Updated 18 October 2026
Korea for a Honeymoon: The Island Koreans Themselves Go To
Jeju has been the Korean honeymoon destination for generations, and Seoul does the other half well. Where to spend the nights and what actually works.
Our guides
Everything you need to know about South Korea, sorted by topic, from Seoul and its palaces to Busan, Jeju and Korean food.
Trip planning
See the category 
Updated 15 October 2026
Korean Etiquette: What to Do and What to Avoid
The Korean manners that matter to visitors: two hands, shoes off, chopstick rules, pouring for others, quiet trains, and why nobody expects a tip.
Updated 15 October 2026
South Korea Visa, K-ETA and Entry Rules by Passport
How entering South Korea works: who needs a visa, what K-ETA is and who is exempt, passport validity, and the official sources to check before you fly.
Updated 15 October 2026
Incheon Airport to Seoul: Every Transfer Option Compared
How to get from Incheon Airport into Seoul: AREX express and all-stop trains, limousine buses, taxis, late arrivals, and which fits where you stay.
Updated 14 October 2026
Everland or Lotte World: Which Korean Theme Park
Everland or Lotte World? Compare the big outdoor park an hour from Seoul with the half-indoor park on the subway, plus who each suits and when to go.
Updated 21 September 2026
Visiting Korea During Chuseok: What Closes and How to Plan
What happens in Korea during Chuseok, from packed intercity trains to quiet, atmospheric cities, and how to plan a trip around the biggest family holiday.
Updated 17 September 2026
The Classic Korea Itinerary: Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan
Why most Korea trips settle on the same route: Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan by high-speed rail, with a day-by-day plan and where Jeju fits in.
Updated 24 August 2026
Five Days in Korea: A Realistic First-Timer Itinerary
What five days in Korea covers: four days built around Seoul, one day outside the city, and what you trade away by skipping Busan or Jeju.
Updated 29 July 2026
Emergency Numbers in South Korea: The Practical Safety Guide
The numbers to save before landing in Korea: 112, 119 and the 1330 tourist helpline, plus how pharmacies work and what to do about a lost passport.
Updated 29 July 2026
Travel Insurance for South Korea: What Actually Matters
Why insurance matters where hospitals are excellent but visitors get no free care: medical limits to look for, hiking and ski clauses, and how claims work.
Updated 29 July 2026
KTX Trains in Korea: Booking, Classes and Which Routes Are Worth It
How Korea's KTX works: main routes and journey times, booking as a visitor, standard versus first class, slower trains, and the rail passes worth buying.
Updated 29 July 2026
Where to Stay in Seoul: The Districts, Compared
Which Seoul neighbourhood to book: Myeongdong, Hongdae, Insadong, Gangnam, Itaewon and the hanok quarters, and what each is like at night.
Updated 4 June 2026
Korea with Kids: A Country That Makes This Easy
Subways children can read, theme parks in the city, bathhouses families use routinely, and food that turns out to be far less alarming than the reputation.
Updated 12 January 2026
First Time in South Korea: The Only Guide You Need
Planning a first trip to South Korea? When to go, how to split time between Seoul, Busan and Jeju, K-ETA and visa basics, and rookie mistakes to skip.
Seoul
See the category
Updated 22 October 2026
Korea Tax Refund for Tourists: What You Actually Get Back
How Korea's tourist VAT refund works: what qualifies, the store counter versus the airport kiosk, and why the net refund is nearer 5 to 8% than 10%.
Updated 19 October 2026
KPop Demon Hunters in Seoul: The Real Places, Honestly Sorted
Which Seoul places in KPop Demon Hunters are drawn faithfully, which are composites, which are pure invention, and how to visit the real ones.
Updated 18 October 2026
Itaewon and Gangnam: Two Very Different Seoul Nights
Beyond Hongdae, Seoul has two more nightlife districts: Itaewon's easy international bars, Gangnam's planned clubs, and the ride home after the trains.
Updated 16 October 2026
The Han River: Picnics, Cycling and Sunset Spots in Seoul
The river is Seoul's living room, for picnics, cycling and sunset walks. Which parks suit which evening and where to rent a bike.
Updated 16 October 2026
Day Trips from Seoul: Six Options and Which Is Actually Worth It
A fortress you walk on top of, an island of tree tunnels, a border you can look across and a Chinatown by the sea, all inside two hours of the city.
Updated 16 October 2026
Christmas and Winter Lights in Seoul
Christmas in South Korea is a holiday built around couples more than family dinners. Where the winter lights and markets are, and what to eat in the cold.
Updated 14 October 2026
Everland or Lotte World: Which Korean Theme Park
Everland or Lotte World? Compare the big outdoor park an hour from Seoul with the half-indoor park on the subway, plus who each suits and when to go.
Updated 8 October 2026
Hongdae After Dark: Seoul's Loudest, Youngest Night Out
A guide to Hongdae, the arts university district that turns into Seoul's youngest nightlife scene after dark, from free street shows to basement bars.
Updated 24 August 2026
Five Days in Korea: A Realistic First-Timer Itinerary
What five days in Korea covers: four days built around Seoul, one day outside the city, and what you trade away by skipping Busan or Jeju.
Updated 17 August 2026
K-Drama Filming Locations in Seoul You Can Actually Visit
Where Seoul's drama stairs, murals, bridges and cafes are, what looks different in person, and how to visit without a paid tour or bothering residents.
Updated 29 July 2026
Shopping in Seoul: Five Districts and What Each One Is For
Cosmetics in Myeongdong, wholesale at four in the morning in Dongdaemun, young labels in Hongdae and stationery you did not know you wanted.
Updated 29 July 2026
Where to Stay in Seoul: The Districts, Compared
Which Seoul neighbourhood to book: Myeongdong, Hongdae, Insadong, Gangnam, Itaewon and the hanok quarters, and what each is like at night.
Updated 22 June 2026
K-pop for Travellers: What You Can Actually Do in Seoul
Agency buildings you can photograph from outside, busking in Hongdae, plenty of merchandise, and music show tickets that mostly need a fan club membership.
Updated 6 March 2026
Visiting the DMZ: What You Can Actually See
A four kilometre strip of no man's land an hour from Seoul, visitable only on an authorised tour, where what is open changes with the politics.
Updated 28 February 2026
The Bukchon Hanok Alleys: A Neighbourhood, Not an Attraction
Six hundred traditional courtyard houses on a hillside in central Seoul, with people living in them, quiet hours signs on the gates and a view over roofs.
Updated 22 February 2026
Gyeongbokgung and the Hanbok Trick: Free Entry if You Dress the Part
The main royal palace of Seoul, a guard changing ceremony twice a day, and a rule that lets anybody in traditional dress walk in for nothing.
Updated 18 February 2026
Seoul Guide: Neighborhoods, What to Do and How to Do It
A first-timer guide to Seoul: the key neighborhoods, palaces and hanok lanes, where to eat and shop, nightlife, day trips and how to ride the metro.
Updated 16 February 2026
Seoul Cafe Culture: A City That Made Coffee an Interior Design Contest
More cafes per square kilometre than almost anywhere on earth, open until midnight, where the room is as much the product as the coffee.
Busan & the south
See the category
Updated 18 October 2026
Gamcheon Culture Village: A Hillside of Painted Houses Where People Live
A refugee settlement on a Busan hillside, repainted by artists into one of Korea's most photographed places, with residents behind every door.
Updated 6 October 2026
Tongyeong and Geoje: The Southern Coast of Korea Without the Crowds
A quieter alternative to Busan on the southern coast: the cable car and harbour at Tongyeong, nearby islands and ferries, and the beaches on Geoje.
Updated 16 August 2026
Haedong Yonggungsa: The Temple on the Rocks Worth Getting Up For
Busan's seaside temple sits on rocks above the water, not up a mountain. Why sunrise is the visit, how to reach it from Haeundae, and temple manners.
Updated 29 July 2026
Jagalchi and the Busan Markets: Where the Fish Comes In
The largest fish market in Korea, run largely by women, where you buy something live downstairs and somebody upstairs cooks it while you wait.
Updated 24 March 2026
Haeundae or Gwangalli: Which Busan Beach
One is the famous beach with towers behind it. The other has a suspension bridge across the bay, a light show and better bars. Twenty minutes apart.
Updated 9 March 2026
Busan Guide: Beaches, Seafood and the Best of the South
A first-timer guide to Busan: the beaches worth your towel, Gamcheon hillside village, Jagalchi fish market, temples on the sea, nightlife and day trips.
Jeju
See the category
Updated 18 October 2026
Lava Tubes and a Sunrise Crater: Volcanic Jeju in One Day
East Jeju holds a tuff cone rising out of the sea and a lava tube you can walk inside. How to fit both into one day and what to wear underground.
Updated 18 October 2026
Korea for a Honeymoon: The Island Koreans Themselves Go To
Jeju has been the Korean honeymoon destination for generations, and Seoul does the other half well. Where to spend the nights and what actually works.
Updated 3 August 2026
Where to Stay on Jeju
Where to stay on Jeju in South Korea: how to choose between Jeju City, Seogwipo, Jungmun and the quiet coasts, whether you need a car, and how prices peak.
Updated 23 May 2026
The Jeju Olle Trail: Walking Round an Island in Numbered Pieces
A waymarked coastal network of more than twenty numbered routes circling Jeju, each a day, marked by blue and orange ribbons and a small horse.
Updated 17 May 2026
Climbing Hallasan: The Highest Point in South Korea
A shield volcano in the middle of an island, a crater lake at the top, two long summit trails with cut off times, and a booking system to read first.
Updated 15 April 2026
Jeju Island Guide: Volcanoes, Beaches and the Slow Life
A first-timer guide to Jeju: the volcano and lava tubes, beaches and waterfalls, coastal trails, island food and how many days you really need.
Beyond the cities
See the category
Updated 29 October 2026
Hiking in Korea: The National Sport Nobody Warns You About
Korea is mostly mountain and almost everybody walks up it. What the trails are like, why the gear looks like that, and how to hike straight out of Seoul.
Updated 26 October 2026
Templestay in Korea: A Night in a Working Monastery
What a Korean templestay involves: the two programme formats, the pre-dawn service, the formal monastic meal, and how to book one that runs in English.
Updated 18 October 2026
Lava Tubes and a Sunrise Crater: Volcanic Jeju in One Day
East Jeju holds a tuff cone rising out of the sea and a lava tube you can walk inside. How to fit both into one day and what to wear underground.
Updated 16 October 2026
Seoraksan in Autumn: The Best Two Weeks in Korea
Granite ridges, a cable car, a temple in a bowl of mountains and a colour front that comes down from the peaks to the valleys over a fortnight in October.
Updated 16 October 2026
Day Trips from Seoul: Six Options and Which Is Actually Worth It
A fortress you walk on top of, an island of tree tunnels, a border you can look across and a Chinatown by the sea, all inside two hours of the city.
Updated 12 October 2026
Intercity Buses in Korea: The Network the KTX Does Not Cover
Korea runs two bus networks alongside its railway and reaches most of what the fast trains miss. Seat classes, terminals and what a night bus really is.
Updated 29 July 2026
Andong: A UNESCO Village, a Mask Dance and Chicken Worth the Journey
A Confucian village in a river bend where an aristocratic clan lived for six hundred years, a satirical masked dance, and the town's two great dishes.
Updated 29 July 2026
Suwon and the Hwaseong Fortress: A Whole Walled City an Hour from Seoul
Nearly six kilometres of eighteenth century fortress wall with a walkway along the top, a palace inside it, and a working Korean city around it.
Updated 23 May 2026
The Jeju Olle Trail: Walking Round an Island in Numbered Pieces
A waymarked coastal network of more than twenty numbered routes circling Jeju, each a day, marked by blue and orange ribbons and a small horse.
Updated 17 May 2026
Climbing Hallasan: The Highest Point in South Korea
A shield volcano in the middle of an island, a crater lake at the top, two long summit trails with cut off times, and a booking system to read first.
Updated 11 May 2026
Skiing in Korea: Short Runs, Long Nights and Very Cheap Lessons
Resorts from about an hour out of Seoul, floodlit slopes until late, a reliable cold winter and equipment hire that costs less than lunch in the Alps.
Updated 11 April 2026
Jeonju: Eight Hundred Hanok and the Home of Bibimbap
The largest surviving hanok district in Korea, a dish the city is credited with inventing, and an alley of makgeolli houses serving food you did not order.
Updated 5 April 2026
Gyeongju by Bike: A Thousand Years of Capital, Flat and Rentable
Royal burial mounds in the middle of town, an observatory, a UNESCO temple in the hills, and a city flat enough that a bicycle is the obvious way round it.
Korean food
See the category
Updated 16 October 2026
Korean Food Guide: What to Eat and How to Order It
A traveller guide to Korean food: barbecue, stews, street food, free banchan side dishes, what beginners should order, drinking culture and table manners.
Updated 16 October 2026
Korean BBQ: How It Works, What to Order and Table Etiquette
What happens once the grill arrives, how to work through the side dishes, which cuts to order and how much to expect a table for two will need at minimum.
Updated 1 October 2026
Korean Street Food: The Markets and What to Eat at Each
Which Korean markets are built for grazing on foot, what to order at each one, and the practical side of paying, timing and hygiene at a street stall.
Updated 29 July 2026
Jagalchi and the Busan Markets: Where the Fish Comes In
The largest fish market in Korea, run largely by women, where you buy something live downstairs and somebody upstairs cooks it while you wait.
Updated 11 April 2026
Jeonju: Eight Hundred Hanok and the Home of Bibimbap
The largest surviving hanok district in Korea, a dish the city is credited with inventing, and an alley of makgeolli houses serving food you did not order.
Updated 16 February 2026
Seoul Cafe Culture: A City That Made Coffee an Interior Design Contest
More cafes per square kilometre than almost anywhere on earth, open until midnight, where the room is as much the product as the coffee.
Nightlife & bars
See the category Updated 18 October 2026
Itaewon and Gangnam: Two Very Different Seoul Nights
Beyond Hongdae, Seoul has two more nightlife districts: Itaewon's easy international bars, Gangnam's planned clubs, and the ride home after the trains.
Updated 16 October 2026
Seoul Nightlife: Itaewon, Gangnam, Hongdae and the Late Hours
How Seoul's nightlife districts differ, when the night really starts, how second and third rounds work, and how to get home after the metro stops.
Updated 8 October 2026
Hongdae After Dark: Seoul's Loudest, Youngest Night Out
A guide to Hongdae, the arts university district that turns into Seoul's youngest nightlife scene after dark, from free street shows to basement bars.
Getting around
See the category
Updated 16 October 2026
Google Maps Does Not Work in Korea: Naver Map and KakaoMap
Google Maps says no route found in Korea? It is not your phone. Here is why walking and driving routes fail, and which two Korean apps work in English.
Updated 15 October 2026
Incheon Airport to Seoul: Every Transfer Option Compared
How to get from Incheon Airport into Seoul: AREX express and all-stop trains, limousine buses, taxis, late arrivals, and which fits where you stay.
Updated 12 October 2026
Intercity Buses in Korea: The Network the KTX Does Not Cover
Korea runs two bus networks alongside its railway and reaches most of what the fast trains miss. Seat classes, terminals and what a night bus really is.
Updated 16 August 2026
SIM Cards, eSIMs and Mobile Data in South Korea
Some of the fastest and cheapest mobile data anywhere, plus the fifteen minutes of setup before you fly that decides whether your phone works on landing.
Updated 29 July 2026
The T-money Card: How Korea Pays for Everything
What a T-money card is, where to buy one, how to top it up, what it works on beyond the subway, and how to get your deposit back before you fly home.
Updated 29 July 2026
KTX Trains in Korea: Booking, Classes and Which Routes Are Worth It
How Korea's KTX works: main routes and journey times, booking as a visitor, standard versus first class, slower trains, and the rail passes worth buying.
Updated 11 June 2026
Getting Around South Korea: KTX, Metros and the T-money Card
How to get around South Korea: the KTX bullet train, subways, buses and taxis, the T-money card, flights to Jeju, and the map apps you actually need.
Culture & K-culture
See the category Updated 26 October 2026
Templestay in Korea: A Night in a Working Monastery
What a Korean templestay involves: the two programme formats, the pre-dawn service, the formal monastic meal, and how to book one that runs in English.
Updated 19 October 2026
KPop Demon Hunters in Seoul: The Real Places, Honestly Sorted
Which Seoul places in KPop Demon Hunters are drawn faithfully, which are composites, which are pure invention, and how to visit the real ones.
Updated 18 October 2026
Gamcheon Culture Village: A Hillside of Painted Houses Where People Live
A refugee settlement on a Busan hillside, repainted by artists into one of Korea's most photographed places, with residents behind every door.
Updated 16 October 2026
The Jjimjilbang: How to Use a Korean Bathhouse Without Panicking
Naked bathing by gender, shared heated rooms in issued pyjamas, a snack bar, a reading room and permission to sleep there. Here is the order of operations.
Updated 15 October 2026
Korean Etiquette: What to Do and What to Avoid
The Korean manners that matter to visitors: two hands, shoes off, chopstick rules, pouring for others, quiet trains, and why nobody expects a tip.
Updated 17 August 2026
K-Drama Filming Locations in Seoul You Can Actually Visit
Where Seoul's drama stairs, murals, bridges and cafes are, what looks different in person, and how to visit without a paid tour or bothering residents.
Updated 16 August 2026
Haedong Yonggungsa: The Temple on the Rocks Worth Getting Up For
Busan's seaside temple sits on rocks above the water, not up a mountain. Why sunrise is the visit, how to reach it from Haeundae, and temple manners.
Updated 29 July 2026
Andong: A UNESCO Village, a Mask Dance and Chicken Worth the Journey
A Confucian village in a river bend where an aristocratic clan lived for six hundred years, a satirical masked dance, and the town's two great dishes.
Updated 29 July 2026
Suwon and the Hwaseong Fortress: A Whole Walled City an Hour from Seoul
Nearly six kilometres of eighteenth century fortress wall with a walkway along the top, a palace inside it, and a working Korean city around it.
Updated 22 June 2026
K-pop for Travellers: What You Can Actually Do in Seoul
Agency buildings you can photograph from outside, busking in Hongdae, plenty of merchandise, and music show tickets that mostly need a fan club membership.
Updated 5 April 2026
Gyeongju by Bike: A Thousand Years of Capital, Flat and Rentable
Royal burial mounds in the middle of town, an observatory, a UNESCO temple in the hills, and a city flat enough that a bicycle is the obvious way round it.
Updated 6 March 2026
Visiting the DMZ: What You Can Actually See
A four kilometre strip of no man's land an hour from Seoul, visitable only on an authorised tour, where what is open changes with the politics.
Updated 28 February 2026
The Bukchon Hanok Alleys: A Neighbourhood, Not an Attraction
Six hundred traditional courtyard houses on a hillside in central Seoul, with people living in them, quiet hours signs on the gates and a view over roofs.
Updated 22 February 2026
Gyeongbokgung and the Hanbok Trick: Free Entry if You Dress the Part
The main royal palace of Seoul, a guard changing ceremony twice a day, and a rule that lets anybody in traditional dress walk in for nothing.
Seasons & weather
See the category Updated 29 October 2026
Hiking in Korea: The National Sport Nobody Warns You About
Korea is mostly mountain and almost everybody walks up it. What the trails are like, why the gear looks like that, and how to hike straight out of Seoul.
Updated 16 October 2026
Seoraksan in Autumn: The Best Two Weeks in Korea
Granite ridges, a cable car, a temple in a bowl of mountains and a colour front that comes down from the peaks to the valleys over a fortnight in October.
Updated 16 October 2026
Christmas and Winter Lights in Seoul
Christmas in South Korea is a holiday built around couples more than family dinners. Where the winter lights and markets are, and what to eat in the cold.
Updated 15 October 2026
Best Time to Visit South Korea: A Season-by-Season Guide
When to visit South Korea: cherry blossoms in spring, autumn foliage, festival summers and ski winters, with the best months for weather, crowds and value.
Updated 21 September 2026
Visiting Korea During Chuseok: What Closes and How to Plan
What happens in Korea during Chuseok, from packed intercity trains to quiet, atmospheric cities, and how to plan a trip around the biggest family holiday.
Updated 11 May 2026
Skiing in Korea: Short Runs, Long Nights and Very Cheap Lessons
Resorts from about an hour out of Seoul, floodlit slopes until late, a reliable cold winter and equipment hire that costs less than lunch in the Alps.
Updated 29 April 2026
Cherry Blossom in Korea: A Two Week Window That Moves North
The bloom starts on Jeju and the south coast and reaches Seoul roughly a fortnight later, and the forecast is published rather than guessed at.
Money & practical
See the category Updated 22 October 2026
Korea Tax Refund for Tourists: What You Actually Get Back
How Korea's tourist VAT refund works: what qualifies, the store counter versus the airport kiosk, and why the net refund is nearer 5 to 8% than 10%.
Updated 16 October 2026
The Jjimjilbang: How to Use a Korean Bathhouse Without Panicking
Naked bathing by gender, shared heated rooms in issued pyjamas, a snack bar, a reading room and permission to sleep there. Here is the order of operations.
Updated 15 October 2026
Cash or Card in Korea: Payments, ATMs and Why Not to Tip
Where a foreign card works in Korea, where it does not, which cash machines accept it, and why leaving a tip causes more confusion than gratitude.
Updated 15 October 2026
South Korea Visa, K-ETA and Entry Rules by Passport
How entering South Korea works: who needs a visa, what K-ETA is and who is exempt, passport validity, and the official sources to check before you fly.
Updated 14 October 2026
South Korea on a Budget: What Things Cost
What a trip to South Korea actually costs: where the money goes on beds, food and transport, the free half of Seoul, and how to travel well on less.
Updated 16 August 2026
SIM Cards, eSIMs and Mobile Data in South Korea
Some of the fastest and cheapest mobile data anywhere, plus the fifteen minutes of setup before you fly that decides whether your phone works on landing.
Updated 29 July 2026
Emergency Numbers in South Korea: The Practical Safety Guide
The numbers to save before landing in Korea: 112, 119 and the 1330 tourist helpline, plus how pharmacies work and what to do about a lost passport.
Updated 29 July 2026
Travel Insurance for South Korea: What Actually Matters
Why insurance matters where hospitals are excellent but visitors get no free care: medical limits to look for, hiking and ski clauses, and how claims work.
Updated 29 July 2026
The T-money Card: How Korea Pays for Everything
What a T-money card is, where to buy one, how to top it up, what it works on beyond the subway, and how to get your deposit back before you fly home.
Updated 29 July 2026
Shopping in Seoul: Five Districts and What Each One Is For
Cosmetics in Myeongdong, wholesale at four in the morning in Dongdaemun, young labels in Hongdae and stationery you did not know you wanted.
Common questions
How many Korea guides are on the site?
The site has 62 guides covering all of South Korea: Seoul, Busan, Jeju, the heritage cities, food, transport and practical info. They are updated regularly.
Which guide should I start with when planning a trip to Korea?
Start with the general planning guide and "when to visit Korea", then move on to the Seoul guide, the Busan and Jeju guides, and the ready-made itinerary that matches the number of days you have.
Do I need to speak Korean to travel in Korea?
No. Tourist areas have English signage, public transport is very easy to use, and navigation and translation apps handle almost everything. Our guides walk you through how to get by with no trouble.
What makes Korea such an interesting destination?
A mix of ancient tradition and futuristic technology, superb street food, striking nature and seasons, K-pop and pop culture, and a very high level of safety. It is easy to get around and easy to fall for.