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 ↗
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.
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.
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 ↗