If you are planning a trip to South Korea and looking where to start, this guide has got you covered! Here’s how we planned our 11 days in Korea. We share with you the places we visited, what worked for us and what could have been done differently. If you have any questions, drop a comment below!
Day 1 – Depart London
Depending on how far you’re flying from and when you’re flying, you’ll likely reach Korea always a day later. Our flight from London was very early in the morning and we arrived in Seoul the next day.
Day 2 – Arrive in Seoul
If you are travelling from Europe, Middle East or America, you are likely going to start your trip landing land in Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul like we did. The airport is located far outside the city, so best to use the train or get a cab to your hotel. We ended up taking public transport as it was rush hour!
We landed at about 4pm, and by the time we got to our hotel and checked-in, it was about 7pm. After our check-in we headed straight to Myeong-dong market to experience some local street food (no time to waste)!
Day 3 – Depart to Jeju Island
After an evening in Seoul, we took an early morning flight to Jeju Island, located south of the mainland. Hourly flights run from Seoul Gimpo(GMP) to Jeju International (CJU) and it is the most convenient way to travel.
We checked in to our hotel in Jeju. We then spent the day exploring Jeju city and the beach (not quite the beach weather in November!) and the local Dongmun market.
Day 4 – Spend the day exploring Jeju Island
We hired a private English speaking tour guide to take us around the island on a full-day tour. We decided to explore the west part of the island as a local friend had told me that is more picturesque.
Day 5 – A bit more of Jeju before departure
After breakfast, we spent the morning hiking up the Hallasan mountain. After the tiresome hike, we spent the rest of the morning relaxing in the jacuzzi before we prepared to depart to Busan.
We took a quick 50 mins flight from Jeju International (CJU) to Gimhae International Airport (PUS). By the time we checked-in to our hotel in Busan, it was about 7pm.
We then spent the evening exploring our local vicinity and markets. P
Day 6 – Spend the day in Busan and depart
We started the day exploring Busan city starting with Haedong Yonggungsa Temple followed by experiencing a traditional Korean tea house and then getting the train/sky capsule back to our hotel.
Later in the afternoon, post a carb heavy lunch, we checked out of our hotel. We then took the train to store our luggage at lockers in Busan station. Then, we ended up going to Gamcheon Culture Village before the weather wasn’t on our side and we missed one of the evening viewing spots on top of Hwangnyeongsan mountain.
Instead, I discovered hot milk tea at Krispy Kreme (which was SO delicious!) before we headed back to the train station to pick up our bags and take an 8pm train to Seoul.
The journey to Seoul from Busan on KTX high speed train is just under 3 hours. We ended up reaching quite late and took a cab to our hotel checking into our first of the two hotels that we reviewed (JW Marriott Dongdaemun Seoul) in Seoul.
Pro Tip: This part of the trip felt a bit rushed and wish I had another day (or half a day) more in Busan! If you are planning your trip, I would recommend spending a day and half or 2 full days in Busan!
Day 7 – Exploring Seoul
This is the day we missed breakfast. Instead explored some amazing vegan Korean food at Vegan Kitchen in Myeong-dong. if you are vegetarian and looking to try local Korean delicacies, this is your spot! You even get served by a robot! We liked it so much that we went once more.
We spent the day exploring more of Myeong-dong, Christmas decor, Lotte duty free shopping (Yes, they have duty free shops in the city to collect at the airport!). We headed back to our hotel for a quick break before heading to Namsan Tower for some evening city lights.
On the way back to our hotel, we visited some of the popular night shopping spots! I was just amazed at the amount of clothing that is sold everywhere!
Day 8 – DMZ
This was our BIG day. We checked out of our hotel pretty early in the morning and stored our luggage. On the agenda, we had booked a full day tour of the DMZ (half of the day). Indeed, this was one of the highlights of the trip. This was followed by visiting the Gloucester Hill memorial and Gamaksan Suspension Bridge after lunch.
After a tiring yet fulfilling day, we collected our bags and headed to our final hotel of the trip (Conrad Seoul).
Day 9 – Exploring Seoul
We spent the morning getting the famous viral ‘Korean Hair Spa’ at Park Jun Beauty Lab. It took about 3 hours and felt so relaxed after (with a super clean scalp)!
We then headed to the famous Bukchon Hanok Village. As it was a sunny day, we ended up walking for about 30 mins from Myeong-dong. On the way we de-toured to walk along Cheonggyecheon streams.
After taking lots of photos in the village, we headed to Gwangjang market at sunset. Here, we visited the famous Netflix lady’s stall for some super delicious Cold buckwheat noodles, Kimchi and vegan Kimchi dumplings! We also got Mung bean pancakes from one of the other stalls which did not disappoint!
Day 10 – Exploring Seoul
Today on the itinerary was Gyeongbokgung Palace. With a minimal entry fees (about 2000 won), we walked around the palace rooms and watched the change of guards. This was nothing spectacular hence didn’t make it to my recommended list. Nevertheless, it was one of the top tourist attractions as listed by Google so we decided to pay a visit!
This was followed by a lunch at our favourite restaurant Vegan Kitchen and exploring more of Myeong-dong! We ended up spending a lot of time in our final days stocking up on skincare from Olive Young and Innisfree!
Day 11 – Exploring Seoul and departure
Our last day of the holiday, we had a spent the morning shopping at Hyundai Seoul across our hotel. We then checked out, stored our luggage and headed out.
Our final stop was of the trip was to visit the famous Starfield library and the Gangnam Style statue at Coex Mall near Bongeunsa metro station. This was followed by some very last minute skincare shopping!
After a long day, we headed back, picked up our bags and took a cab to Incheon International Airport (ICN)!
Day 12 – Arrive in London
We arrived early in the morning back to London and ready to resume work!
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