South Korea

Get the entry sequence right, because it changes at the turn of the year. For now the K-ETA is waived for around 22 nationalities — the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and most of the EU — who enter visa-free with nothing to file or pay. But the waiver is a temporary extension that expires on 31 December 2026: from 1 January 2027 a K-ETA is due to return (about ₩10,000, valid three years, applied for at least 72 hours before departure), unless Korea extends the waiver yet again as it has done annually. Confirm it on the official k-eta.go.kr before any 2027 trip.

The other piece is the e-Arrival Card, mandatory for every foreign visitor since 1 January 2026. It is free, filed online within the three days before you land, and it replaces the old paper card — it matters most to waiver travellers, who have no K-ETA carrying the same details. Neatly, the two interlock: anyone holding a valid K-ETA (or a residence registration) is exempt from the e-Arrival Card, so from 2027 a returning K-ETA would cover it again.

On money, the unit is the won (₩), trading around ₩1,350–1,400 to the US dollar through 2026. Cards and mobile pay are accepted almost everywhere, tipping is not customary and can be gently refused, and tourists can reclaim VAT: a ₩15,000 minimum per purchase, with an instant in-store refund up to ₩1,000,000 per receipt (₩5,000,000 per stay) or an airport claim on the way out.

One practical catch worth knowing before you arrive: buy a T-money card, don’t plan to tap a foreign card. Open-loop contactless (your home Visa or Mastercard) does not yet work at Seoul subway gates — the EMV rollout is a 2027 target — so pick up a rechargeable T-money card at any convenience store (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven) for a couple of thousand won and top it up with cash. It covers the metro, city buses and many taxis.

The KTX high-speed rail is the spine of the country — Seoul to Busan in about 2h15 for roughly ₩59,800 — booked through Korail or its app, with the parallel SRT running some routes. If you plan several long legs, the Korail Pass is a foreigners-only flexi-ticket (around ₩108,000 for three flexible days). In the capital the Seoul metro is fast, clean and extensive, a flat ₩1,550 a ride on T-money; intercity express buses undercut the train (Seoul–Busan about ₩27,000) if you don’t mind four-plus hours.

Arriving at Incheon, the AREX train runs into Seoul Station in about 43 minutes nonstop (₩9,500) or 66 minutes all-stop (₩4,950). And the contrast with China is the connectivity: there is no firewall, so Google Maps, the Papago translation app and all your usual services work out of the box, and fast wifi is everywhere.

For Jeju, if you want to drive, note that Korea recognises the International Driving Permit under both the 1949 and 1968 conventions — but island rental desks want the paper A6 booklet IDP alongside your home licence and passport; the digital or plastic-card versions are not accepted.

Start at Gyeongbokgung, the largest of Seoul’s Joseon palaces: entry is ₩3,000, it closes on Tuesdays, and the guard-changing ceremony plays out at the Gwanghwamun gate at 10:00 and 14:00. The neat local custom is that anyone in full hanbok enters free — rental shops cluster around the gates, so a lot of visitors dress the part and walk in for nothing, then carry the look through the Bukchon Hanok Village of tiled traditional houses on the slope between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung.

Beyond the palaces the city splits by mood: Myeongdong and Insadong for street food, skincare and souvenirs, Hongdae for student nightlife and buskers, Gangnam for glossy modern Seoul, and the markets and palaces of the old centre for history. It is a late-night, well-lit, low-friction city — the metro reaches everything, English signage is good, and you are rarely far from a 24-hour convenience store.

South of Seoul, Busan is the relaxed coastal counterpoint — Haeundae and Gwangalli beaches, the Jagalchi fish market, hillside temples, and the photogenic Gamcheon Culture Village (free to wander). Gyeongju, the "museum without walls", holds the grassy royal tombs and UNESCO-listed Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto of the ancient Silla kingdom. In the north-east, Seoraksan National Park is the autumn-foliage showpiece, and the nearby Gangwon resorts (the 2018 Winter Olympics region) are the winter ski base.

Jeju is the one that needs a flight rather than a train: a volcanic UNESCO island built around Hallasan, Korea’s highest mountain at 1,947 m, with the sunrise crater of Seongsan Ilchulbong (₩5,000), lava-tube caves, beaches, and the haenyeo women free-divers. For heritage, Andong’s UNESCO Hahoe folk village and the national templestay programme offer a quieter, slower Korea.

The cherry blossom moves up the peninsula over roughly a fortnight — Jeju and Busan first (around 22–30 March in 2026), the front reaching Seoul about 4–10 April — so the single most useful planning fact is that you can chase or wait for it rather than gamble on one fixed date. The autumn foliage runs the other way, igniting in the north-eastern mountains in early-to-mid October and working down to Seoul and the south by late October into mid-November.

The middle of the year is the trade-off. The jangma monsoon brings heavy, humid rain from late June into July, and typhoons are a real possibility in August and September. Winter (December–February) is cold and dry — bracing for city sightseeing if you dress for it, and prime time for the Gangwon ski resorts.

The blossom and the foliage both sweep the country on a predictable front, which means a trip timed slightly wrong is rescued by a train or a short flight rather than written off. The table below is the 2026 forecast; the swaps under it are the moves locals make when they arrive a few days early or late.

• Arriving late MarchSkipSeoul — the blossom isn’t out yetGoJeju and Busan, where it peaks around 29–30 March
• Only free in early AprilSkiprushing south after the frontGoSeoul and Gyeonggi (~10 Apr); Seoraksan colours last
• Autumn, chasing colourSkipSeoul too early in OctoberGoSeoraksan and the NE mountains first; Seoul turns late Oct–early Nov

The Demilitarized Zone is one of Korea’s defining excursions, and it is reachable only on an authorised guided tour booked in advance — there is no independent access, and you carry your passport. The general DMZ tours from Seoul run routinely and visit Imjingak park, the Third Infiltration Tunnel and the Dora Observatory looking across into the North; they are a reliable half- or full-day trip.

The JSA (Joint Security Area) / Panmunjom tours — the ones that take you right to the blue huts straddling the demarcation line — are the volatile part. They have been suspended and partially resumed more than once in recent years, closing at short notice around diplomatic moments and security incidents. Treat their availability as something to confirm, not assume.

Book the JSA portion only after checking it is actually running. Because Panmunjom access flips between suspended, limited and open depending on the political weather, reputable operators will tell you the current status — ask before you commit a date, and keep the general DMZ tour (which rarely stops) as the fallback.

The etiquette is easy to honour once you know it: shoes off indoors in homes, temples and floor-seating restaurants; two hands to give or receive money, cards and gifts; pour drinks for others rather than yourself; and don’t stand chopsticks upright in rice or write a living person’s name in red — both carry funeral associations. Tipping, again, is simply not done.

On the practical side, tap water is officially safe (Seoul’s "Arisu" meets strict standards), though many locals still prefer filtered or bottled. Plugs are 220V Type-C/F round-pin. For data, an eSIM is the easiest fix for most solo visitors, with airport SIMs and pocket-wifi as alternatives; English signage on the metro and at major sights is good, and Papago bridges the rest.

Keep three numbers handy: 112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance, and the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline — a free, 24-hour, multilingual line that will also interpret three-way in an emergency. It is the single most useful number a visitor can save.