South Korea packs a lot into a short trip: Joseon palaces and hanok lanes in Seoul, market food stalls, the royal tombs and temples of Gyeongju, the old Silla capital, and seafood markets and a seaside temple in Busan. The KTX high-speed train ties them together: Seoul to Gyeongju takes about 2 hours 10 minutes, and Gyeongju to Busan about 30 minutes.
This page starts with our ranked picks for a first trip, best first, each with a practical tip on timing, booking or etiquette. Below them you will find every sight we cover in Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan, city by city, with opening notes and checked entry fees where we have them, and then answers to the questions travelers ask most.
The 17 best things to do in South Korea
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- 1Seoul
Walk the courtyards of Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung was the main palace of the Joseon dynasty, founded in 1395, and the place where Hunminjeongeum, the script for writing Korean, was created and handed out. It burned during the Japanese invasion of 1592 and lay in ruins until King Gojong rebuilt it in 1867. Most of it was torn down again in the colonial era, and restoration has been underway since the 1990s. Today you enter through Gwanghwamun Gate, and you will find the National Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum on the grounds. English guided tours run daily except Tuesdays, when the palace is closed. Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 5, is a short walk away.
Tip: Arrive for the 10 AM changing of the royal guard at Gwanghwamun, and if you wear a complete hanbok with both top and bottom garments, entry is free.
Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, Korea Heritage Service (official); Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, Korea Heritage Service (official)Adult, 19 to 64: ₩3,000 (about $2) · Ticketed; closed TuesdaysLast verified
- 2SeoulBook ahead
Tour the Secret Garden at Changdeokgung
Changdeokgung was built in 1405 as a secondary palace, but after the 1592 invasion it was the first palace rebuilt, in 1610, and it served as the main royal residence for the next 270 years. Its halls follow the slopes of the surrounding hills instead of a strict grid, one reason it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Behind it lies the Secret Garden, or Huwon, once reserved for the royal family, with pavilions set around ponds such as Buyongji. The garden can only be seen on a guided tour, with a separate ticket on top of palace entry. Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 3, is the closest stop.
Tip: Book a Secret Garden tour online through the palace reservation site well before your visit, since only half of each session's places are sold on the day.
Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, Korea Heritage Service (official); Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, Korea Heritage Service (official); Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization)Palace, foreign adult 19 to 64: ₩3,000 (about $2) · Secret Garden extra, adult 19+: ₩5,000 (about $4) · Secret Garden needs a separate timed ticketLast verified
- 3Seoul
Wander the hanok lanes of Bukchon
Bukchon sits between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, and its hillside lanes hold hundreds of hanok, traditional tiled roof houses that date back to the Joseon dynasty. Unlike Namsangol Hanok Village, it was not built for visitors: people live here, and many hanok also house galleries, workshops, guesthouses, restaurants and tea houses. Gahoe-dong has the densest rows of old houses, and the Bukchon Cultural Center explains how the neighborhood grew. Because of crowding, Seoul made it a special management area, and since March 2025 tourists may be fined for entering the Bukchon-ro 11-gil red zone between 5 PM and 10 AM. Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 3, is the usual starting point.
Tip: Visit between 10 AM and 5 PM, keep your voice low, stay in groups of 10 or fewer, and never photograph inside houses, even when a door is open.
Sources: Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentResidential red zone: 10 AM to 5 PM; Sunday rest day - 4Seoul
Eat your way through Gwangjang Market
Gwangjang Market opened in the early 20th century and is one of Seoul's best known traditional markets, right in the center of the city. Its food stalls draw locals and visitors alike. The classics are bindaetteok, crisp mung bean pancakes made from beans ground on millstones, and mayak gimbap, small rice rolls whose nickname means "addictive." Many visitors add yukhoe, Korean beef tartare, or tteokbokki and fish cakes. Upstairs on the second floor, shops sell hanbok and vintage clothing. Jongno 5-ga Station (Line 1), Exit 8, is about 60 m from the entrance.
Tip: Come hungry in the late afternoon and share several small plates between stalls rather than ordering a full meal at the first one.
Sources: Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization)Pay as you go - 5Gyeongju
Climb to Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto
On the slopes of Tohamsan, Bulguksa is Korea's best known temple and holds more National Treasures and Treasures than any other. You climb the stone Cheongungyo and Baegungyo bridges, built as stairs to the gate of the main hall, then find two famous pagodas facing each other in its yard: the ornate Dabotap and the plain Seokgatap. Higher on the mountain, Seokguram Grotto was built during the reign of King Gyeongdeok (742 to 765). It is a cave temple made of stacked granite, with a 3.4 m seated Buddha facing the East Sea. Both were listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Plan half a day for the pair.
Tip: A shuttle bus runs from Bulguksa to Seokguram about once an hour and takes 20 minutes, so check the next departure as soon as you arrive at the temple.
Search tours on KlookSources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)Free to visit - 6Seoul
Ride the cable car up to N Seoul Tower
N Seoul Tower stands on Namsan, inside Namsan Park, and was Korea's first tower to combine a broadcasting mast with a sightseeing observatory. On a clear day the observation deck shows views of up to 50 km across Seoul. Out on the plaza, couples hang padlocks on the Love Tree. Private cars cannot drive up, so most people ride the Namsan Cable Car, running since 1962, whose base is a 10 to 15 minute walk from Myeong-dong Station (Line 4), Exit 3. Shuttle buses 01A and 01B also climb from Chungmuro and Dongguk Univ. stations. The tower stays open late, until 10:30 PM on weekdays and 11 PM on weekends.
Tip: No reservation is needed for the observation deck, so buy a same day ticket and time your visit for sunset to see the city lights come on.
Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); N Seoul Tower (official); N Seoul Tower, CJ Foodville; N Seoul Tower (official)Observatory: ₩29,000 (about $21) · Park free; observatory tickets sold at the towerLast verified
- 7Busan
Explore the painted alleys of Gamcheon Culture Village
Gamcheon was settled by refugees during the Korean War, who built their houses in stepped rows up the foothills of a coastal mountain. In 2009 students, artists and residents began decorating it through a village art project, and its maze of alleys is now full of murals, sculptures, small workshops and pastel houses. Start at the information center at the entrance, where you can buy a stamp map for a self guided alley walk, and look for the photo spot where the Little Prince and the fox sit above the rooftops. From Toseong Station (Line 1), Exit 6, take village bus Saha 1-1, Seo-gu 2 or Seo-gu 2-2 to Gamjeong Elementary School, then walk about 5 minutes.
Tip: People live here, so visit between 9 AM and 6 PM, keep noise down in the alleys, and do not look into or photograph homes without permission.
Sources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Visit Busan (Busan Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)Free to visit - 8Seoul
Take the KTX south to Gyeongju and Busan
The Gyeongbu Line is Korea's busiest rail route, running 447.1 km from Seoul to Busan, and the KTX high-speed trains on it reach up to 330 km/h. From Seoul Station, KTX trains reach Gyeongju in about 2 hours 10 minutes, running roughly every hour through the day, and Busan in about 3 hours. Between Gyeongju and Busan the KTX takes about 30 minutes, so the three cities make an easy loop. Seats can be chosen when you book online, and almost all trains have free Wi-Fi. International travelers can also buy a KORAIL Pass, valid for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days of travel within a ten day period.
Tip: Tickets go on sale one month ahead at 7 AM, so book weekend and holiday trains as soon as sales open.
Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Gyeongju City; VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization) - 9Gyeongju
Walk among the royal tombs of Daereungwon
Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom for about a thousand years, and Daereungwon in the middle of town is a park of 23 large and small burial mounds, among them the tomb of King Michu. Cheonmachong, excavated in 1973, is 12.7 m high and 50 m across, and it is the only tomb you can walk inside. It is named for a saddle flap painted with a heavenly horse found in the burial, along with a gold crown, the largest and most elaborate ever found in Korea, now in Gyeongju National Museum. Paths wind between the mounds, and the magnolia tree between two tombs is a favorite photo spot. Cheomseongdae, an observatory from the reign of Queen Seondeok, is a two minute walk from the main gate.
Tip: Come in the late afternoon, see inside Cheonmachong before its 9:30 PM closing, then walk to Cheomseongdae, which is lit after sundown.
Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)Grounds: free · Cheonmachong: ₩3,000 (about $2) · Grounds free; Cheonmachong tomb is ticketedLast verified
- 10Gyeongju
See Wolji Pond and Woljeonggyo lit up at night
Donggung Palace was built on the orders of King Munmu, who unified the Korean Peninsula, as a residence for Silla's crown princes and a hall for banquets and state guests. After Silla fell it was abandoned for centuries and known as Anapji, the pond of geese and ducks. Excavations from 1975 turned up about 24,000 relics, including pottery inscribed "Wolji," the pond that reflects the moon, which gave back its original name. At dusk the restored pavilions are lit and mirrored in the water. Also in central Gyeongju, Woljeonggyo, a covered bridge first recorded in the Silla era and restored in 2018, stretches about 61 m over the Namcheon stream and glows in the dark too.
Tip: Arrive just before sunset and walk the path around the curving pond, since you cannot see all of it from any one spot.
Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)Adult: ₩3,000 (about $2) · Pay at the entrance; arrive well before the 21:30 ticket cutoffLast verified
- 11Busan
Pick your seafood at Jagalchi Fish Market
Jagalchi on Busan's waterfront is one of the largest seafood markets in Korea, named for the pebbles, or jagal, that once covered this shore. Fish stalls gathered here from the colonial era, and the market grew after the Korean War, when refugees crowded into Busan. Most of the sellers are women, known as Jagalchi ajumeoni. Outside, vendors lay out octopus, mackerel and sea squirts under parasols along the water; inside, tanks hold live fish that you can choose and eat as hoe, sliced raw fish, right at the market. Gukje Market and Bupyeong Kkangtong Market are close by. It is a 6 minute walk from Nampo Station, Exit 2, or Jagalchi Station, Exit 10, both on Line 1.
Tip: Go in the morning when the outdoor stalls are busiest, and note that the market closes on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Sources: Korea Tourism Organization; Visit Busan (Busan Tourism Organization)Pay as you go; closed first and third Tuesdays, check other dates - 12Busan
Watch the waves at Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Most Korean temples sit in the mountains, but Haedong Yonggungsa stands on the rocky shore of Gijang in northeast Busan. It was first built in 1376 by the Goryeo monk Naong, destroyed during the Imjin War, and rebuilt in the 1930s. Its name, Dragon Palace Temple, comes from a dream in which the abbot Jeongam saw the bodhisattva of compassion rise to the sky on a dragon. On the way in you pass statues of the 12 zodiac animals, then walk the 108 steps through a pine grove to the halls above the sea. From Osiria Station on the Donghae Line, Exit 1, bus 139 goes to the temple.
Tip: The temple opens before dawn, so come early to see the sunrise from the rocks, and enter the main hall by the side doors, since the front door is for monks.
Search tours on KlookSources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Visit Busan (Busan Tourism Organization)Free to visit - 13Suwon
Walk the walls of Suwon's Hwaseong Fortress
Hwaseong Fortress was built between 1794 and 1796 by King Jeongjo, partly as an act of devotion to his father, Crown Prince Jangheon, whose tomb he moved to Suwon, and partly to found a new city. Its walls run about 5.7 km around Paldalsan, with four main gates, guard bastions and cannon bastions, and it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The Hwaseong Fortress Trail, about 5.1 km, takes 2 to 3 hours and passes Janganmun, Hwahongmun and the old markets near Paldalmun. A 20 minute tourist trolley loops past the gates if you prefer to ride. From Seoul, take Line 1 to Suwon Station, then bus 11, 13 or 13-4 from Exit 4 to Hwaseong Haenggung.
Tip: Collect stamps at seven of the ten spots on the fortress trail for a souvenir, and finish with fried chicken on Suwon Chicken Street by the stream.
Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Suwon Cultural Foundation (official); Suwon Cultural Foundation (official) - 14Seoul
Trace Korean history at the National Museum of Korea
The National Museum of Korea in Yongsan holds a collection of nearly 420,000 artifacts that tell the story of the peninsula from the Stone Age onward. The permanent galleries run from Paleolithic hand axes to golden crowns of the Three Kingdoms period, Goryeo celadon and Joseon paintings, with rooms on world cultures too. Entry to the permanent galleries is free; only some special exhibitions charge. Outside, the garden with its stone pagodas stays open until 10 PM. It is a short walk from Ichon Station (Line 4 and Gyeongui Jungang Line), Exit 2. Plan at least half a day if you want to see more than the highlights.
Tip: Visit on a Wednesday or Saturday evening, when the galleries stay open until 9 PM, and leave tripods and selfie sticks behind, since they are not allowed.
Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); National Museum of KoreaPermanent galleries free; maintenance first Monday of Mar, Jun, Sep and Dec, with exceptions - 15BusanBook ahead
Ride the Haeundae Sky Capsule along the coast
Haeundae Blueline Park turned 4.8 km of the old Donghae Nambu railway, from Mipo near Haeundae Beach through Cheongsapo to Songjeong, into a seaside ride. The Beach Train runs the full line and can be used to hop between stops. The Sky Capsule is a small four seat car on an elevated rail 7 to 10 m above the shore, covering 2 km from Mipo to Cheongsapo in about 30 minutes one way, along the shore. Each capsule takes up to four people, and a combined ticket adds the Beach Train. It runs in the rain, but stops for typhoons or other severe weather.
Tip: Book online as soon as tickets open, every Tuesday at 7 AM for the week four weeks later, because only a few on site tickets are sold each day.
Sources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Haeundae Blueline Co.; Haeundae Blueline Park (official); Haeundae Blueline Co.One-way capsule, 2 people: ₩50,000 (about $37) · One-way capsule, 4 people: ₩60,000 (about $44) · Book a time slotLast verified
- 16Seoul
Follow Cheonggyecheon Stream through downtown Seoul
Cheonggyecheon is a stream that runs east through the heart of Seoul, covered over in the 20th century and brought back to daylight in a restoration that ran from July 2003 to September 2005 along a 5.84 km stretch. The walk starts at Cheonggye Plaza, where a two tier waterfall drops 4 m beside Palseokdam, a wall of eight stones from Korea's eight provinces. From there, paths at water level pass under 22 bridges, with fountains and evening lights along the way. It makes an easy, flat break between the palaces and the markets.
Tip: Skip the stream path in heavy rain, when the water rises fast and floodgates under the bridges can open, and follow any evacuation announcements.
Search tours on KlookSources: Seoul Metropolitan Government (official); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)Free to visit - 17Seoul
Spend an evening in Yeonnam-dong and Hongdae
When the Gyeongui railway was moved underground, Seoul turned the old tracks in Mapo-gu into the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, a long, narrow green park. Its Yeonnam-dong section is nicknamed Yeontral Park. Next door, the area around Hongik University, known as Hongdae, is Seoul's center of indie culture, with an indie film theater and street performers on its pedestrian street. Both start from Hongik University Station on Line 2. Come for an evening: a walk along the park, dinner in Yeonnam-dong, then music in Hongdae.
Tip: Weekend afternoons and evenings are the liveliest time for busking in Hongdae, while the park is calmer on a weekday evening.
Search tours on KlookSources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization)Free to visit
Every sight, city by city
BIFF Square street food
The Nampo-dong square of the Busan film festival, lined with street stalls selling ssiat hotteok and fish cakes.Entry: Pay as you goBupyeong Kkangtong Market
A traditional market in Nampo-dong that is busy by day and adds a night market of food stalls.Entry: Pay as you goBusan Chinatown, Choryang
A small Chinatown across from Busan Station, with Chinese restaurants, dumpling shops and bakeries.Entry: Pay as you goBusan Modern and Contemporary History Museum, Annex
A former museum building with books and materials about the modern history of Busan.Entry: Free reading space; normally closed Mondays. Closed MondaysSearch tours on KlookDongbaekseom Island
A wooded headland at the end of Haeundae Beach, circled by a coastal path and the APEC House.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookGamcheon Culture Village
A hillside neighborhood of brightly painted houses, stairways and art installations above the harbor.Entry: Free to visitGukje Market
A sprawling market of covered alleys that grew up around the port after the Korean War.Entry: Pay as you go; check Sunday shop closuresGwangalli Beach
A city beach facing the Gwangan Bridge, which is lit up after dark.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookHaedong Yonggungsa Temple
A Buddhist temple built on rocks right at the edge of the sea on Busan's east coast.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookHaeundae Beach
Busan's best-known city beach, a long curve of sand backed by hotels and towers.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookHaeundae Traditional Market
A short market street near Haeundae Beach with fish cake shops, soups and grilled seafood.Entry: Pay as you goHuinnyeoul Culture Village
A cliffside village of small houses and cafes on Yeongdo, above a coastal walking path.Entry: Free to visitJagalchi Fish Market
Korea's best-known seafood market, where you pick fish downstairs and have it prepared upstairs.Entry: Pay as you go; closed first and third Tuesdays, check other datesMillak Hoe Center
A raw-fish market center with upstairs restaurants serving seafood and views toward Gwangalli Beach.Entry: Pay as you goSongdo Beach
Busan's first public beach, with a seaside skywalk and a cable car over the bay.Entry: Beach free; cable car tickets sold at the stationSearch tickets and tours on KlookTaejongdae
A forested headland at the tip of Yeongdo with sea cliffs, a lighthouse and coastal walks.Entry: Park free; Danubi train ₩[fee]Search tickets and tours on KlookYongdusan Park and Busan Tower
A hilltop park above Nampo-dong, reached by escalators, with Busan Tower looking over the port.Entry: Park free; tower ₩[fee]Search tickets and tours on KlookBulguksa Temple
A UNESCO-listed Silla temple with stone stairways, pagodas and wooden halls on the slopes of Tohamsan.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookBunhwangsa Temple
A small temple around a stone brick pagoda from the 7th century, one of the oldest in Korea.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookCheomseongdae Observatory
A 7th century stone tower, often called the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in East Asia.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookDaereungwon Tomb Complex
A park of large grassy burial mounds of Silla kings, including Cheonmachong, which you can enter.Entry: Grounds free; Cheonmachong tomb is ticketedSearch tickets and tours on KlookDonggung Palace and Wolji Pond
Rebuilt pavilions of a Silla palace beside a pond, best known for its reflections after dark.Entry: Pay at the entrance; arrive well before the 21:30 ticket cutoffSearch tickets and tours on KlookGyeongju National Museum
The main museum of Silla art and archaeology, with gold crowns and the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok.Entry: Free to visit; paid special exhibitions exceptedSearch tours on KlookGyochon Hanok Village
A restored hanok village beside the stream, next to the rebuilt covered Woljeonggyo Bridge.Entry: Free to visitHwangnidan-gil
A street of renovated hanok restaurants, cafes and bakeries beside the royal tomb park.Entry: Pay as you goHwangnyongsa Temple Site
The open field and foundation stones of what was the largest temple of the Silla kingdom.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookJungang Market, Gyeongju
Gyeongju's central market, with food stalls and an evening night market area.Entry: Pay as you goSeokguram Grotto
A granite Buddha in an artificial cave grotto high on Tohamsan, part of the same UNESCO site as Bulguksa.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookSeongdong Market, Gyeongju
A traditional market near the old station area, known for its rows of side dish stalls and cheap set meals.Entry: Pay as you goWoljeonggyo Bridge
A reconstructed covered wooden bridge of the Silla era over the Namcheon stream, lit up at night.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookBukchon Hanok Village
Hillside lanes of traditional tiled hanok houses between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, still lived in today.Entry: Residential red zone: 10 AM to 5 PM; Sunday rest dayChangdeokgung Palace and Secret Garden
A UNESCO-listed royal palace whose wooded rear garden of pavilions and ponds is seen on guided visits.Entry: Secret Garden needs a separate timed ticket. Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on KlookCheonggyecheon Stream
A restored stream with walking paths below street level, running east from Cheonggye Plaza through downtown.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookDeoksugung Palace
A compact palace in downtown Seoul that mixes Joseon halls with early 20th century stone buildings.Entry: Ticketed; closed Mondays. Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on KlookGwangjang Market
One of Seoul's oldest markets, famous for mung bean pancakes, gimbap and food stalls under one roof.Entry: Pay as you goGyeongbokgung Palace
The main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, with throne halls, pavilions and ponds below Bugaksan.Entry: Ticketed; closed Tuesdays. Closed TuesdaysSearch tickets and tours on KlookGyeongui Line Forest Park, Yeonnam section
The Yeonnam section of a former railway corridor, with lawns and paths beside neighborhood cafes.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookHongdae
The streets around Hongik University, known for buskers, indie shops, clubs and late bars.Entry: Free to visitHwahongmun Watergate, Suwon
A seven-arched sluice gate where the fortress wall crosses the Suwoncheon stream.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookHwaseong Haenggung Palace, Suwon
The temporary royal palace King Jeongjo used on visits to Suwon, rebuilt below the fortress walls.Entry: TicketedSearch tickets and tours on KlookIkseon-dong hanok lanes
A tight block of old hanok houses turned into cafes, bakeries and small shops near Jongno 3-ga.Entry: Free to visitInsadong restaurant lanes
Alleys off Insadong-gil packed with Korean restaurants, tea houses and craft shops in central Seoul.Entry: Pay as you goJanganmun Gate, Suwon
The large northern gate of Hwaseong Fortress, the formal entrance on the road from Seoul.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookJidong Market, Suwon
A traditional market inside the old walls, known for its alley of sundae and soup restaurants.Entry: Pay as you goJogyesa Temple
The head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, an active temple in the middle of Jongno.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookMangwon Hangang Park
A riverside park on the Han River with cycling paths, lawns and views of the bridges.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookMangwon Market
A neighborhood covered market in Mapo with cheap street snacks, fried chicken and side dishes.Entry: Pay as you goMyeongdong Cathedral
A red brick Gothic Revival cathedral from the 1890s, the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul.Entry: Free to visit; respect servicesSearch tours on KlookMyeongdong street food
Food carts line the shopping streets of Myeongdong in the evening, selling skewers, egg bread and tteokbokki.Entry: Pay as you goN Seoul Tower
A communications tower on Namsan with an observatory and terraces looking over the whole city.Entry: Park free; observatory tickets sold at the towerSearch tickets and tours on KlookNamdaemun Market
A huge traditional market beside Sungnyemun Gate, with food alleys selling noodles, hotteok and grilled fish.Entry: Pay as you goNational Museum of Korea
The national collection of Korean art and history, from Silla gold crowns to celadon and Buddhist sculpture.Entry: Permanent galleries free; maintenance first Monday of Mar, Jun, Sep and Dec, with exceptionsSearch tickets and tours on KlookPaldalmun Gate, Suwon
The southern gate of Suwon's 18th century Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on KlookPaldalmun Market and Chicken Street, Suwon
A market beside Paldalmun Gate and a nearby street of fried chicken restaurants that Suwon is known for.Entry: Pay as you goSeojangdae command post, Suwon
The western command post on top of Paldalsan, the highest point on the Hwaseong Fortress walls.Entry: Fortress walls freeSearch tickets and tours on KlookYeonnam-dong dining streets
Low-rise streets beside the forest park, full of small restaurants, bars and cafes.Entry: Pay as you goQuestions travelers ask
What are the best things to do in South Korea for a first trip?
Start in Seoul with Gyeongbokgung and the guard ceremony, a Secret Garden tour at Changdeokgung, the lanes of Bukchon and a food crawl through Gwangjang Market, and add a day trip to Suwon's fortress walls. Then take the KTX to Gyeongju, about 2 hours 10 minutes, for Bulguksa, Seokguram and the Silla tombs. Busan is about 30 minutes farther, with Jagalchi Market, Gamcheon Culture Village and the seaside Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.
Sources: Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); Gyeongju City; VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)How many days do you need in South Korea?
About a week covers the classic route at a comfortable pace. Give Seoul three or four days, one of them for Suwon, which is a subway ride away on Line 1. Then spend a day or two in Gyeongju, about 2 hours 10 minutes from Seoul by KTX, and two days in Busan, about 30 minutes beyond. With less time, Seoul plus a long day in Gyeongju works; with more, slow down and add evenings at Wolji Pond and Haeundae.
Sources: Suwon Cultural Foundation (official); Gyeongju City; VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)When is the best time for sightseeing in South Korea?
For a trip built around walking, spring (March to May) and fall (September to November) are best: clear, mild days, cherry blossoms in spring and colored leaves around the palaces in fall. Summer is hot and humid, the rainy season usually runs from late June to late July, and typhoons are possible from June to October. Winter averages around freezing and can be much colder in Seoul, so pack warm layers.
Sources: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization)Which South Korea attractions should you book ahead?
Book the Changdeokgung Secret Garden tour online, since only half of each session's places are sold on the day. The Haeundae Sky Capsule in Busan releases tickets every Tuesday at 7 AM for the week four weeks later, with few on site. KTX tickets open one month ahead at 7 AM, worth booking early for weekends. N Seoul Tower and the National Museum of Korea's permanent galleries need no reservation.
Sources: Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); Haeundae Blueline Park (official); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); N Seoul Tower (official); National Museum of KoreaHow do you get around South Korea?
Between cities, take the KTX: Seoul to Gyeongju is about 2 hours 10 minutes, and Seoul to Busan about 3 hours. Within Seoul and Busan, the subway is the easiest choice, with color coded lines. Get a rechargeable transportation card such as Tmoney, tap it at the gates, and transfers to city buses are free. International travelers can also buy a KORAIL Pass for 2 to 5 days of train travel.
Sources: Gyeongju City; VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)Do you tip in South Korea, and what etiquette should visitors know?
Tipping is not customary in Korea and is not expected in restaurants; some people accept a tip and some refuse it. A few habits go a long way: take your shoes off when entering a home, temple building or guesthouse, give and receive things with both hands, and do not leave chopsticks standing in your rice. In residential areas such as Bukchon and Gamcheon, keep your voice down and never photograph inside houses.
Sources: Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization); Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization); VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)