This South Korea itinerary is a little different from the ones you’ve already scrolled past, because tucked in the middle of it is a surprise city almost nobody talks about. It’s quiet, but I ended up loving it for exactly that. I have a soft spot for places tourists haven’t found yet, and this one barely had any, plus it had the most beautiful landscapes I saw on the entire trip.

Have you been following along with my South Korea and Japan trip?
If you’re planning something similar and you’ve been staring at 15 browser tabs trying to figure out how to fit multiple cities together, this is the South Korea itinerary you need. Here’s the exact route I followed, minus Jeju, because I wanted to spend real time in a few places instead of hopping between cities and not getting an in-depth experience. I’ll walk you through this South Korea Itinerary day by day so you can copy it, or tweak it.

 

 

Quick Overview:
Seoul — Suncheon — Busan (– Japan) — back to Seoul

Read my Japan Itinerary here, I went from Osaka to Tokyo.

 

Where I Stayed (Book Ahead, Especially in Seoul)

Booking links for each stay are listed directly below:

Each city in this South Korea Itinerary includes links to exactly where I stayed, but if you want the short version to start planning, I have also linked it below. I stayed in Jongno District for the first Seoul leg since it’s an easy walk to the royal palaces in Seoul, then switched to Hongdae for the return stay after Japan; when I wanted to be closer to the food, shopping and nightlife instead. In Suncheon, I booked a laid-back modern hotel right beside a brewery, and in Busan, a really spacious hotel for a great price ($50 pp) right by the beach and near Mipo Station.

 

Hotels From This Itinerary

 

Day 1–3: Seoul

Stay: Scent of moonlight stay Hanok

I stayed in a Hanok for my first Seoul leg because of how close it is to Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village, just a 5 to 10 minute walk to both, plus plenty of restaurants nearby. What I didn’t love was the construction happening right in front of the building. For the price we paid, I expected better. That said, the interior made up for it, this lovely bath was a genuine highlight. I’d look into other Butler Lee locations instead for better value.

 

 

Day 1: Landing and easing in

I landed in Seoul around 4pm, which worked out perfectly, as there was enough daylight left to get settled in without the pressure to cram in a full day.
Check into the hotel, drop your bags, and head out while there’s still light.

First stop, head to Money Box, Insadong to change money. The rates at the BDC there were better than the airport, and it’s a nice excuse to walk through the area before dinner. From there, walk through Cheonggyecheon Stream, the lanterns stretch across the top of the water and were a sight to behold. Start at Cheonggye Plaza and the upper section near Gwanghwamun and Gwangtong Bridge for the best views of the stream and mini waterfall, maybe walk along the stream itself, there’s a stairs path to go below the bridge.

End the night at Myeongdong Night Market. Go hungry and curious, note that is street food you eat standing up, going from stall to stall. There are so many options; Egg bread, barbecue, cheese filled tteokbokki, chestnuts, candied fruits and more; so eat in small portions. Whatever stand has the longest line usually has the best food.

 

Day 2: Brunch, hanok, and a Namsan Tower detour

Start at Irinjin for brunch, the view of the Eunpyeong Hanok Village from the 3 – 5th floor of this restaurant is unique. Get there early, because seats fills up fast and you’ll have to wait in line otherwise. After you’ve eaten, walk through the Hanok village you can see from the restaurant, you don’t need a ticket, and it is quiet, nowhere near as busy as the more popular villages in the city.

From there, visit Namsan Tower for the best views of Seoul. I’ll be honest: I had a skincare clinic consultation afterwards, so I couldn’t spend enough time here. If skincare is not your thing, enjoy your time at Namsan Tower. But if you are curious about skincare treatments while you’re there, visit a clinic and get quotes early in your trip. Prices and recommended treatments vary clinic to clinic, and you want time to actually compare before committing.

In the evening, head to Hongdae Shopping Street for shopping and dinner. There are so many options, but I had dinner at Taecho Bbq. After dinner, take the metro to Banpo Bridge for the nighttime rainbow fountain show along the Han River. It’s free and such a nice way to close out the day. Note that the fountain show runs only from March to October.

Retire early. Day 3 starts with an early Hanbok appointment.

 

Day 3: Hanbok, Palaces, and a train south

Go to a hanbok rental shop as soon as it opens, there are many shops around Jongno-gu, but you’ll need to book the popular ones with good styles in advance. I recommend Hanbok Lina, you can also book photography with them.
Then head straight to the Gyeongbokgung Palace to watch the changing of the guard ceremony at 10am before exploring the palace grounds. One perk of wearing a hanbok is that you get free entry into the palace.

One thing to note is that: Gyeongbokgung is closed on Tuesdays, so if your Day 3 happens to fall on one, swap the palace visit to a different day of your Seoul stay.

After the palace, grab breakfast just five minutes away at Onion Cafe. It’s a mix of traditional and modern aesthetics where you’re sitting on the floor on eat. It has good coffee and pastries, so it’s worth the hype. From there, Bukchon Hanok Village is also a short walk and pairs naturally with the palace visit since you’re already dressed for it.

Head back to your hotel or Airbnb to grab your bags, then to the train station for Suncheon. Grab a couple of snacks at the station before you board, because restaurants close early in Suncheon, and you’ll want backup food for the evening.

 

Day 4–5: Suncheon (The Laidback Middle)

Stay: Hohe Stay Hotel

I cannot recommend this hotel enough. It is 5 minutes from the station, and was perfection from A to Z. They have family rooms if you’re traveling with others, car rentals nearby and a 24 hour check in desk.

 

You’ll notice the change of pace the moment you arrive. Suncheon is slower and more quiet than Seoul, restaurants close earlier, and it’s like your nervous system is forced to relax. Walk around the hotel neighborhood on arrival evening, Suncheon brewery (with a restaurant & bar) is right beside Hohe Stay, a 7-Eleven is just across the street, and a couple of bakeries are nearby.

 

Day 4: Folk village and Suncheon Bay National Garden

Start at Nagan Eupseong Folk Village and give yourself 2 to 3 hours there. It’s a little out of town, so either book an Uber that can wait for you or rent a car, you only need an international driver’s license, and Suncheon’s roads are easy enough to drive.

From around noon to 4pm, head to Suncheon Bay National Garden. I’d suggest entering through the East Gate, since it puts the attractions in a better order as you walk through. There’s a restaurant right at that entrance, make sure you fuel up before going in, it’s a buffet-style spread of authentic Korean food, and there are supermarkets nearby for souvenir shopping and snacks. The seaweed chips were my favorite.

Once inside, work through the garden zone by zone before ending at the SkyCube for the next stop, Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve.

At the wetland reserve, walk the lush Reed Walk, then do a moderate hike for about 40 minutes to Yongsan Observatory for the sunset. There’s no separate entry fee for the Reed Walk once you’re already inside the garden grounds, and there’s an exit directly from that section, meaning you could skip the SkyCube entirely and start from the Reed Walk instead if you’d rather flip the order.

End the night by grabbing dinner at Pungmi Tondak, they had the yummiest Korean fried chicken I had on the whole trip.

 

One thing to note: the SkyCube stops running at 6pm, but the best part of the Wetland Reserve is the sunset, which doesn’t happen until closer to 7pm. So if you want that golden hour vibe, you can’t take the capsule back down. Buy a one-way ticket for the skycube and plan to grab a taxi from the reserve instead.

 

Day 5: Temple (optional), then on to Busan

On Day 5 of this South Korea itinerary, a visit to Songgwangsa Temple or Seonamsa Temple was on my list for this morning, but I ended up sleeping in instead. If you’re feeling up to it, don’t miss it, both open early, so it’s doable before checkout, just budget extra time to get there since they’re a bit outside the town center.

Have breakfast at the hotel, check out, and head to Busan around midday. We took an Uber, which took about three hours and cost $100, roughly the same duration as the bus or train, but we decided on an uber because of our bags.

 

Day 5–7: Busan

Stay: Hyggelig Hotel
This was the most spacious hotel room we stayed at on the whole trip, and also the cheapest, at around €88 a night. It’s a two-star, so don’t expect full-service like you’d get at a more luxurious hotel, but the proximity to the beach and Mipo SkyCube station, plus the value for money more than made up for it.

 

 

Day 5 (evening): Arrival and Mipo Station

Check in to your hotel, then get an early dinner or late lunch at this noodle restaurant ( here’s the Korean name and map link 조선대가곰탕 해운대미포점 ). From there, walk 2 minutes to Mipo Station for the SkyCube, and end the day with a sunset or night view from the sky capsule. Grab a snack from the 7-Eleven just around the corner from the hotel on your way back, it became a running joke on this trip how often that store saved us.

A quick tip: we picked this hotel specifically because it’s five minutes from Mipo Station, the preferred starting point for the Busan sky capsule. Buy your tickets online in advance, same-day tickets tend to sell out fast.

 

Day 6: Temples, Coffee, and Busan’s Most Colorful Village

Go early to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, parts of it were under construction when we visited, so check if it’s reopened before you go. Either way, it gets busy fast during the day, so aim to arrive before 9am to enjoy it before the tourbus crowds.

Have a light breakfast at Working Holiday Cafe, then head to Gamcheon Culture Village. The lighting here is actually better during the day, so go earlier rather than later. My favorite cafes in Gamcheon were Coffee It House (this one I loved it for the rooftop view over the whole village) and Blue House on the Stairs.

To close out the day, head to Hwangnyeongsan Observatory for sunset, it’s one of the best night views in the city, catching the light change from golden hour into the skyline lighting up. The easiest way to get there is a taxi straight to the parking area, then a short walk up, trying public transit here eats up over an hour and isn’t worth it for this one. Go before 5pm if you want both the sunset and the night view rather than choosing one.

 

Day 7: Skywalk, dessert cafés, and shopping

Start the day with a walk along Oryukdo Skywalk, then head back to your hotel to freshen up before brunch at Dongbaek Dessert Cafe, it has the best view of the sky capsule. From there, do some laid back shopping. I went to Lotte Premium Outlets in Gijang, it’s about a 30 minute Uber from the skywalk area, but it was worth it. I saw a Gucci bag for under €800, which still shocks me to this day, the best bargain I saw on the whole trip, even better than the bag deals in Japan.

Close the day at Huinnyeoul Culture Village, the sunset views here are known for being beautiful. It was raining when I visited, which is the one thing I’d change if I could redo this day, but I could tell it would’ve looked perfect with clearer skies. If you’d rather end the day somewhere else nearby, the Somang Stairs monorail is a solid alternative.

Or Head back toward Haeundae Beach since it’s close to the hotel, it’s a good place to rest and have dinner, before catching sunset from one of the observatory points nearby.

 

✈️ This is where we went over to Japan.

From Busan, we flew to Osaka and spent the next week moving through Osaka, Nara, a slice of Kyoto, Hakone, and Tokyo before flying back into Seoul. If you want that full week broken down day by day, read the complete Japan itinerary here,  then come back for the last three days of the Korea trip below.

 

Day 15–17: Back in Seoul

Stay: L7 Hongdae by Lotte Hotels

By this point in the trip, I had been moving almost non-stop for two weeks, so I built these last three days around resting rather than sightseeing a lot, and I’d recommend the same approach if your trip has been this fast-paced.

 

Day 15: Starfield Library and a Skincare Appointment

Head to Starfield Library in the morning to see this Insta-famous library, entry is free, but it gets really busy. Then walk over to the Gangnam Style sculpture nearby. Be prepared to wait in a small line for photos.

If you booked a skincare appointment, this is the day to schedule it, ideally toward the end of your trip and later in the afternoon. Most Gangnam clinics run appointments into the evening, so this isn’t hard to arrange. If the treatment is invasive, you might get some visible bumps or redness afterward, scheduling it for later in the day means you can head straight back to the hotel and just rest instead of being out and about afterwards.

If you don’t have a skincare appointment, feel free to schedule any of the other beauty treatments Korea is known for on this day, a spa visit, a full health checkup, color and makeup analysis, whatever you want.

End the day with street food at Gwangjang Market

 

Day 16: Recovery Day

I spent this day mostly around the hotel. I went on an adventure to get my hair done, and had the most relaxing head spa massage and hair treatment. I also did a lot of skincare shopping at Olive Young on this day and lounged by the rooftop pool at the hotel. If you would rather go out, this is a solid day for a full or half-day DMZ tour (8 or 5 hours), OR a full day trip to Nami Island instead. Exploring the Island is a full 9 to 12 hour activity, so it will be less of a recovery day and more of a swap for one of your other free days.

Close the day out with dinner at any restaurant in Hongdae. There are endless places to choose from.

 

Day 17: One Last Of Slow Wandering

One more slow day of eating, shopping, cafes, and souvenir hunting. I had noticed a lot of good cafes around Bukchon Village earlier in the trip, so I basically walked from Bukchon toward Ikseondong with occasional stops for pastries and this one glorious sandwich we found completely by chance. Since none of this was planned, I honestly can’t tell you all the shop names, but the two I remember are Cafe Layered and Cheongsudang Bakery; the entire outdoor area and cafe itself is so aesthetic. There are so many good spots along this stretch, you’ll stumble onto something good just by wandering.

From there, walk on to the craft market in Insadong for souvenirs, and do one final skincare haul while you’re there. Then head to the airport that evening or the following morning, depending on your flight.