Start here
Planning a first trip to South Korea? Read these in order. Each guide opens with the short answer and shows the date its facts were last checked.
1 Sort out the essentials before you fly
Data on arrival, money and cards, the apps that work for visitors, and what the weather will be like in your month.
2 Learn how to get around
The airport train, the transit card to tap on subways and buses, and how to book KTX trains between cities.
3 Pick the shape of your trip
Day-by-day plans for 3 days to 2 weeks, with the train times and fares that hold them together.
Guides for this step are being written. Until then, the Getting Around guides cover the trains between cities.
4 Choose where to go
Seoul for most of a first trip, Busan for the coast, Jeju for nature, and easy day trips from both cities.
- Coming soon
Off the Beaten Path
Smaller cities, islands and quiet valleys, and whether they're worth the detour.
