There are so many amazing deals and experiences that you can take advantage of to travel in and around South Korea. I’ve been fortunate to visit the country a few times and the different cities offer different types of experiences.
The cost to travel in South Korea is cheaper compared to other countries such as the USA, Australia, and the United Kingdom. If you can bring your foreign currency to travel, you will be able to stay in nice accommodation options, and enjoy a range of tours, food experiences, events, and more.
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How much should you expect to pay for accommodation?
Hostels
E-living Hotels
The nightly cost can range from $20-60 per night. However, if you opt for long-stay deals, you can pay between $300-1000 per month.
These e-living hotels give you a room with a bed. They will normally give you a small fridge and a table. Some will give you a private bathroom, although many have shared bathroom facilities.
There is also a shared kitchen where you can prepare meals. Some may give you another fridge where you can store larger items.
AirBnB
I preferred the AirBNB options because of the higher quality of the accommodation. The price per night ends up being higher, but you get access to a clean place that is well maintained and private.
It is more expensive for the solo traveller. But if you opt to travel with 1 or more people and share the costs, it will be more cost-efficient.
Hotels
These are the most expensive option and the quality depends on the reviews in my experience. The location is also a factor as well. There are hotels close to the airport around Incheon that aren’t too expensive (around $120+ per night) and are quite high quality hotels.
When you go closer to the city, expect to pay more but to lower your expectation for what you want to receive.
Motels
Motels are hit and miss in Korea. Many motels were setup for couples to getaway privately. But with travellers seeking more inexpensive accommodation options, these are becoming more attractive since they provide the basics of a bed, fridge, and even basic entertainment.
Some of these places can cost as little as $30USD per day. Which for the solo traveller or couple is quite inexpensive if they want to leave their bags somewhere and have a private place to shower and travel.
For food, they will need to eat out since cooking facilities aren’t usually available in these places.
How much should you expect to pay for food?
Supermarkets
If you purchase food at the supermarket, which is usually the Lotte supermarket, food is quite inexpensive and is comparable with most other countries.
Depending on how much you want to eat and drink, you can eat on a budget for as little as $10 per day. Although if you want to eat healthily and prepare the food for yourself, you will probably spend $20-50 per day.
If you just get the ingredients, it will be much cheaper than getting ready made meals.
Drinks are also quite cheap as well.
Restaurants
Restaurant prices vary depending on if you go to places that are like a quick take-away or canteen, to a place that is more formal and upmarket.
Generally speaking, Korean meals will start from around $8USD and up. More expensive meals will be around $15-30USD.
Generally, beef meals and premium seafood meals are more expensive as well.
By using apps such as Google Maps or the Naver App, you will be able to find restaurant options that are suited to your budget.
Bars & Nightlife
The cost for alcoholic drinks started at around 8000 Won and there were several deals that we could take advantage of. So you can actually buy drinks and share them with several people and bond over drinking, if that is an experience that you enjoy.
When I went out, spending 50,000-100,000 Korean Won was the average amount that I would spend for a night out. This could even include the taxi home if I wanted to use that option.
Where should you travel to in South Korea?
There are so many great places to explore. I’ve listed my suggestions below.
Seoul
Things to do in Seoul
Jogyesa Buddhist Temple Royal Guard-Changing Ceremony Gyeongbok Palace Deoksu Palace on Tuesday only Pass by Presidential Blue House Cheongwadae Sarangchae Closed every Monday Shopping Center Lunch Changdeok Palace Bukchon Hanok Village N Seoul Tower on Monday only – excluding Observatory Gyeongbukgong, Han River, Itaewon, MyeongDong, Gangnam, Hongdae, Namsan.
There are so many things to do in Seoul. We will focus on the cultural experiences that you should tick off your bucket list.
Organized tours
Consider the following organized tours.
DMZ
Busan
Things to do in Busan
Ulsan
Jeju
East https://www.jejudaytour.com/eastcourse
West https://www.jejudaytour.com/westcourse
Suwon
Things to do in Suwon
The touristy part of Suwon is inside the Hwaseong Fortress walls. Here is a map. Things to do here:
- Hwaseong Fortress – The scenic part is the northern wall between Changryongmun to Hwaseomun. The archery place is at Yeonmudae, near Changryongmun. The walk would take 1-2 hours. Don’t walk the whole wall. Half of it is not that scenic.
- Haengun-ro (행군로) – A pedestrian walking street that runs from Paldalmun to Hwaseong Palace. On the map it is listed as “Gongbang Arts and Crafts Street”. Lots of cute cafes and small shops. The street itself is very charming.
- Paldalsan – The small mountain in the middle of Hwaseong Fortress. It’s about a 10-15 minute walk up to the top from Haeungun-ro street mentioned above. There are stairs. The view is great. At the top there is the wall and you can ring a big bell. If you walk out of the fortress wall through a little doorway you’ll find yourself in a quiet, beautiful forest on a hillside. This is the best kept secret in Suwon.
- Paldalmun – A big gate. You can’t enter it or anything, but you can take a picture. There are bars nearby, including Alleyway Taphouse which is open on the weekend with live music.
- Daeseungwon Temple – A Buddhist a Temple with a big Buddha that overlooks the cafe street mentioned above.
- Hwaseong Palace – Not a must see. It is a poor reconstruction and not very interesting. But there is a free guard fighting show outside the gates that you can watch.
Things to do outside the city center:
- Lotte Mall and AK Plaza at Suwon Station – Lots of eating and shopping.
- Gwanggyo Stream and Cafe Neighborhood – Restaurants and cafes. Popular place to date I guess. And then you can walk to…
- Gwanggyo Lake Park – Popular with Korean couples. I personally wouldn’t go out of my way to see it, but everyone else seems to like it.
- Galleria Dept Store and Lotte Outlets – Shopping in Gwanggyo, near the Lake Park.
- Mr. Toilet House – Quirky and fun I guess. Good for kids. Not a must see and not conveniently located.
- KT Wiz Park and World Cup Stadium for baseball and soccer games.
Not touristy, but local favorites:
- Manseok Park – The best park in Suwon. Very pretty in the fall. Very romantic. Central Park in NYC vibes.
- Seoho Park – The second best park. Quiet, nice for running. Cherry blossoms in spring.
- Wolhwawon Garden at Hyowon Park in Ingye-dong (효원공원 월화원). A Chinese style garden. Very picturesque. Great for Instagram or modeling style pictures.
What are some deals that you can take advantage of?
Getting around.
Definitely consider getting the KoRail pass.
Local buses
There’s an awesome local bus transportation network in South Korea that is quite inexpensive. These days, you just need to get the electronic transport card and top up the amount with money that you need for your trip. You can easily add 30,000-50,000 Won, which should get you around most places for a week if you travel locally or within the region that you’re staying in.
Taxis
Taxis are the more expensive travel option n South Korea, but they are still quite affordable. Expect to pay 7,000-30,000 per commute, depending on the distance that you need to travel.
Subway
The subway systems in the major cities are fantastic with the subway trains running pretty regularly and are quite well connected.
Renting a vehicle (Car, minivan, campervan, motorhome)
I’ve never considered renting a vehicle in Korea and I had friends that had vehicles to get around. If you wanted to travel around, it may be more cost effective going in a group tour. However, some of the countryside areas like exploring Jeju may be worth renting a vehicle.
KTX
There are KTX deals (which is Korea’s version of the bullet train), which will give you a pass to use the network to explore the country over a few days.
This is one of the fastest ways to explore the country.
Bus network
There is an extensive bus network in Korea that is inexpensive and convenient for travel. From Seoul to Busan is about 6 hours on the bus. If you don’t mind doing this long-term travel, then go for it. Otherwise, you can pay more to catch the KTX train or fly, which is approximately 1h.
Plane
There are a couple of airports in South Korea. It does cost around $100USD+ to travel by plan between Seoul and Busan.
If you want to go to Jeju Island you have to book a plane ticket.
What should you expect with the language?
In Seoul, you will be fine travelling around speaking only in English. And if you go to Busan, you will also be comfortable speaking and reading in English as well.
Once you start venturing out to other cities and suburbs, English is spoken a lot less and in some cases, the signage doesn’t even exist in English.
On the plus side, this gives you a much more immersive experience. On the downside, you will struggle with communication.
What things should you have on you?
Translation device
A translation device breaks the language barrier and it’s highly recommended that you carry one with you. There are apps (such as Google Translate) that you can use on your phone to translate written Korean that you can read, or even speak into the device to translate into and from Korean for you.
Even if you speak a bit of Korean, having access to translation will make things easier and you should have a smoother travel experience.
Portable internet
In my opinion, this is essential and it makes life so much easier. You can minimize your chances of getting lost, keep yourself entertained, and you can access information or words (learn Korean on the spot) so you can improve your communication in urgent circumstances.
I picked up the device from Myeongdong, in Seoul. However, you can pick it up at the airport. The fee was around 1-3 USD per day. I believe it is worth it and the device remains charged for around 4-5h, depending on how long you use it. Although the device does get hot when it is being used.
When you are in a place where Wi-Fi is available, you can turn off the device.
I did find that Wi-Fi was widely available when I travelled to most places across Korea. However, the convenience of being plugged in at all times helped, especially if I were walking on the street.
What about social experiences?
Clubs
The clubbing scene inside Seoul is very vibrant. If you are into clubbing, then look into going to Itaewon, which is the most foreigner-friendly place to go out clubbing.
Other places in Seoul include:
- Hongdae
- Apgujeong
- Gangnam
Meetup groups
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