South Korea: a specialist’s guide to your first trip

Where to go, how long to stay and what I’d skip. By Josh, Jasmine Holidays

You don’t need to be into K-pop or Korean dramas to enjoy South Korea, and you don’t need a list of temples you want to see. If you’re curious about food and like seeing how other people live, you’ll get a lot out of it.

Having travelled around the country, I’d give it a holiday of its own rather than a few days on the end of something else. Ten nights is enough to settle into Seoul, spend time among Gyeongju’s royal burial mounds, some of them more than 1,500 years old, and finish by the sea in Busan.

This isn’t a list of every sight. It’s the advice I give clients when we’re deciding what belongs in their trip, including the things I’d leave out.

At a glance

Is South Korea for you?

It works well for couples with different interests. If one of you wants history and the other wants food, design or walking, there’s room for all of it without spending every day apart.

For families, I’d build the trip around what the children actually enjoy. A teenager who loves Korean culture may get as much from Seoul’s shopping streets as from any palace. Younger children will need shorter visits, more breaks and a hotel chosen for practical reasons.

Plan the route

Three bases first, then add only what you’ll enjoy

For a first trip I’d usually start with Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan. You get a capital city, an ancient capital and a port, and they sit on one easy line heading south. Anything else should go in because you want it there, rather than because it turns up on every itinerary.

How long do you need?

Two routes to start from

These are nights in Korea. Your flight out is overnight, so your total time away will be a day or two longer.

Where I’d put a spare night

• Seoul, if you want more neighbourhoods and restaurants
• Gyeongju, if history is the main reason you’re going
• Busan or Jeju, if you’d like some unplanned time by the sea

Keep your arrival day easy

After a long flight, a shower, an easy dinner and a short walk is plenty for the first day. If you land in the morning, we can book your room from the night before so you can go straight up.

Seoul

I’d allow 4 or 5 nights

I wouldn’t try to get to know Seoul through its landmarks alone. See a palace, by all means, but leave time for the streets around it, a proper lunch and somewhere to sit down. A day with some space in it is far more enjoyable than racing between five places.

One palace, then the lanes around it

Gyeongbokgung is the obvious introduction to royal Seoul. Changdeokgung is quieter, and its Secret Garden can only be seen on a timed guided tour, so it needs booking ahead. Unless you love palaces, one or two is plenty.

Afterwards, wander. Insadong has crafts, galleries and tea houses, and Ikseon-dong has cafés and restaurants tucked into narrow lanes of old hanok houses. These are places to browse, so I wouldn’t plan every half-hour.

Visiting Bukchon

People live in those much-photographed hanok houses, and parts of the neighbourhood now restrict visiting hours. Follow the signs, keep your voice down and please don’t use someone’s front door as a backdrop.

Modern Seoul

If shops, design and cafés appeal, make time for Seongsu, with its warehouse cafés and concept stores. Hongdae suits a younger, livelier night out. You don’t need to do both just because they’re well known.

Gwangjang Market

A market is a good way in to Korean food, especially with a guide to explain what you’re looking at and help you order. At Gwangjang, try bindaetteok, a crisp mung bean pancake, and mayak gimbap, little bite-sized rice rolls. Treat it as a chance to try a few things rather than a list to get through.

Should you visit the DMZ?

If you’re interested in modern history, I’d seriously consider it. It explains the division of the peninsula far better than a museum can, and it’s a very different day from palaces and temples.

Keep your expectations flexible, though. Tours can change or be cancelled at short notice, you’ll need your passport, and a standard DMZ tour doesn’t include the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom. We check the exact programme before you book.

Where to stay

For a first visit, I’d look at hotels around Jongno, Insadong or Myeongdong, close to the historic centre. Gangnam suits some trips, but it’s a long way from the sights if you’ll spend most days north of the river. A good test is to ask yourself where you’d like to walk out to for dinner.

Gyeongju

I’d stay 2 nights rather than visit for the day

Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom for nearly a thousand years, and the past is all around you. There are grassy royal burial mounds in the middle of town, temple sites out in the fields and Buddhist carvings in the hills.

Two nights gives you a day for the centre and a separate trip out to Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto. The grotto involves an uphill walk, so let us know if that might be a problem.

• Daereungwon and Cheomseongdae, with royal burial mounds next to East Asia’s oldest surviving observatory
• Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, best seen after dark

This is a place where a good guide makes a real difference. Knowing what you’re looking at turns a field of mounds into a story.

If you stay near the historic centre, you can walk out to dinner. Bomun Lake is prettier and more resort-like, but you’ll probably need a taxi most evenings, so it’s worth checking the location as carefully as the room photos.

Busan

I’d give it 3 nights

Korea’s second city is a working port with beaches and hills wrapped around it. Three nights gives you time for some sightseeing and at least one afternoon with nothing planned.

Busan is spread out, so it pays to plan your days by area. If you try to see it all in one go, you’ll spend most of the day crossing the city.

Gamcheon is a residential area with steep slopes and a lot of steps, so take it slowly and keep the noise down.

Where to stay

Haeundae suits you if you want the beach on your doorstep, Nampo if you’re more interested in markets and old Busan, and Seomyeon for transport links and restaurants. Tell me what you picture outside your hotel (a sea view, a local restaurant or a busy shopping street) and we’ll go from there.

Jeju or the mountains?

With 14 nights, pick the scenery you’ll enjoy most

Getting Jeju right

• Plan Jeju by area. Driving back and forth across the island to tick off sights wastes the days.
• Seongsan Ilchulbong is a stepped climb. If that doesn’t appeal, the coast around its base is lovely too.
• A driver or guide makes things easiest. You can self-drive, but you’ll need an International Driving Permit.
• Don’t rely on a tight connection from Jeju for your flight home. A last night on the mainland is much more forgiving if the weather causes delays.

Getting Seoraksan right

I’ll want to know what kind of walker you are. Gentle paths around Sinheungsa Temple and a cable car ride make a very different day from the steep, stepped climb to Ulsanbawi rock. I wouldn’t build the whole visit around the cable car, as it doesn’t run in high winds, and not every path from the top is easy.

Worth a detour

Ideas for making the trip more your own

Jeonju

Jeonju is worth a look if food and traditional architecture are high on your list. Its hanok village is large, and the city is known as the home of bibimbap. I’d stay the night so you have time for dinner and a quieter walk the next morning, though the main streets are busy, so don’t expect them to yourself.

It doesn’t slot easily into the Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan route, so we’d either add a night or swap something out.

Andong and Hahoe Village

If traditional homes and Korean culture really interest you, Andong and Hahoe Village are worth building in properly rather than squeezing in. Hahoe is a UNESCO-listed village where families still live. I’d arrange a guide and private car here, so you spend less time on connections and more time understanding what you’re seeing.

Staying in a hanok

A night in a traditional house can be a highlight, but rooms vary a lot, so I’d check the room itself rather than book on the strength of a courtyard photo. Things to ask:

• a floor mattress or a proper bed
• a private or shared bathroom
• how thin the walls are, and how many steps there are
• what breakfast is like, if there is one

If getting up from the floor is difficult, just say. There’s no point making your holiday less comfortable for an experience that looks good on paper.

A cooking class or food evening

If food is a big part of the trip for you, I’d often choose one of these over another sightseeing excursion. You’ll learn what to order for the rest of the holiday, and if you’re nervous about unfamiliar food, it’s a good way to build some confidence.

Eating well (even if you don’t like spice)

Plenty of Korean food isn’t fiery. These are good places to start.

I’d mix market snacks with a comfortable sit-down lunch, a neighbourhood restaurant and one meal booked as a treat.

Dietary requirements

Vegetarian, vegan and allergy requirements need proper planning. Food that looks meat-free can still contain fish, such as anchovy stock in soups or fermented seafood in kimchi and side dishes. A translated dietary card helps, but it isn’t enough on its own for allergies.

Please tell us at the start, especially if it’s medical, so we can plan with our local partners rather than leave each meal to chance.

A few habits that help

• Take your shoes off when your hosts do, in traditional houses and some restaurants
• Dress respectfully at temples, and check before taking photos
• Keep the noise down in residential lanes, and remember an open gate isn’t an invitation
• Learn hello (annyeonghaseyo) and thank you (kamsahamnida). A little effort goes a long way
• Save your hotel’s name and address in Korean, ready to show a driver

Sort your phone before you go

It only takes a few minutes at home, and it saves a lot of standing around outside stations later.

• Download Naver Map, as Google Maps gives limited directions in Korea
• Download Papago for translation and Kakao T for taxis, and try them before you leave
• Check your data. Don’t assume your UK roaming deal covers Korea; an eSIM is an easy alternative
• Get a T-money card for the metro and buses (it doesn’t cover KTX train tickets)
• Carry some won for street food, markets and topping up your T-money card

When to go and how to get around

The practical decisions that shape the trip

Check the dates of Chuseok (September or October) and Seollal, the Lunar New Year (January or February), as trains get busy and some places close. I also wouldn’t pin the whole holiday on cherry blossom. The timing moves around, so we plan the route around your dates rather than the other way round.

Trains, drivers and guides

The KTX high-speed train gets you from Seoul to Busan in about two and a half hours. When you compare options, look at the whole journey from hotel to hotel, including getting to and from the stations.

For rural areas and scattered sights, a private car usually makes better use of the day. A driver and a guide do different jobs, and we’ll always make clear which you have. Even on a private trip, a few visits, such as the DMZ, run under shared rules.

Where I’d spend the budget

If mobility is a concern, tell us before we plan the route. Hills, temple steps, long station walks and floor bedding all matter, and a private car doesn’t solve all of them.

Before you fly

Check the passport, entry authorisation (K-ETA) and arrival card rules for your nationality and travel dates on official websites. They do change, so an old blog post shouldn’t be your final word. Read the latest FCDO travel advice too, and take out travel insurance as soon as you book.

Useful references

Official visitor information and further reading. Opening arrangements and entry rules change, so always check them again for your travel dates.

• Planning and holidays
• Korea Tourism Organization: climate and seasons
• Seoul: traditional neighbourhoods
• DMZ visitor information
• Gyeongju heritage visits
• Gyeongju National Park
• Busan: coastal and cultural sights
• Jeju: Seongsan Ilchulbong
• Jeju: Olle walks and coastal culture
• Seoraksan and Sokcho
• Jeonju Hanok Village
• Andong travel guide
• Korean food and cooking
• Helpful apps
• Transport cards
• Rail travel
• UK travel advice and entry requirements