Northeast Asia · Corée du Sud

hi

I booked my trip from May 5 to 26, 2027. I’m starting to plan my itinerary and look for hotels (I know it’s early!). While I’ve found some in Seoul and Busan, I’m noticing that elsewhere—like Yeosu—most hotels aren’t available (on Booking.com, for example, almost all are unavailable). AI tells me not to worry because hotels in South Korea only open bookings 6 months in advance, so it’s normal to see most of them unavailable on booking sites.

Could you confirm this for me and, of course, reassure me (!)? Thanks so much. philippe

Hi everyone, First of all, thank you for all the valuable information you share—it’s really helpful. My husband and I are heading to South Korea from September 19 to October 6. We know the timing might not be ideal because of Chuseok, but for various reasons, we didn’t have other date options. Plus, this period coincides with some festivals we’ve been eager to check out: the Andong Mask Dance Festival, the Jinju Lantern Festival, and the Hwaseong Festival in Suwon. Here’s our tentative itinerary:

09/19: Arrival in Seoul 09/20: Bus to Sokcho – explore the city or short hike 09/21: Seoraksan Park 09/22: Return to Seoul 09/23–09/26: Seoul 09/27: Bus or train to Andong – explore the city 09/28: Hahoe 09/29–10/01: Gyeongju 10/01–10/03: Busan 10/03–10/04: Jinju 10/05: Bus/train to Suwon 10/06: Suwon

So here’s my question: Given that several of our trips fall during or around festivals, will it be possible to book bus/train tickets once we’re there, or is there a risk they’ll already be sold out? Specifically for Seoul-Andong, Busan-Jinju, and Jinju-Suwon. I was thinking of booking everything on our first day in Seoul. And if it’s better to plan ahead, how should we go about it? I can’t seem to access the Korail (letskorail) or Kobus websites. Thanks in advance for your answers and help—and sorry for the long post! :)

Have a great day!

Hi there,

I’m starting to look at neighborhoods in Seoul, and I’m leaning toward staying in a hotel in Insa-Dong—I’ve spotted one really close to Unhyeongung. Is this a good area—nice and convenient for exploring the city?

Otherwise, I’ve also found another hotel in Yongsan-Gu, right near the station of the same name. Is that station useful for getting around Seoul?

Since I’ll be in South Korea for nearly two months, I plan to spend at least a week in Seoul to recover from jet lag (it takes me a while to adjust...). So, I’d love a neighborhood that’s pleasant and a hotel not too far from a subway station.

Thanks in advance!

Hi there,

After more than ten solo trips to India, I’ve decided to explore a new country: South Korea.

In October, I’ll be flying Lyon-Delhi, then in November Delhi-Seoul. I’ll be staying in this new (for me) country for over a month.

My main motivation when traveling is discovering a country through the people (locals) I meet. In India, I made friends through Couchsurfing that way.

I’m currently getting in touch with host families (via Servas), but if you have any ideas for authentic and budget-friendly accommodations, I’d love to hear them.

I’ll plan my route based on my hosts, and I’m also thinking of spending a few days in Seoul and Jeju.

Thanks in advance for your tips!

JulieB

Hi,

Can anyone tell me exactly if a passport "valid for the duration of the stay" is enough, or does it need to be valid for 6 months after the trip? I checked the embassy’s website, but that info is missing.

Thanks

Hi there, I’ll be arriving in Seoul on November 18th after spending about a month in India. Do you know if I’ll need to fill out any additional documents besides the e-arrival card? Thanks in advance for your tips!

hi there

I’m back with my detailed itinerary for 20 days in South Korea—it’s my first trip to the country. Our idea is to experience a more rural and cultural Korea. Here’s the rough plan: Seoul for 4 nights at the start and 1 night at the end, Gurye for 4 nights, Suncheon for 4 nights, Namhae for 4 nights, and Gyeongju for 2 nights. The goal is to pick a base and explore the surrounding areas. What do you think of this itinerary? Anything you’d change? thanks

philippe

hi there I’m planning a trip in September—here’s my rough itinerary. What do you think? Is it easy to rent a car to get around between my stops? Thanks so much!

Philippe StopNightsFull daysSeoul44Gurye (Jirisan)43Suncheon43Namhae43Gyeongju21Seoul1—

hi there I’m heading to Seoul in September, and to do that I need to get a travel authorization that we apply for through K-ETA....... turns out I can (barely, I admit) fill out the form up to the address of our "stay location," but every address I’ve entered has been rejected by the system. I’ve tried my hotel, the Lotte Hotel (which is well-known in Seoul), the airport—basically, I’ve entered at least 20 addresses, all rejected....

So, to anyone who’s successfully gotten the authorization, could you tell me which address you used to get that "elusive" approval?...

Thanks for your help

Hi,

Great article that really captures what makes South Korea so appealing!

South Korea: Between Hallyu and the search for authenticity, the French are falling for the destination

Hello,

We’re planning a 17-day trip to South Korea in October 2026 with my husband and our daughters, who’ll be 9 years old.

I’d love to get your thoughts on our draft itinerary.

First, some key details:

1/ Jeju Island is a must for us. I’ve personally dreamed of going there for years after reading a novel about it. 2/ Our girls are used to road-trip style travel since they were born, so this kind of trip won’t be an issue for them. 3/ We plan to travel by train, except on Jeju where we’ll rent a car (we already have an international driver’s permit).

Itinerary:

Seoul: 1 arrival day at 10 AM + 4 full days Gyeongju: 2 days Busan: 3 days Jeju: 4 days Seoul: 2 days

Thanks for your feedback! Have a great day,

Sabrina

Hi,

I bought my flight ticket with my first (usual) first name, which appears first on my passport. However, I have two first names on my passport, and of course, it’s mentioned in the machine-readable zone at the bottom.

I booked with Turkish Airlines (through an online agency) for a trip to South Korea.

I wanted to know if it would be a problem that I only used my first first name on the ticket, while my passport has two. I had requested through the agency to add the second first name, but the airline refused because it doesn’t meet their general conditions. (They must have seen that the last name and first name were the same, and only the second first name was added.)

So, my ticket has my last name and first first name correctly spelled, and when I check in online, I’ll enter the passport details correctly.

I’ll have a layover in Istanbul on the flight.

Thanks in advance for your replies. Have a great day.

Hi there,

I just booked my hotel in Seoul—it’ll be near Unhyeongung, on Samil-Daero 30-Gil—and I’m wondering if there’s public transport from the airport to this address (bus or subway)? If not, what’s the taxi fare? I read it’s around 50 or 60 €.

Hi,

While researching South Korea, I came across the term "templestay," which refers to a Korean program that lets you stay in a traditional temple to discover Buddhism and Korean culture by living like the temple residents and doing activities like making lanterns. A templestay isn’t just for foreign tourists—on the booking site, I saw that some temples are more geared toward foreigners, with English-speaking monks.

I was wondering if it’s still worth it, especially in temples where the monks don’t speak English?

Hi there,

When I run searches on Skyscanner, I see that only Lufthansa has flights to Seoul with just one stop. Air France doesn’t show up, even though I thought the French airline served Seoul? I can’t even log into the Air France website—it keeps glitching.

Hi there, I’ve got a long layover (about 10 hours) in Seoul on an upcoming trip. I arrive from Phnom Penh at 7:20 AM and depart for Montreal at 6:00 PM.

First question: Will my checked baggage be transferred automatically? I have a single ticket from KTI to YUL (Air Canada ticket—KTI-ICN operated by Asiana (codeshare) and ICN-YUL by Air Canada).

Second question: I saw it’s possible to join free guided tours (Airport Transit Tour). What do you think of this kind of service? And is my "actual" layover time (accounting for security checks, check-in, etc.) enough to do one of these tours?

Thanks in advance to everyone who chimes in on this!

So, even before starting my explanation, I’d like to introduce myself since this is my first post on the forum :) I’m Jérôme, a huge Asia enthusiast, and I’m currently in the process of moving to Japan with my family in 2028.

Now, onto the topic :)

We’re a family of four traveling together to Seoul, with two separate bookings.

Our original itinerary was: Madrid → Doha → Seoul (March 23–24)

The issue is that our entire outbound flight was canceled, and the airline simply rescheduled the Madrid → Doha leg. Now we’re left with an incomplete journey, with no solution to reach our final destination (Seoul).

Since then:

- Can’t modify flights online (technical error every time) - Can’t get help via chat or WhatsApp - Phone support is unreachable, and the usual French number isn’t working right now

We don’t want a refund. We just want to be rerouted to Seoul, as our original ticket promised.

We’re flexible:

- On dates (we can leave on March 21 or 22 instead of the 23rd) - On the itinerary (different layovers if needed)

Have any of you dealt with this before? Do you know how to unlock a booking in this case or get a rerouting? We’re considering going straight to the airport to resolve it at the Qatar Airways counter....

Thanks so much for your help! 😊

Hello,

I’ll be buying my ticket to South Korea soon and I’m wondering if it’s possible to improvise once I’m there.

It’s a two-month trip in July and August. I know it’s not the best time to visit South Korea (weather-wise), so it’s the low season, but I imagine there’ll still be tourists since it’s school holidays in Europe and other countries. Is it advisable to book hotels and trains well in advance (and possibly museum entries and other tourist spots)?

I really don’t like booking weeks in advance, and for a two-month trip, it’s complicated to plan everything.

Usually, I book the first few nights in the country ahead of time, then reserve a hotel two or three days before—or even the day before—and for trains and buses, I just go to the station and take the first one leaving. For museums and other tourist spots, I buy the ticket at the counter.

I’d like to travel this way in South Korea, but is it easy to do, or will I struggle?

Thanks in advance.

/hello, coming from China-Beijing - on 07/04 we're thinking of heading to Korea for 3 weeks. First off, we'd like to know what to expect weather-wise

Hi there,

Nice feature on the haenyeo and the gorgeous Jeju ❤️

South Korea: The Island of Women Divers | TF1 Info

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to set off on a "round-the-world" trip/long journey at the start of next year, lasting between 4.5 and 6 months. For now, the itinerary looks like this: South Korea (2 weeks) -> Japan (1 month) -> New Zealand (1 month) -> Argentina (1 month) -> United States (1 month).

I’m on medication (paroxetine 20 mg/day) and was hoping to bring enough for the entire trip so I wouldn’t have to find a doctor on the spot, deal with a molecule that might be slightly different from what’s available in France, or wonder if that’s even a possibility. Basically, it seemed simpler on paper...

But after looking into the regulations for each country, it’s suddenly way less simple . Many seem to only allow the amount corresponding to the length of your "stay" in the country... Which is a problem if I arrive in Korea with 4.5 months’ worth of medication, for example.

After all that, and even though I’ll obviously contact the relevant authorities in each country (fingers crossed for a response 😛), here’s my question: Has anyone here had any experience with this? (Even if it’s a different medication or different countries, any input would be helpful!)

Thanks in advance! 😉 Ananasas

Hi there,

I’ve heard about the city of Gunsan (on the Yellow Sea coast) and I’m not sure if it’s worth the trip. I’d be using public transport, and it seems like a bit of a trek from Seoul.

Hi there,

Can you easily pay by card in South Korea, or should you stick to cash?

Is it easy to withdraw money from ATMs with any foreign bank card?

I’ve read some conflicting info about this.

Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone! 🙂 Just giving you the quick context: A group of friends and I are planning a trip to South Korea (Seoul/Busan) at the end of June/July next year. It falls right in the middle of the monsoon season, but we don’t really have other availability options.😕 I’d love to hear from people who’ve visited the country and these cities during this period—basically, is it not as bad as it sounds, or should we just cancel our tickets (we don’t mind the heat, it’s mostly the rain that scares us). I know there are plenty of indoor activities, but do you think we’ll still manage to get a few sunny days, or will it be torrential rain for our entire 2-week trip? The only other country we’ve visited during the rainy season is Brazil (in the northeast) around the same time, and honestly, aside from a few really annoying downpours, we had sunshine most of the time and it was awesome. That said, the climate is totally different, so I’m not sure how relevant the comparison is. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read or reply to this post! 🙂

Hi there!

I’m planning my very first trip soon, which will be to South Korea, and I’d love some advice and tips from people who’ve already been there.

I’ll be traveling in October with a friend, and we’re staying for a little over a month. We’ve planned to visit Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Island, and we’d also like to check out some traditional villages—but I’m not sure which ones yet? (I’ve seen names like Gyeongju, Jeonju, and Andong?) So, I’d really appreciate any recommendations on that, as well as how much time you’d suggest spending in each city to make the most of it 🙂 If you have other destinations to recommend, I’m all ears 😉

As for accommodations, is it better to book everything in advance, or is it possible to find something on the day for that same night? I’m a bit anxious about this since we haven’t finalized the dates for each city yet...

If you have any other tips on things I haven’t mentioned, don’t hesitate! I’m open to everything! 😏

Hi everyone,

I’m embarking on my first trip to Asia, starting with South Korea.

I’ll be traveling with my 15-year-old daughter, who came up with the idea...

We’ll be there from July 15th to 22nd.

I’ve currently planned to stay in Seoul from the 15th to the 19th, then head to Busan from the 19th to the 21st. We need to be back in Seoul on the evening of the 21st because our flight is at 10 AM on the 22nd.

I love modern cities, but for a first trip to Asia, I’d also like to see some traditional sights. Do you think Busan is a good idea?

I’m considering staying in Gyeongju instead and spending two days in Busan...

What do you think?

Maybe another city in a different region of Korea?

Thanks for your help

We only have 4 days to visit South Korea and we’re landing in Seoul. Is it better to focus on Seoul, or would it be possible to go as far as Gyeongju, stopping by Songnisan National Park to visit Beopjusa Temple, then heading to Gyeongju to see Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto, and keeping 2 days for Seoul? Is this doable? We’d need someone to drive us there.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a 3-week solo trip to South Korea in April/May 2025. Here’s my current wishlist on the map—I need to check how realistic it is.

Questions: The DMZ: I haven’t planned to go, and I’m struggling to see the appeal. What do you think? Jeju: I’m on the fence about Jeju. It seems like the *place to be*, but I’m not sure what makes it so charming or what’s really a must-do there?

On my map, I’m hesitating about Hahoe. I’m definitely going to Jeonju because there are several sites in that area. For Hahoe, I’m unsure because I’d need to stop overnight and arrange transfers between Andong and Hahoe. Is Hahoe the same as Jeonju? (Hanok village)—if so, I’ll skip Hahoe.

Last question: In the south, there are lots of sites that interest me, but I’m wondering about transportation. Can I stay in one place for several days and do day trips to each site? Is that possible with buses?

Anyway, thanks in advance for your tips! Sabrina

Good evening,

I’m taking a short trip to South Korea—half work, half leisure—and I don’t know anything about the country, its history, or its customs.

Would you happen to have one or two references I could read? Specifically, I’d love to know how workplace relationships, negotiations, and downtime work there...

Thanks so much for your help!

Best regards,

deb75

Hi everyone!

I’m especially asking those of you who’ve been to South Korea and Taiwan. Which would you pick for a three-week trip in September or October? I need to consider budget, variety of places, and the weather.

Thanks! 🙂