2. Travelling with a smartphone and a few choice apps will make your trip much easier
Navigating Seoul and other big cities in South Korea is simple if you download some useful apps to your smartphone before you depart.
Naver Maps will give you step-by-step instructions for getting from A to B. Don’t expect to rely on Google Maps as you would in most other destinations – it doesn’t work well in South Korea.
Naver Maps will help you navigate the excellent public transport networks with ease. It will also provide accurate walking directions if you’re on foot.
Papago is a useful language translation app because, again, its Google counterpart doesn’t work well. You can type or speak into Papago for instant translation from English to Korean or vice versa. You can also take photos of any Korean-language text and it will magically appear in English – very useful for reading menus and information signs.
Kakao T is a ride-share app, more popular among Koreans than Uber. Foreign visitors can use an app called K Ride, which enables you to book a taxi without having to create a Kakao T account.
If you don’t have a smartphone, I’d recommend travelling as part of a guided tour, or booking a private guide for the duration of your trip.
3. The best time to visit is in spring and autumn
It might be tempting to travel in the depths of another New Zealand winter but, with seasons reversed in Korea, you’ll be arriving straight into the humidity and high rainfall of summer.
Travelling in our summer when you have a few weeks off work is also only advised if you’re looking to experience some of Korea’s world-class ski resorts and curling centres. Temperatures can drop to -10C at winter’s peak.
The best times to travel are from March to June, and September to October, when temperatures are comfortable and days are clear and dry. Like Japan, you’ll find beautiful cherry blossoms in spring and the changing colours of leaves and foliage in autumn.
4. South Korea is far more than just Seoul
Korean Air often offers great pricing from Auckland to destinations in Europe, via Seoul. But the vibrant capital city is not the only thing South Korea has to offer, so you should consider treating it as more than just a stopover.
A week’s holiday would be just enough time for you to spend a few days in Seoul, visit the Korean Demilitarised Zone, and travel by train to other cities across the country.
I spent a night each in Busan, Korea’s second-largest city with more than 3.5 million residents, and Gyeongju, the ancient former capital city packed with historic sites of interest. Both were very different to Seoul, different to each other, and offered a deeper understanding and rich appreciation of the country and its history.
When I make my next trip to South Korea, I’ll be heading for Jeju Island, often referred to as Korea’s equivalent of Hawaii. Jeju is famous for its seafood, mandarin trees, black pork, beaches, volcanoes, walking and hiking trails, and haenyeo. The latter refers to Jeju’s female free divers, a tradition since the 17th century. Many are aged 60 or more, and dive for paua, seaweed and conches.
The cities Gangneung, Jeonju, Andong and Mokpo are also on my must-visit-next-time list, for beaches, museums, national parks, regional culinary specialities, festivals, temples and more.
5. It’s a fantastic destination for solo travellers
Travelling alone is one of life’s great pleasures, and if you’ve never tried it, South Korea is a good place in which to give it a go.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (MFAT) Safe Travel website gives South Korea a safety rating of level one of four – exercise normal safety and security precautions. This places it alongside countries like Australia, Canada, Cook Islands, Ireland, Samoa and Vietnam, who all have a level-one rating. For context, China, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, the UK and US are currently rated at level two – exercise increased caution.
My itinerary was created by House of Travel and Exotic Holidays, which ensured I had guides in the daytime for the first few days of my trip. This was incredibly useful in helping me get my bearings, and the guides provided some great tips for going it alone in the afternoons and evenings. Once the guides left me for the day, I found walking around, using public transport, dining at restaurants and drinking in cocktail bars all perfectly safe and easy.
If you’re not completely comfortable travelling by yourself, guided tour companies like Wendy Wu, Contiki, Intrepid Travel, Inspiring Vacations and G Adventures offer a range of group travel itineraries. Many Asia cruise itineraries also feature shore excursions to some of South Korea’s best destinations, including Seoul, Busan and Jeju Island.
Checklist
SOUTH KOREA
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Seoul (Incheon International Airport, Seoul, Republic of Korea) non-stop with Korean Air in approximately 11 hours.
DETAILS
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