Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Qatar Airways, United Airways, American Airlines, Air France, Vistara, have impeccable flight connectivity to Tampa from India. The most convenient and popular route to reach Tampa from India is by flying to Miami and getting a connecting flight from there. As both the cities are in the Florida state, travelling via domestic routes becomes easier if Tampa is the destination. From India, there are various international routes to reach Tampa, such as from London, Zurich, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Rome, Toronto and Newark, to name a few. Some of the cities require a transit visa.

Specific countries have rules that require the travellers to hold a transit visa. If you have layovers or connecting flights from cities such as Zurich, Frankfurt, Toronto, Paris, London, Newark, to name a few, you will have to produce a transit visa. This visa cannot be used to step out of the airport as it is only to showcase that you are visiting the said city's airport to board a connecting flight. Flight tickets to Tampa are not cheap. Rather, they are quite expensive. One of the main reasons why travellers opt for Miami instead of flying to Tampa is because of the expensive flight tickets. However, if you have managed to save well and have enough in your bank account to make the trip happen, then you might be able to snag some flight ticket deals to Tampa online. It would be convenient if you also booked your hotels in Tampa while booking your flights. The accommodation in Tampa is just as expensive, which means you will have to make prior bookings, probably more than six months in advance. This way you will get amazing deals online plus you will get to save up for the same in the city.

  About Seoul

The affluent city of Seoul is one of the largest cities and capital of South Korea. Defined by its vibrant culture, flourishing economy and striking infrastructure and architecture, the city easily becomes one of the best places to live in. Right from the clean and convenient Incheon airport to the towering yet scintillating structures of the skyscrapers in the city, Seoul is a city that you should definitely visit. From the city's nightlife fervour to the relics of ancient history, Seoul caters to the likes of all types of tourists.

Flight bookings to Seoul are decently priced from India. It also falls under one of the top places to visit for a budget-friendly experience from India. The lively and dynamic city life will certainly leave an impression on you. Not to mention how they have exquisite accommodations and hospitality too. You can book some lovely hotels in Seoul and enjoy the garden views of the city.

Best time to visit Seoul

Seoul enjoys multitudes of seasons, making some months perfect and others best avoided. Spring in Seoul between March to May is when the city witnesses the best of nature's delights. From lovely trees turning into beautiful shades of green to the blooming of the cherry blossoms, Seoul's Springtime is the best season to visit the city. The temperature is also at a pleasant 10 degree Celsius to 23 degree Celsius. It is recommended that you pack some parkas or winter jackets during your visit as the evenings will get quite cold. The flight tickets to Seoul is cheap during springtime, making travelling viable. Not to mention how the hotels also drop their prices. If you do a little scouting, you might even find some snazzy flight deals online to Seoul as well as affordable accommodation. Best would be to book hotels to Seoul in advance as the locals of South Korea might flock over to the city to experience the charming season. Since this is also the time when there are festivals celebrated, crowd from other parts of South Korea might travel to the city.

The second wave of season that would work in your favour is the autumn. Between September and November, the autumn season envelopes the city with scintillating atmosphere and lovely weather. Compared to the flight ticket prices to Seoul during summer or even winter, autumn will get you the best travel deals. Hotel prices also see a pleasant drop, enabling travelling convenient for travellers who wish to explore the city of Seoul. There are various high-priced and quaint hotels in Seoul that you can check into.

Places to visit in Seoul

As a city that witnesses approximately 10 million people from around the world, there are many beautiful tourist spots with off-beat city things. You will interestingly find a lot of gardens and parks interspersed with a fine culinary experience. The two famous things to see in Seoul is undoubtedly their well-maintained parks, temples, palaces and marketplace. Some of the perfect places to begin with in Seoul are from the serene gardens of Changdeok Palace, Bukhansan National Park and Namsan Park and N Seoul Town. While it might sound boring to indulge in garden-hopping as opposite to the possibility of seeing pristine structures and architectural delights. But you should know that these gardens have the power to transport you to a tranquil space amid a busy city. Bukchon Hanok Village would be a good neighbourhood to visit as it has some of the most expensive and private hanoks, basically traditional Korean-styled houses.

While in Seoul, do not miss out their UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the oldest royal shrines preserved by the city. Jongmyo Shrine is known to be the oldest and a well-kept royal shrine complex from the Joseon dynasty. The location is beautiful and definitely worth a visit. You can also check out their cute Korean version of Disney World at Lotte World. The theme park boasts Korean kitsch but also has some fun adventure rides suitable for all ages.

Things to do in Seoul

Within the Bukhansan National Park, there are towering hills and even valleys that would deem perfect for some of you adventure junkies. You can also trek up to the Buddhist temples and the Bukhansanseong Fortress, all by following the trails in the park. To engage in some of their party cultures, you can check out Hondae, a hub and that flaunts the fun youth culture of South Korea. Dongdaemun Market is another amazing place for all you shopaholics. It is Seoul's very own mecca of shopping with exquisite brands and over 30,000 shops, wholesale stores and much more. In fact, to peruse through the market, you will have to carry a map with you, so that you don't get lost in the premise.

Food and Restaurants in Seoul

Seoul's culinary delights are something that you shouldn't miss. Take that leap of faith and experiment with your palette by downing some of the traditional Korean dishes. Straight from the Korean kitchen are dishes like hansik, kimchi, gochujang and samgyupsal, galbi, to name a few of them. Much of Korean cuisine has grilled food that goes down really well with some soju. The setting for these dishes is mostly some of the quaint restaurants with tabletop grill. The sizzling meat in front of you would certainly leave you drooling.

It is essential for you to first learn about Korean cuisine before experimenting as some of their dishes might not go down well with you. While the sizzling meat could make you go weak in the knees, some of you might want to get a whiff of the lovely rice bowl with aromatic vegetables and meat. Seoul's famous Bon Bibimbap will serve you some of their legendary bibimbap. A bibimbap consists of a rice bowl topped with vegetables, fried egg (optional), marinated meat and chilli paste for taste. Not only will these dishes do you good but won't burn a hole in your pocket.

For the best street food experience in Seoul, you should simply head to the Gwangjang Market where you will find dishes such as mandu (dumplings with ground meat or vegetables, depending on your choice), bindaeduk (friend pancakes) and jokbal (pigs' feet tossed in boiling soy sauce and ginger). To experience the restaurant-like setting, you should visit places such as Gusto Taco, Jangseng Geongangwon, 853, The Griffin Bar, Jihwaja, Innisfree Green Cafe, Yang Good, to name a few. The Korean-style food and savouries are a treat, especially if you've been following the Korean culture for too long. Seoul's food expedition would be quite rewarding.

How to reach Seoul (Transportation)

By Air

From India, there is impeccable flight connectivity to Seoul. Major metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, etc., have direct or layover flights to Seoul. To book a flight ticket to Seoul, you'll have to select Incheon International Airport, which is near the main city of Seoul. From the Seoul airport, there are inter-city buses that will take you to the main city. The city of Seoul is approximately 48 km away from Incheon airport. Hence, the provisions to facilitate buses from the airport has been made by the authorities. It takes close to 60 minutes to reach the main city of Seoul from the airport. Seoul-Incheon International Airport is touted to be one of the cleanest and best international transit airport globally. The efficiency of the airport can be witnessed as you take the international route to Seoul from India too. The flights to and from Seoul regularly fly in India. The demand for the South Korean city is quite high, making it one of the important international cities to connect for India.

The flight tickets from India to Seoul are also quite cheap and affordable. It costs approximately INR 37,000 - 40,000, round trip. Despite regular flight connectivity to Seoul, the flights from India do have to undergo layovers in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, etc. Air India is the only Indian airlines to have dedicated flights to Seoul from India. To enjoy cheap flight tickets to Seoul, you should opt for early booking. In fact, while you're at it, book your hotels in Seoul as well. You'll get the added benefit of booking flights to Seoul as well as accommodation. There are many flight deals online for Seoul as it is a popular city that sees decent demand from India. The flight duration to Seoul from India takes about 10 - 15 hours to reach.

By Water

There are cruises to Seoul by they are not connected from India. South Korea is an island country and hence, has cruises and ships as other modes of transport. However, the provision is not possible from India. There are regular ships and cruises voyaging to Seoul from Singapore, China and even Australia. IT should be noted though that travelling via waterways would take a lot of time. As long as you have the luxury of time and wealth, you can take up fancy cruises from the places mentioned. It is not a convenient mode of transport as you will have to change from flights to cruises or ships.