Intro

South Korea or Republic of Korea (대한민국) is a country in East Asia that is located on the southern part of the Korean peninsula, bordering the Yellow Sea as well as the East Sea (or Sea of Japan depending on which country you ask). The name Korea was derived from the historical kingdom of Goryeo, however the exact pronunciation ‘Korea’ actually came from visiting merchants. South Korea has a really interesting history and beautiful culture, which make it an exciting country to visit and learn more about!

Today Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, is the forth most populous city in the world. Also in recent years Korean pop culture has started to become more and more popular all around the world.

We spend 6 weeks in South Korea, exploring some major cities such as Seoul and Busan, as well as some smaller towns, national parks and the famous “Hawaii of Korea” – Jeju Island!

Map of places covered in this South Korea Travel Guide
🇰🇷 South Korea at a glance:

📌 Where? East Asia
💬 Language: Korean
🌥️ Climate: Temperate Climate
💱 Currency: Korean Won(₩)
💰 Budget: middle

South Korea FAQs

South Korea FAQ’s

The best time to travel to South Korea is generally either during spring or autumn as temperatures are mildest during these seasons. During the summer months it gets really hot and during winter pretty cold!

Apart from Jeju island, where renting a car does make sense, we would say no, you don’t need a rental car to travel South Korea. You can travel South Korea pretty comfortably via public transport! Especially the South Korean bus system is very efficient and will probably get you anywhere you want to go.

The currency used in South Korea is the Korean Won (₩).

South Korea uses the plug type C or F, which is the same one as in Continental Europe. The voltage is typically 220 V.

We spent six weeks in South Korea without knowing any Korean apart from a few words we learned through a language App and we survived! So yes you can definitely travel around South Korea without knowing Korean. Be aware though that a lot of shop and restaurant owners as well as bus and taxi drivers etc. do not speak English. And this is not only the case in the countryside, but in major cities such as Seoul and Busan as well.

South Korea Itineraries

South Korea Planning Resources

How To Get Around South Korea

South Korea Regional Guides

In this section you will find all of our South Korea guides grouped by province! Featured cities and provinces can be found in our South Korea overview map at the top of this page!

BUSAN

GANGWON (e.g. Seoraksan NP)

JEJU ISLAND

JEOLLABUK-DO (e.g. Jeonju)


THE MIGRATORY BIRDS

We are Florence and Andy, the faces behind The Migratory Birds!

On this blog we share our experiences, but also focus a lot on travel planning as well as destination guides. With our posts, we aim to give you inspiration for your own travels and provide the tools you need to plan your own trips.

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