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 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.

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.

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, 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

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 everyone,

I’m planning a short trip of about 7-8 days in Seoul in mid-July.

I’ll be traveling with my 15-year-old daughter, who loves Asian culture.

This will be our first trip to Asia, and I’d really love to experience the authentic side of Asia.

I’ve done some research, and I’m a bit worried that Seoul might just be a big city like ‘New York’ and that we won’t find that authentic feel.

Is it possible to mix modern and authentic without spending too much time on transportation?

I’d really love to make this trip special for my daughter, but I’m honestly worried about ending up surrounded by skyscrapers for a whole week.

Thanks in advance 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.

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 everyone, I hope it's okay to reach out about a project I’m really excited to make happen. So, I’m 16 now and will turn 18 in 2022. Once I come of age, I’ll have access to some money that will let me fulfill one of my biggest dreams: visiting South Korea. I wanted to ask those of you who’ve been lucky enough to go or who know the country for some advice. First, I’m planning to go for 3 weeks, but since it’ll be my first solo trip, I was wondering how much I should budget for food over those 3 weeks. Next, if any of you have done a "tourist circuit" there, what’s the average cost, and which cities (aside from Seoul, of course ;)) should I prioritize visiting? And finally, this is a more general question, but what can I do in the next 2 years besides saving up to prepare for this trip? Thanks so much for reading! Best regards,

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,

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,

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

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,

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, I’m currently in my first year of high school (ES track) and I’d like to become a psychologist specializing in criminology and victimology (profiler) later on. After or during my studies, I’d love to live permanently in South Korea, but I’m not sure if this profession exists there and/or if it’s recognized?

Thanks in advance for your answers.