South Korea

Day 1 – Seoul

Day 2 – Seoul

Day 3 – Seoul

Day 4 – Seoraksan National Park

  • Pick up rental car at Lotte Car Rental Seoul Station
  • Drive to Seoraksan National Park (2h drive)
  • Sinheungsa Temple
  • Ulsanbawi Peak Hike
  • Baekdamsa Temple
  • Baekdamdawon traditional tea house
  • Cable Car to Gwongeumseong Fortress
  • Dinner – at hotel
  • Lodging – Kensington Hotel Seorak

Day 5 – Gyeongju

  • Lodging – Gyeongju Hwangnamgwan Hanok Hotel (canceled), Hanokinn (booked) – night 1/2

Day 5 – Busan

  • Beomeosa Temple (56m drive)
  • Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (30m drive)
  • Drive to hotel (18m drive)
  • Haeundae Blue Line Park (beach train from Songjeong Beach to Mipo)
  • Take short taxi up to Bibibidang (order 15 year fermented Hwang-cha)
  • Dongbaek Island Walking Trail 
  • Dinner on Gwangalli beach (Gwangan Bridge lights up at sunset)
  • Nighttime stroll in Haeundae
  • Drinks – The Panorama Lounge (in our hotel), Galmegi Brewing Haeundae, The Booze Haeundae, Vinyl Pub Muse On, Edge 993
  • Dinner – Unaju (reserve one month out August 14) or Haemok (Onsite Waiting: In-person registration opens daily at 10:00 AM at the entrance kiosk .Remote Queuing: Remote waiting via the Tableling App opens daily at 11:30 AM)
  • Lodging – Grand Josun Busan – night 1/1
  • Dinner – Haemok, Mipo-Jib, Palate, Haeundae Traditional Market, Millak Raw Fish Town, Gwangalli Bulgogi Sreeet, Bupyeong Jokbal Street, Cheongsapo Seafood Village, Seomyeon Food Street
  • Drinks – Drinks – Make Zero, Galmegi Brewing Haeundae, Alice Bar, Craftworks Taphouse, The Party Haeundae, Mottie

Day 6 – Jeju

  • Lodging – Parnas Hotel Jeju (booked, night ¼), The Shilla Jeju (booked night ½), Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju, or consider staying in Seongsan

In Depth Itinerary

A few things to note: Google Maps doesn’t work in South Korea. You’ll want to download the Naver App to get around. Apple Maps works, but sometimes isn’t as accurate as Naver. To make dinner reservations, you’ll need the Catch Table App. You can easily make reservations at restaurants and bars. If you rent a car, you MUST ask for the Hi-Pass for toll roads. It’s not worth renting a car that doesn’t give or sell you that. You can use credit card almost everywhere with the one exception being gas stations. Any self-service gas station doesn’t take card. You’ll need to find a station agent to help you fill you car with cash and then give you change (use Google translate or Papago to help with this). If you really don’t want to drive much, this is entire itinerary is doable via train and bus. Or to make you life easier, cut out Seoraksan National Park (that’s the hardest thing to get to via public transportation) and take trains exclusively. Jeju is pretty impossible without a car, so you will need to rent one there but driving on the island is incredibly easy compared to the mainland.

Day 1 – Seoul

Touch down at Incheon International Airport, Depending where you’re staying in Seoul it might be easiest to grab an Uber the whole way (walk out to the door as directed and cross one crosswalk to where the Ubers come) or head to the basement transit center for the AREX (Airport Railroad Express) train. The non-stop Express Train whisks you from Terminal 1 or 2 directly to Seoul Station in just 43 minutes. From Seoul Station, take a brief 5-to-10-minute taxi/Uber ride or hop on a subway line to reach your hotel. We have stayed in both Hotel 28 Myeongdong and Intercontinental Grand Seoul Parnas, both of which are great. Other ones to consider are JW Marriott Dongdaemun, Grand Hyatt, Mondrian Seoul Itaewon, Ryse, Josun Palace, The Shilla Seoul, or Park Hyatt Seoul.

Depending on what time you arrive you may have a chance for some exploration. If you have a few hours, the number one thing we recommend you do today is explore the National Museum of Korea which covers 5000 years of Korean art, history and culture. It will give you a great overview of the history of the region and context for what you’ll be seeing during the rest of your trip.

With more time, you can stroll Myengdong, a bustling pedestrian zone which comes alive in the late afternoon with glowing neon storefronts, global beauty flagships, and street-food carts offering savory treats like grilled cheese lobster, hotteok (sweet filled pancakes), and tteokbokki. Or you can visit Dongdaemun Market, a traditional Korean market filled with food and shops. Or now is a great time to take a waterside stroll along Cheonggyecheon Stream. With additional time you can take a cab, short cable car, or hike up Namsan Mountain to the North Seoul Tower. Even if you don’t get up the tower, you have pretty good 360 views of Seoul’s sprawling metropolis. It’s pretty pricey to go all the way up the North Seoul Tower, but if you love good views this can be worth it, especially at sunset and there’s a restaurant at top.

Head over to Sindang-dong for pre-dinner drinks at Zoo Sindang. Hidden behind a whimsical, unassuming storefront decorated like a traditional shamanistic shrine, this bar serves a cocktail menu is entirely conceptualized around the twelve Eastern zodiac animals. You can have a casual dinner here, or select a place off Seoul Restaurant Recommendations.

Day 2 – Seoul

Today, plan a whole day tour of Seoul. You can do this on your own, or we had a great experience with With Locals. Start your day at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the perfect palace to enjoy Joseon Dynasty grandeur. Wander through royal courtyards, throne halls, and the gardens. There is a museum on site which is worth visiting to get explore more culture, I wouldn’t skip it.

Next, wander to Bukchon Hanok Village, a hillside lined with hundreds of preserved traditional Korean wooden homes (hanoks). It’s a nice place to grab something to drink at a coffee shop or take a break.

From here, poke along Insadong cultural district, where you can find many Korean traditional crafts and antique shops. Almost half of South Koreas antique shops and galleries are found here and it’s the place to find traditional stationary and calligraphy stores which have been located here since the Joseon Dynasty.

Gwangjang Market is one of South Korea’s oldest and most iconic covered markets. Pull up a stool at the buzzing central food stalls for a casual lunch feast of things like bindaetteok, kalguksu, or gimbap.

Once you’re finished, go grab a coffee or drink along Seosulla-gil street on the outerskirts of Ikseon-dong. On the opposite side of the street from the fortified walls sits many options for a great place to take a rest. Or spend some time walking Cheonggyecheon Stream, an incredibly peaceful 11 km nature park on either side of the stream running through downtown Seoul. Notice the fish and variety of birds. It’s truly my favorite part of seoul. There are many entrance and exit points so you can walk as far as you like.

If you’re interested in a Korean spa experience (it’s a big thing in Seoul), you can schedule a phenomenal treatment at Spa 1978. It’s known for holistic therapies rooted in Korean red ginseng and is the perfect place to visit for relaxation.

You’re close to some great bars once you’re finished. While you can eat at the bars, also consider L’Oignon or Seventh Door which are generally in the same area. Alice Cheongdam has Alice in Wonderland themed drinks and Bar Tea Scent (my favorite bar in town) makes tea-infused craft cocktails and also serves tea.

Day 3 – Seoul

Start your day exploring Changdeokgung, another palace and UNESCO World Heritage site that focuses on its harmonious integration into the surrounding natural topography and its renowned Secret Garden (Huwon). You should try and get tickets in advance for the garden (the palace is not hard to get into). Tickets are available 6 days before your visit online. If you miss this, show up at 8:45, stand in line until 9, and you can get a ticket that’s held for same day at the door. Visit the palace first and then head to the area of the garden 5 minutes before the tour starts. Of note, you don’t actually have to stay on the tour once they let you into the garden – you can explore on your own (so it may not matter if you do a tour not in your language).

After you finish, walk to the nearby Jogyesa Buddhist Temple. This is the head temple of the Buddhist order Jogye and is the center of Buddhist practice in the country. The main hall was built in 1938 from a rare wood from Mount Baekdusan and inside is a five meter tall Buddha. The courtyard is noted for being covered in thousands of colorful paper lotus lanterns and on the temple grounds there are two rare trees: a 450 year old Chinese scholar tree and a 500 year old pine tree.

Once you finish, walk into the Ikseon-dong area. This very charming area is comprised of 1920s hanok houses and alleys repurposed into trendy cafes, restaurants, and boutiques. It’s the perfect spot to grab lunch, coffee, or a treat.

In the afternoon, you can either experience a scalp spa at EcoJardin (it’s a 15-21 step spa that focuses entirely on your scalp!) or visit Naksan Park. From this park you can get panoramic views of downtown seoul and walk along sections of the ancient Hanyangdoseong (or Seoul City walls) that date to the Joseon Dynasty. If you put into your app the Seoul City Wall trail it should get you to a starting point.

For dinner, experience a Korean specialty – Korean BBQ. Two great options are Kuk Bin Gwan or Born and Bred. The first is a bit more casual, the second fancier but both have wonderful quality meat.

After dinner, get a drink at Bar Cham before heading back to your hotel.

Day 4 – Seoraksan

Begin the morning with an early check-out from your hotel and head to Lotte Car Rental Seoul Station for your car pick up. While it’s possible to get to Seoraksan by bus, it’s a lot more complicated (take an express bus to Sokcho and then switch to a local bus or taxi to the park entrance). In my opinion, it’s easier to drive especially since from here you’ll head to smaller areas. You MUST request a Hi-Pass electronic toll card at the counter of your rental car company – and don’t leave until they give you one. The tolls are an incredible headache that you don’t want to deal with if you don’t get that Hi-Pass. Once behind the wheel, embark on the picturesque 2-2.5 hour drive eastbound through Gangwon Province’s dramatic mountain passes toward Seoraksan National Park. Of note, all of the gas station rest stops in South Korea are wonderful. Along with gas, you will find shops, restaurants, and very clean bathrooms. If you need to fill up with gas, you cannot use a foreign credit card unless it’s a full-service station (good luck searching by that along the route). If you end up at a self-service station, find a service agent, ask them to fill up your car fully with gas and pay cash. They will give you change. If you find an elusive full-service, you had your foreign credit card to the agent and they can use it.

Drive straight to your hotel, Kensington Hotel Seorak. The reason you want to stay here is it’s literally a 3 minute walk into the park. Park in their lot and either check in or have them hold your bags while you go out for the day.

Start by walking into the park (free) and passing coffee shops and restaurants (a good place to stop if you’re ready). The first temple you will come upon is Sinheungsa Temple. Here you’ll see the Great Unification Buddha (Tongil Daebul), a towering 48 foot bronze Buddha statue built to show hope for the eventual peaceful reunification of North and South Korea. The temple itself was initially founded during the Silla Dynasty in 652. The main worship hall contains Joseon wooden architecture.

From here get ready for your hike up to Ulsanbawi Peak (follow the signs in the park – it’s very clearly marked). This hike is only 4 miles but it’s steep 4 miles. You’ll be walking up hill pretty much the entire way, climbing steep stairs and gaining 1700 feet along the way. Much of the trail is shaded by dense pine forests. The views from the top overlooking the park and sea are magnificent (and well-worth it). You’ll get a 360-degree panorama of sheer granite peaks, deep valleys, and the sea. Make sure you have plenty of water. This is THE quintessential hike in the park.

On the way down, convince your wobbly legs stop by Baekdamsa Temple (cross the stream and it’s on that side of the descent) which is my favorite temple in the park. Set right on the stream, this temple was orignally founded in 647 during the Silla dynasty. The buildings are colorful and you can still see the Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha from 1748 in the Paradise Hall.

You are now right next to Baekdamdawon traditional tea house where you can pick any number of tea drinks and sit on a deck right over the stream. It’s the perfect way to end your hike.

If you want different views of the park, walk back to the cable car and take it up to Gwongeumseong Fortress. The best views of the park’s iconic site, Ulsanbawi Peak, are from the cable car itself (you can’t see it from the top). However, after a short hike along a trail (10 minutes) you’ll make it to another bare rock plateau viewing area where ancient fortress walls once stood and from which you can see the other peaks of the park. If you’re not a hiker, this is a way to see high up sweeping views of the park and the ocean.

As noted earlier, the base of the park is a great place to grab something to eat (either for lunch or an early dinner). Don’t miss haemul pajeon (a seafood scallion pancake) or sanchae bibimbap. Or why not have some makgeolli (cloudy Korean rice wine) to celebrate finishing your climb.

Walk back to your hotel. Nothing

  • Pick up rental car at Lotte Car Rental Seoul Station
  • Drive to Seoraksan National Park (2h drive)
  • Sinheungsa Temple
  • Ulsanbawi Peak Hike
  • Baekdamsa Temple
  • Baekdamdawon traditional tea house
  • Cable Car to Gwongeumseong Fortress
  • Dinner – at hotel
  • Lodging – Kensington Hotel Seorak

Evening: Check-in at Kensington Hotel Seorak. Drive just minutes outside the park gate to check into the Kensington Hotel Seorak. With its British manor aesthetic, rich wood interiors, Beatles memorabilia bar, and direct views of the rugged peaks right outside your window, it provides an atmospheric mountain lodge retreat after an invigorating day on the trails.

Highlights: 

Lodging: Kensington Hotel Seorak

Dinner – At Hotel 

Extra time Seoul