Which part of Korea should I Visit?
There are so many great places to visit in South Korea, but if we had to choose, these are some of our highlights that really stood out. We love “slow travel” style places, especially those with beautiful scenery, and traditional culture.
DMZ
See North Korea with your own eyes. Take the bus into the JSA, through a mined forest devoid of signs of modern civilization to see Panmunjom, where heads of state have meetings with the North Korean leadership. Walk within meters of a line painted on the ground that divides North and South Korea, guarded by armed soldiers with orders to shoot if you try to cross. What could be more exciting?
2. Ferry to Jeju Island and explore the island by bicycle
Take the slow ferry from Mokpo, that will allow you to walk around outside and really soak in the view. The trip takes about 6 hours in total and just over half of that is cruising just off of the island studded coast of Southern Korea. Spread your picnic-blanket or grab a seat and kick back to enjoy the unbelievable scenery scroll by. Then hire an e-bike and ride right around the island, exploring along the coast or inland as you please! See our Jeju-do Slow Travel guide here.
3. seoul to explore the palaces and Gyeonghuigung
Seoul of course has to make the list in the top 5. Seoul is a bustling modern city, but is also a historic city. It has lots of palaces and they’re all amazing, but Gyeonghuigung palace is a bit special because it’s one of the least known and least visited palaces. You can have the whole place to yourself and take in the serene atmosphere created by the traditional architecture and the sense of isolation it creates - it’s like a forgotten bubble of magic and peace in the middle of the bustling city. Very Studio Ghibli.
4. Bukcheon and Insadong in Seoul
This is whole Seoul neighbourhood filled with beautiful ancient stone and wood houses. It’s got little winding alleys where you’ll find hidden tea houses with courtyard gardens, it’s got never ending block after block of traditional, tile-rooted homes, it’s got cafes, restaurants, museums, and stores devoted to paper, books, calligraphy supplies, ceramics, metal sculptures, and brushes. And tourists, there’s a heck of a lot of those too!
5. Daedunsan
Incredible mountains in bizarre shapes that leave you in no doubt you have arrived in the Hermit Kingdom of yore. It’s like walking into a chinese painting only it has metal staircases, a cable car and cable suspension bridges that will leave you dizzy with vertigo.