Jagalchi Market
자갈치시장The country's largest fish market and a national institution. Pick your fish downstairs, they cook it for you upstairs.
Metro line 1, Jagalchi station · Maps ↗
Around the country
The cities, one by one
Pick a city: you get what makes it special, how to get there from Seoul, and the places genuinely worth the trip.
Busan
부산The country's second city and its largest port. It has the energy of a metropolis but with the sea everywhere, a milder climate and a looseness Seoul doesn't have. Mountains to the north, beaches to the east, legendary markets in the middle — and a metro connecting all of it.
Getting thereKTX from Seoul, about 2 h 30. Once there, four metro lines cover the city — more reliable than buses, as traffic is every bit as bad as in Seoul.
Gamcheon Culture Village
감천문화마을Multicoloured houses stacked up a hillside, turned into an artists' village. Wear comfortable shoes — it climbs.
Metro to Toseong, then local bus · Maps ↗
Haeundae Beach
해운대Korea's most famous beach, framed by skyscrapers. Packed in summer; off-season the coastal walk is still lovely.
Metro line 2, Haeundae station · Maps ↗
Beomeosa Temple
범어사A large Buddhist temple clinging to Geumjeongsan mountain, founded in the 7th century. The contrast with the city below is striking.
Metro line 1 to Beomeosa, then bus · Maps ↗
Nampodong district
남포동The shopping and entertainment quarter in the south. Pedestrian streets, street food and cinemas — this is where the city goes out.
Metro line 1, Nampo station · Maps ↗
Gyeongju
경주Capital of the Silla kingdom for nearly a thousand years, nicknamed the museum without walls. Royal tombs sit in the middle of town like green hills. A quirk: under Park Chung-hee every building had to follow traditional architecture — the whole city keeps a rare charm from it.
Getting thereNo direct train from Seoul: either change at Daegu (2-3 h), or take the KTX to Singyeongju, 20-25 min from the centre (just over 2 h). By bus from Seoul, around 3 h 30; from Busan, under an hour.
Bulguksa Temple
불국사Korea's most famous temple, UNESCO-listed. Its stone terraces and twin pagodas are masterpieces of Silla art.
Bus 10 or 11 from the centre · Maps ↗
Seokguram Grotto
석굴암A granite Buddha in a man-made grotto facing the sea. Do it straight after Bulguksa — same mountain.
Bus from Bulguksa · Maps ↗
Daereungwon tomb park
대릉원Twenty-three royal tombs shaped like grassy hills. One of them can be visited from the inside.
Walkable from the town centre · Maps ↗
Gyerim Forest
계림A small forest attached to a lovely legend: a king is said to have found the founding child of the Kim clan here, inside a golden box.
Bus 60 or 61, southeast of the tombs · Maps ↗
Banwolseong Fortress
반월성The crescent moon fortress, once the royal palace. Only earthen ramparts remain, but the Seokbinggo — an 18th-century ice house — is worth a look.
East of Gyerim Forest · Maps ↗
Jeonju
전주Capital of Jeollabuk-do, and probably the city where Korean tradition is most alive. Its hanok village is the largest and best preserved in the country. It's also the birthplace of bibimbap and a historic centre for making hanji, Korean paper.
Getting thereKTX from Seoul, 1 h 50 for around 35,000 ₩. By bus, 2 h 40 and considerably cheaper, with departures every 10 to 20 minutes.
Hanok Village
전주한옥마을Over 700 traditional houses in one place. Craft workshops, hanbok rental, and lanes best wandered without a plan.
Right in the centre, on foot · Maps ↗
Jeondong Cathedral
전동성당An early 20th-century brick cathedral, built where Catholic martyrs were executed. Directly opposite the hanok village.
At the entrance to the hanok village · Maps ↗
Hanji workshops
한지Jeonju's paper was renowned as far as China. Several workshops open their doors and let you try your hand.
Inside the hanok village · Maps ↗
Gyeonggijeon Shrine
경기전It holds the portrait of the founding king of the Joseon dynasty, whose family came from Jeonju.
Hanok village, small entry fee · Maps ↗
Sokcho
속초A fishing port wedged between sea and mountains, and above all the best gateway to Seoraksan National Park. The Abai district, founded by North Korean refugees during the war, feels frozen in time.
Getting thereBy bus from Seoul (Gyeongbu terminal), at least two departures an hour from 6 am to 11:30 pm. Around 2 h 25 for 15,000-30,000 ₩.
Seoraksan National Park
설악산국립공원Probably the finest park in the country: granite peaks, deep valleys, pine forests. Four main entrances depending on which sector you're after.
Local bus from Sokcho · Maps ↗
Seoraksan cable car
설악산 케이블카For those who'd rather have the view without the three-hour climb. It leads to the foot of Gwongeumseong fortress.
Seorak-dong entrance · Maps ↗
Abai Village
아바이마을On a small peninsula facing the port, a village frozen in time, famous since a hit series was filmed there. Reached by a hand-pulled ferry.
Ferry from the port, 2,000 ₩ · Maps ↗
Naksansa Temple
낙산사A temple perched on a cliff above the East Sea, with a white Buddha statue visible from far off.
Bus from Sokcho, ~20 min · Maps ↗
Gangneung
강릉The largest city on the east coast, known for its summer beaches and seafront cafés. It's also a gateway to Seoraksan and Odaesan parks, and home to the Dano festival, one of the oldest in the country.
Getting thereKTX from Seoul, 2 h for around 30,000 ₩, hourly. By bus from Dongseoul, 2 h 20 for 15,000-30,000 ₩.
Ojukheon
오죽헌One of the oldest wooden houses in Korea, surrounded by black bamboo. Birthplace of a major Confucian thinker.
Bus from the station · Maps ↗
Seongyojang
선교장A vast aristocratic Joseon-era estate, held by the same family for generations. The pavilion over the pond is superb.
Near Ojukheon · Maps ↗
Daegwallyeong Pass
대관령Twenty kilometres above the city, a sacred pass with sheep pastures and a 45-minute walk along the grazing land.
Bus or taxi from Gangneung · Maps ↗
Gyeongpo Beach
경포해변The city's main beach, paired with a lake and an old pavilion with a fine sunset view.
Bus from the centre · Maps ↗
Andong
안동The city that guards Korean tradition most jealously. A major Confucian centre since Joseon, with academies still active, a classic village and a mask festival. At the table, jjimdak braised chicken and Andong soju, triple-distilled, are institutions.
Getting thereBy bus from Seoul (Gyeongbu), one or two departures an hour, 2 h 40 from 16,000 ₩. By train from Cheongnyangni, about 2 h. From Daegu, 1 h 40 by bus.
Hahoe Village
하회마을UNESCO-listed and still inhabited, set in a river bend. Noble and farmers' houses side by side, thatch and tile roofs together.
Bus 246 from Andong, ~50 min · Maps ↗
Dosan Seowon Academy
도산서원The country's most famous Confucian academy, founded in the 16th century. Wood and stone by a lakeside.
Bus 67 from Andong · Maps ↗
Mask Museum
하회동탈박물관The Hahoe masks are a national treasure. The museum also shows masks from around the world and explains byeolsingut masked theatre.
At the entrance to Hahoe Village · Maps ↗
Woryeonggyo Bridge
월영교Korea's longest wooden footbridge, built in tribute to a 16th-century love story. Beautiful when lit at night.
Bus from the centre · Maps ↗
Gwangju
광주Nicknamed the city of light and the home of the arts, Gwangju is considered by Koreans the cradle of their democracy — the only city that stood up to the military dictatorship in May 1980. Today it's a major arts hub, with its contemporary art biennale.
Getting thereKTX from Seoul, 2 h for 18,000-60,000 ₩, with 4 to 7 departures a day. Locally, a single metro line covers the essentials.
May 18th National Cemetery
국립5·18민주묘지The memorial to the victims of the 1980 uprising. Sober and deeply moving, and essential to understanding modern Korea.
Bus 518 from the centre · Maps ↗
Asia Culture Center
국립아시아문화전당A huge, largely underground cultural complex devoted to the arts of all Asia. Exhibitions, performances, library.
Metro, Culture Complex station · Maps ↗
Mudeungsan Mountain
무등산The national park overlooking the city, with its distinctive stone columns at the summit. Hikes for all levels.
Bus from the city centre · Maps ↗
Daein Market
대인시장A former market turned artists' haunt, with studios set up in the old stalls. Particular atmosphere on night-market evenings.
Metro, Geumnamno 4-ga station · Maps ↗
Jeju
제주도The volcanic island in the south, an hour by plane. A distinctly separate climate, dialect and culture, with the haenyeo — free-diving women who bring up shellfish and abalone without tanks — and the dol hareubang, basalt statues known as the stone grandfathers.
Getting thereBy plane from Gimpo (Seoul) or Gimhae (Busan), the most frequent routes. Budget 80,000-120,000 ₩ return. By boat: 12 h from Busan, 4 to 5 h 30 from Mokpo.
Hallasan National Park
한라산국립공원The country's highest point (1,950 m), a dormant UNESCO-listed volcano with a crater lake at the summit. Four trails, two of which reach the top.
Taxi from Jeju for Gwaneumsa (~30,000 ₩), bus for Seongpanak · Maps ↗
Seongsan Ilchulbong
성산일출봉A crater risen from the sea, shaped like a crown. The climb takes 25 minutes and the sunrise is famous — hence its name, sunrise peak.
Bus from Jeju, east coast · Maps ↗
Jeju Olle Trails
제주올레26 hiking routes from 5 to 23 km, mostly along the coast. You can buy a passport and stamp it along the way.
Trailheads all around the island · Maps ↗
Manjanggul Lava Tube
만장굴One of the world's longest lava tubes, UNESCO-listed. A kilometre is open to the public, ending at an impressive lava column.
Bus from Jeju, ~1 h · Maps ↗
Haenyeo Museum
해녀박물관Devoted to the diving women who are the island's pride, covering their techniques and their community organisation.
Northeast coast, bus from Jeju · Maps ↗
Suwon
수원On Seoul's doorstep, a city dominated by a UNESCO-listed fortress. Built in the late 18th century by King Jeongjo in tribute to his father, it blends Korean and Western techniques — cutting-edge engineering for its time.
Getting thereAbout 45 minutes by train from Seoul, or on metro line 1. It's the easiest day trip in the country from the capital.
Hwaseong Fortress
화성Five kilometres of ramparts you can walk end to end. A small tourist train for those who'd rather not.
Entry ~1,000 ₩ · Maps ↗
Hwaseong Haenggung Palace
화성행궁The palace where the king stayed during his visits. Rebuilt, it hosts martial arts demonstrations at weekends.
In the centre of the fortress · Maps ↗
Korean Folk Village
한국민속촌An open-air village museum recreating life under Joseon, with equestrian and dance performances. A family favourite.
Shuttle from Suwon station · Maps ↗
Daegu
대구The country's fourth city, in a basin ringed by mountains — which gives it harsh winters and stifling summers. Less spectacular than Busan or Gwangju, but an excellent base for the surrounding region, especially Haeinsa Temple.
Getting thereDirect KTX from Seoul. The city also has its own international airport, with links to Jeju and China.
Medicinal Herb Market
약령시A market over 350 years old, entirely devoted to traditional medicine. The smell alone is worth the visit.
Metro, Banwoldang station · Maps ↗
Haeinsa Temple
해인사An hour and a half away, one of the three jewel temples of Korean Buddhism. It holds the Tripitaka Koreana: 80,000 wooden blocks carved in the 13th century.
Bus from the western terminal · Maps ↗
Palgongsan Mountain
팔공산The mountain overlooking the city, with a cable car and Donghwasa Temple at its foot.
Bus 401 from the centre · Maps ↗