Attractions

Gamcheon Culture Village

Busan · A village terraced up a hillside. Walking is the whole of it.

Travel highlight: No admission fee. There are many steps, so wear comfortable shoes.

6 views

Haeundae Beach

Busan · The sand is always open; only swimming has set hours.

Travel highlight: Swimming is 09:00–18:00 during the summer season only. All parking is paid.

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Seoul Sky (Lotte World Tower)

Seoul · Floors 117 to 123 are the observatory. Sunset slots fill first.

Travel highlight: Sunset slots sell out early, and booking ahead costs less.

14 views

N Seoul Tower

Seoul · An observatory at the summit of Namsan, reached several ways.

Travel highlight: There is no parking at the tower — take the cable car or the circular bus.

15 views

Changdeokgung Palace

Seoul · A palace built around the hillside, not over it. The rear garden is booked separately.

Travel highlight: The rear garden needs a timed booking and a separate fee. Hours change by season.

12 views

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Seoul · The main palace of the Joseon dynasty. In spring and autumn it also opens at night.

Travel highlight: Free entry in hanbok. Night openings run for limited periods and are online-booking only.

14 views

Gwanbangjerim

Gwangju & Jeonnam · An embankment planted against floods, grown into forest three centuries on.

Travel highlight: Free with no set hours, and the public car park is free too.

6 views

Dongpirang Village

Gyeongnam · Murals repainted every few years, on the hill behind the market.

Travel highlight: No admission. People live in these lanes, so walk quietly.

10 views

Gyeokpo Beach

Jeonbuk · Sand immediately beside the Chaeseokgang cliffs.

Travel highlight: Chaeseokgang is a few paces away, and being the west coast, the sun sets over the water.

11 views

Jangsado Sea Park

Gyeongnam · An island garden reached only by boat, and camellias are the point.

Travel highlight: Accessible only by sightseeing boat, with fare and admission charged separately.

9 views

Geoje Botanic Garden

Gyeongnam · A glass dome with the tropics inside. Somewhere for a wet day.

Travel highlight: Entirely indoors — a good substitute when it rains.

5 views

Ganjeolgot

Ulsan · Where the sun reaches the Korean peninsula first. Free.

Travel highlight: No admission or parking fees. Postcards left in the box really are delivered.

12 views

Sangdangsanseong Fortress

Chungbuk · A circuit of the walls takes about two hours.

Travel highlight: Free with no set hours. A full circuit takes about two hours.

7 views

Yeongnamnu Pavilion

Gyeongnam · A national treasure pavilion on the cliff above the Miryang River.

Travel highlight: Lit at night, and it looks quite different seen from across the river.

8 views

Gueom Port

Jeju · Where salt was made on the basalt itself.

Travel highlight: Free with no set hours. Sunset is the time to come.

6 views

Jeju Swiss Village

Jeju · Every building a different colour. Half an hour covers it.

Travel highlight: Free, and thirty minutes to an hour covers it.

5 views

Achim Miso Ranch

Jeju · See the dairy cows up close. Entry costs nothing.

Travel highlight: Free to enter; only the hands-on activities are charged.

7 views

Gangcheonsa Temple

Jeonbuk · A walk up the valley to the temple, with a suspension bridge above it.

Travel highlight: Part of the admission comes back as local vouchers. There is a barefoot walking path.

4 views

Sarabong

Jeju · An oreum climbed from downtown Jeju, for the sunset.

Travel highlight: Free, and fifteen minutes to the summit.

8 views

Royal Tomb of King Muryeong

Chungnam · The only Baekje royal tomb whose occupant is known.

Travel highlight: The chamber is sealed; the exhibition hall reproduces the interior.

9 views

Sanggari Palm Forest

Jeju · A private wood of palms planted on Jeju's mid-slopes.

Travel highlight: Private land, so admission is charged. A circuit takes 30–40 minutes.

6 views

Sin Seok-jeong House

Jeonbuk · A thatched house the poet built and lived in. A quiet yard.

Travel highlight: Come for the quiet yard rather than for any large sight.

5 views

Windy Hill, Maebongsan

Gangwon · A cabbage field at 1,300 metres. Closed at some points in summer.

Travel highlight: No admission fee. Access is sometimes closed during the cabbage season.

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Sagye Beach

Jeju · Sanbangsan behind, the Brother Islands in front. Free.

Travel highlight: Free with no set hours — a beach for walking and photographs.

5 views

Biyangdo

Jeju · The small island off Hyeopjae. A circuit takes an hour.

Travel highlight: Only a few sailings a day — check the timetable first.

4 views

Jeongseon Arirang Market

Gangwon · A five-day market, held on dates ending in 2 and 7.

Travel highlight: Market days fall on dates ending in 2 and 7. The riverside lot is free.

8 views

Wondae-ri Birch Forest

Gangwon · Three kilometres on foot from the visitor centre.

Travel highlight: Closed to entry on Mondays and Tuesdays. Allow 2–3 hours round trip.

9 views

Hongcheon Ginkgo Forest

Gangwon · Open one month a year, in October. Free.

Travel highlight: Open only during October. No admission or parking fees.

5 views

Namsa Yedam Village

Gyeongnam · A hanok village of long stone walls, and quiet.

Travel highlight: Few visitors, so it stays quiet. Hanok stays are available.

6 views

Darangee Village

Gyeongnam · Rice terraces stepping down to the sea, with rape flowers in April.

Travel highlight: No admission. There is a lot of up and down — wear decent shoes.

5 views

Yangdong Folk Village

Gyeongbuk · A five-hundred-year-old yangban village, still lived in.

Travel highlight: Residents still live here, and many houses cannot be entered.

9 views

Chaeseokgang Cliffs

Jeonbuk · Cliffs layered like stacked books. You need to check the tide.

Travel highlight: The cliff base is walkable only at low tide — check the tide table.

5 views

Naganeupseong Folk Village

Gwangju & Jeonnam · People live inside the walls, under the original thatch.

Travel highlight: People live here. The wall can be walked all the way round.

5 views

Yeosu Maritime Cable Car

Gwangju & Jeonnam · Across the water between Dolsan and Jasan Park, running until 9:30pm.

Travel highlight: Runs until 21:30. Glass-floored cabins are priced differently.

5 views

Juknokwon Bamboo Forest

Gwangju & Jeonnam · 310,000 square metres of nothing but bamboo, on eight paths.

Travel highlight: Eight paths through the grove. Parking at both gates is free.

5 views

Damyang Metasequoia Road

Gwangju & Jeonnam · A kilometre of road where the trees close over the sky.

Travel highlight: The admission fee comes back as local vouchers spendable in Damyang.

4 views

Jeonju Hanok Village

Jeonbuk · Seven hundred hanok in one neighbourhood, to walk and eat through.

Travel highlight: Traffic inside is restricted at certain hours — use the public car parks.

9 views

Mireuksa Temple Site

Jeonbuk · An empty field where the temple is gone and one stone pagoda remains. Free.

Travel highlight: Free to enter. Park at the Iksan National Museum and walk over.

11 views

Sinduri Coastal Dunes

Chungnam · Korea's largest sand dunes. Closed on Mondays.

Travel highlight: Closed every Monday. Stay on the marked boardwalk.

4 views

Haemi Fortress

Chungnam · A fortress built on flat ground, not a hill. No admission, no parking fee.

Travel highlight: No admission or parking fees. Summer hours are 05:00–21:00.

5 views

Beopjusa Temple

Chungbuk · A temple keeping a five-storey wooden pagoda, open from before dawn.

Travel highlight: No admission, only parking. Open from before dawn until 20:00.

12 views

Gongsanseong Fortress

Chungnam · A Baekje hill fortress above the Geum River, walked along its walls.

Travel highlight: You walk on top of the walls — there are slopes, so wear decent shoes.

9 views

Songdo Marine Cable Car

Busan · A crossing over open water, with glass-floored cabins available.

Travel highlight: Closed Mondays. Glass-floored cabins cost more.

7 views

Beomeosa Temple

Busan · A large temple on Geumjeongsan. There is no admission charge.

Travel highlight: No admission, only parking. Open 08:00–17:00.

5 views

Jagalchi Market

Busan · Choose downstairs, eat upstairs. Busan's largest fish market.

Travel highlight: Choose on the ground floor, eat on the floor above. It has regular closing days.

5 views

Gwangalli Beach

Busan · This beach belongs to the hour the bridge lights up.

Travel highlight: Free drone shows run on weekend evenings. Walk from the subway.

5 views

Jinjuseong Fortress

Gyeongnam · Walls above the Nam River, with a museum inside.

Travel highlight: The fortress is ticketed; the national museum inside is free.

5 views

Daereungwon Tomb Complex

Gyeongbuk · Royal tombs rising like grass hills in the middle of the city.

Travel highlight: Daereungwon is free; only the interior of Cheonmachong is ticketed.

4 views

Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond

Gyeongbuk · Come at night, for the buildings doubled in the water. Open until ten.

Travel highlight: Open until 22:00, ticketing closes 21:30. The night view is the point.

6 views

Cheomseongdae

Gyeongbuk · An observatory raised fourteen centuries ago, lit after dark.

Travel highlight: Free with no set hours, and lit after dark.

5 views

Seokguram Grotto

Gyeongbuk · A grotto built of stacked stone, where no photographs are taken inside.

Travel highlight: No admission charge. Photography inside the grotto is not permitted.

5 views

Bulguksa Temple

Gyeongbuk · Seokgatap and Dabotap stand in the same courtyard. Admission is free.

Travel highlight: No admission charge, only parking. Pets are not admitted.

7 views

Yongduam Rock

Jeju · A basalt outcrop shaped like a dragon's head, five minutes from the airport.

Travel highlight: Free with no set hours, five minutes by car from Jeju Airport.

5 views

Saryeoni Forest Path

Jeju · A dirt track under straight cedars, free to walk.

Travel highlight: No admission or parking fees. The Bulgeun Oreum entrance is the easiest start.

6 views

Soesokkak

Jeju · A pool where fresh water meets the sea. Looking costs nothing.

Travel highlight: Walking round is free. Kayaks and rafts are booked and charged separately.

5 views

Camellia Hill

Jeju · A garden of five hundred camellia varieties — and hydrangeas in summer.

Travel highlight: Last entry 17:30. Booking online costs less.

7 views

Bijarim Forest

Jeju · More than two thousand nutmeg yews, some over five hundred years old.

Travel highlight: A circuit takes about an hour, and it is better in the rain.

8 views

Cheonjiyeon Falls

Jeju · Walkable from downtown Seogwipo, and lit until ten at night.

Travel highlight: Open until 22:00 with the falls lit. The path is level throughout.

7 views

Osulloc Tea Museum

Jeju · A tea house and gallery in the middle of a tea field. Entry is free.

Travel highlight: Entry is free, and Innisfree Jeju House next door is seen with it.

8 views

Hyeopjae Beach

Jeju · Shallow, clear water, with Biyangdo island offshore.

Travel highlight: Parking is generous, and Geumneung Beach next door is a little quieter.

8 views

Udo Island

Jeju · A small island off Jeju. You cross by ferry and spend the day.

Travel highlight: Ferries leave from Seongsan port — check the time of the last one back.

7 views

Manjanggul Cave

Jeju · A tube left where lava drained away. It is cool inside.

Travel highlight: Closed the first Wednesday of each month. It is cool inside — bring a layer.

6 views

Abai Village

Gangwon · A village built by war refugees, reached by pulling a boat across.

Travel highlight: Passengers pull the ferry across themselves. The lanes sell northern refugee cooking.

7 views

Ojukheon

Gangwon · The house where Shin Saimdang and Yi I were born.

Travel highlight: Open 09:00–18:00, last entry 17:00. The ticket includes the municipal museum.

7 views

Jeongdongjin

Gangwon · The railway station closest to the sea, where people come for sunrise.

Travel highlight: Rail bikes are by booking. The Badabuchaegil trailhead is nearby.

7 views

Jeongdongsimgok Badabuchaegil

Gangwon · A military patrol path along the cliffs, opened up to walk.

Travel highlight: Three kilometres one way — plan how you will get back.

4 views

Seongyojang House

Gangwon · A three-hundred-year-old gentry estate, still whole.

Travel highlight: Open 09:00–18:00 with an admission fee. Overnight hanok stays are offered.

7 views

Seoraksan

Gangwon · Granite peaks stacked one behind another. There is no park entrance fee.

Travel highlight: No park admission, only parking. Car parks fill early in foliage season.

6 views

Everland

Gyeonggi · Korea's largest amusement park, with a different flower each season.

Travel highlight: Online booking is cheaper. Evening-only tickets are sold in summer.

6 views

Soraepogu

Incheon · What the boats bring in is sold where they dock. The market is the port.

Travel highlight: Three minutes on foot from Soraepogu Station. The autumn festival gets very busy.

5 views

Incheon Chinatown

Incheon · The neighbourhood where jajangmyeon was invented. Expect a hill.

Travel highlight: Right by Incheon Station. Parking is tight, so it is better walked.

6 views

Imjingak

Gyeonggi · Where the division stands as physical fact, and entry is free.

Travel highlight: Free to enter, paid parking. DMZ tours require separate arrangements.

7 views

Korean Folk Village

Gyeonggi · A Joseon village built full-size, with actors living in it.

Travel highlight: Buying online in advance is cheaper. It opens late through the summer.

5 views

Dream Forest

Seoul · An amusement park's land given back to woodland. Free to enter.

Travel highlight: The park is free; only museum exhibitions and performances are ticketed.

7 views

Seonyudo Park

Seoul · A water treatment plant turned into a park without being torn down.

Travel highlight: Open 06:00–24:00 and free. There is no parking on the island.

6 views

Naksan Park

Seoul · A hill walked along the old city wall, open at night too.

Travel highlight: Free and open 24 hours; the shortest climb is from Hyehwa Station.

9 views

Namsangol Hanok Village

Seoul · Hanok from across Seoul, moved and gathered in one place. Free to enter.

Travel highlight: Free to enter. Parking is tight — better to walk from Chungmuro Station.

7 views

Cheonggyecheon

Seoul · A stream that lay buried under a road, brought back through the city centre.

Travel highlight: Free and open 24 hours. A lantern festival runs in winter.

6 views

Seoul Forest

Seoul · A park made on a racecourse and a waterworks. Open around the clock.

Travel highlight: Free and open 24 hours, right beside the Seongsu café district.

5 views

National Museum of Korea

Seoul · The permanent galleries are free, and the subway connects straight in.

Travel highlight: Permanent galleries are free; the Children's Museum needs a booking.

5 views

Jongmyo Shrine

Seoul · The shrine holding the Joseon kings' tablets, usually seen with a guide.

Travel highlight: Weekdays are timed guided entry; Saturdays are free-roaming.

6 views

Changgyeonggung Palace

Seoul · A glass conservatory inside a palace, open until nine at night.

Travel highlight: Open until 21:00, last entry 20:00. Closed on Mondays.

4 views

Hwaseong Haenggung

Gyeonggi · King Jeongjo's travelling palace, which opens at night for part of the year.

Travel highlight: Night openings run for a set period. Nearby public parking is free for the first hour.

5 views

Taejongdae

Busan · A headland of cliffs falling into the sea, with a train that circles it.

Travel highlight: A circular train runs the route — walking it takes over an hour.

6 views

Cheongnamdae

Chungbuk · A presidential retreat, entered by booking.

Travel highlight: Visits are booked online, with separate admission and parking fees.

7 views

Wolmido

Incheon · An Incheon waterfront with fairground rides and a sea train.

Travel highlight: The sea train, the cruises and an indoor museum are all within walking distance.

8 views

Independence Hall of Korea

Chungnam · Admission is free. The grounds are wide enough to need the shuttle bus.

Travel highlight: Free to enter, paid parking. Take the shuttle bus around the grounds.

5 views

Suncheon Bay National Garden

Gwangju & Jeonnam · Too large to see entirely on foot. There is transport inside.

Travel highlight: It is large enough to need half a day — use the transport inside.

5 views

Gyeonggijeon Shrine

Jeonbuk · Home to the portrait of King Taejo, in the middle of the Hanok Village.

Travel highlight: Open 09:00–18:00, tickets close 30 minutes earlier. No parking of its own.

4 views

Nami Island

Gangwon · You arrive by boat. The whole island is tree-lined path.

Travel highlight: Ferries leave from Gapyeong wharf, 08:00–21:00. Leashed dogs are welcome.

7 views

Hahoe Folk Village

Gyeongbuk · A living village that is itself a UNESCO site.

Travel highlight: Admission is charged, parking is free, and a shuttle runs from the ticket office.

4 views

Seongsan Ilchulbong

Jeju · A stairway up to a crater. Only the summit section is ticketed.

Travel highlight: Only the summit climb is ticketed. Closed the first Monday of every month.

5 views

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

Seoul · The building itself, sheathed in curved aluminium, is the sight.

Travel highlight: Free exhibitions run alongside ticketed shows, and it is worth seeing again at night.

6 views

Seoullo 7017

Seoul · An overpass that carried cars, remade as a walkway. Open around the clock.

Travel highlight: Open 24 hours and free. There is no parking of its own.

8 views

Ikseon-dong Hanok Street

Seoul · Shops built inside old hanok, packed into narrow lanes.

Travel highlight: No cars can enter the lanes — walk in from Jongno 3-ga Station.

6 views

Gwangjang Market

Seoul · A market over a century old, where the aisle is the dining room.

Travel highlight: Hours vary from stall to stall, and early evening is busiest.

5 views

Bukchon Hanok Village

Seoul · A hanok neighbourhood where people actually live. Walk quietly.

Travel highlight: People live here. Please keep the noise down in the lanes.

6 views

Hanbat Arboretum

Daejeon · A forest planted into the middle of the city, and free to enter.

Travel highlight: Free to enter, with free parking up to a set number of hours.

5 views

Asia Culture Center (ACC)

Gwangju & Jeonnam · Most of the building is underground; the roof is a lawn.

Travel highlight: Much of the exhibition programme is free; performances are ticketed separately.

5 views

Apsan Observatory

Daegu · All of Daegu in one view, and the deck itself is free.

Travel highlight: The observatory is free; the cable car charges a return fare.

4 views

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Busan · A temple set on sea cliffs, open from half past four in the morning.

Travel highlight: Entry is free; parking is charged. It opens from 4:30 in the morning.

12 views