A Traveler’s Guide to Must-Visit Places in South Korea

South Korea packs a lot into a country smaller than the U.S. state of Kentucky: Joseon-era palaces a subway ride from neon shopping districts, a volcanic island with its own dialect, and a fortified border you can tour with a passport. The trick is matching the place to the kind of trip you want. Here are nine destinations worth building an itinerary around, with a note on what each one is actually good for.

Seoul

Most trips start in Seoul, and a few days here cover the range of what the country does well. Gyeongbokgung is the largest of the five Joseon palaces; if you arrive wearing rented hanbok, admission is free, and the changing-of-the-guard ceremony runs out front several times a day. Changdeokgung, a short walk east, is the better-preserved palace and the one with the Secret Garden (Huwon), which you can only see on a timed guided tour, so book ahead. Between the two sits Bukchon Hanok Village, a residential pocket of tiled traditional houses on a hill, where signs ask visitors to keep quiet because people still live there.

Jeju Island

A 70-minute flight south of Seoul, Jeju is the country’s volcanic resort island and warm enough that it grows tangerines. Hallasan, an extinct shield volcano and South Korea’s highest peak at 1,947 meters, anchors the island; the main trails are a full-day climb. For something shorter, Seongsan Ilchulbong is a grassy tuff crater on the east coast, roughly a 30-minute walk to the rim and the island’s classic sunrise spot. The lava tubes at Geomunoreum, part of Jeju’s UNESCO World Heritage listing, show how the whole island was built by eruptions.

Gyeongju

Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom for nearly a thousand years, and the open-air burial mounds scattered through town are why it’s nicknamed “the museum without walls.” Bulguksa Temple and the Seokguram Grotto, with its seated stone Buddha, are the headline UNESCO sites and sit together on a wooded hillside outside the center. Cheomseongdae, a small stone tower built in the 7th century, is often cited as one of the oldest surviving astronomical observatories in East Asia. The town is compact enough to cover by bicycle in a day or two.

Busan

Busan is the second-largest city and the country’s main port, strung along the southeast coast where the mountains meet the sea. Haeundae is the best-known beach and the heart of the summer crowds. Gamcheon Culture Village climbs a hillside in tiers of pastel houses, a former shantytown now repainted and full of murals and small galleries. For breakfast or lunch, Jagalchi is Korea’s largest seafood market, where you pick your catch downstairs and have it cooked upstairs.

Andong

Andong is the place to see how rural Korea looked before the cities took over. Hahoe Folk Village, a UNESCO site, is a still-inhabited village set in a loop of the Nakdong River, known for its tile- and thatch-roofed houses and its traditional mask-dance drama. The masks themselves are a regional craft, and the Andong Mask Dance Festival each autumn brings performers from around the world. The town is also the home of Andong jjimdak, a braised soy-sauce chicken dish now found nationwide.

Jeonju

Jeonju is widely treated as Korea’s food capital, and it’s the birthplace of bibimbap, served here in a brass bowl with a spread of seasoned vegetables. Its Hanok Village is one of the largest clusters of traditional houses in the country, with hundreds of them packed into a walkable grid of tea houses, makgeolli (rice wine) bars, and craft workshops. Come hungry and plan to eat your way through a day.

Sokcho

On the northeast coast, Sokcho is the gateway to Seoraksan National Park, the most famous of South Korea’s mountain ranges and especially busy when the foliage turns in October. A cable car runs up to Gwongeumseong fortress for a quick taste of the peaks, while longer trails head deeper toward Ulsanbawi’s granite ridges. Back in town, the seafront beaches and a small fishing harbor make it an easy place to slow down after a day on the trails.

The DMZ

The Demilitarized Zone, the roughly 4-km-wide buffer dividing North and South since the 1953 armistice, is open only on guided day tours that book up well in advance, and you’ll need your passport. Itineraries vary, but common stops include the Third Tunnel of Aggression, an infiltration tunnel dug from the North that you can walk part of the way into, and the Dora Observatory, where binoculars look across the border into North Korea. The Joint Security Area at Panmunjom, the only point where the two sides meet face to face, is included on some tours but closes to visitors without warning depending on conditions, so confirm before you book.