South Korea is a country of exciting contrasts. In a single trip, you can wander through royal palaces in a colourful hanbok, eat sizzling street food in a buzzing market, hike granite peaks covered in autumn colours, sleep in a traditional hanok house, watch the sunrise from a volcanic crater on Jeju and end the day in a modern city full of neon lights and K-pop.
Everywhere you go, travel is easy, safe and full of surprises. Many travelers only see Seoul and Busan, and both are wonderful. But this guide invites you to go further: to the mountains of Gangwon, the hanok villages of Andong and Jeonju, the ancient Silla capital of Gyeongju, the island-studded south coast, the tea elds of Boseong and the beaches, waterfalls and volcanic cones of Jeju Island.
How this guide works
Part 1 – Practical South Korea gives you everything you need to prepare: entry rules and K-ETA, money, internet and eSIMs, apps, transport, health and safety, packing tips, etiquette and the best time to travel.
Part 2 – The 100 Destinations takes you through South Korea region by region: Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, Busan and Jeju. Every destination opens with a small map showing where it lies in South Korea, followed by the highlights, the best time to visit, food to try, where to stay, how to get there, a daily budget and an insider tip.
Part 3 – helps you turn your wishes into a real trip, with readymade routes from five days in Seoul to a three-week grand tour, including Jeju, the east coast, the south coast and a route past temples and traditional villages
South Korea changes quickly. New attractions, cafés and train lines open every year, prices rise during the holidays and entry rules, such as the K-ETA, are updated regularly. All prices in this guide are given in US dollars and are meant as an indication. Before you book, always check the latest official information, especially about entry rules, the DMZ and the weather in the season you plan to travel.
And one practical tip that will make your trip much easier: stay connected. In South Korea, you will use your phone for maps, taxis, train tickets, translation and staying in touch. With a travel eSIM from, you have mobile data from the moment you land, without searching for a SIM card shop at the airport.
Enjoy the journey
Whether this is your first trip to South Korea or your tenth, we hope this guide inspires you to go further, stay a little longer and discover places you had never heard of before. Try on a hanbok, share a Korean barbecue new friends, learn a few words of Korean and let South Korea surprise you.
Have a wonderful journey.
$10.00
Buy now