KOREATRAVEL LIST

Places

Filter places by region and theme. Each place page brings together available details on opening hours, closing days, admission and directions, with their sources.

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180 places

SeoulShopping mall

AK Plaza Hongdae

AK플라자 홍대

A shopping mall standing over Hongik University Station. It never takes a closing day, and on weekends and public holidays it opens half an hour earlier than on weekdays.

Andong Hahoe Village seen from above, encircled by a bend in the Nakdong River
NationwideVillage

Andong Hahoe Folk Village

안동 하회마을

The page the preservation society files under visitor information is not a timetable. It is a request that you understand the residents cannot rebuild their own kitchens, and that a village with nobody in it would not be worth preserving.

DaeguCable car

Apsan Cable Car

앞산케이블카

The cable car up Apsan, covering 847.3 metres from the Keungol valley to the summit ridge in five minutes. It climbs from 180 to 510 metres above sea level, with two 48-seat cars running every five to fifteen minutes. It replaces an hour's walk, which is why most people looking down over Daegu take it. On Fridays, weekends and public holidays it runs for two hours after sunset, which is what opens the city up after dark.

DaeguObservatory

Apsan Observatory

앞산전망대

The viewing platform above Daegu, looking down over the whole city. There are two ways up: the cable car from Keungol, about fifteen minutes, or the trail from Anjiranggol, about an hour on foot. Daegu's own tourism office describes the building as architecture that brings the city together with nature, and the past with the future. Because Apsan is reachable from the city centre by public transport, a traveller with one day in Daegu can still see how the place is laid out.

NationwideHistoric site

Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri

익산 왕궁리 유적

A site on the Iksan plain spanning the Baekje and Unified Silla periods. Several accounts have been handed down about it — a Mahan capital, King Mu of Baekje moving or duplicating his capital here, Anseung's Bodeokguk, Gyeon Hwon's Later Baekje capital — and excavation reads it as built across at least three periods. UNESCO lists it among the components related to the secondary Sabi capital.

The former South Jeolla provincial office inside the Asia Culture Center, a white three-storey building with flagpoles on its roofline and a blue Hangul sculpture on the lawn in front of it
GwangjuCulture complex

Asia Culture Center

국립아시아문화전당

The Asia Culture Center is a national cultural complex that operates the former Jeonnam Provincial Office buildings as a space known in Korean as 민주평화교류원. All facilities other than this ACC space are underground. Indoor facilities are open 10:00–18:00 and outdoor facilities 06:00–22:00. Indoor facilities close on Mondays, while the official information does not say whether the outdoor hours apply on Mondays.

The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain playing from Banpo Bridge over the Han river at night
SeoulPark

Banpo Hangang Park

반포한강공원

A Hangang park on the south bank at Banpo Bridge, its paths running out toward Seorae Island and Jamsu Bridge, entered on foot through the underpasses from either Express Bus Terminal or Sinbanpo station.

Hand-print plaques of film festival guests set into the pavement of BIFF Square
BusanSquare

BIFF Square

BIFF광장

Treat it as a short street stop that pairs naturally with Jagalchi and nearby markets; individual food stalls keep their own hours.

A stone marker inscribed with Bijarim Forest's name, in a misty grove
JejuPark

Bijarim Forest

비자림

Two loops split at a crossroads inside the wood. Course A is about 2.2 km of level volcanic-cinder path, 40 minutes to an hour, and takes a pushchair or wheelchair with help on the slopes; course B includes rough stone and does not. Dogs are not admitted, which separates this from most Jeju walks.

The standing Maitreya at Bongeunsa with the Gangnam high-rises and the temple's tiled roofs behind it
SeoulTemple

Bongeunsa Temple

봉은사

The temple publishes no opening hours and no admission fee anywhere on its own site. What it does publish hours for is the bakery, the noodle canteen, the Buddhist-goods shop and the florist — which is a fair description of how the grounds are actually used.

Bukchon-ro 11-gil, the sloped hanok-lined street at Bukchon Hanok Village
SeoulHanok village

Bukchon Hanok Village

북촌한옥마을

Treat Bukchon as a lived-in neighborhood, not an outdoor theme park: keep voices low and follow the restricted visiting hours in the red zone.

Stone gate and steps at Bulguksa Temple
GyeongjuTemple

Bulguksa Temple

불국사

Treat Bulguksa and Seokguram as separate stops with their own travel time; the temple grounds reward a slower look at gates, bridges, halls, and pagodas.

Covered arcade of Bupyeong Kkangtong Night Market lit by neon signage and crowded with shoppers
BusanTraditional market

Bupyeong Kkangtong Market

부평깡통시장

Come for the night market, not the market: the carts appear at 19:30, which is after most of Nampo-dong's other sights have closed.

The lit alley of Bupyeong Kkangtong Night Market in Busan after dark, lined with food stalls and neon signboards
BusanNight market

Bupyeong Kkangtong Night Market

부평깡통야시장

The night market that sets up in Bupyeong Kkangtong Market from half past seven until midnight. The daytime market publishes no hours of its own.

The former Oriental Development Company Busan branch building, used by the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum
BusanMuseum

Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum

부산근현대역사관

Housed in two buildings — the former Bank of Korea Busan headquarters (the main building) and the former Busan branch of the colonial-era Oriental Development Company (the annex) — on what Busan became after its port opened. It stands on Daecheong-ro in Jung-gu, the district that also holds Gukje Market and the Bosu-dong book alley. Closed Mondays, and no entry after 17:00.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Haeundae skyline inside BUSAN X the SKY
BusanObservatory

Busan X the SKY

부산엑스더스카이

It stands at the beach rather than away from it, so the observatory and Haeundae are one stop, not two — but at KRW 27,000 it is the most expensive single ticket on Busan's coast.

Nakhwaam inside Busosanseong from above at an angle: the hexagonal Baekhwajeong pavilion on the wooded clifftop, grey rock dropping away beneath it toward the Baengma River, and a timber viewing deck fixed to the cliff face
NationwideFortress

Busosanseong Fortress

부소산성

A mountain fortress wrapping Busosan on the south bank of the Baengma River. It guarded the palace after the court moved to Sabi and defended the capital until Baekje fell. Nakhwaam cliff and Goransa temple stand inside it.

Five Baekje lotus-pattern roof-end tiles displayed at Buyeo National Museum: round grey clay tile ends, each carved with raised lotus petals, set apart on a pale display panel
NationwideMuseum

Buyeo National Museum

국립부여박물관

The national museum for the finds of Sabi-period Baekje, which gives the gilt-bronze incense burner a hall of its own.

NationwideRoyal tomb

Buyeo Royal Tombs

부여 왕릉원

Seven Baekje tombs on the south slope of Neungsan, set in two rows front and back. The ground has long been known as royal tombs, and finds from the temple site west of them reconfirmed it as a royal burial area. UNESCO lists it as the royal tombs in Neungsan-ri; the name the Korea Heritage Service uses today is Buyeo Royal Tombs.

The layered rock face of the Buyongdae cliff above the Nakdong River, seen across the white sandbank on the Hahoe side
NationwideObservatory

Buyongdae

부용대

The view of Hahoe that every guide uses is taken from up here, and there is currently no way across the water from the village to reach it.

The open colonnade of the Mandaeru pavilion at Byeongsan Seowon, its timber floor running the length of the building with the wooded hills beyond
NationwideHistoric site

Byeongsan Seowon

병산서원

Two UNESCO World Heritage sites sit 3 km apart here, and the bus that links them runs three times a day. Everything about a visit follows from that one number.

Injeongjeon, the throne hall of Changdeokgung Palace, seen from its courtyard
SeoulPalace

Changdeokgung Palace

창덕궁

Choose it for palace architecture plus garden scenery, but confirm whether the Secret Garden requires a separate timed ticket.

Myeongjeongjeon at Changgyeonggung Palace, seen across the courtyard with rank stones
SeoulPalace

Changgyeonggung Palace

창경궁

The cheapest of Seoul's ticketed palaces and the least crowded, with a garden layout that rewards an unhurried walk rather than a checklist.

Cheomseongdae Observatory under a clear sky, with Daereungwon's burial mounds visible behind it
GyeongjuObservatory

Cheomseongdae Observatory

첨성대

Small, free and always open. It takes ten minutes, so plan it as the link between Daereungwon and Donggung rather than a destination of its own.

The Blue House's main hall set among autumn foliage, with Mount Bukhan behind it
SeoulHistoric site

Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House)

청와대

A presidential complex behind Gyeongbokgung where the president resumed work on 29 December 2025. Check official visitor announcements from Cheong Wa Dae or the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism before planning a public tour.

Cheonggyecheon at sunrise: the stream running straight away from the camera, sunk below street level, with stepping stones across the water, walkways and street trees along the stone embankments on both sides, and office towers rising against the morning sky beyond.
SeoulRiver

Cheonggyecheon

청계천

A stream running east across the middle of the city. The work that lifted the road deck off it began in July 2003 and finished in September 2005, and the water has been walkable alongside ever since. Cheonggye Plaza, at the western end, is where most people start.

Sunset over the sand and incoming waves at Dadaepo Beach
BusanBeach

Dadaepo Beach

다대포해수욕장

The beach at Busan's western end, where the Nakdong River meets the sea — wide flats and water so shallow you walk a long way out. It is the side of Busan the sun sets on, which is why people come; the Sunset Fountain of Dreams on its plaza, unlike the beach, rests on Mondays.

Grass-covered royal burial mounds of Silla at Daereungwon
GyeongjuRoyal tomb

Daereungwon Tomb Complex

대릉원

Walking the grounds is free; only Cheonmachong, the one mound you can go inside, charges. Ticketing closes at 21:30, so an evening walk is a real option.

The gravel walking section of the Damyang Metasequoia Lane, closed to traffic by low posts, with a carved marker reading Damyang Metasequoia Road and walkers under the trees beyond
NationwidePark

Damyang Metasequoia Lane

담양 메타세쿼이아길

You pay 2,000 won and get 2,000 won back — in vouchers you can only spend in Damyang. It is not the free country road most guides describe, and it is not quite a paid attraction either.

Junghwajeon at Deoksugung Palace under snow, with the modern city skyline behind it
SeoulPalace

Deoksugung Palace

덕수궁

The one palace built for an evening visit — it stays open to 21:00 while the others close in the afternoon, and it sits directly on a subway exit in the middle of the business district.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza seen from the air, its silver curved shell set into the surrounding Jung-gu blocks
SeoulLandmark

Dongdaemun Design Plaza

동대문디자인플라자

It closes three days a year and otherwise runs 10:00 to 20:00, but that figure covers the site, not what is inside it — each hall keeps its own hours according to whatever exhibition is running. Check the programme, not the building.

Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond at blue hour, the lit pavilion reflected on the water
GyeongjuPalace

Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond

동궁과 월지

The best-known night view in Gyeongju, and the only one of the central sites that charges. The city warns that arriving near the 21:30 ticket cut-off may not get you in.

Geonwolleung’s T-shaped shrine from the side yard, the burial mound rising on the hill behind it and small ancillary buildings standing to either side
NationwideRoyal tomb

Donggureung Royal Tombs

동구릉

Nine royal tombs in one wood, so the changing form of the tomb — from the founding of Joseon almost to the Korean Empire — can be walked in a single visit. Taejo’s mound at Geonwolleung is covered in silver grass rather than turf.

The veranda of Nongunjeongsa at Dosan Seowon: unpainted timber posts, earthen walls and paper doors, with the Siseupjae plaque hung under the eaves
NationwideHistoric site

Dosanseowon Confucian Academy

도산서원

The academy where Yi Hwang taught and the shrine-academy his students built after his death stand on one slope. The small, plain hall in front is the one he actually used; the larger buildings behind it came later. With Byeongsan Seowon it is one of the nine components of the UNESCO World Heritage site Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies.

The European-style archway entrance to Everland
NationwideAmusement park

Everland

에버랜드

Nobody can tell you when Everland closes, because Everland does not publish a standing closing time — it publishes one per day. What it does publish is a price list, and the shape of that list tells you the shape of the day: a full-day pass, an afternoon pass, and a night pass that admits you from 18:00.

Colorful terraced homes of Gamcheon Culture Village overlooking the port
BusanVillage

Gamcheon Culture Village

감천문화마을

Use the official walking route and remember that the photogenic lanes remain residential; avoid blocking doors or photographing residents without permission.

The marker stone at the entrance to Gangneung Coffee Street, cut with the street's name in Korean and English, with Anmok Beach and the East Sea behind it
GangwonStreet

Gangneung Coffee Street

강릉 커피거리

A seafront row of roastery cafes along Anmok Beach, where most shops roast their own beans and seat you facing the water. The street keeps no hours of its own — each cafe sets them — so check the one you are aiming for.

A wooden deck plaza ringed by willows with cyclists on the path beside it, and the red arch of Banghwa Bridge in the distance
SeoulPark

Gangseo Hangang Park

강서한강공원

Six kilometres between Gayang Bridge and the city boundary, where a wetland ecological park and a sports park run together as one themed district. Gangseo Wetland Ecological Park — one of the thirty sites on Seoul's ecotourism list — is reed bed and willow wood that migrating birds stop at, with a bird hide, an interpretive trail and a bookable ecology programme. The operator recommends walking in from Magongnaru station on Line 9 and the Airport Railroad, past Seoul Botanic Park and over the river footbridge.

An aisle in the seafood halls of Garak Market: stalls and live tanks of fish and shellfish on both sides, traders in aprons and rubber gloves working at the counters, and a dense canopy of lit signs overhead naming the shops and their catch.
SeoulTraditional market

Garak Market

가락시장

A public wholesale market run by the Seoul Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation. Each division auctions on its own clock — fruit and vegetables are scattered from 02:00 to 23:00 by commodity, seafood opens at 23:00 with fresh fish. The grounds stay open around the clock, but no auction runs from Saturday evening to Sunday dawn.

The crater of Geomunoreum seen from its summit on a clear day, forested slopes dishing inward.
JejuMountain

Geomunoreum

거문오름

The volcanic cone that made the caves on this side of the island: lava from here ran about 14 km to the coast and left the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System behind it. In front of the cone a collapse trench runs about 2 km long, 80 to 150 m wide and 15 to 30 m deep, thought to have formed where cave roofs fell in. There are three routes of different lengths, two of which may only be walked with a guide. Eleven departures a day, fifty people each, and booking closes at 17:00 the day before.

Gimpo Jangneung from above: the T-shaped shrine with a stele pavilion and a keeper’s house beside it, the path running straight down from it, and the burial ground on the rise above
NationwideRoyal tomb

Gimpo Jangneung Royal Tomb

김포 장릉

It opens at 07:00 under the early-admission rule. It is the tomb of Wonjong and Queen Inheon, and the lotus pond inside the precinct is the best-preserved of any left at a Joseon royal tomb.

Gongju National Museum from above: a long, low white building set below a wooded hill, a row of tall narrow windows across its front, with the approach path and car park running toward it
NationwideMuseum

Gongju National Museum

국립공주박물관

The national museum that holds the finds from the tomb of King Muryeong. It stands a short way west of the tomb park, so seeing the tombs and then seeing what was inside them falls into an easy order.

The World Heritage marker stone reading Gongsanseong at the entrance, with the stone rampart curving up the hill behind it, flags set along the wall, and the tiled roof of the Geumseoru gate standing above on the right
NationwideFortress

Gongsanseong Fortress

공산성

A fortress wrapping the valleys of a low hill on the south bank of the Geum River. It was the walled capital while Baekje's court sat at Ungjin, and remained a seat of provincial administration into the Joseon period. Originally earthen, it was rebuilt in stone under Joseon.

A shopfront-lined alley in Gukje Market, with the market's Korean signage visible
BusanTraditional market

Gukje Market

국제시장

Store hours and weekly closures vary, so use the published market hours as guidance rather than assuming every shop is open.

Clear emerald water washing onto Gwakji Gwamul Beach
JejuBeach

Gwakji Gwamul Beach

곽지과물해변

The designated season is the whole planning problem: outside it the shore is open but unstaffed, and inside it Gwakji is one of the beaches that closes at 19:00 with no evening extension. It is also the far end of the Handam Coastal Trail, so it is rarely worth driving to on its own.

Gwanbangjerim in Damyang seen from above: the Damyangcheon stream on the left, the embankment road running beside it, and the old broadleaf grove standing along the top of the bank
NationwidePark

Gwanbangjerim

관방제림

It is free, it has no gate and no hours, and it starts at the bridge in front of Juknokwon — which is why it is the piece of the walk most people cross without noticing they are on it.

Gwangalli Beach with Gwangan Bridge stretching across the sea
BusanBeach

Gwangalli Beach

광안리해수욕장

The main draw is the view of Gwangan Bridge after dark. Drone shows, swimming areas and car-free street events depend on the date and the weather, so check each one before you go.

Entrance to Gwangjang Market
SeoulTraditional market

Gwangjang Market

광장시장

Go with several small dishes in mind and compare posted prices before ordering; individual stalls keep their own hours and closing days.

A paved plaza under a bridge deck with picnic tables and benches, people standing about with their bicycles, a white curved two-storey building to the right and a bridge and hills across the water
SeoulPark

Gwangnaru Hangang Park

광나루한강공원

Twelve kilometres of riverside between Gangdong Bridge and Jamsil Railway Bridge. This is the only stretch inside Seoul's drinking-water protection zone, so boating and water sports are banned outright — and what the ban has left is sandbanks, two kilometres of reed bed and a habitat for migratory birds. The Hangang drone field and a cycling park with a BMX track are both in this district.

Sejo’s burial mound at Gwangneung from above: a balustrade and no screen of stone panels, with the stone lantern, civil and military figures and stone horses set out on the terraces below
NationwideRoyal tomb

Gwangneung Royal Tomb

광릉

The tomb of Sejo and Queen Jeonghui, and the first to place two mounds on separate hills under a single shrine. The forest around it has been protected ever since the tomb was laid out.

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion lit at night, mirrored whole in the still surface of the pond
SeoulPalace

Gyeongbokgung Palace

경복궁

Best for a first palace visit in Seoul; allow time for the central halls and check the official schedule before adding a guard ceremony.

The signed entrance archway to Gyeongdong Market, with its busy alley beyond
SeoulTraditional market

Gyeongdong Market

경동시장

It closes at 18:00 and most stores are shut on Sundays, so it suits a morning visit rather than an evening one. People come here for ginseng, medicinal herbs and ingredients more than for food.

The second-floor room at Gyeonggyojang that Kim Ku used as his study and quarters. A black low table inlaid with mother-of-pearl stands on the tatami with two framed black-and-white photographs propped on it; a framed Taegukgi hangs high on the left wall and a portrait of Kim Ku on the right, above a fitted wooden wardrobe and shelves.
SeoulHistoric site

Gyeonggyojang

경교장

The two-storey Western-style house that served as the returned Provisional Government's offices and its members' lodgings, from Kim Ku's arrival from China in 1945 until he was shot dead in his second-floor study on 26 June 1949. Built in 1938 as Jukcheomjang, the residence of the gold-mining magnate Choi Chang-hak, it lost its interior first to embassy use and then to a hospital, was restored from 2010 and reopened to the public on 2 March 2013. It still stands inside the grounds of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital and is run as a branch of the Seoul Museum of History.

Frontal view of Sungjeongjeon hall and its wide courtyard at Gyeonghuigung Palace
SeoulPalace

Gyeonghuigung Palace

경희궁

Free, rarely crowded, and small enough to see properly in half an hour — the palace to add when the ticketed ones are full or already closed for the day.

The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok hanging in its pavilion at Gyeongju National Museum, apsara reliefs and an inscription on its body, the wooden striker suspended at right and a round resonance pit sunk into the floor beneath
GyeongjuMuseum

Gyeongju National Museum

국립경주박물관

The national museum of Silla. The gold crowns from Geumgwanchong and Cheonmachong, two of the tombs in central Gyeongju, are administered here, as is the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok. After Daereungwon and Cheomseongdae — the tombs and the sky — it is the natural place to come and see what was inside the tombs.

The weathered-steel entrance marker reading Gyeongui Line Forest Park beside the Yeonnam-dong path
SeoulPark

Gyeongui Line Forest Park

경의선숲길

It has no gate, no fee and no closing time, but it also has no car park anywhere along its 6.3 km — the operator says so outright and tells you to come by train. Which is fitting for a park that used to be one.

Haedong Yonggungsa temple buildings on the rocky coast beside the sea
BusanTemple

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

해동용궁사

Arrive early for a quieter visit, expect stairs, and leave room for worshippers rather than treating every terrace as a photo set.

Aerial view of Haeundae Beach, its shoreline, and the waterfront promenade
BusanBeach

Haeundae Beach

해운대해수욕장

It works as a coastal walk year-round, while swimming facilities and safety controls are seasonal and should be checked separately.

Yellow Sky Capsule cabins on the elevated track above the coast at Haeundae Blueline Park
BusanRail bike

Haeundae Blueline Park

해운대 블루라인파크

4.8km of the old Donghae Nambu rail line turned into a tourist route: the beach tram runs Mipo–Cheongsapo–Songjeong, and over the 2km from Mipo to Cheongsapo the Sky Capsule runs separately on an elevated rail. The two are priced on different units — the tram per person, the capsule per capsule. Closing time moves by month, from 21:30 in July and August to 19:00 in winter.

JejuGarden

Halla Arboretum

한라수목원

A provincial arboretum in Yeon-dong on the Jeju City side of the island, at the foot of Gwangi Oreum beside Route 1100, planted with Jeju natives and subtropical plants. Its outdoor grounds and paths stay open all year. The grounds reach up to the summit of the oreum, which makes this one of the few places a traveller staying in Jeju City without a car can see volcanic ground and island vegetation.

Baengnokdam crater at the snow-covered summit of Hallasan
JejuMountain

Hallasan National Park

한라산국립공원

Choose the trail before planning transport: only Seongpanak (9.6 km) and Gwaneumsa (8.7 km) reach the summit, both need an advance reservation, and both turn walkers back at a mid-mountain control point if they arrive after the cut-off. Every other trail is a half-day walk with no summit at the end of it.

A path through Hallim Park's garden, lined with volcanic rock and stone sculptures.
JejuPark

Hallim Park

한림공원

A private theme park immediately south of Hyeopjae Beach. The publisher describes nine themed sections across a hundred thousand pyeong; besides the palm avenue and the gardens, lava tubes including Hyeopjaegul and Ssangyonggul lie inside it. What is worth noticing on this record is that the operator states its times only as when ticketing opens and when it closes, and publishes no closing time for the park at all.

Basalt-lined coastal walking path along Jeju Olle Route 15-B
JejuPark

Handam Coastal Trail

한담해안산책로

The path and Gwakji Gwamul Beach are the two ends of the same walk, which is the fact that decides how to plan them: they are one stop, not two. West-facing, so the sunset end of the day belongs here.

The Hanyangdoseong city wall seen from near the summit of Inwangsan, its crenellated line descending a pine-covered ridge to the right, with downtown Seoul's office towers and N Seoul Tower on Namsan beyond.
SeoulFortress

Hanyangdoseong

한양도성

The wall that enclosed the Joseon capital, raised in 1396 and carried along the ridgelines of Baegaksan, Naksan, Namsan and Inwangsan. Its 1963 designation as a Historic Site took in the gates, bastions, barbicans, beacon mounds and water gates as one heritage item together with the wall itself.

Heonneung’s two mounds side by side behind a dense array of statuary — civil and military figures and stone horses set out in double the usual number
SeoulRoyal tomb

Heonilleung Royal Tombs

헌릉과 인릉

Heonneung, King Taejong’s tomb, carries twice the stone figures of any other royal tomb, following the Goryeo precedent of King Gongmin’s tomb. It is the reference point if you want to compare tomb statuary.

Heunginjimun Gate seen over its semicircular barbican: a loopholed brick parapet in front, the two-tiered pavilion rising behind it with the plaque reading 興仁之門 under the eaves, and pink azaleas flowering along the base of the wall.
SeoulHistoric site

Heunginjimun Gate

흥인지문

The eastern gate of the walled city, designated a Treasure in 1963. A crescent-shaped barbican wraps its outer face — the only one of the four main gates built with one.

Hongneung from the red spirit gate: stone figures ranged along both sides of the path to the sleeping hall, and the burial mound on the hill directly behind it
NationwideRoyal tomb

Hongneung and Yureung Imperial Tombs

홍릉과 유릉

Imperial tombs of the Korean Empire, so the form departs from every other Joseon royal tomb: a sleeping hall in place of the T-shaped shrine, and stone qilin, elephants and camels lining the approach. The graves of the imperial family lie inside the same walls.

Houses of Huinnyeoul Culture Village stacked on the cliff above the sea
BusanVillage

Huinnyeoul Culture Village

흰여울문화마을

Houses pressed along a sea cliff on Yeongdo, with a narrow path running beneath them beside the water. Where Gamcheon is colour on a hillside, this is cliff and open sea, and its history is its own — settled by refugees during the Korean War. People live in these lanes; do not block their doors.

The monorail climbing the wooded slope at Hwadamsup in autumn, its track running straight up through red and yellow leaves.
NationwideGarden

Hwadamsup

화담숲

A private arboretum run by the LG Evergreen Foundation as a public-service undertaking. It opened formally in 2013 across 165,265 square metres laid out as sixteen themed gardens, planted with some 4,000 species of native and introduced plants. The ground is a hillside, steep enough that a monorail runs it. The thing that catches out first-time visitors is that there are no tickets at the gate.

Hanok-style cafes and shops lining Hwangnidan-gil street in Gyeongju
GyeongjuStreet

Hwangnidan-gil

황리단길

A street rather than a site: nothing opens or closes as a whole, and each shop keeps its own hours. It is also the walking link between Daereungwon and the Gyo-dong side.

Hyeopjae Beach at low tide, shallow emerald water running out to the horizon with Biyangdo on it.
JejuBeach

Hyeopjae Beach

협재해수욕장

A beach in Hallim-eup on Jeju's west side, on Jeju Olle Trail Course 14. At low tide a long stretch of pale sand with crushed shell in it is exposed, the slope is gentle and the water shallow, and it runs into Geumneung Beach next door, which is why the two are usually called the twin beaches. Biyangdo sits offshore. The publisher lists the site as open at all times, but the bathing season — when it is staffed and supervised — covers only part of the summer, and that distinction is what decides when to come.

Someone sitting with their back to the camera among tall silver grass, apartment blocks across the river in late light
SeoulPark

Ichon Hangang Park

이촌한강공원

A 10.2 km stretch of the north bank from Jungnangcheon Bridge at Geumho-dong to Mancheoncheon Bridge at Ichon-dong. Nodeulseom, the island under Hangang Bridge, is listed among this district's facilities — and the operator notes separately that the island's 120,462 m² is not counted in the park's own 922,185 m². The inline skating rink here covers 14,602 m², with a 400 m road track and a 200 m banked track.

A narrow stone-paved alley in Ikseon-dong lined with hanok eaves and cafe signboards, with visitors taking photographs
SeoulHanok village

Ikseon-dong Hanok Village

익선동 한옥마을

The alleys are public streets, so there is no gate, no ticket and no closing time — but almost everything worth walking in for is a business with its own hours, and most of them do not open early. It is also smaller than Bukchon on purpose: these are 30-pyeong houses, not aristocratic compounds.

Ribbons and Korean-peninsula flags tied along the wire fence at Imjingak
NationwidePark

Imjingak

임진각

Imjingak is the last place you can reach without permission. The individual A-course of the DMZ Peace Tour leaves from Imjingak, visits the Third Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory and Tongilchon, then returns to Imjingak. Treat it as both a destination and a departure gate.

The paifang gate at the entrance to Incheon Chinatown, its blue plaque reading 中華街, with the shop-lined street climbing the hill beyond it
IncheonStreet

Incheon Chinatown

인천 차이나타운

The Chinese quarter on the old treaty-port hill, and where jajangmyeon is held to have been invented. The streets themselves never close and each shop keeps its own hours, so aim for lunchtime rather than for an opening time.

The model hall inside the Incheon Urban History Museum, where a large scale model of the city fills the floor beneath lit skyline panels
IncheonMuseum

Incheon Urban History Museum

인천도시역사관

A museum on how Incheon was built and reshaped as a city. It is 300 m from the National Museum of World Writing Systems, but the two keep different Monday closing rules, so check those first if you plan to visit both.

Jagalchi Fish Market's building and market-tent stalls in the early morning
BusanTraditional market

Jagalchi Market

자갈치시장

Confirm the price and preparation method before ordering seafood, and remember that stall schedules can differ even when the market building is open.

The riverside park seen from above: a paved plaza in front, footpaths threading between planted beds and lawns, a cyclist on the path to the right, the river and a distant cable-stayed bridge on the left and apartment blocks beyond
SeoulPark

Jamsil Hangang Park

잠실한강공원

A 4.8 km stretch of the south bank between Jamsil Railway Bridge and Yeongdong Bridge. At the weir under the south end of Jamsil Bridge runs Jamsil Eodo, a fish ladder with a 228 m observation deck and a viewing window, so you can watch fish work their way up past the barrage. The operator describes the park's nature-study garden as a popular spot for children's field study and family picnics.

A row of poplars along the riverside path, with a bridge and apartment blocks across the water
SeoulPark

Jamwon Hangang Park

잠원한강공원

A 5.4 km stretch of the south bank running from Yeongdong Bridge past Dongho and Hannam bridges to Banpo Bridge. It backs onto Apgujeong-dong and Sinsa-dong, yet getting in still means a walk of about fifteen minutes from the subway to an underpass. The outdoor pool in summer and the sledding hill in winter occupy the same ground, trading places with the season, and a 5.4 km cycle path runs the length of the district.

Gate 7 of Jeju Dongmun Market, the market's name and the gate number on the arch above the entrance, with crates of tangerines stacked at a stall in front of it.
JejuTraditional market

Jeju Dongmun Traditional Market

동문재래시장

Jeju's largest and oldest market, trading on this block since 1945. Produce, seafood and dried fish fill the daytime aisles, with tangerines and omegi-tteok rice cakes worked in between them. In the evening a separate night market opens by gate 8 and closes when the ingredients run out. There are twelve entrances, so agreeing a gate number is the difference between meeting someone here and not.

Yeoyudang at the Jeong Yak-yong Historic Site. The tile-roofed house stands with its front bays folded open and a plaque hung under the eaves at its centre; rough stone steps lead up to the veranda, and a yellowing ginkgo and pines rise behind the roof. A few visitors stand inside the opened rooms.
NationwideHistoric site

Jeong Yak-yong Historic Site

정약용유적지

The one site that holds both the house Jeong Yak-yong grew up in and the grave he was buried in — Namyangju calls it the Jeong Yak-yong Historic Site, visitors more often Dasan Historic Site. On the low rise behind the house, the grave he shares with his wife of the Pungsan Hong clan looks out over the Han River; below it stands Yeoyudang, washed away by the great flood of 1925 and rebuilt in 1986 from surviving records and testimony. The same grounds hold the Mundosa shrine, a memorial hall and a culture hall, and a walk lined with a replica of the crane he designed for the building of Hwaseong Fortress. Admission is free.

Jeongbang Waterfall cascading over a rock cliff into a coastal pool
JejuWaterfall

Jeongbang Waterfall

정방폭포

Buy a ticket at the entrance and walk down about five minutes of pine-lined steps — there is no way to see the fall from the top. Sonammeori, on the cliff above it, is a Jeju April 3 site where detainees were summarily executed; the setting is a beauty spot and a killing ground at once.

Jeongneung’s T-shaped shrine, with Queen Sindeok’s burial mound on the rise behind it
SeoulRoyal tomb

Jeongneung Royal Tomb

정릉

It opens at 06:00 under the early-admission rule, so it doubles as a morning walking route. It is the tomb of Queen Sindeok, King Taejo’s second queen, and its stone lantern is the oldest stone object at any Joseon royal tomb.

The open ground of the Jeongnimsa site with the five-storey stone pagoda standing at the right, its wide thin stone roofs stepping outward at each storey, a low iron rail around its base, the outlines of building platforms showing low in the earth, and the village visible beyond the wall behind
NationwideHistoric site

Jeongnimsa Temple Site

정림사지

The site of the principal temple of Sabi-period Baekje. The temple is gone; a five-storey stone pagoda from Baekje and a seated stone Buddha from Goryeo remain, and the north-south axis running from the middle gate past the pagoda and hall to the lecture hall is still legible across the open ground.

A sea of traditional tiled hanok rooftops filling Jeonju Hanok Village
NationwideHanok village

Jeonju Hanok Village

전주한옥마을

Plan it as a walkable district rather than one attraction, combining one or two heritage sites with food, crafts, or a hanok stay.

Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul
SeoulShrine

Jongmyo Shrine

종묘

Plan around the admission system: weekday access may be limited to timed guided groups, while self-guided entry is offered on designated days.

A paved walking path at Juknokwon in Damyang running between dense bamboo, edged on both sides by a low fence of cut bamboo stakes
NationwideGarden

Juknokwon

죽녹원

The bamboo is the reason to come, but the thing that shapes a day here is that the grove, the embankment forest and the tree lane sit within a couple of kilometres of one another, and the county files that walk under a menu nobody opens.

Kangkangee Arts Village seen from the air, ship-repair yards with cranes and hauled-out vessels packed against the waterfront below its low houses, small fishing boats moored at the quay, and the hillside city and a bridge across the water
BusanVillage

Kangkangee Arts Village

깡깡이예술마을

A village where the repair yards still run. The name comes from the sound of hammers on rusted hulls, and the workshops share its lanes with small cafés.

A mural on Kim Gwangseok-gil: the lyrics of his song The Private's Letter hand-lettered across blue and red panels, the yellow wall around them covered in messages and drawings left by visitors
DaeguStreet

Kim Gwangseok-gil Street

김광석 다시그리기길

A wall-painted lane of a few hundred metres beside Bancheon Market, given over to murals of the singer Kim Kwang-seok, who came from Daegu, and to his songs. There is no gate and no ticket, so you can walk it at any hour — but you come here to look at paintings, so come in daylight.

A traditional performance staged in front of a hanok building at the Korean Folk Village
NationwideVillage

Korean Folk Village

한국민속촌

A reconstructed late-Joseon village. Opening hours may vary with the season and weather. Check the operating information and the ticket's entry time and valid days separately for your visit date.

The curved concrete facade of KT&G Sangsangmadang's Hongdae building
SeoulGallery

KT&G Sangsangmadang Hongdae

KT&G 상상마당 홍대

A cultural complex with galleries, pop-up exhibitions, shops, a cinema and a live hall in one building. Check the dates and hours in the listing for the exhibition or performance you want to see.

The entrance deck of the Leeum Museum of Art in the evening: a timber floor running inward past exposed concrete columns and a full-height glass wall, blue lights set into the deck, the sign reading Leeum SAMSUNG MUSEUM OF ART on the wall ahead, and a few visitors on the deck and in the gallery beyond the glass.
SeoulMuseum

Leeum Museum of Art

리움미술관

An art museum run by the Samsung Foundation of Culture. The standing exhibition of historic Korean art is free and the special exhibitions are ticketed, priced per show rather than at a standing rate. From exit 1 of Hangangjin Station, the route runs 100 metres towards Itaewon, then turns right into the first alley for an uphill walk of about five minutes.

Aerial view of Lotte World, showing the indoor Adventure building and the Magic Island castle on the lake
SeoulAmusement park

Lotte World Adventure

롯데월드 어드벤처

Its indoor areas make it useful in poor weather, but crowds still shape the visit; confirm the day's hours and suspended attractions before buying or reserving.

People at the riverside railing after sunset looking across the water, the red arches of Seongsan Bridge to the right
SeoulPark

Mangwon Hangang Park

망원한강공원

A 7.4 km stretch of the north bank between Wonhyo Bridge and Seongsan Bridge. Its flood plain is open lawn with long sightlines, and downstream of Seongsan Bridge sits Seoul Battleship Park, built around three decommissioned naval vessels. Mangwon is not on the operator's list of the river's twelve bicycle-hire points, so a bike has to be brought here or hired in another district.

Crab and seafood displayed at a Mangwon Market stall
SeoulTraditional market

Mangwon Market

망원시장

It opens at 10:00, later than Seoul's other well-known markets, which makes it a practical first stop after a slow start.

The lava column at the end of the open section of Manjanggul, lit in the dark and rising from floor to ceiling.
JejuCave

Manjanggul Lava Tube

만장굴

A lava tube about 7.4 km long whose main passage runs 18 m wide and 23 m high. Roof collapses left three entrances; visitors may use only the second, and may walk 1 km in from it. At the end of that kilometre stands a lava column about 7.6 m high, said to be the largest known anywhere, and that column is also where you turn round. The operator files this cave as partly open — the other caves inscribed with it are closed to the public altogether.

The west stone pagoda at the Mireuksa site at sunset: six tiers of stone roofs narrowing over a broad platform, a dark passage opening at the centre of the first storey, and the sun low on the right across the dry ground of the temple site
NationwideHistoric site

Mireuksa Temple Site

미륵사지

The site of a temple founded under King Mu of Baekje. It has a plan found nowhere else: stone pagodas east and west with a wooden one between them, each with its own main hall behind it. The western stone pagoda is the oldest surviving stone pagoda in Korea.

Mudeungsan rising behind central Gwangju, the Gwangju stream and bare winter trees in front of the built-up city, the ridge running gently across the skyline
GwangjuMountain

Mudeungsan National Park

무등산국립공원

The national park on Gwangju's eastern edge, distinguished by the columnar rock formations near its summit. Mudeungsan National Park applies entry-control times at trail control points. There is no fee, but trails close in bad weather — checking the closures before you set out is the most important preparation for this mountain.

The brick Gothic bell tower and clock face of Myeongdong Cathedral, seen from the garden steps in autumn
SeoulChurch

Myeongdong Cathedral

명동대성당

It publishes no visiting hours, because it is a parish rather than an attraction — what it publishes is a Mass timetable. The one clock that does cover the site belongs to 1898 Plaza, the archdiocese-run arcade under the approach, open 09:00 to 22:00 every day but two.

A bowl of kalguksu topped with dumplings, with the house spicy kimchi alongside
SeoulRestaurant

Myeongdong Kyoja

명동교자

A kalguksu house open since 1966. The menu runs to four dishes and it takes no reservations. The main branch moved to Toegye-ro in 2026 and now stands in front of exit 8 of Myeongdong Station.

People walking a shopping street packed with cosmetics-store signs
SeoulStreet

Myeongdong Shopping Street

명동 쇼핑거리

Central Seoul's best-known shopping district for cosmetics, fashion and tax-refund shopping. Treat it as a neighborhood rather than a single mall because individual stores keep their own hours.

N Seoul Tower rising above the city skyline
SeoulTower

N Seoul Tower

N서울타워

Time the visit around sunset if you want both daylight and night views, and plan the ascent separately from the observatory ticket.

Naksan Park after dark: people walking and sitting along a lamplit paved promenade, the Hanyangdoseong city wall running low across the right of the frame, and the lights of north-eastern Seoul spreading out below with a dark ridge on the horizon.
SeoulPark

Naksan Park

낙산공원

A park on the lowest of the four hills that ringed the old walled city. A stretch of the city wall runs along its ridge, and the centre of Seoul lies below it on the far side.

Namdaemun (Sungnyemun) gate viewed head-on, with modern skyscrapers behind it
SeoulTraditional market

Namdaemun Market

남대문시장

A district of independent shops rather than a single venue. Plan your visit around what you want to buy, and check the hours of the specialist arcades separately.

A broad dirt avenue on Nami Island under an arch of branches from the trees on either side, with walkers further down it and the North Han River beyond the right-hand verge
GangwonIsland

Nami Island

남이섬

You buy the ticket in one province and land in another, and the ticket is a boat fare. Almost everything that decides your day here — how much you pay, how late you can stay — is set by the ferry timetable rather than by the island.

A lane in Namsangol Hanok Village: a hanok on the left with weathered timber posts, latticed paper doors and a railed veranda, a wall of rounded stones set in mortar running along the right, and a sandy path passing between them under a clear sky above the tiled roofs.
SeoulHanok village

Namsangol Hanok Village

남산골한옥마을

Five hanok moved onto the northern slope of Namsan beside Chungmuro Station, with a traditional garden laid around them. The houses open Tuesday to Sunday and rest on Mondays; closing time differs by an hour between summer and winter. There is nothing to pay at the gate.

Rows of pale violet parasols on the stepped deck at the riverside water-play area, a bridge across the water behind
SeoulPark

Nanji Hangang Park

난지한강공원

Three kilometres of riverside at Sangam-dong, from Hongjecheon Bridge to Nanji Bridge. Footbridges drop into it — one between Noeul Park and Haneul Park, another from Peace Park — so it can be walked into from the World Cup Park side above. Its landmarks are the Nanji campsite, where barbecue and overnight camping are allowed, and the Mirror Fountain, which plays from May to October.

NationwideFortress

Naseong City Wall

부여 나성

An 8 km wall raised to protect the Sabi capital. Taking Busosanseong as its centre, it runs east and west along the natural terrain around the outside of the Buyeo townscape. It was built of earth, and only slight traces of it remain today.

The front of the National Folk Museum of Korea, with its pagoda-shaped tower
SeoulMuseum

National Folk Museum of Korea

국립민속박물관

Attached to Gyeongbokgung's north-east side, and about ordinary households rather than the court. Its hours split by season — November to February it shuts an hour earlier — so a winter afternoon spent on the palace first leaves too little for it.

BusanMuseum

National Maritime Museum of Korea

국립해양박물관

A national museum built out over the water at Dongsam-dong on Yeongdo, and the one indoor place that takes Busan's identity as a port head-on. It closes an hour later on weekends and public holidays than on weekdays, so a plan that runs into the evening fits a weekend more easily.

The National Museum of Korea's main building seen across its reflecting pond
SeoulMuseum

National Museum of Korea

국립중앙박물관

Two closure rules, not one, and they are not the same thing: the museum itself shuts on only three days a year, while the permanent galleries take a quarterly Monday off with the garden still open. Wednesday and Saturday run to 21:00 — the only evenings you can see this place without daylight pressure.

The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History building, with the national flag flying
SeoulMuseum

National Museum of Korean Contemporary History

대한민국역사박물관

Across from Gwanghwamun Square, covering Korea since the ports opened in 1876. Where the Seoul Museum of History takes the city, this takes the country, so the two do not overlap. Wednesday and Saturday are the only days it runs to 21:00.

A permanent gallery at the National Museum of World Writing Systems, with a wall of scripts on the left and a rubbing of the Gwanggaeto Stele on the right
IncheonMuseum

National Museum of World Writing Systems

국립세계문자박물관

It is free, it is eight minutes from a subway exit, and it holds a leaf of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible. The building was designed to lie flat against the park rather than stand apart from it, which is why it does not look like a museum from outside.

The tile-roofed front of the National Palace Museum of Korea above its stone steps
SeoulMuseum

National Palace Museum of Korea

국립고궁박물관

A national museum inside Gyeongbokgung's walls, at the south-west corner. It holds what the buildings alone cannot show — royal seals, the court protocol records, palanquins, the water clock. Saturdays and the last Wednesday of each month are the only nights it stays open to 21:00.

Rows of fish stalls stretching down an aisle inside Noryangjin Fisheries Market
SeoulTraditional market

Noryangjin Fisheries Market

노량진수산시장

The only market here that never closes for the night: wholesale and retail run around the clock, and the auction is a separate event with its own schedule.

Oedolgae seen through pines, the stack standing alone in the water below a pine-topped sea cliff.
Jeju

Oedolgae Sea Stack

외돌개

A rock pillar about twenty metres high standing alone off the Seogwipo shore, left behind when the softer rock around it wore away; pines grow on top of it. Jeju Olle Trail Course 7 passes here and continues along the coast, so it works naturally as the first or last stop of a walking day rather than as somewhere to drive to and leave. Two stories attach to it: one in which General Choe Yeong of late Goryeo dressed the rock as a commander to frighten off an enemy, and one about an old woman who turned to stone waiting for her husband to come back from the sea.

The wooden hall of Ojukheon seen head-on from its forecourt, its two plaques reading Ojukheon and Mongnyongsil
GangwonHistoric site

Ojukheon House

오죽헌

The house where Shin Saimdang lived and her son Yi I was born — among the oldest surviving Joseon dwellings, with the room called Mongnyongsil held to be his birthplace. The Yulgok Memorial Hall and the Gangneung Currency Exhibition Hall stand in the same grounds, so the woman on the 50,000-won note and the son on the 5,000-won note can be seen together in the house they lived in.

Olleung head-on: the flagstone path running to the platform of the T-shaped shrine, and beyond it, up the grass slope under the pines, the mound and its stone figures
NationwideRoyal tomb

Olleung Royal Tomb

온릉

The tomb of Queen Dangyeong, Jungjong’s first queen. She was buried as a deposed consort and restored some 180 years later, at which point the grave became a royal tomb. It is one of the few Joseon royal tombs that charges no admission.

Seoul Olympic Park seen from above: the round waterside stage and its pond at the centre, ringed by trees in fresh spring leaf, with the World Peace Gate and its painted canopy standing to the right, and the towers of Jamsil with Lotte World Tower rising behind.
SeoulPark

Olympic Park

올림픽공원

The venue complex built for the 1988 Olympics shares one perimeter with an earthen fortress from the early Baekje period. Several of the arenas have been renamed and now host concerts, so sports halls, an archaeological site and concert venues sit on the same walking route.

The lighthouse island of Oryukdo, with a boat passing in front of it
BusanIsland

Oryukdo

오륙도

The rock islets standing where the South Sea meets the East Sea, seen from the headland park and its glass-floored skywalk rather than from the water. You do not land on them — you stand at the cliff edge — and the skywalk shuts in snow, rain or high wind.

The entrance to O'Sulloc Tea Museum, with its signage over the doorway
JejuMuseum

Osulloc Tea Museum

오설록 티 뮤지엄

The museum itself is free and takes under an hour; the tea fields around it are the reason most people stay longer. It sits in Andeok, in Jeju's south-west — a long way from Seogwipo city and from Jeongbang, so plan it with the west, not with the south coast.

Paju Jangneung’s burial ground from above: a single mound inside its curved screen wall with a balustrade and no panels, and on the two terraces below it the civil and military figures, stone horses and stone lantern
NationwideRoyal tomb

Paju Jangneung Royal Tomb

파주 장릉

The joint tomb of Injo and Queen Inyeol. When it was moved, the old stone figures were kept alongside newly carved ones, so seventeenth- and eighteenth-century tomb statuary stands side by side.

Gongneung from above: the path running straight from the red spirit gate at the bottom up to the T-shaped shrine, with the burial ground beyond it on a hill closed in by woods
NationwideRoyal tomb

Paju Samneung Royal Tombs

파주 삼릉

Gongneung, Sulleung and Yeongneung in one precinct. Of the three, only Sulleung was built to the full royal-tomb form — its occupant alone died holding the rank of queen.

The red-brick Provisional Capital Memorial Hall seen across its pine-planted yard
BusanMuseum

Provisional Capital Memorial Hall

임시수도기념관

The two-storey house used as the presidential residence during the 1,023 days Busan was the provisional capital in the Korean War. Where the Modern and Contemporary History Museum takes the whole span, this takes one period narrowly — the war and the refuge. Closed Mondays.

Saebyeol Oreum's ridge trail rising beyond a canola flower field
JejuMountain

Saebyeol Oreum

새별오름

Choose the east trail unless you want the climb: the west one is the steeper of the two. It is open all year with no forest-fire closure period, which is not true of every Jeju trail, and the Jeju Fire Festival held here no longer sets the hillside alight — see the article.

Saeyeongyo, its sail-shaped pylon over the walkway, fishing boats moored at the quay in front and people crossing the deck.
JejuBridge

Saeyeongyo Bridge

새연교

A pedestrian-only bridge linking Seogwipo Port to Saeseom Island. Its name means 'a bridge that makes new bonds', and it is lit after dark.

Sareung’s T-shaped shrine and the ridge behind it, the stone figures of the burial ground visible up the grass slope among the pines
NationwideRoyal tomb

Sareung Royal Tomb

사릉

The tomb of Queen Jeongsun, Danjong’s consort. She died stripped of her rank and was buried with the rites due a grand prince’s wife; nearly one hundred and eighty years later she was restored, and the grave became a royal tomb.

Colorful lettered sign over the entrance to COEX Aquarium
SeoulAquarium

SEA LIFE COEX Aquarium

씨라이프 코엑스 아쿠아리움

Nobody should pay the gate price. The operator's own site sells the same adult ticket at a standing discount and drops it further on selected dates, so the number to plan around is the online one, booked before you arrive.

JejuPark

Secret Forest

비밀의숲

A walk through cedar west of Andol Oreum, with tickets sold from a mint-coloured truck at the entrance. The unpaved loop takes about half an hour and has eight marked spots to photograph, with a stand of hinoki cypress partway round. Closures are posted on the operator's Instagram rather than following a fixed calendar, which is worth checking before driving out here.

The red-brick cell blocks of Seodaemun Prison: two-storey brick wings with regularly spaced barred windows, a large Taegukgi hung down one wall, a few visitors crossing the bare yard, and the rocky summit of Inwangsan rising beyond the roofs.
SeoulMuseum

Seodaemun Prison History Hall

서대문형무소역사관

A prison opened in 1908 and used through the colonial period and beyond, now run as a museum. Cell blocks and the execution building survive; the site is registered as the Former Seodaemun Prison. It closes on Mondays, and its hours differ between summer and winter.

The lantern-hung approach to Seokguram Grotto, with the wooden hall that encloses the stone chamber set into the hillside
GyeongjuTemple

Seokguram Grotto

석굴암

A separate journey from Bulguksa with its own travel time, not an annexe of it. Admission has been free since 4 May 2023, and the published times are last-admission times rather than closing times.

The illuminated arch over the entrance to Seomun Market at night, lettered Welcome to SEOMUN MARKET in English, Korean and Chinese, with the awninged market lane running away beneath it
DaeguTraditional market

Seomun Market

서문시장

A large traditional market in central Daegu. It grew as a textile market, and hanbok and fabric shops are still at its centre. The day market and the night market keep different days: the night market opens only Friday to Sunday.

Aerial view of Seongsan Ilchulbong's crater, with Hallasan visible in the distance
JejuMountain

Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone

성산일출봉

Two separate walks share the site: a ticketed climb to the summit, 30–40 minutes of stairs, and a free coastal path around Umutgae with a much gentler gradient. The monthly closure is the thing that ruins trips — it is the first Monday, not a holiday pattern anyone guesses.

A grass-covered royal tomb mound at Seonjeongneung against a backdrop of high-rises
SeoulRoyal tomb

Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs

선정릉

It sells monthly and lunchtime passes, which tells you what it mostly is: a working park that office workers and neighbours walk through, which happens to contain two royal tombs. Under-25s get in free, so for most young travellers the ticket price is irrelevant.

A footpath in Seonyudo Park: the bank to the right of the path densely covered in flowering purple liriope, tall trees standing in rows above it, and two people walking down through the summer shade.
SeoulPark

Seonyudo Park

선유도공원

An island waterworks on the Han that was turned into a park without being torn down. Its concrete tanks and settling basins remain, now planted as beds and ponds, and unlike most city parks it keeps set hours and shuts at midnight.

Ingneung’s shrine head-on, its main hall extended on both sides by open colonnaded wings with no walls, and the balustraded burial ground on the hill behind
NationwideRoyal tomb

Seooreung Royal Tombs

서오릉

Five royal tombs and three lesser graves in one wood. Sukjong lies here with two of his queens, and so does Jang Hui-bin — one reign’s cast inside a single set of walls. It opens at 07:00 under the early-admission rule.

The path across Seopjikoji, a log rail running along the grassland with walkers under parasols, and a rock stack rising from the sea to the right.
Jeju

Seopjikoji

섭지코지

A headland running out into the sea on Jeju's eastern coast. Koji is the Jeju word for a cape; for Seopji the publisher records two readings side by side — that it describes ground said to produce men of talent, and that it comes from hyeopji, meaning narrow land. The path crosses hills of red volcanic scoria and follows low rock cliffs, and a Joseon-period beacon mound stands on the open grassland. What sets it apart from Jeju's other coastal walks is that Seongsan Ilchulbong stands in the background for most of the way round, which is why it photographs the way it does.

Visitors on the bare granite dome of Gwongeumseong, with the snow-streaked ridges of Outer Seorak behind
GangwonCable car

Seorak Cable Car (Gwongeumseong)

설악 케이블카 (권금성)

The one ticketed thing on the Sokcho side of Seoraksan, and the one whose hours you cannot look up in advance: the operator posts them a day at a time. The fare page is stable, the timetable is not, and the two are on the same website.

The jagged granite cliffs of Ulsanbawi Rock in Seoraksan National Park
GangwonMountain

Seoraksan National Park

설악산국립공원

The park does not publish opening hours, it publishes a table of when you may start walking and when each gate stops you. Read that table before anything else: the Sogongwon trails run on sunrise and sunset, and everything beyond Biseondae runs on a clock that starts at 03:00 in summer.

Yereung head-on: behind the shrine, two mounds side by side inside one curved screen wall on the hill, with stone figures ranged in two rows in front of them
NationwideRoyal tomb

Seosamneung Royal Tombs

서삼릉

Three royal tombs and two princely graves, and beside them the royal placenta chambers gathered here from all over the country under Japanese rule — where what became of them can be seen at once.

The wetland pond at Seoul Forest reflecting the Seongsu high-rises behind the treeline
SeoulPark

Seoul Forest

서울숲

The park is open 24 hours and never closes, but almost everything worth timing inside it does — the ecological forest, both conservatories and the floor fountain all keep separate hours, and the two indoor ones shut on Mondays. Tents, sun shelters and awnings are banned outright, which is the rule most picnic plans get wrong.

NationwidePark

Seoul Grand Park

서울대공원

A very large park in Gwacheon, open since 1984. Seoul Zoo, a botanical garden, themed gardens, a healing wood and forest-bathing trails and a campground sit inside one boundary, with Seoul Land and the Gwacheon branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art on the same site. At over nine million square metres it is not somewhere to cover in a day — pick one of those and go for it. It is reached on foot from exits 1, 2 and 3 of Daegongwon station on Seoul subway Line 4, which puts a full day out within the reach of a visitor with a transit card and no car.

The Seoul Museum of History at the end of its tree-lined approach
SeoulMuseum

Seoul Museum of History

서울역사박물관

Next to Gyeonghuigung, laying out in order how Hanyang became today's Seoul — the right first-day stop for getting the shape of the city. It closes on Mondays, which is exactly when several of the palaces are open.

Lotte World Tower, home of the Seoul Sky observatory, reflected in the Han River
SeoulObservatory

Seoul Sky Observatory

서울스카이

Visibility matters more than the clock: check weather and haze, reserve sunset periods early, and distinguish general observatory admission from paid add-on experiences.

The 1930 Shinsegae main store building — now named The Reserve — with its corner clock and SHINSEGAE lettering, and the Mesa tower behind
SeoulDepartment store

Shinsegae Department Store Main Store

신세계백화점 본점

One address, four buildings, and the names changed in 2025 — so a page that still says "main building and annexe" is describing a layout that no longer exists. The reason to come without a shopping budget is on the fourth floor of The Heritage: a free museum of Korean retail history inside a 1935 bank.

The great bronze seated Buddha on the approach to Sinheungsa, with a stone lantern to its left and the wooded ridge of Seoraksan behind
GangwonTemple

Sinheungsa

신흥사

You walk through it whether or not you meant to — the Ulsanbawi, Biseondae and Geumganggul trails all start past its gate, and the great bronze seated Buddha the park's own trail notes call the Cheongdong Daebul stands on the approach before you reach the temple itself.

A tank on a stall at Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market, live squid in the water above its blue floor
GangwonTraditional market

Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market

속초관광수산시장

Sokcho's town-centre market, laid out as separate alleys for fish, dried seafood and household goods. The market-wide hours are given as 08:00–24:00, but individual stalls set both their own hours and their own closing days — check the one you are aiming for.

Canoes and boats on the Songdo Central Park waterway with the IBD skyline behind
IncheonPark

Songdo Central Park

송도센트럴파크

The water is the park. Everything else here — the gardens, the deer, the boathouses — is arranged along 1.8 km of seawater canal, and the walk is decided by which bank you pick and which bridge you cross.

Turquoise water visible through the glass floor of a Songdo Marine Cable Car crystal cabin
BusanCable car

Songdo Marine Cable Car

송도해상케이블카

Two cabin types at two prices: the standard Air Cruise, and the Crystal Cruise with a transparent floor for about a third more.

Starfield Library's floor-to-ceiling bookshelves seen from above
SeoulLibrary

Starfield Library

별마당 도서관

It is a mall atrium, not a library in the quiet sense — there is no lending, and the photographs everyone comes for are of a space full of people. Power sockets and worktables make it a genuinely usable stop between COEX appointments.

The central hall of Starfield Library Suwon, ringed by bookshelves several storeys high
NationwideLibrary

Starfield Library Suwon

별마당 도서관 수원점

Same name as the COEX one, a different building in a different city. The open stacks sit at the centre of Starfield Suwon, visible from anywhere on floors 4 through 7, and a separate children's library — Starfield Kids — keeps the same hours. Admission is free to anyone, and the first six hours of parking are free, which is long enough that arriving by car does not put you on a clock.

A pavilion and pond in the Korean garden section of Suncheonman National Garden
NationwideGarden

Suncheonman National Garden

순천만국가정원

The half-price night ticket is the thing to understand before buying. It goes on sale at 17:00, and the operator publishes a list of what has already shut by then — the zoo, the therapy garden, then the big wheel and the Sky Cube. The wetland it will not admit you to at all.

The S-shaped tidal channel of Suncheonman Wetland seen from Yongsan, with round clumps of reed spreading across the mudflat
NationwidePark

Suncheonman Wetland

순천만습지

Almost everything here is built to be hard to see. The street lamps were cut down to head height and fitted with reflectors so the light would not reach roosting birds, the boardwalk and signs were designed to disappear when viewed from a bird's altitude, and the rest shelters are made from scrapped boats. Read the site as a set of decisions about birds and it stops looking like a park.

Sungnyemun Gate from the front: a two-tiered painted wooden pavilion resting on a granite arched gateway, the restored city wall running to either side and downtown high-rises behind.
SeoulHistoric site

Sungnyemun Gate

숭례문

The southern main gate of the walled city, designated a National Treasure in 1962. Roads now encircle it, so it reads as a gate detached from anything, but the southern run of the city wall once parted here.

The lit storefront of the Sungsimdang main store at night, customers passing through the glass doors under its 聖心堂 SUNGSIMDANG sign, the upper floor visible through the windows to the right
DaejeonStore

Sungsimdang Main Store

성심당 본점

A bakery that began in 1956 as a steamed-bun stall in front of Daejeon Station and has been an Eunhaeng-dong fixture since. Its listed signatures are the fried soboro bun and the pantalong leek bread. It opens 08:00–22:00 every day of the year, but the popular items sell as they come out of the oven, so come early if there is one you want.

Janganmun, the north gate of Hwaseong Fortress, its two-storey pavilion above the stone arch with the wall running to either side.
NationwideFortress

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress

수원화성

"Suwon Hwaseong admission" is a question with no answer, because the fortress does not charge one. The 2,000 won everybody quotes is the ticket for Haenggung, the palace inside the wall — a different place with a gate, a closing time and a last entry.

Aerial view of Taejongdae's southern tip, with Yeongdo Lighthouse and the observatory above layered sea cliffs
BusanPark

Taejongdae Resort Park

태종대유원지

Choose between walking the hilly loop and riding the free shuttle bus that stands in for the Danubi Train, which is not running while it undergoes safety checks; the shuttle's days, queues and weather stoppages are separate from the park's own opening hours.

Rows of people in dobok performing a poomsae in the arena at Taekwondowon, the Korean flag and the flags of many countries hanging above the empty stands.
Nationwide

Taekwondowon

태권도원

A site built for taekwondo and nothing else, run by the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation. A whole valley below Baegunsan on the Deogyusan ridge is given over to it, holding a competition arena, the T1 theatre, the National Taekwondo Museum, the Doyakgwan lodging block and an observatory. At 2,314,000 square metres it runs its own shuttle bus inside the grounds. For a visitor who has never trained, the draw is the demonstrations and the short experience classes rather than the facilities themselves; the approach is a bus from Muju Public Bus Terminal towards Seolcheon.

Gangneung’s two mounds side by side with the civil and military figures facing each other in front, showing its twin-mound form
SeoulRoyal tomb

Taereung and Gangneung Royal Tombs

태릉과 강릉

The Joseon Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall, which covers the tombs as a whole, stands inside this precinct. If several tombs are on the itinerary, starting here is what makes the rest legible.

Lawns and garden beds at the Garden of Morning Calm with the autumn slopes of Chungnyeongsan behind
NationwideGarden

The Garden of Morning Calm

아침고요수목원

The only place in this guide whose operator publishes a page for each of the four seasons, and it means it: the hours themselves change for a third of the year, when the winter light festival pushes closing time to 21:00.

Large DMZ letters outside the Third Infiltration Tunnel, with the DMZ exhibition hall and the monorail station behind
NationwideHistoric site

Third Infiltration Tunnel

제3땅굴

The departure time you book decides how you go down. Paju marks each shuttle either monorail or on foot, and describes the walking route as cramped and steeply graded — which is why the operator publishes a list of who may be refused entry.

The low rock outcrop of the tomb of King Munmu offshore, white water breaking around it, a pebble beach in the foreground
GyeongjuRoyal tomb

Tomb of King Munmu

문무대왕릉

A rock outcrop in the sea, held to be the grave of the king who completed Silla's unification of the Three Kingdoms. It lies offshore from Bonggil-ri, cannot be landed on, and the visit consists of looking at a rock some two hundred metres out from Bonggil Beach. It faces due east, so people gather here at sunrise. It is a little over thirty kilometres east of central Gyeongju, too far to fold into a day among the city-centre tombs.

The royal tomb park in Gongju seen from above: grass-covered burial mounds set along a south-facing slope among pines, a tomb entrance visible below the nearest mound, and the town of Gongju spread out in the distance on the right
NationwideRoyal tomb

Tomb of King Muryeong and Royal Tombs in Gongju

공주 무령왕릉과 왕릉원

Seven royal tombs of Ungjin-period Baekje on the south slope of Songsan. One of them, the tomb of King Muryeong, was found with its own memorial tablets, making it one of very few Three Kingdoms tombs whose occupant and date are known. It was long called the Songsan-ri tombs.

Visitors holding coin-lunch trays from Tongin Market's dosirak cafe
SeoulTraditional market

Tongin Market

통인시장

Plan around the lunchbox cafe rather than the market: it closes on Tuesdays and stops selling tokens well before the market itself shuts.

The Jabeolle culture complex at Ttukseom Hangang Park: a white streamlined building pierced with round windows, resting on splayed columns and curving along the riverside with external stairways clamped to its flank. People and a dog cross the shaded paved plaza beneath it, and the Han River with the apartment blocks of the far bank shows through the opening at left.
SeoulPark

Ttukseom Hangang Park

뚝섬한강공원

A Hangang park on the Jayang-dong riverside, and among the simplest of them to walk into — an exit of Jayang station on Line 7 opens straight onto the park.

Udo Island's black basalt rocks meeting turquoise water along the coast
JejuIsland

Udo Island

우도

The ferry controls the whole day: photo ID is a legal requirement to board, not a formality, and outside vehicles are barred from the island until 31 July 2029 apart from named exceptions. Plan around the last sailing back, and note the island charges its own park admission on top of the fare.

Uireung’s T-shaped shrine from above, with the two burial mounds stacked one above the other on the hill behind
SeoulRoyal tomb

Uireung Royal Tomb

의릉

The former KCIA auditorium still stands inside the tomb walls. The July 4th North-South Joint Statement was announced in that building, so a Joseon royal tomb and twentieth-century political history share one precinct.

Rows of graves among lawns and hedges at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea
BusanHistoric site

UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea

유엔기념공원

The only United Nations cemetery in the world, holding the war dead of the countries that fought in the Korean War. For a visitor from one of those countries it is the clearest reason to be in Busan. It is a cemetery rather than a sight, and it closes an hour earlier in winter.

Unhyeongung's main gate, with the palace's name displayed on the wooden signboard
SeoulHistoric site

Unhyeongung

운현궁

Not one of the grand palaces and not trying to be — a compact residential compound three minutes from Anguk Station that fills the gap between two bigger stops.

The War Memorial of Korea's main facade, flanked by national flags along the entrance walkway
SeoulMuseum

War Memorial of Korea

전쟁기념관

Closes at 17:40, not 18:00, and stops admitting visitors at 17:00 — a 40-minute gap that catches people who arrive after an afternoon elsewhere. Closed Mondays, and when a holiday falls on a Monday the closure moves to the day after, which is the rule most itineraries miss.

Woljeonggyo Bridge illuminated at blue hour, reflected in the river below
GyeongjuBridge

Woljeonggyo Bridge

월정교

Free and open late, which makes it the easiest night stop in Gyeongju. The exhibition inside the gate towers covers the restoration itself.

Incheon Port seen from the Wolmi observatory: mural-painted grain silos, a red cargo ship and quay cranes, with the city stretching away beyond.
Incheon

Wolmido

월미도

The seaward edge of Incheon beside the working port, and the city's oldest day-out strip. Wolmi Culture Street runs 600 metres along the shore, lined with raw-fish restaurants, cafés, fairground rides and portrait artists, with the Moonlight Music Fountain playing on the waterfront in front of it. Behind that, Wolmisan was shut for fifty years as a military post until the city bought it and opened it as a park in 2001; it now holds an observation deck, a reconstructed Korean traditional garden and the Korean Emigration History Museum.

World Cup Park seen from high ground: park roads and a coach park threading between trees in red and yellow autumn colour, the white roof of Seoul World Cup Stadium at the left of the frame, and the apartment blocks of Sangam with low hills and a hazy city skyline beyond.
SeoulPark

World Cup Park

월드컵공원

A park made out of the Nanjido landfill, which took Seoul's rubbish for fifteen years from 1978. It opened in 2002 and is divided into five areas, two of which are hills built from the waste itself.

A red walking lane and a cycle lane running side by side toward Yeouido, the National Assembly dome and its towers under a sunset sky at the end
SeoulPark

Yanghwa Hangang Park

양화한강공원

A 5.9 km stretch of the south bank from the mouth of the Yeouido Saetgang up to Gayang Bridge. Roses come out from May along the cycle path under Seonyu Bridge, and exit 4 of Dangsan station reaches the park directly over a 200 m footbridge with a lift on it. The operator singles out the view from its broad riverside lawn as one that is hard to find elsewhere.

Sejong’s Yeongneung head-on: the T-shaped shrine on its flagstone platform, the grass slope rising behind it, and a single mound with its stone figures under the pines above
NationwideRoyal tomb

Yeongneung Royal Tombs of Sejong and Hyojong

영릉과 영릉

Sejong’s Yeongneung and Hyojong’s Yeongneung stand side by side — the first Joseon royal tomb to bury king and queen under one mound, and the first to stack their two mounds on one hillside. Admission is half what the other tombs charge.

Children in the shallow water plaza at Yeouido Hangang Park at dusk, with the Yeouido towers lit behind
SeoulPark

Yeouido Hangang Park

여의도한강공원

Free, ungated and open around the clock — and governed by a fine schedule most visitors never read. Camping or cooking outside a designated spot is KRW 1,000,000 for a first offence, and parking outside a marked bay is KRW 50,000.

Busan Tower framed by autumn foliage in Yongdusan Park
BusanTower

Yongdusan Park and Busan Tower

용두산공원과 부산타워

The park and the tower are two different decisions: the park costs nothing and never closes, the tower charges admission and stops selling tickets at 21:30.

Yongmeori Coast seen from Sanbangsan, its layered sea cliffs curving out into the water.
Jeju

Yongmeori Coast

용머리해안

A sea cliff where the foot of Sanbangsan runs out into the water, named for its likeness to a dragon's head going under. Volcanic debris from three craters offshore piled up here and the waves cut it into layered, curving rock. In front of the cliff — about 700 m long and 25 to 40 m high — a flat wave-cut platform carries the walking route. The monument to Hamel's shipwreck, put up in 1980, stands nearby. What governs a visit is not the posted timetable but the tide on the day: at high water or in heavy swell the route is closed outright.

Geolleung’s burial ground seen at an angle from the front: a balustrade around the mound and no screen of stone panels, with the stone lantern, civil and military figures and stone horses on the terraces below
NationwideRoyal tomb

Yungneung and Geolleung Royal Tombs

융릉과 건릉

Prince Sado’s Yungneung and Jeongjo’s Geolleung share one precinct. Yungneung’s mound carries a screen of stone panels and no balustrade, and the stones that pin that screen are carved as flower buds.

The Yuseong foot spa at night, people sitting along the stone-lined channel with their feet in the water under parasols, their shoes left on the path
Daejeon

Yuseong Hot Springs

유성온천

The hot-spring quarter around Bongmyeong-dong in Daejeon's Yuseong district: hotels and bathhouses drawing on alkaline spring water of 27–56°C, plus a free public foot spa in the park that is separate from all of them. The quarter is not one facility, so prices and closing days belong to the individual businesses.