South Korea

The short version

South Korea is small enough that the fast train does most of the planning for you. Seoul to Busan is two hours forty minutes end to end, with Gyeongju on the way, so a mainland route is a straight line down one corridor rather than a set of trade-offs — three bases in ten days costs you about five hours of travel in total. The two exceptions are the parts the KTX does not reach: the east coast and Seoraksan are an express bus from Seoul, and Jeju is a flight plus a rental car. Those are the only real decisions on the map.

Pick a region

Four ways to split it

Compare the cities

Where the days go, and what they cost

Cost per day is a mid-range, per-person figure for a bed, food and local transport, before the bigger paid experiences. It converts to your selected currency.

What it costs

A day, by how you travel

• Lean ≈€40–56/day Rate 2026-08-26

  A hostel dorm, gimbap and neighbourhood lunch shops, subway and buses, mostly free sights.

• Private and mobile ≈€68–111/day Rate 2026-08-26

  A simple private room, mixed casual meals, transit plus the odd taxi, paid sights and some KTX.

• Comfortable ≈€124–186/day Rate 2026-08-26

  A good small hotel or apartment, restaurants most nights, app taxis and reserved rail.

A per-person day: bed, food and local transport, with some intercity rail averaged across the trip. Ordinary meals and public transport are cheap; central rooms, cafés, alcohol and moving between cities are what move the number.

When to go

Month by month

• Jan Mixed
• Feb Mixed
• Mar Mixed
• Apr Prime
• May Good
• Jun Mixed
• Jul Wet
• Aug Wet
• Sep Mixed
• Oct Prime
• Nov Good
• Dec Good

Prime Good Mixed Wet

Four real seasons, and the shoulders are short. The south and Jeju stay milder while the mountains and the north turn cold sooner; summer heat, the monsoon and typhoon disruption are the country-wide problem.

Eat here

What to order, and the tell

The dependable cheap meal is a neighbourhood specialist, a market counter or a plain lunch shop, with rice and banchan included in the price. Café hopping, imported brunch and barbecue with drinks are a separate budget line.

• Gimbap ≈€2–3 Rate 2026-08-26

  A busy neighbourhood shop rolling it to order. The convenience-store version is train food, not lunch.

• Bibimbap ≈€6–9 Rate 2026-08-26

  A lunch shop where soup and banchan come with it. A palace view explains the upper end.

• Kimchi-jjigae baekban ≈€5–7 Rate 2026-08-26

  A short Korean menu and a full room at one o’clock. Rice and side dishes should arrive included.

• Samgyeopsal ≈€10–15 Rate 2026-08-26

  Check the grams and the minimum order first — many grills want two portions before they light it.

The essentials

Before you go

Visa and entry

Eligible passports enter visa-free at ₩0, commonly for 30 to 90 days depending on nationality. Designated visa-waiver nationals are K-ETA-exempt through 31 December 2026; everyone else pays ₩10,000 for a K-ETA, usually assessed within 72 hours and valid three years. Without a valid K-ETA, file the free e-Arrival Card within the three days before you land.

Money and cards

Cards work almost everywhere, but keep cash for markets, small businesses and topping up a transport card. A standard Tmoney card is ₩3,000 to ₩5,000 from any convenience store or subway machine and covers buses, subways and shops nationwide.

Getting around

KTX and conventional rail cover the mainland corridors and express buses fill the gaps, including the whole east coast. The KORAIL Pass sells in 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-day flexible forms but excludes SRT and subways, so price your actual legs before buying one.

Connectivity

Prepaid SIMs and eSIMs are straightforward, with visitor plans sold for 1 to 90 days and airport pickup available. Your phone must be unlocked. Use Naver Map or KakaoMap for routing — Google Maps is restricted here and will route you badly.

Language

Korean is the default. English signage is strong on major transport and at visitor sights and thin in small restaurants and rural buses; save addresses in Hangul and keep a camera-translation app ready.

Water and health

Tap water is treated and safe to drink, though plenty of people filter it for taste. Summer heat and humidity, winter cold and occasional fine-dust days are the routine problems; check air-quality and weather alerts rather than exotic risks.

Plan the shape

Routes by trip length

1. 7–9 days

   The useful first route

   One fast rail spine and three bases — Seoul, the old Silla capital and the southern coast, with no backtracking.

   Seoul · Gyeongju · Busan

2. 10–14 days

   Cities with one mountain break

   Add Seoraksan by express bus, then rejoin the rail corridor and carry on south rather than returning to Seoul.

   Seoul · Sokcho · Gyeongju · Busan

3. 14–18 days

   Mainland plus Jeju

   Keep the mainland linear, then finish with enough island time to justify the flight and the car.

   Seoul · Jeonju · Gyeongju · Busan · Jeju

4. 21–24 days

   Slow national circuit

   Rail and buses through the interior and the east coast, then fly south to the island instead of doubling back.

   Seoul · Sokcho · Andong · Gyeongju · Busan · Jeju

Read the fine print

Book with your eyes open

• Protect the weekend train legs

  KTX seats go first on Friday evenings, Sunday afternoons and around Seollal and Chuseok. Reserve the fixed intercity legs early; rebuilding a route on arrival day is a bad first activity.

• Do the KORAIL Pass arithmetic

  The pass only pays when enough eligible rail lands inside its active days. SRT and subways are excluded, and two or three point-to-point KTX tickets usually cost less.

• Book the Jeju car before the room

  Rental supply tightens on weekends and national holidays. Confirm the operator takes your IDP, passport and home licence, and allow an hour for the off-airport shuttle and the desk.

• Treat blossom and foliage as moving targets

  The dates shift by region and by year. Book a sensible route with one flexible day rather than a chain of non-refundable tours aimed at one forecast weekend.