Find places in South Korea

Must-Haves

• Gyeongbokgung Palace (Jongno)
  The grandest Joseon palace, with the changing of the guard at its main gate.
• Changdeokgung Palace and Secret Garden (Jongno)
  A UNESCO listed palace whose guided garden tour is one of Seoul's finest experiences.

Fun for Everyone

• Cheonggyecheon Stream (Jongno)
  A calm walking path through the centre, lit with lanterns in November.
• Lotte World (Jamsil)
  An indoor and outdoor theme park that works in any weather.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ihwa Mural Village (Naksan)
  Painted alleys on the hillside below the old city wall.

Must-Haves

• Bukchon Hanok Village (Jongno)
  Hillside lanes of lived in tiled roof houses between two palaces.
• National Museum of Korea (Yongsan)
  A vast, free collection spanning Korean history, from Silla gold to celadon.
• Insadong (Jongno)
  Tea houses, galleries and craft shops in the traditional arts quarter.
• Dongdaemun Design Plaza (Dongdaemun)
  Zaha Hadid's silver landmark, home to exhibitions and a night market area.

Off the Beaten Path

• Leeum Museum of Art (Hannam)
  Korean ceramics and modern art in buildings by star architects.

Must-Haves

• Gwangjang Market (Jongno)
  Seoul's classic food market for mung bean pancakes, mayak gimbap and noodles.

Fun for Everyone

• Myeongdong Shopping Street (Myeongdong)
  Skincare shops by day and street food stalls by evening.
• Starfield Library (COEX Mall, Gangnam)
  A towering wall of books in the middle of a mall, free to wander.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Namdaemun Market (Jung-gu)
  A sprawling old market for kitchenware, clothes, ginseng and snacks.

Off the Beaten Path

• Noryangjin Fish Market (Dongjak)
  Choose seafood downstairs and have it cooked in a restaurant upstairs.

Fun for Everyone

• Namsan Seoul Tower (Namsan)
  The classic city panorama, reached by cable car or a forest walk.
• Yeouido Hangang Park (Yeouido)
  Seoul's favourite riverside park for picnics, bikes and spring blossom.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Inwangsan Fortress Wall Trail (Jongno)
  A short hike along the old city wall with superb views over the palaces.

Must-Haves

• Bukhansan National Park (Bukhansan)
  Granite peaks and temple trails inside the city limits.

Great for Date Night

• Naksan Park (Hyehwa)
  Walk the lit fortress wall at sunset above the city.

Must-Haves

• Cafe Onion Anguk (Anguk)
  A bakery café in a hanok with floor seating and pandoro.

Off the Beaten Path

• Cafe Onion Seongsu (Seongsu)
  The original Onion, in an old factory in Seoul's coolest district.

Must-Haves

• Hongdae Street (Hongdae)
  Buskers, live music, small clubs and cheap eats near Hongik University.

Great for Date Night

• Euljiro Nogari Alley (Euljiro)
  Plastic tables, dried pollack and cheap beer in an old print district.
• Itaewon (Yongsan)
  An international nightlife area with rooftop bars and global food.

Must-Haves

• Tosokchon Samgyetang (Seochon)
  Ginseng chicken soup in a hanok near Gyeongbokgung.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Myeongdong Kyoja (Myeongdong)
  Hand cut noodle soup and dumplings, a Seoul institution.
• Ikseon-dong Hanok Street (Ikseon-dong)
  Tiny hanok alleys packed with small restaurants and bars.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gwangjang Market Mayak Gimbap Alley (Jongno)
  Little addictive rolls dipped in mustard sauce.

Great for Date Night

• Mingles (Gangnam)
  Modern Korean fine dining built on fermented sauces and seasonal produce.

Must-Haves

• Lotus Lantern Festival (Jongno)
  A huge lantern parade ahead of Buddha's Birthday each spring.

Fun for Everyone

• Seoul Lantern Festival (Cheonggyecheon)
  Glowing sculptures float on the stream in November.
• Seoul International Fireworks Festival (Yeouido)
  Autumn fireworks over the Han River from around the world.

Great for Date Night

• Four Seasons Hotel Seoul (Gwanghwamun)
  Polished luxury steps from the palaces.

Off the Beaten Path

• Rakkojae Seoul (Bukchon)
  A restored hanok guesthouse with a traditional mud sauna.

Must-Haves

• Lotte Hotel Seoul (Myeongdong)
  A big, central hotel by the shopping streets.

Must-Haves

• Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (Gijang)
  A rare temple built on rocks above the waves.
• Gamcheon Culture Village (Saha-gu)
  A hillside of pastel houses, art and alleys.
• Beomeosa Temple (Geumjeong)
  A great mountain temple with templestay programmes.

Fun for Everyone

• Haeundae Blueline Park (Haeundae)
  A beach train and sky capsules along the old coastal railway.
• SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium (Haeundae)
  A family favourite right on Haeundae Beach.

Must-Haves

• Jagalchi Fish Market (Nampo)
  Korea's biggest seafood market, with restaurants upstairs.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Gukje Market (Nampo)
  A wartime market of stalls, lanes and street food.

Fun for Everyone

• BIFF Square (Nampo)
  Ssiat hotteok and snacks along the old film festival street.

Must-Haves

• Haeundae Beach (Haeundae)
  Busan's famous city beach, best outside the peak summer crowds.
• Igidae Coastal Walk (Nam-gu)
  Cliff paths with views of the Haeundae skyline.

Great for Date Night

• Gwangalli Beach (Suyeong)
  Sandy beach facing the lit Gwangan Bridge, with drone shows on many Saturdays.

Off the Beaten Path

• Songjeong Beach (Haeundae)
  A quieter beach popular with surfers.
• Taejongdae (Yeongdo)
  Wild cliffs and a lighthouse at the tip of Yeongdo.

Off the Beaten Path

• Huinnyeoul Culture Village (Yeongdo)
  Cliffside alleys and sea view cafés, quieter than Gamcheon.

Must-Haves

• UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea (Nam-gu)
  The world's only UN cemetery, a moving Korean War memorial.

Must-Haves

• Samjin Eomuk (Yeongdo)
  The city's famous fish cake maker, with a bakery style shop.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jeonpo Café Street (Seomyeon)
  Independent cafés in a former tool district.

Great for Date Night

• Gwangalli Beachfront Bars (Suyeong)
  Drinks with a view of the illuminated Gwangan Bridge.

Fun for Everyone

• Seomyeon (Busanjin)
  Busan's busiest nightlife and food district.

Must-Haves

• Busan International Film Festival (Haeundae)
  Asia's leading film festival each October.

Fun for Everyone

• Busan Fireworks Festival (Gwangalli)
  A huge autumn fireworks show over the bay.

Great for Date Night

• Park Hyatt Busan (Marine City)
  Sleek rooms with views over Gwangan Bridge.

Must-Haves

• Paradise Hotel Busan (Haeundae)
  A long established beachfront hotel with sea view pools.

Must-Haves

• Seongsan Ilchulbong (Seongsan)
  A tuff cone rising from the sea, famous for sunrise.
• Hallasan National Park (Central Jeju)
  South Korea's highest peak, a dormant volcano with a crater lake.
• Manjanggul Lava Tube (Gujwa)
  Walk part of one of the world's longest lava tubes.

Fun for Everyone

• Jeongbang Waterfall (Seogwipo)
  A waterfall that falls straight into the sea.
• Cheonjiyeon Waterfall (Seogwipo)
  An easy, lit evening walk to a forest waterfall.

Fun for Everyone

• Udo Island (Udo)
  A small island off the east coast, best by bike.
• O'sulloc Tea Museum (Andeok)
  Green tea fields, tea and green tea ice cream.

Must-Haves

• Seongeup Folk Village (Pyoseon)
  A traditional village of thatched stone houses.

Must-Haves

• Haenyeo Museum (Gujwa)
  The story of Jeju's women free divers.
• Jeju 4.3 Peace Park (Jeju City)
  A powerful memorial to the 1948 uprising and massacres.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jeju Stone Park (Jocheon)
  Volcanic stone, myth and dol hareubang statues in a huge park.

Great for Date Night

• Bonte Museum (Seogwipo)
  Korean crafts in a Tadao Ando building.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Dongmun Market (Jeju City)
  The island's big market, with a night food market.
• Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market (Seogwipo)
  A covered market loved for snacks and tangerines.

Must-Haves

• Black Pork Street (Jeju City)
  A street of grills serving Jeju's famous heuk dwaeji.

Off the Beaten Path

• Myeongjin Jeonbok (Gujwa)
  Abalone hot stone rice by the sea.

Great for Date Night

• Lotte Hotel Jeju (Jungmun)
  A resort hotel above the Jungmun coast.

Must-Haves

• The Shilla Jeju (Jungmun)
  A resort with gardens and an ocean view pool.

Must-Haves

• Daereungwon Tomb Complex (Hwangnam-dong)
  Huge grassy burial mounds of Silla royalty.
• Bulguksa Temple (Jinhyeon-dong)
  A UNESCO masterpiece of Buddhist architecture.
• Seokguram Grotto (Tohamsan)
  A granite Buddha gazing toward the East Sea.
• Cheomseongdae Observatory (Inwang-dong)
  A seventh century stone observatory.
• Gyeongju National Museum (Inwang-dong)
  Silla gold crowns and the great bronze bell.

Great for Date Night

• Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond (Inwang-dong)
  Lit pavilions reflected in a royal pond after dark.
• Woljeonggyo Bridge (Gyo-dong)
  A reconstructed wooden bridge lit at night.

Fun for Everyone

• Hwangridan-gil (Hwangnam-dong)
  Hanok lanes of cafés, bakeries and craft shops.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gyeongju Namsan (Namsan)
  Trails linking Buddhist rock carvings and pagodas.
• Golgulsa Temple (Yangbuk-myeon)
  A cave temple and a centre for sunmudo martial arts.

Fun for Everyone

• Bomun Lake (Bomun)
  Lakeside bike paths and cherry trees.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hwangnam Bread (Hwangnam-dong)
  The original Gyeongju red bean pastry.
• Gyeongju Ssambap Street (Hwangnam-dong)
  Lettuce wraps with many side dishes near the tombs.

Great for Date Night

• Hilton Gyeongju (Bomun)
  A resort hotel by the lake.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hwangnam Guan Hanok Village (Hwangnam-dong)
  A hanok hotel beside the tombs.

Must-Haves

• Jeonju Hanok Village (Wansan-gu)
  More than seven hundred traditional houses in Korea's largest hanok village.
• Gyeonggijeon Shrine (Wansan-gu)
  The portrait of the Joseon founder and the royal annals archive.
• Jeondong Cathedral (Wansan-gu)
  A red brick Romanesque church beside the hanok village.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jaman Mural Village (Wansan-gu)
  Painted hillside houses and small cafés.
• Jeonju Traditional Wine Museum (Wansan-gu)
  An introduction to Korean rice liquors.

Great for Date Night

• Omokdae (Wansan-gu)
  A hill with views over the hanok rooftops.

Off the Beaten Path

• Deokjin Park (Deokjin-gu)
  A huge lotus pond that blooms in summer.
• Maisan Provincial Park (Jinan)
  Horse ear peaks and a temple of stacked stone towers.

Must-Haves

• Nambu Market Night Market (Wansan-gu)
  Weekend night food stalls and a rooftop youth mall.

Must-Haves

• Hankookjib (Wansan-gu)
  A long established house of Jeonju bibimbap.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Sambaekjip (Wansan-gu)
  Bean sprout soup with rice, the classic Jeonju breakfast.

Fun for Everyone

• PNB Pungnyeon Bakery (Wansan-gu)
  Famous chocolate pies, the city's favourite souvenir.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Samcheon-dong Makgeolli Alley (Samcheon-dong)
  Rice wine kettles that come with table loads of side dishes.

Must-Haves

• Jeonju International Film Festival (Wansan-gu)
  A leading independent film festival each spring.

Must-Haves

• Lahan Hotel Jeonju (Wansan-gu)
  A comfortable hotel at the edge of the hanok village.