Gyeongbokgung 경복궁
···
The north of the city holds the Joseon royal palaces and the traditional lanes of Bukchon 북촌. Go early, before the tour groups.
Travel guide · South Korea
KoreaSimply
Only what's worth it, how to get there, and what it costs.
Scroll
Get your bearings
The map of the country
A geographic overview of the places mentioned in this guide. Tap a point to open it directly in Naver Map — Korea’s reference map, far more reliable than Google Maps once you’re on the ground.
City and place names in the Latin alphabet, far easier to read than a Korean-labelled base map. Every point links through to Naver Map, whose mobile app (not the web version) switches to English, Chinese or Japanese from its settings.
The capital
Five cities in one
Every district has its own personality. One face per day, and you'll enjoy it ten times more than if you rush around.
Gangnam 강남
···
Glass towers and vast underground malls — and in the middle of it, Bongeunsa 봉은사, a temple from the 8th century.
Myeongdong 명동
···
Shopping and street food, backed by Namsan 남산, a wooded mountain right downtown. Go up for the evening panorama.
Hongdae & Itaewon 홍대 · 이태원
···
Live music in the west, food from everywhere in the east, and a genuinely moving war memorial.
The Han river 한강
···
Twelve parks along the banks, bikes to rent, open-air cinema in summer. The city's breathing space, free.
The markets 시장
···
Gwangjang 광장시장 and Namdaemun 남대문시장: the liveliest corner of the city and the best value food anywhere.
The map of Seoul
The capital’s six faces, shown relative to one another.
5 major cities with a metro system
45 minto the Suwon fortress
2 hto Gyeongju by high-speed train
1only one booking is compulsory — the DMZ
Under two hours away
Day trips worth taking
The province around Seoul works perfectly as a day trip, no need to move your suitcase. The network is so dense people forget to use it.
Hwaseong fortress 수원 화성
···
Five kilometres of 18th-century ramparts, built by a king in memory of his father.
The demilitarised zone 비무장지대
···
Observatories, binoculars pointed north, an infiltration tunnel, and a negotiation room straddling the line.
Ganghwado 강화도
···
UNESCO-listed dolmens, coastal fortresses, and a mountain facing the Yellow Sea you can climb in an hour.
Namhansanseong 남한산성
···
Almost a suburb, yet it feels far away. The advice nobody follows: go up at nightfall.
Everland 에버랜드
···
The country's biggest park: rides, a zoo, gardens, and a huge water park next door.
Incheon 인천
···
Usually reduced to its airport, Incheon is really the gateway to the islands offshore.
The rest of the country
When you have more than a week
The country is small and the trains are fast. Three days down south is hardly an expedition.
Gyeongju 경주
···
A thousand years of the Silla kingdom in the open air: royal mounds in the middle of town, Bulguksa 불국사 temple and the Seokguram 석굴암 grotto.
Busan 부산
···
The opposite of Seoul: city beaches, the Jagalchi 자갈치시장 fish market, and the colourful hillside village of Gamcheon 감천문화마을.
Seoraksan 설악산
···
Granite peaks cut with an axe, old zen temples among the pines, and a beach less than an hour away.
Jeonju 전주 한옥마을
···
Home to the country’s largest hanok village, a genuine open-air museum of a town. It’s also the birthplace of bibimbap, worth tasting in its original form.
Jeju 제주도
···
Craters, lava tubes, coastal paths, and the haenyeo 해녀 free-divers who bring up abalone without tanks.
Logistics
Getting around without the headache
Probably the easiest country in Asia to move around. Three habits and you'll never think about it again.
T-money card티머니 · Habit number one
Buy it on arrival at any convenience store. Rechargeable, valid on metro, buses and some taxis. Bring cash — you can't buy it with a foreign card. There's also a phone version, Mobile T-money.
The metro지하철
Dense, punctual, signed in English everywhere. In Seoul you can do everything by metro and never take a taxi. Plan routes on Naver Map or Kakao Map.
Trains기차 · Long distance
Two high-speed networks: KTX, bookable on Let's Korail, and SRT from Suseo 수서 station, on etk.srail.kr. Lots of journeys planned? Look at the KORAIL Pass.
Buses버스 · The cheapest
Express buses link two big cities non-stop, intercity ones serve everywhere else. Tickets at the terminal or online at Kobus.
Taxis택시
Plentiful and affordable. Use k.ride, the foreigner version of Kakao T: estimated fare shown up front and automatic translation with the driver.
Bikes따릉이
Seoul's bike-share, best along the Han river. 1 h, 2 h or 24 h passes, payable with a foreign card: bikeseoul.com.
Driving자동차 · Honestly, don't
International licence required, confusing signage, and parking is a contact sport. Except on Jeju, save it for another trip.
The best part of the trip
And don't be shy
Eating is probably the number one reason people come back. Enough to get you past bibimbap for two weeks.
Banchan 반찬
The little dishes that arrive without you asking. Included in the price, and refilled as often as you like.
Barbecue 고기구이
Coals in the middle of the table, you grill it yourself. A social meal that lasts: allow time.
Street food 길거리 음식
Spicy tteokbokki 떡볶이, skewers, sweet hotteok 호떡 pancakes. Night markets and student districts.
Cold noodles 냉면
Buckwheat in an iced broth. In the Korean summer, the country's best invention.
Café culture 카페
Everywhere, open late, often beautiful. The best place to sit when your legs give up.
Soju 소주
You never pour your own, and you hold your glass with both hands when someone older pours for you.
The best addresses
Beyond the categories above: a handful of places genuinely worth the detour, across every budget.
The favourite
Jeju Village
제주마을A spot in Gangnam picked out for its Jeju-style cooking — in the spirit of the restaurants that bring the island's specialities to the mainland, black pork chief among them. A recommendation gathered on the ground rather than from a generic ranking.
Google Maps ↗Myeongdong Kyoja명동교자
A kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) institution right in Myeongdong, open for decades.
~11,000 ₩
Gogung고궁
Jeonju-style bibimbap, from the city that invented the dish — one of the best versions without leaving Seoul.
~13,000-16,000 ₩
Woo Lae Oak우래옥
A historic address for galbi and naengmyeon (cold noodles), open since 1945.
~20,000-40,000 ₩
Jungsik정식당
Contemporary Korean cuisine reimagined by a Michelin-starred chef — a proper splurge in Gangnam.
Tasting menu, reservation required
Noryangjin Fish Market노량진수산시장
Seoul's big fish market, open 24 hours: pick your own live seafood, then have it grilled upstairs on the spot.
Depends on your pick
What we wish we'd known
Nine lines that change everything
Nothing revolutionary. But each one saves you time, money, or a door shut in your face.
Mondays are closed
Museums and palaces close en masse on Mondays, sometimes Tuesdays.
Last Wednesday of the month
Culture Day: free or reduced entry at a large number of sites.
Hanbok opens doors
Rent traditional dress 한복 near the palaces and entry becomes free.
Temples are free
Unlike palaces, most cost nothing at all.
Watch the ticket desks
They shut 30 min to an hour before the posted closing time.
Only one compulsory booking
Everything is walk-in except the border zone with the North.
Under 7, over 65
Most sites are free. Keep your passport to prove age.
Festivals all year
Check what falls during your dates — there's always something.
Smoking is complicated
Bans are wide-reaching, including around tourist sites.