First Time In South Korea Guide
I loved spending a lot of time in South Korea. Traveling here has been extremely joyful. But what should you know if you go to South Korea for the first time?
In this post I want to answer your questions if you are planning a holiday, an exchange semester, language school or anything similar in South Korea.
Things to prepare on your first visit to South Korea
Things you want to get before you enter Korea:
- Naver Maps & Kakao Maps: In Korea Google Maps doesn’t really work. Instead people use Naver and Kakao Maps. I prefer Naver Maps since most of its UI is in English. If you are looking for places to go, areas that have a light red highlight are usually the more busy areas. If you plan on driving yourself (which you really don’t need) in Korea I’d recommend using Kakao Maps for that.
- Vaccinations: There are some vaccinations that are recommended when visiting Korea. After visiting my doctor in Germany I got the three vaccinations that I was missing, they aren’t mandatory but highly recommended.
- Bank card: For most things in Korea you can pay by card. Get a card that works internationally. The ones I had from the old-school German banks always failed. But Revolut worked amazingly well for me. Some cash in form of Korean won is also always good to have on hand.
Things to get when you arrive in Korea:
- T-Money card: This card is used to pay for public transit like buses and trains. Public transport in Seoul is great and simple, charge your card with money and tap on the machine to enter. You can buy a T-Money card at any convenience store. Your T-Money card will work in all cities of South Korea.
- Korean phone number: If you stay for more than a month I would always recommend to get a Korean phone number in Korea. It’s quite cheap to get one at any Chingu Mobile branch and you will have unlimited internet wherever you go. For me the cheapest option was optimal since even without highspeed it’s fast enough to watch YouTube.
Additional apps to consider
- KakaoTalk: The most used chatting app by Koreans. But Instagram is also used by most people here. KakaoTalk is often used for more formal communication but younger generations often chat privately on Instagram these days.
- KakaoT: The Taxi app for Korea. Taxis in Korea are very cheap and convenient (compared to Germany).
- Papago: The go-to translator app between Korean and English.
- Google Translate: Google Translate also works well, just like DeepL. Google Translate has great UX when it comes to translating pictures though, very helpful when menus are in Korean only, just take a picture in Google Translate to get a translation of the whole menu. Tools like ChatGPT can also help you nowadays.
Great locations in Seoul to visit
Seoul is actually quite large with many different areas that can feel totally different. I still feel like there are so many things I haven’t seen here yet, I love going outside and exploring new places. Before coming to Korea I have never felt like this about traveling.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has officially declared 7 tourist zones in Seoul1 2:
- Jong-ro & Cheonggyecheon Stream (Jongno-gu)
- Myeong-dong, Namdaemun, Bukchang-dong, Da-dong & Mugyo-dong (Jung-gu)
- Dongdaemun Fashion Town (Jung-gu)
- Itaewon (Yongsan-gu)
- Hongdae Culture & Arts (Mapo-gu)
- Gangnam MICE (Gangnam-gu)
- Jamsil (Songpa-gu)
They are all great and well worth visiting, with the exception of Myeong-dong maybe. You also (probably) can’t go wrong with getting an accommodation in any of these areas, but more on that later below.
Some favourites of mine in no particular order:
Hongdae. (홍대)
A more modern area of Seoul. Known for its modern feel and vibrant nightlife. But also by day it’s great with many restaurants, cafes, clothing shops and more. I can highly recommend walking along the Red Road (Eoulmadang-ro), either start at Sogang Univ. Station or start on the other side in the Mapo Saebit Culture Forest near Hapjeong station.
Yeonnam. (연남)
Directly north of Hongdae you can find Yeonnam, a smaller area filled with the prettiest cafes. Yeonnam’s streets are narrow, giving it a more cozy feel.
Jong-ro. (종로)
There are many great areas in Jong-ro, since it’s a bit larger. There are multiple train stations here with many things to see. Like the area around Jonggak station (종각역) is always enjoyable. The areas around Gyeongbokgung Palace, except the north, are also all great. There’s even website all about Jongno with recommendations on where to go, like the traditional Bukchon Hanok Village.
City Hall Station. (시청역)
The area surrounding City Hall station is also really nice, it’s the historical center of Seoul.
You also have Myeong-dong directly to the east, a popular shopping area of Seoul that has become more of a tourist trap with highly overpriced meals recently. But its offering of street food in the evening is still enjoyable.
If I had to recommend 3 things for any tourist visiting Korea I’d say:
- Gyeognbokgung Palace / 경복궁 (Naver Maps)
- Namsan Seoul Tower / 남산서울타워 (Naver Maps)
- Lotte World Tower / 롯데월드타워 (Naver Maps)
The view of the 2024 New Year’s sunrise near the Namsan Seoul Tower.
Where to stay
Should you stay in a hotel, hostel, AirBnB or Goshiwon?
For short-term stays: If you are planning to stay in Korea only for a short period I can recommend you to stay at a hotel, AirBNB or hostel.
- Most hostels are affordable and great to meet new people.
- Hotels in Korea are also amazing and the great service culture of South Korea also shines through here.
- AirBNBs are good since you can avoid the high price spikes you usually see on the weekend or holidays.
Sometimes it’s hard to get the vibe and elevation of the area without having visited it before though. But Korea is very safe so there’s no need to worry about landing in a bad area.
Many hotels in Korea are also motels, the Korean expression for a love hotel. A love hotel is just a normal hotel but it also has the option for “rest” stays, so staying just for a few hours instead of the night.
For long-term stays: For long-term stays you have multiple options usually: Dormitory, Share house, Goshiwon/Goshitel, AirBnB
If you are doing an exchange semester I would highly recommend you to try to get into the university’s dormitory, you will be able to meet and stay nearby many like-minded exchange students and it’s easy to get to class. What I enjoyed doing was staying at a Goshiwon before and after the semester but to live in the dormitory during it.
- Goshiwon / Goshitel: A Goshiwon is a small one person room. A Goshitel is a place that contains many of these Goshiwon. They are usually quite affordable but very small, so small that you can take only one or two steps.
- Dormitory: Universities usually have a dormitory for their students to live in. Although spots can be limited and not everyone is able to get in. From my experience they are by far the cheapest option, even much cheaper than Goshiwons. They are great since here you can live with many other students. The way to class is also not too far usually. But dormitories in Korea often have weird rules and gender separation here is very strict. It is also common to share these rooms with one or more people.
- Share house: There are many share houses in Korea but finding one can be a bit hard. You will also find similar things under the names of “Boarding house” or “Guest house”. In a share house you usually have your own room but things like the kitchen and bathroom are shared.
Accommodations in most areas of Seoul are usually more expensive than outside of Seoul.
Infrastructure: Using trains, buses and taxis
Getting around Seoul is mostly easy and comfortable. Before going to Korea I would have never imagined how big the impact of a functional train system is on my quality of life. Look up the place you want to go to on Naver Maps, and then use one of the recommended routes.
Outside Seoul you will find less trains. For example Busan, Korea’s second largest city, mostly has buses.
Taking the train in Korea
Like mentioned earlier to take the train you will need a T-Money card. Use it to enter and leave the stations. You will often find machines at the train stations where you can charge your card with cash. The trains in Korea will not run from around ~00:00 to ~05:00.
One reason why taking a train in Korea is so pleasant, other than their high frequency and punctuality, is how loud they are, or rather, how not loud they are. Usually people stay quiet when they take the train in Korea. Be respectful and do not have loud conversations on the train. Also do not sit on the seats designated for elderly people or pregnant women (with the obvious exception that if you belong to one of these groups). Don’t be surprised when you get pushed by people when you take a train during rush hour, that is just how people in Korea do it when they try to get off or on.
For longer routes such as going from Seoul to Busan you can take the KTX, here you can not use your T-Money card. You will have to buy a ticket beforehand. You can use the 코레일톡 app or Korail website to buy a KTX ticket. Although the user experience in English is far from great it is possible to use foreign cards.
Taking the bus in Korea
There are many public buses in Korea. They drive noticeably more aggressive than what I was used to from my home country but they are also great to travel around. When waiting for a bus, signal to the driver that you want to get on, otherwise they might not stop for you. Enter and tap your T-Money card, tap it again when you are getting off. Use the stop button when you want to get off at the next station.
Just like trains, many buses do not drive during the night between midnight and ~05:00. During this timeframe you will find some night buses going around.
In contrast to the social etiquette rules of Korean trains where it is not okay to sit on the special designated seats, you can use these special seats on the bus, even when you don’t belong to one of these groups. People also usually stay quiet on the bus.
Taking the taxi in Korea
Taxis in Korea are much cheaper than in most places I have been to before. Booking a taxi per phone can be easily done with the KakaoT app. From my experience most drivers don’t speak much English so communicating where to go can sometimes be a challenge, but if you book per app you already have to choose your destination beforehand.
Other options
Walking around Korea is always an option, Seoul is a very walkable city.
There are also many e-scooters that you can rent by app. Which e-scooters are available always depends on the area and keeps changing. You are legally required to have a driver’s licence to drive an e-scooter. The police might also fine you if you are not wearing a helmet while driving one.
Renting an e-bike is also an option to get around Seoul. There are different offerings of e-bikes that you can rent with an app.
Restaurants, cafes and bars
One of my favourite activities in Korea was going out to eat with other friends. For me, food and drinks in Korea were delicious and affordable. Service in the majority of restaurants, cafes and bars was great and quick.
Restaurants
When entering a restaurant you usually get asked how many people you are and then you get offered a table. Popular places sometimes have a queue outside. To order you shout “jeogiyo” (저기요) or “sajangnim” (사장님) at one of the waitresses, or if there’s a bell on the table you’d ring that, then they come to you. Tell them your order. If you can’t read/speak Korean, just point at the thing you want and say “this” or “igeo” (이거), which means this in Korean.
To pay you usually stand up and go up to the counter. Say “dutch pay” or “daro daro”(따로 따로) if you want to split. Some restaurants don’t allow you to split the bill though.
Instead of ordering at a person you will also often see kiosks in the restaurant. Here you can select your order and pay, then return to your seat.
Something I love about Korean restaurants other than their food, fast service and good prices are the free side dishes and water. Usually you get unlimited Kimchi (김치), radish (배추) and water. You will also often find free soup available. It’s also okay to put things you brought from outside on your table, no need to hide your water or lemonade bottle like you’d have to at a restaurant in Germany.
It is also common to share the dishes here.
Cafes
Cafes in Korea are also amazing. Most are decorated in detail, have a great selection of drinks at an affordable price and are very comfortable. There are many different kinds of cafes in Korea, from the usual international cafes like Starbucks to more exotic experiences like animal or diy cafes.
It’s very common to go to cafes here. They are a popular destination to study or work at. In many cafes it’s okay to pull out your laptop to go on hour-long studying sessions. Every cafe offers free water and has wifi, many also allow you to get a blanket or charge your phone.
Bars
Bars are similar to restaurants, just focussed on drinks. In many bars in Korea you are required to buy at least one food item from the menu in addition to your drinks. Just like food it’s common to share the drinks as well.
In formal settings there are many cultural rules to follow, especially in regards on how to respects elders.
In some places you can also just take the drinks yourself from the fridge, you then pay at the end for every bottle you have on the table.
In Korean they also use the word “Bar”, but only in reference to more fancy Western-style bars. More casual places are usually called “호프” (hof) or “술집” (suljip).
Korean Food
There’s lots of great food in Korea. A list of things I can recommend:
Bibimbap / 비빔밥
Mixed rice with different vegetables, maybe meat, an egg and gochujang sauce.
Kimbap / 김밥
A rice roll wrapped in seaweed filled with rice, different vegetables and/or meat. There are many variations, such as tuna, cheese, vegetable, and more.
Kimchi stew / 김치찌개
A slightly spicy stew made with kimchi and other ingredients like pork, onions, tofu and other vegetables.
Army stew / 부대찌개
A slightly spice stew usually made with ramen, spam, ham, sausage, tofu and some vegetables.
Pork belly / 삼겹살
At Korean barbecue you’d usually eat pork belly with tons of different side dishes. Always included is lettuce and sauces to make little wraps to dip them into. K-BBQ is cooked directly at the table.
Kimchi pancake / 김치전
A savory pancake made from batter mixed with kimchi. There are more variants, including seafood or other vegetables.
Often eaten as a snack at bars.
Tteokbokki / 떡볶이
Chewy rice cakes cooked in a spicy and sweet gochujang-based sauce, often with fish cakes and boiled eggs.
Chicken and beer / 치맥
Chimaek is the pairing of fried chicken and beer.
Donkatsu / 돈까스
A breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet. Both the Korean and Japanese version of this are popular in Korea.
Kalguksu / 칼국수
Includes knife-cut wheat flour noodles served in a large bowl with broth and other ingredients.
Gukbap / 국밥
A soup containing rice, meat and vegetables.
Dakgalbi / 닭갈비
Spicy stir-fried chicken with cabbage, sweet potatoes, rice cakes, and other vegetables, often cooked directly at the table.
Juk / 죽
A porridge, usually made with rice or other grains, served plain or with meat, seafood, or vegetables.
Mandu / 만두
Korean dumplings, usually filled with pork, vegetables, or beef, either steamed, boiled, or fried.
Stir-fried pork / 제육볶음
Spicy stir-fried pork, served with rice.
There’s a lot more dishes that I didn’t list here like Ramen / 라면, Jajangmyeon / 짜장면 or the wide variety of seafood dishes.
Things to try in Korea
One of the things I really love about living in Korea is the large amount of things to do outside. These things you can do in addition to visiting the popular areas of Korea, seeing the beautiful temples and eating at the great restaurants. So here are some things that you might want to try while in South Korea:
- Photobooths. Korea has photo booths everywhere, here you can take pictures with your friends. They are unmanned, have a place to do your hair and make-up and have a great selection of silly accessories.
Photo booths are usually open 24h. Go into one, choose a background of your liking, choose the amount of prints, choose a frame and a design of your liking, take the pictures, select the ones you all like, then receive your print. Scan the QR code to get the photo digitally and most also have a video that you can download.
There are also special themed photo booths. - Karaoke. Karaoke is very popular in Korea. Just like photo booths you can find Karaoke places everywhere. There are different kinds of Karaoke places. There’s Coin Karaoke, so a place where you really just go for singing, a song here usually costs around 500 Korean Won. Then there are also Karaoke places where you can order drinks and food.
In Karaoke places in Korea you usually get one room for your group and then you have a machine that you can operate yourself to find a song of your liking. Depending on the size of the room there are 2 or more microphones. After selecting a song the song starts and you get the lyrics displayed on screen. - Pop-up Stores. Pop-up stores are stores with a specific theme that only exist for a limited time. Often they are really cool since they are decorated in detail and offer fun experiences like free games, unique products or free pictures. (I’m a proud owner of a soju and beer licence, which I got at a Jinso Soju pop-up store.)
- Arcades. Try your luck (and skill) to win something at the claw machine, or maybe just enjoy one of the arcade games.
- PC Bang. At a Pc방 you can play games on a pc. You will find many Koreans going here to play League of Legends. Fifa, PUBG, Valorant, Sudden Attack, Maple Story, Overwatch and Lost Ark are also popular here.
In a Pc Bang you will find many Pcs all equipped with special software. Buy some time at the machine and then log in with the code given to you. You can order food and drinks right at your pc and they will deliver it to you, it’s highly comfortable.
Be aware that to make an permanent account at the Pc Bang itself or for online games like League of Legends you will need an ARC and a Korean phone number connected to it. - Playstation Room (플스방). A playstation room is a place where you can play console games.
- Cafes. I already mentioned cafes earlier, but I want to highlight how many different cafes there actually are. From room cafes or multi bangs to animal or DIY cafes. So if you want to visit a Harry Potter cafe, have British tea time, have your own room to watch Netflix or listen to music on vinyl records, it’s all there.
- Amusement Parks. Lotte World and Everland are the two most popular amusement parks in South Korea. Lotte World is located in Seoul and a bit smaller, still a fun place to spend the day. Everland is located outside of Seoul and Korea’s largest amusement park. Even though it’s smaller than the big amusement parks in Germany it’s still worth a visit.
- Virtual sports. There’s a large offering of different virtual sports in Korea. Here you can try virtual baseball or golf, but there’s also places for shooting or VR games.
- Shopping & night shopping. Shopping, for cosmetic products at Olive Young or fashion at the million stores available, is highly popular in Korea. In areas such as the Dongdaemun market area you can even do your shopping at 2am.
- Bars. There are different kinds of bars and drinking places in Korea. From soju & beer places or cocktail bars to hunting pochas, hidden bars or game bars. Soju and beer is very cheap and popular in Korea, you can also mix the two. Or if you don’t like the taste of pure Soju get a flavoured one, or mix it yourself. Hunting Pochas, or also called Hunting Bars, are places where people go to quickly meet new “romantic” partners. Korea also has bars with more novel concepts such as bars where you can play different kinds of games.
- Ice skating. There are nice ice skating rinks in Korea.
During summer:
- Paddle boating. During the summer near the Han River paddle boating places open up.
- Picknick & Han River. During the summer the Han River becomes a great destination to have some good food as well. Having chicken and beer even has its own name, chimaek (치맥), and is widely popular next to Han River. Although more zones have been designated as alcohol free zones recently.
There are also many events next to Han River, such as the Hangang Moonlight Night Market (한강달빛야시장) during the fall. During that event you can find a variety of food offered at food stands right next to the Han River.
You might also want to combine having a picnic here with a bike ride along the river or a yacht tour. - Water Parks. There are multiple water parks in and around Seoul. The two most popular ones are Carribean Bay (캐리비안베이) and Ocean World.
- Surfing. There are also places where you can surf, or try to at least. Nearby Seoul there’s Water Park which has a outdoor area with artificial waves and Wave Surf which has smaller indoor areas for you to practice. Or Yangang on the east coast of Korea even has the Surfyy Beach with an area designated for surfing.
During winter:
- Ski. Korea has multiple ski resorts, although not as large as the ones I was used to they were still fun.
- Christmas theming. Although Christmas is not that important in Korea it’s still celebrated a bit as a couple’s day, you can find Christmas decorations all over the place and some small European style Christmas markets are also there if you look for them. Some malls also turn into small christmas themed villages.
Partying, drinking and clubbing in Seoul
Seoul is great if you love drinking and partying. Because Seoul is so large you have many different options on where to go for a night out. The most common drinking areas are Hongdae and Itaewon. But there are also amazing places like Apgujeong in Gangnam or Kondae.
If you just want to get drinks for dinner or go to a bar you will find many options everywhere in Korea. There are many Koreans that love drinking and they go multiple times per week. But from my experience the places with the best nightlife definitely were:
- Hongdae / 홍대
- Itaewon / 이태원
- Apgujeong / 압구정
- Kondae / 건대
Hongdae / 홍대
Hongdae is very popular and has many great bars. You will find many international bars and clubs in Hongdae as well as Korean ones. Majority of people in Hongdae are students in their twenties up to people in their middle thirties usually. But be aware that some clubs are racist or agist. Don’t fall for any scams here, clubs usually are free. Never pay more than 10k won as an entrance fee (with the exception of very special events). Hongdae is also especially well connected by bus and train, there are even many night buses that can take you back home late at night.
One of my favourite bars in Hongdae is La Rougue / La Luz / 라루즈, here, after buying one drink, you can play an unlimited amount of games.
Sinchon is a direct neighbour as well, it also has many great bars.
Itaewon / 이태원
Itaewon is also popular. Its age range is a bit wider and it has even more international people than Hongdae. Itaewon felt like a more crazy and sometimes trashy area.
Clubs in Itaewon were more enjoyable, the clubs often had better music, people that were dancing and there were even techno clubs.
Itaewon also has many bars and restaurants, less than Hongdae but still quite a bit.
Apgujeong / 압구정
Apgujeong was definitely my favourite area to go out for a night. Apgujeong is a more rich / posh area, people here are generally very well dressed. This area is less international, although you can definitely find foreigners here there are much more Koreans, and many Korean Americans as well.
The usual crowd here has already graduated from university and has the ability to afford plastic surgeries and a more fancy lifestyle, but depending on the club/bar you can definitely find students also.
So Apgujeong has many bars and clubs. Some won’t let you in if you are a foreigner, don’t have Koreans in your group or you don’t speak Korean, just like in Hongdae.
Kondae / 건대
Kondae is definitely a student drinking area. Less popular than Hongdae or Itaewon but still a fun place. There are bars and clubs here.
Where to find more recommendations
- interesting.kr - One of the best channels to get some information on upcoming events.
- seoulcity - More focussed on general travel information but also nice.
Then there are channels in Korean like _seoulhotplace or seoultravel which have nice recommendations as well.
🌐 Websites
- visitseoul.net - An amazing site that has high quality information on a lot of different things regarding visiting Seoul.
- Information guides: https://english.visitseoul.net/map-guide-book
- List of places to go for entertainment: https://english.visitseoul.net/entertainment, there’s also lists for attractions, shopping, restaurants and more.
- seoul.go.kr culture and tourism - Updates, new events and other tourism related things going on, a site from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Other things
- ARC: You will need an Alien Registration Card (ARC), also refered to as Residence Card, when you stay more than 90 days in South Korea. Connect your Korean phone number with your ARC and you can now use any apps and services just like a Korean resident.
- Korean bank account: A Korean bank account is useful for many Korean apps and services. Sending money and giving gifts through KakaoTalk is highly convenient.
- Tips on using Naver Maps: First off, if you prefer English change the language to English, but keep in mind not everything will be in English then. When looking for a place name in English you might have to combine the word into one, so “SuwonStation” instead of “Suwon Station”, but just sometimes not always. One hidden trick to find the best cafes and amazing locations to visit is by using the “Attractions” button on Naver Maps. Press it, then zoom in on the area you want to know more of, then press “Search here” at the top again.
