Must-see attractions in South Korea

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    Gyeongbokgung

    Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

    Like a phoenix, Seoul’s premier palace has risen several times from the ashes of destruction. Hordes of tourists have replaced the thousands of government…

  • Biwon Garden at Changdeokgung, Gwanghwamun.

    Changdeokgung

    Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

    The World Heritage–listed Changdeokgung is the most beautiful of Seoul's five main palaces. You must join a one-hour guided tour to look around. English…

  • Jeonju Hanok Village with over 800 traditional Korean houses remaining in central Jeonju. Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea.

    Jeonju Hanok Maeul

    Jeonju

    This maeul (village) has more than 800 hanok (traditional wooden homes), making it one of the largest such concentrations in the country. Virtually all of…

  • Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea, Asia

    Leeum Samsung Museum of Art

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    Amid the celebrity-owned apartments on the leafy southern slope of Namsan is Korea's premier art gallery. Beautifully designed and laid-out, it balances…

  • Seongsan Ilchulbong

    Seongsan Ilchul-bong

    Jeju-do

    This majestic 182m-high, extinct tuff volcano, shaped like a giant punchbowl, is one of Jeju-do's most impressive sights and a Unesco World Heritage site…

  • Ssanggye-sa

    Gyeongsangnam-do

    The visual imagery of this temple is a feast for the eyes and, like any exquisite dinner, should be savoured with deliberation. Stone walls supporting…

  • Saryangdo

    Gyeongsangnam-do

    Jagged ridges, 400m-high peaks, ropes, ladders and awe-inspiring views await travellers looking for a challenging hike. Most travellers disembark the…

  • A woman walks along the walls of Hwaseong Fortress.

    Hwaseong

    Suwon

    The World Heritage–listed fortress wall that encloses the original town of Suwon is what brings most travellers to the city. Snaking up and down Paldal…

  • Deoksugung Palace in Korea .

    Deoksugung

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    One of Seoul's five grand palaces built during the Joseon dynasty, Deoksugung (meaning Palace of Virtuous Longevity) is the only one you can visit in the…

  • UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 2004:  South Korea - North Kyongsang - Andong surroundings - Historic village of Hahoe (UNESCO World Heritage List, 2010), typical house.  (Photo By DEA / M. BORCHI/De Agostini/Getty Images)

    Hahoe Folk Village

    Gyeongsangbuk-do

    This delightful traditional riverside village – a Unesco World Heritage site – is a place to commune with the traditional fabric of old Korea and, in the…

  • National Museum of Korea at night

    National Museum of Korea

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    This vast and imposing concrete slab of a museum takes visitors on a fascinating journey through Korea's past from prehistory all the way to the Korean…

  • sunrise of Baegundae peak, Bukhansan mountains  in Seoul, South Korea; Shutterstock ID 296386961; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Bukhansan National Park

    Gyeonggi-do

    Granite-peak-studded Bukhansan National Park's sweeping mountaintop vistas, maple leaves, rushing streams and remote temples draw over 5 million hikers…

  • Detail of ROK Airforce plane outside War Memorial and Museum, north of river.

    War Memorial of Korea

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    This huge museum documents the history of the Korean War (1950–53) using multimedia exhibits and black-and-white documentary footage, along with artefacts…

  • Magic Hour of Bongeunsa Temple in Gangnam, Seoul

    Bongeun-sa

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Located in the heart of ritzy Gangnam, the shrines and halls of the Buddhist temple Bongeun-sa, with its tree-filled hillside location, stand in direct…

  • DDP Entrance

    Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park

    Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul

    Designed by the late Zaha Hadid, this neofuturistic cultural complex was commissioned to replace the Dongdaemun Stadium, built during Japanese rule in the…

  • Noryangjin Fish Market

    Seoul

    Providing terrific photo opportunities, Korea's largest fish market supplies every kind of aquatic life form to restaurants, fish shops and the general…

  • Namdaemun traditional market

    Namdaemun Market

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    You could spend all day in this swarming night-and-day market and not see it at all. The largest market in Korea, each section has hundreds of stalls,…

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    Beomeo-sa

    Busan

    This magnificent temple is Busan’s best sight. Despite its city location, Beomeo-sa is a world away from the urban jungle, with beautiful architecture set…

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    Jagalchi Fish Market

    Busan

    Anyone with a love of seafood and a tolerance for powerful odours could easily spend an hour exploring the country’s largest fish market. Narrow lanes…

  • Exterior of Seodaemun Prison, north of river.

    Seodaemun Prison History Hall

    Northern Seoul

    Built in 1908, this former prison is a potent symbol of Korean suffering at the hands of Japan during colonial occupation in the early 20th century…

  • Ojukheon

    Gangneung

    Revered as the birthplace of the paragon of Korean womanhood, Sin Saimdang (1504–51), and her son, the philosopher and government official Yi Yulgok (1536…

  • The Cheonggyecheon Stream draws crowds of locals out in early evening.

    Cheong-gye-cheon

    Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

    With its landscaped walkways, footbridges, waterfalls and a variety of public artworks, such as the enormous pink-and-blue shell entitled Spring in Cheong…

  • Seoul City and N Seoul Tower, South Korea

    N Seoul Tower & Namsan

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    The iconic N Seoul tower (236m), atop the city’s guardian mountain Namsan, offers panoramic views of this immense metropolis from its observation deck…

  • Traditional Korean style architecture at Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea.; Shutterstock ID 284085128; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Bukchon Hanok Village

    Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

    Meaning ‘North Village’, Bukchon, between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, is home to around 900 hanok, Seoul’s largest concentration of these traditional…

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    Gamcheon Culture Village

    Busan

    This historically rich, mountainside slum became a tourist destination after an arty makeover in 2009, when students decided to brighten up the…

  • Haeundae beach, Busan

    Haeundae

    Busan

    Haeundae is the country’s most famous beach. During the peak August travel season, umbrellas mushroom across the 2km-long beach while frolickers fill the…

  • View of Tangent building

    Tangent

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Hyundai Development Company commissioned Daniel Libeskind to work with Seoul-based firm Himma on its headquarters opposite COEX Mall. The result, Tangent,…

  • Gyeongui Line Forest Park

    Seoul

    This 6.3km park, named for the former Gyeongui Line (on which it was built), is a narrow, long green space that runs along the discarded railroad tracks…

  • Tumuli-gongwon

    Gyeongju

    The huge, walled park has 23 tombs of Silla monarchs and family members. From the outside, they resemble substantial grassy hillocks that echo the…

  • Korean Stone Art Museum

    Northern Seoul

    A score of centuries-old stone sentinels stand guard on the hillside at this terrific museum overlooking Seongbuk-dong. A road winds through sculpted…

  • Korea Furniture Museum

    Northern Seoul

    You need to apply several days in advance via a reservation page on the website to visit this museum, but you absolutely should to admire the fabulous…

  • Seoul K-Medi Center

    Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul

    Learn about the history and practice of traditional Korean medicine at this impressive facility styled to resemble Bojewon, a clinic from the early Joseon…

  • Everland

    Gyeonggi-do

    Opened in 1976, Everland is Korea's largest theme park, with five zones of rides, fantasy buildings and impressive seasonal gardens. The lush hillside…

  • Noseo-dong Tombs

    Gyeongju

    Near the main shopping area is the Noseo-dong district, where you'll find Silla tombs. Seobongchong and Geumgwanchong are adjacent tombs built between the…

  • Ihwa Mural Village

    Northern Seoul

    High on the slopes of Naksan is one of the city's old daldongnae (literally ‘moon villages’) where refugees lived in shacks after the Korean War. Sixty…

  • Jeju Folk Village

    Jeju-do

    The educational Jeju Folk Village gathers together traditional buildings from across the island (some reconstructions, others hundreds of years old) in an…

  • Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral

    Daegu

    An icon and motif of Daegu, this lovely cruciform church is quite a sight, with its twin spires. Originally constructed in wood, the first incarnation…

  • KT&G SangsangMadang

    Seoul

    Funded by Korea’s top tobacco company, this visually striking building is home to an art-house cinema, a concert space (hosting top indie bands) and…

  • National Maritime Museum

    Mokpo

    This is the only museum in Korea dedicated to the country’s maritime history. The highlights are two shipwrecks, one dating from the 11th century and the…

  • Olympic Park with pond and ducks in foreground.

    Olympic Park

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    This large and pleasant park was the focus of the 1988 Olympics. Strolling its paths takes you past its stadiums surrounded by plenty of greenery, ponds…

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