SOUTH KOREA

Everyone has heard of Seoul, but what about Busan? I really like both cities,

Korean culture, cosmetic and food. It kinda feels like traveling to the future

and it's not as expensive as you might think!

Some things I love about South Korea:

The T-Money-Card for public transportation works in every city
The public transportation systems are fast and convenient
There are free & clean public toilets everywhere
The wifi is fast and normally you will easily find free public wifi spots
Using NAVER Maps for navigation is easier than you might think as the app tells you everything about your journey in detail (Please note that Google Maps doesn't work well for navigation in South Korea but you can look up places and addresses there)
You can get cheap and delicious food in local markets and it's totally safe
You can use translation apps like Papago to translate Korean letters

Where I went in South Korea & more detailed information further down!

Useful Apps for traveling

in South Korea

NAVER Maps (Navigation)
Papago (Translation)
KORAIL (KTX trains)
AirVisual (Air Pollution)
Kakao T (Taxi)

Seoul

Capital & biggest city of South Korea

DMZ

Demilitarized Zone around the border of North Korea and South Korea

Gamaksan

Beautiful nature around Mount Gamaksan

Busan

Second biggest city by the ocean with lots to do

Gyeongju

Tradition & History about Silla Kingdom

Geoje Island

Second biggest island that is not very touristy

SEOUL

Seoul is the capital city of the Republic of Korea, commonly known as South Korea.

It has the country's biggest international airport (Incheon) which is about one hour away from the city center.

How to get from the airport to the city center: Get some cash first and follow the signs to the airport trains. There are two trains going to the city. The fastest one is the Express-Train, the cheaper one the All-Stop-Train which you can use with the T-Money-Card. You can get a T-Money-Card from a vending machine close to the train station. Next to the vending machine you'll find a machine to top up your card. It is super easy but it only works with cash. If you stay in Myeong-dong, you have to change the train in Seoul Station. There are also other options to get to the city from Incheon Airport, but I only tried the All-Stop-Train.

The T-Money-Card can be used all over South Korea for public transport which is so convenient!

Where to stay: I would recommend Myeong-dong as it's located in the city center.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace served as the home of the royal family and the seat of the government during Joseon Dynasty (14th to 19th century). It is the main palace of the five palaces in Seoul and also the oldest one, built in 14th century.

Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung Palace was also built during Joseon Dynasty but later than Gyeongbukgung Palace.

Bukchon Hanok Village

Hanok are traditional Korean houses as they used to be built during Joseon Dynasty.

It's nice to walk around the area and have coffee there.

As it's also a residential area, please be respectful and quiet at all times.

Myeong-dong

Myeong-dong is the perfect location for your stay in Seoul. It's close to Namsan Park and it offers shopping opportunities and a nightmarket.

Namsan Park

It's very peaceful at Namsan Park and you can take a rest here from the busy streets of Seoul. You can walk up Mount Namsan or take a cable car to enjoy the view from up there.

N Seoul Tower

From here you can feel how big is Seoul. The city with almost 10 million inhabitants spreads out around you and it's especially beautiful for sunset.

Gwangjang Market

I like Gwangjang-Market a lot because you can take a seat around the vendors selling Kalguksu, Kimchi, Gimbap, Hotteok and a lot more!

Gangnam District

I didn't know that Gangnam is a district in Seoul but I knew this song for sure. Apart from that, Gangnam is great for shopping (Starfield COEX Mall).

Starfield Library

Starfield Library is located in Starfield COEX Mall. It's nice to see and a good place to rest after shopping.

DMZ-Tour
from Seoul

Seoul is close to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which is running across the 38th parallel, dividing South Korea and North Korea. It's heavily militarized and controlled by the United Nations. Going there is impressive and sad as North Korea is one of the most isolated countries in the world.

From Dora Observatory, you can see North Korea and Kaesong city.

BUSAN

Busan is the second largest city in South Korea. It's a port city on the Southeast coast of South Korea, surrounded by the Yellow Sea and the East Sea.

I took the KTX train from Seoul to Busan and arrived at Busan Station.

From there, you can get on the metro. The public transportation system is very easy and when you use NAVER Maps, you won't ever get lost.

How to book a KTX-ticket: I tried to book it online in the KORAIL App bit it didn't accept my credit card so I bought it at the counter in Seoul Station. Please note that you should book the ticket one or two days in advance. Especially on the weekends as the trains to Busan might sell out quickly.

You can also book with booking platforms like 12goAsia which will charge you additional fees for their service.

Where to stay: I stayed at Haeundae Beach, which is a bit far away from the sights I visited in Busan but it's a very nice area with a famous beach, nice coastal walks and a food street. The local people told me that they like Gwangan and Gwangalli Beach the most so this is also a good option to stay close to the beach and a little bit closer to the city. If you want to be in the city center, I would recommend Seomyeon or Junggu. From Junggu, you can easily get to the Cultural Villages Gamcheon and Huinnyeoul which I liked the most on my trip to Busan. Also, it's where you'll find South Korea's biggest fish market called Jagalchi market.

Haeundae Beach

I stayed at Haeundae Beach and I like the coastal walks there a lot. Especially Blue Line Park is nice and also, there are nice coffeeshops and a food market where you can get Hotteok.

Blue Line Park

Blue Line Park is very famous for Busan. You can take the Sky Capsules or the Beach Train to ride along the coast. There is also a coastal walk which I preferred. Please note that the tickets for the Sky Capsules might sell out quickly!

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

This is a famous Buddhist temple with beautiful ocean views that can get very crowded. It's located close to Haeundae Beach and you can get there by bus.

Gwangalli Beach

Gwangalli Beach is popular among local people of Busan and it's more quiet. Every Saturday, there are drone shows in the evening.

Gamcheon Culture Village

Gamcheon Cultural Village was my highlight in Busan! It's a village located on the foothills of a coastal mountain. The colorful houses are built like staircases so every house has ocean view. There are lots of nice coffee- and souvenir shops to discover.

Huinnyeoul Culture Village

Huinnyeoul Culture Village is located close to the ocean and is nice for taking walks and enjoy a cup of coffee with a nice view.

Jeonpo Coffee Street

Located close to Seomyeon with lots of coffee shops and restaurants.

Seomyeon

City center of Busan with lots of shopping opportunities.

Jagalchi Market

South Korea's biggest sea food market

GYEONGJU

Gyeongju was the old capital city of the ancient kingdom of Silla which existed from 57 BC to 935 AD. Later Silla was a prosperous and wealthy country and Gyeongju was one of the biggest cities in the world. There are many historical sites to discover.

That's why Gyeongju is often called "a museum without walls".

I heard that Gyeongju is the only city in South Korea that has no skyscrapers so it kept its historical and traditional atmosphere. You'll see a lot of skyscrapers in South Korea so that is a very special thing about Gyeongju.

I booked a day trip to Gyeongu from Busan which was very interesting. But you can also spend one or two days there and discover everything by yourself.

Bulguksa Temple

Buddhist temple built during Silla kingdom

Gyochon Traditional Village

Traditional village where you can have coffee and buy local liquor (Soju)

Daereungwon Tomb Complex

These tombs were built for the Silla kings

Hwangnidan-gil

Popular street with hanok-style houses, souvenir shops, coffeeshops and restaurants

Donggung Palace

Beautiful place for sunset with an artificially designed pond

Parks & Forests

Take some walks in nature and enjoy the fresh air

GEOJE ISLAND

Geoje Island is Korea's second biggest island and you can get there by bus from Busan.

I thought of going to Jeju Island first, which is Korea's biggest island, but as you need to take a flight there and it was raining,

I decided not to go.

It turned out that Geoje Island is not famous among foreign tourists but it's popular among Koreans. It was not that easy to get around as the busses didn't go often to the area I wanted to discover. In the end, I couldn't go to Windy Hill but I went to Seongpo instead which was also nice.

I think if you go around by car it's a lot easier.

If you decide to go to Geoje, try to rent a car or plan your trip in advance so you can get to Windy Hill!

I wanted to do it spontaneously but couldn't get a bus as the information on NAVER Maps was not correct and after waiting for bus 55 for one hour I decided to do something different.

Take a bus from Busan

You can go to Geoje by bus from Sasang Bus Terminal in Busan but you need to buy a ticket at the counter (T-Money-Card doesn't work for this bus type).

Stay in Gohyeon

I stayed in Gohyeon which is honestly not a very nice place but it's easier to get around from there if you don't have a car.

Eat at the local market

I love eating at local markets and the people were so nice! Also, the food is a lot cheaper there and you can experience local life.

Have coffee at JackJack Coffee

This is my favorite coffeeshop in South Korea because of its unique atmosphere and drinks.

Go to Seongpo

Seongpo is easy to reach by bus and there is a nice coastal walk.

On the Sunset

Seongpo is easy to reach by bus and there is a nice coastal walk.

KOREAN FOOD

I was surprised about how expensive fruits and vegetables are in South Korea!

Being used to Vietnamese markets, it was kind of shocking.

South Koreans eat lots of Kimchi as cabbage is grown in the country. Also, they like fried food, seafood and meat. You can see rice fields in Korea, but apart from rice, wheat noodles are also popular. Korean bakeries offer good bread and high quality coffee.

Overall, I like Korean food but I need to admit that being a vegetarian here might be a bit difficult. My diet in Vietnam is usually a lot healthier but that's also because I wanted to try different things when traveling to a different country.

I don't like spicy food but the spicy level in Korea was okay for me.