southkreatrip
South Korea travel guide

Everything you need to plan a trip to South Korea

Destination guides, transport how-tos, culture & etiquette — written for first-time and return travelers alike, and free of anything to buy.

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Seoul Busan Jeju Island Transportation Accommodation Etiquette Learn about Korea

Regions of South Korea

Hover a region to see what it is known for, then dive into its cities and guides.

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Regions of South Korea

Plan your trip

Four hubs cover a Korea trip end to end — the paperwork and the money, how you move, where you sleep, and how the country works.

Before you go

The practical groundwork for a Korea trip: entry rules, when to travel, how money works, getting online, and the tipping question that trips up most visitors.

Transportation

How to move around Korea: the KTX high-speed network, intercity buses, ferries to the islands, and the one card that pays for almost all of it.

1 guide

Accommodation

Korea's accommodation types explained — business hotels, motels, guesthouses, hanok stays, temple stays and jjimjilbang — and how to pick the right neighbourhood.

Learn about Korea

The background that makes a Korea trip make sense: a compressed history, how the language and its alphabet work, and the everyday etiquette that shapes daily life.

2 guides

Top destinations

The cities and islands travelers ask us about most.

Seoul Seoul Capital Area
A guide to Seoul: the five royal palaces, the neighbourhoods worth your time, how the subway works, and how to plan a first visit to the Korean capital.
Busan Gyeongsang
A guide to Busan: Korea's port city and second largest, with city beaches, the country's biggest fish market, a cliffside temple and a hillside of painted houses.
Jeju Island Jeju
A guide to Jeju: Korea's volcanic island, with Hallasan at its centre, lava tubes beneath it, a coastline of black rock, and the Olle walking trails around the edge.
Cherry blossom in bloom over Yeouido park in Seoul
Featured

Cherry blossom season: when and where to see it

Bloom rolls north from Jeju to Seoul across about three weeks each spring — and it is only one of four seasons worth planning around. Our before-you-go guide sets out what each one is like to travel in.

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