Chungcheongbuk-do
This stately (though largely modern) complex’s 30-odd buildings are wedged beautifully into a valley, between steep, forested slopes. Erected on a…
Must-see attractions in South Korea
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Located in a park at the foot of Namsan, this peaceful village is a wonderful spot to encounter traditional Korean culture. It features five differing…
Gangwon-do
Of all the things you’d expect to find in a fishing village like Sinnam (신남), a ‘penis park’ is probably not one of them. There are more than 50 phallic…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
This huge complex includes an amusement park, an ice-skating rink, a cinema multiplex, a department store, a folk museum, a shopping mall, a hotel,…
Gangwon-do
Sangwon-sa's intricately decorated bronze bell was cast in AD 725 and is the oldest bell in Korea (and one of the largest as well). Another prized object…
Gyeonggi-do & Incheon
The partially restored remains of a small palace, dating back to the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), sit on a hillside in Ganghwa-eup. The palace was completed…
Gyeonggi-do
This leafy cul-de-sac off a busy main road is the centre of Icheon's porcelain and celadon trade, a thriving tradition that dates back to the Joseon…
Jeju-si
One of the island's most interesting art projects, Arario has four galleries in renovated buildings in and around the Tapdong area hosting permanent and…
Daegu
This red brick structure is one of the city's historic churches. Within the church is a fascinating history of the building and a collection of Bibles and…
Northern Seoul
This ornate shrine atop Inwangsan is one of Seoul's most important sites for shamanism, Korea's ancient, highly ritualised and somewhat taboo folk…
Daegu
This excellent museum has English labelling throughout most of its collection – and what a collection. Armour, jewellery, Buddhist relics from various…
Gyeonggi-do & Incheon
The spectacular 2km-long Seopori Beach, located along Deokjeokdo's southern shore and backed by a thick grove of 200-year-old pine trees, is a sleepy…
Seogwipo
This popular 22m-high waterfall is reached after a 10-minute walk through a beautifully forested, steep gorge. The waterfall can be impressive following…
Jeju-si
Thoughtful and evocative, this museum chronicles the events that led up to and followed the ‘April 3 Incident’ – a series of island massacres between 1947…
Southern Jeju-do
Just south of the Jeju International Convention Centre is a dramatic 2km stretch of coastline known for rectangular rock columns that look as if they were…
Gyeongju
Sprouting huge trees of vast girth, this is the largest extant Silla tomb – 22m high, with a 250m circumference. It's quite a picture at any time put…
Jeollabuk-do
It's only 36m long, but it feels much longer once you reach the middle of this steel-cable bridge shooting up to the sky at a 51-degree angle. A fantastic…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
The focus of Jogye-sa is the grand wooden hall Daeungjeon, Seoul's largest Buddhist worship hall and the epicentre of Korean Buddhism. Completed in 1938,…
Gyeongju
On a series of stone terraces about 16km southeast of Gyeongju, set among gnarled pines and iris gardens, this historic temple is the crowning glory of…
The DMZ
Unquestionably the highlight of any trip to the DMZ is the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjeom. An improbable tourist destination, it's here where the…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Surrounded by dense woodland, the impressive buildings of the Confucian shrine Jongmyo house the spirit tablets of the Joseon kings and queens and some of…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
This overpass-turned-park is a green space in the heart of the city. About 24,000 plants are grown here, including various types of flowers and trees, all…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Looking like a tsunami made of glass and steel, Seoul City Hall was completely redeveloped in 2013 and now is a major architectural attraction of the city…
Gyeongsangbuk-do
Holding 81,258 woodblock scriptures, making it one of the largest Buddhist libraries of its kind, this Unesco World Heritage–listed temple should be on…
Gwangju
Overlooking Gwangju, Mudeungsan National Park is a gorgeous green mountain range with a spiderweb of well-signed trails leading to the peak, Cheonwang…
Gyeongsangnam-do
Founded by priest Yeongi in AD 544 after his return from India, this ancient temple dedicated to the Birojana Buddha is enveloped by the beautiful natural…
Busan
Originally launched in 1964 as Korea's first cable car, the Songdo Beach attraction reopened in 2017, measuring a distance of 1.62km – four times what it…
Gangwon-do
One of South Korea's most beloved and beautiful national parks, and a Unesco Biosphere Protection site, Seoraksan is most celebrated for its oddly shaped…
Gangwon-do
Scenic and mountainous Chiaksan (the name means 'Pheasant Peak Mountain') National Park is home to the lovely Guryong-sa and a host of other temples, and…
Chungcheongnam-do
This stunning hilltop fortress is a reminder of a time when Gongju (then called Ungjin) was Baekje’s capital. After entering through the grand stone…
Busan
Hard to find, difficult to reach and a wonder to behold, this hermitage has Buddhist images meticulously etched into stone. Visually powerful in scale and…
Chungcheongbuk-do
This small museum tells you everything about the Jikji, the oldest book in the world printed with movable metal type. Unfortunately the book is not here –…
Jeollanam-do
Legend has it that Unju-sa originally housed 1000 Buddhas and 1000 pagodas, built because, according to traditional geomancy, the southwest of the country…
Chungcheongbuk-do
This temple originally dates to AD 553 and lies about 1km from the entrance to Songnisan National Park. Composed of a galaxy of halls, the temple is…
Jeollanam-do
This is the most popular and beautiful of the islands west of Mokpo. Some 6km long and 2.5km wide, it rises precipitously from the sea and is bounded by…
Jeollanam-do
South Korea may have developed at a breakneck speed, but it was also the first Asian country to sign on to the international cittaslow, or 'slow city'…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Combining architectural elements from several centuries of Seoul's history, this branch of the city's premier contemporary-art museum is an impressive…
Jeollabuk-do
This Zen temple, founded in 577 and last rebuilt in 1720, is nestled among verdant hills. Just behind the temple is a 500-year-old camellia forest (동백 나무…
Jeollanam-do
Among Korea’s many folk villages, Nagan is unique for its setting, surrounded by 1410m of Joseon-period fortress walls, built to protect the inhabitants…
Gyeongsangnam-do
Between Namhae-gun and Sangju beach, Bori-am is a busy Buddhist hermitage on Geum-san (금산; Geum Mountain, 681m) famous for brilliant sunrises and…
