r/KoreaTravelAdvice

Going to South Korea this august for 3 weeks and wanted to know if I missed any spots, if I should make any part of the trip longer or shorter, etc.

Seoul from 5-13th
Jeonju from 13-15th
Yeosu from 15-18th (with a day trip to Suncheon)
Busan from 18-23rd
Back in Seoul from 23-28th

I already have a sort of itinerary going, but wanted to plan out accommodation first so any help on where to stay in any of these locations would be amazing too. For Seoul, I’ve looked around the Euljiro area but most is taken or kind of pricey. Going with one other person. LMK!!

Hi everyone, I am going to ICML in Seoul from July 6th - July 10th. I wanted to take ~1.5 weeks to go to Busan and Jeju Island as well. Is it better to go before my conference or after? I'm mostly concerned about the weather :/

Thank you!

I'm looking for recommendations for areas in South Korea to visit that aren't cities. I'd love to find some rural towns that aren't too hard to get to and show the authentic Korea. We're going next October for a couple weeks. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I'm a local living in Seoul. I love seeing so many people enjoying their trips here, but as a local, I also notice a few things that must be incredibly inconvenient for foreign tourists.

Two major things came to my mind recently:

1. Food Delivery Apps 🍗 Korea is famous for its amazing delivery culture, but apps like Baemin, Yogiyo, or Coupang Eats can be a nightmare for tourists because they often require complex identity verification (ARC) or a Korean phone number just to pay. How are you guys managing to order delivery? Do you use alternative apps like Shuttle, third-party helper services, or just ask your hotel front desk?
2. "Cash-Free" Buses vs. "Cash-Only" T-Money 🚌 I know many buses in Seoul are now completely cashless, meaning you can't pay with paper money on the bus. But the paradox is that you still need physical cash to top up your T-Money card at convenience stores or subway stations! I can imagine how confusing this is for someone who thought Korea was a 100% cashless society.

Beyond these two, what has been the biggest "culture shock" or practical difficulty you faced while getting around or buying things in Korea?

Share your struggles or your own workarounds in the comments! If you're stuck on how to handle any of these transport/delivery issues right now, drop a comment and I'll do my best to help you out!

Hi all, I’m looking for BTS and ATEEZ lightsticks but it looks like they were online preorder only? Anyone know if there’s a physical resell shop in Seoul?

Thank you for any help!

I just had my short trip in korea. Just four days and all I did was shop, eat, and watch Nanta. I enjoyed the trip so much that I am starting to think about my next Korea trip but I’d like to explore another neighborhood.

This may be too touristy for others but what I really enjoyed the most while in Myeongdong is the vibrant energy, has the stores/brands I am looking for, and convenience (with so many restaurants, convenience stores, and pharmacy that can be reached by foot).

I’ve never been to Apgujeong or any other part of Gangnam. Someone suggested this area to me when I said I value convenience where I can easily drop the things I bought in the middle of the day. Aside from shopping, I’d like to watch The Painter’s Show since I enjoyed Nanta so much. I may also do a quick day tour to Seongsu just to look at some Korean brands like Marge Sherwood. Do you agree that this area suits my preference/travel style?

Just to give an idea, I’ve been to Hongdae and it is not my preference. I’m middle-aged, so it feels too youthful for me.

My wife and I are visiting Seoul next weekend and I would love to see a baseball game! I would appreciate any advice on how I can secure tickets for the game. I’ve seen information that the box office opens two hours before the game starts, but also conflicting info on whether I can purchase tickets online beforehand? I’m from the US and I don’t have a Korean phone number.

I arrived in Busan last night for 3 nights. It’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Anybody have any good ideas for inexpensive things to do while it’s raining?

I was looking at airbnbs (Jeju) last week, and I could only find like a few dozen. I figured that it was due to the government crackdown.

This week, I checked again, and there were hundreds.

So I suppose a lot of them got their permits/licenses renewed/recognized this week? Or was I just hallucinating last week?

I am a US Citizen and have a 10 hour layover in Incheon airport. I am traveling Korean Air business class. My goal is to head into Seoul for a few hours of shopping. I get in early in the morning around 6am. Plan is to deplane, head to the lounge, take a shower, eat breakfast/coffee before heading out. I have a few questions:
1/ Is the East lounge the new renovated one and best for using showers?
2/ Can I leave my carry-on at the front desk so I dont have to lug it around?
3/ I am assuming after freshening up, I will need to go through immigration. Do I just fill out the e-Travel card or do I need to do K-ETA?
4/ I will be looking for men's streetwear so will head to Seongsu area. The stores I am looking at are Musinsa, Coor, Pottery, etc.
5/ Let's assume I buy 6-7 things, I just realized how will I bring them back through airport security? They might not allow me to bring those items unless I consolidate them into a carry-on bag or something. Is that assumption correct? If thats true then I will look to store the carry-on bag somewhere in the airport before the security check in. What would be the best place?
6/ I am assuming Uber from Seongsu on Monday around 1pm would work?

Hello! Planning to get married in jeju next year (outdoors) and debating around April 30 or around May 20th. Guests from Canada or Philippines. Knowing that Jeju is an island, it can get windy, which date would you recommend for weather that is mild but not too hot. Ideally 16-20 degrees Celsius. Tia!

Has anyone recently visited Seoul and could get a climate card from the airport stores? Almost all previous posts coming up say they are not easily available.

We will be only in Seoul for 5 days hence would be taking a climate card instead of T money. Thanks!

Hii planning a trip with my siblings to korea in July, how bad is the weather in terms of hotness and humidity? Be totally honest n should we avoid it and just pick another country. Is it as bad as Dubai in the summer(the only country I can compare it to).

Hello! We're planning a family trip in a few weeks from the US. I'm getting the basics down as far as etiquette, language, etc. (and we've all traveled abroad to a number of different cultures before so we acclimate pretty well) but we're trying to plan an itinerary that will make everyone happy, including kids/teens.

We are:

70-something male (the grandpa/patriarch) who is active and in good shape and into hiking and nature more than flashy stuff
17 year old male who is into video games (and apparently there is some famous korean gamer he's into?)
15 year old male who loves hard rock and wants to go clothes shopping
8 year old female who is low key obsessed with Korea right now (between K-pop demon hunters, taekwondo classes and multiple Korean friends at her school), she loves kawaii type stuff and spending mom and dad's money lol
40-something mom and dad who are kind of along for the ride, lol

We all love nature, beaches, food and getting a taste of how the locals live over doing tons of touristy stuff. None of us are big history or art buffs. Mom (me) is into world religion and wants to experience at least one good temple. I also want to get a picture doing the gangnam dance in Gangnam.....because despite what I said about touristy stuff, I also do love ridiculous and kitschy stuff like that. We'd appreciate frugal suggestions giving that there are 6 of us!

Oh and we literally all have ADHD if that tells you more about our vibe.

So far on our list are a couple of days in Jeju (flying in from Seoul), Nami Island, and somewhere we can rent hanboks and visit a palace, and of course at least a couple of days in Seoul. We have eight days which sounded like a lot but now that I'm researching that feels like hardly anything.....but it is what we have to work with lol. So what should we prioritize?

Me and my friend are going on a spontaneous trip soon, I’ll be heading out tomorrow and him in a couple days. This will be both of our first times in Korea so just looking for some advice. First what’s the best/cheapest way to get around? Secondly what are some suggestions you have for places to check out (food, hikes, museums, etc.) in the areas we will be? Third are there any things I should be aware of or keep in mind that travelers sometimes forget that you wish you knew from the start? These are the times we’ll be in different cities->
Seoul: May 18th - 24th
Gyeonju: May24-26th
Busan: May 26th-28th
Jeju: May 28th - June 3rd
Seoul: June 3rd night to June 4th.

Also for the week in Seoul my friend already booked a stay at the Time Travelers hostel and I just wanted to see if I should as well or if you guys would suggest a different spot that’s near there cause from what I’ve seen not really that clean.(I haven’t booked any hotels/hostels for any of the cities since I just bought the plane ticket this week so if you have any suggestions for the other cities that’d be great too.

hello!
i’m going to Busan for 3 days and i was wondering if i have to book my tickets in korea or in france (where i live)
how much time in advance do i need to book them ?

thank you in advance

Hi everyone,

I’m a Korean resident and I’ve seen a lot of travelers struggle with places that only take reservations or questions by phone.

Some restaurants, clinics, hair salons, small shops, and local experiences still prefer phone calls instead of online booking.

I was wondering how foreign travelers usually handle this when they don’t speak Korean well.

Do you usually:

- ask a Korean friend?

- ask hotel staff?

- use Papago and try calling yourself?

- message the place on Instagram?

- just give up and choose another place?

I’m trying to understand this better because I live here, but I don’t always notice these problems from a traveler’s point of view.

What situations were the most difficult for you?