South Korea

South Korea is quite a unique place to visit. A mix of immense, lively cities and calmer villages and countryside.

General information

South Korea is part of the Korean Peninsula, with a population of nearly 52 million people. The currency is the South Korean Won (KRW) and the official language is Korean. Their capital city is Seoul. Famous for its urban lifestyle, K-pop, and Korean cuisine.

Safety tips

Emergency number: 112

South Korea is generally considered to be safe for travelers. Nevertheless, always check your home countries’ travel advisory before heading off. In addition, it can be good to also read other countries’ advice, just to get a better idea (see for example US, Canada, Australia & UK’s advice for South Korea).

Budget

Australia is a medium priced country to visit.

Low budget travelers: 30-60 EUR /day
Mid budget travelers: 60-100 EUR /day
High budget travelers: 100+ EUR /day

Itinerary

Some common tourist destinations in South Korea are Seoul, Busan, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Gyeongju, and Jeju.

Seoul is a huge, bustling city in the north-west of South Korea, famous for its food markets (such as Myeongdong), Royal Palaces, and nightlife. Seoul has many interesting and fun areas to explore, such as Hongdae, Insadong, Gangnam, and Bukchon Hanok Village. For some historic background, I also highly recommend checking out the War Memorial of Korea, truely one of my favorite museums.

Busan is a coastal city in the south, with a very trendy, fun, young vibe and the famous Haeundae Beach. It has some great cultural villages nearby which a worth to visit, such as Gamcheon Culture Village and Huinnyeoul Culture Village, with lovely street art and cute cafés.

Jeju is a tropical island about 1 hour flight from both Busan and Seoul. Great for some nature, a bit of hiking, and relaxation. It is such a common vacation destination for South Koreans that the air route Seoul-Jeju is the busiest on earth.

Travel tips

Flights to South Korea are quite affordable from various European destinations, usually with a layover. If you’re visiting Japan, there are often many cheap flights into Seoul so it is easy to combine if you’d wish to do so.

Traveling within South Korea is quite easy: domestic flights are very cheap, and there is also a good bus and railway network connecting Seoul and Busan. Do note that trains book out, especially on the weekend, so it is smart to book in advance.

A big part of traveling South Korea is the cuisine. Definitely try Korean BBQ, quirky streetfoods, and national dishes such as gimbap and bibimbap. For a full immersive experience do a photo-shoot in one of the plenty photobooths you’ll find in the larger cities. It is a great souvenir and gives you an insight in young people culture of South Korea.

As is true everywhere: make sure you have an adequate travel insurance that will cover you throughout your stay. Medical help might be more expensive in South Korea than in your home country, so make sure your travel insurance covers medical expenses too.

Accomodation

Booking a stay while traveling in South Korea? I usually compare prices on Booking.com, Hostelworld and Agoda. Searching on Google Hotels can also help to make an easy price comparison.

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