Morning
Land at Incheon (ICN)
Buy a T-money card at the convenience store before you leave arrivals; it works on every bus, subway and taxi for the whole trip.
AREX Express Train to Seoul Station
The nonstop AREX runs Incheon Terminal 1 to Seoul Station in about 43 minutes, all seats reserved. The all-stop commuter train is cheaper and slower.
Afternoon / Day
Check in: Lotte Hotel Seoul
30 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu. Sits on the Euljiro 1-ga subway station, one stop from City Hall and a 20-minute walk to Gwanghwamun.
Cheonggyecheon Stream walk
Start at Cheonggye Plaza in Mugyo-dong and walk east at water level. The stepping stones near Gwangtonggyo are the classic photo.
Jogyesa Temple
55 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu. Head temple of the Jogye Order, free to enter, and the lantern canopy over the courtyard stays up year round.
Evening
Dinner at Gwangjang Market
88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu. The food alley runs late: bindaetteok ground on a stone mill, mayak gimbap, raw beef yukhoe.
Ikseon-dong hanok alleys
Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, one stop west of the market. A 1930s hanok block turned into bars and tearooms; the lanes are barely shoulder-width.
Morning
Gyeongbokgung Palace
161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu. Closed Tuesdays. The changing of the royal guard runs at Gwanghwamun at 10:00 and 14:00; hanbok wearers enter free.
National Palace Museum of Korea
12 Hyoja-ro, Jongno-gu, inside the palace grounds. Admission is free, and the Joseon royal seals and the water clock are the things to find.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at Tosokchon Samgyetang
5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, five minutes west of the palace. Ginseng chicken soup in a warren of old hanok rooms; the queue moves fast.
Bukchon Hanok Village
Bukchon-ro 11-gil, Gahoe-dong. The residential red zone is open to visitors 10:00 to 17:00 only, with a 100,000-won fine outside those hours.
Ssamziegil, Insadong
44 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu. A spiral ramp of small craft studios; downhill from here Insadong-gil is all paper, brushes and tea.
Evening
Dinner at Balwoo Gongyang
56 Ujeongguk-ro, above the Templestay Information Center. Buddhist temple cuisine served as a set course, no garlic or onion. Reserve well ahead.
Gwanghwamun Square after dark
Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu. The Sejong and Yi Sun-sin statues are floodlit, with Gyeongbokgung lit up behind them at the far end.
Morning
Changdeokgung Palace
99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu. Closed Mondays. A UNESCO site, and the one Joseon palace laid out to follow the hillside rather than flatten it.
Huwon Secret Garden tour
Guided entry only, capped at 100 people per session: 50 places by advance online reservation and 50 sold on the day at the ticket office.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch in Namdaemun Market
Namchang-dong, Jung-gu. Find the galchi-jorim alley for braised hairtail, or the kalguksu row where four stalls share one bench.
Namsan Cable Car up the hill
The base station is a steep five-minute climb from Hoehyeon Station exit 4. The Namsan shuttle bus is the step-free alternative.
N Seoul Tower
105 Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu. Time it for late afternoon and stay through sunset; the base terrace view is free, the observatory is ticketed.
Evening
Dinner at Myeongdong Gyoja
29 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu. One thing to order: kalguksu in that thick, peppery chicken broth, with the free kimchi refills.
Myeongdong street-food lanes
Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu. The carts only come out in the evening: tornado potato, grilled scallops, egg bread. Cash still moves fastest.
Start from this itinerary.
Copy all 8 days into your account, then change whatever you like.
Already have an account?
Morning
Subway and bus to Bukhansanseong
Line 3 to Gupabal, then the 704 bus to the Bukhansanseong stop. Allow an hour door to trailhead, and go early for parking-free trails.
Bukhansanseong Fortress trail
Daeseomun-gil, Jingwan-dong, Eunpyeong-gu. Walk the fortress wall up to Daeseomun gate and back; the ridge turns colour through late October.
Afternoon / Day
Back to Hongik University Station
Reverse the 704 and Line 3, change at Euljiro 3-ga for Line 2. Roughly an hour, and you land in Hongdae mid-afternoon.
Late lunch at Dongjin Market
Donggyo-ro 46-gil, Yeonnam-dong. A 1950s market shed now full of small kitchens and maker stalls; busiest at weekends.
Gyeongui Line Forest Park
Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu. A disused railway cutting turned into a long green strip locals call Yeontral Park. Cafes line both sides.
Evening
Hongdae busking street
Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, between Hongik University and the playground. Dance crews and cover bands set up from about 7 and rotate all evening.
Dinner at Mapo Jinjja Wonjo Choedaepo
112-4 Mapo-daero, Gongdeok-dong. Charcoal pork ribs in a tiled room that has not changed in decades. Two stops from Hongdae on Line 5.
Morning
KTX high-speed rail to Busan
Seoul Station to Busan Station, about 417 km by rail. Most KTX services take around 2 hr 40 min; the fastest run it in 2 hr 15. Book a seat.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at Choryang Milmyeon
225 Jungang-daero, Dong-gu, five minutes from Busan Station. Milmyeon is the wheat-noodle answer to naengmyeon, a dish Korean-War refugees made their own in Busan.
Jagalchi Fish Market
52 Jagalchihaean-ro, Jung-gu. Korea's largest fish market. Pick from a ground-floor tank and the upstairs kitchens will serve it as hoe.
Gukje Market and BIFF Square
Sinchang-dong, Jung-gu, a block inland from Jagalchi. Post-war refugee market turned bazaar; BIFF Square has the handprints and the ssiat hotteok carts.
Check in: Park Hyatt Busan
51 Marine City 1-ro, Haeundae-gu. Corner glass over the yacht harbour, with Gwangan Bridge filling the window after dark.
Evening
Dinner at Ssangdungi Dwaeji Gukbap
UN pyeonghwa-ro, Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu. Busan's own pork-bone rice soup; season it yourself with the shrimp paste and chives on the table.
Gwangalli Beach and Gwangan Bridge
Gwangan 2-dong, Suyeong-gu. Walk the sand end to end once the bridge lighting comes on; the cafes behind it stay open late.
Morning
Haeundae Blueline Park beach train
Board at Mipo Station, Jung-dong, and ride the coast to Songjeong. The two-seat Sky Capsule runs only as far as Cheongsapo, on a separate ticket that sells out days ahead.
Up the coast to Yonggungsa
About 15 minutes by taxi north from Songjeong Beach, or take a Gijang-bound bus. The temple car park is at the top of the steps.
Afternoon / Day
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
86 Yonggung-gil, Gijang-gun. One of very few Korean temples built on the sea rather than in the mountains. 108 steps down to the water.
Lunch in Haeundae Market
Jungdong 1-ro, Haeundae-gu. A covered lane of small kitchens two blocks back from the beach: chungmu gimbap, grilled eel, fried hotteok.
Dongbaekseom and Nurimaru APEC House
Dongbaek-ro, Haeundae-gu. A flat boardwalk loop round the headland to the 2005 APEC summit hall; free entry, skyline view back over the bay.
Evening
Dinner at Geumsu Bokguk
Jungdong 1-ro 43beon-gil, Haeundae-gu. Clear pufferfish soup, a Busan institution; the set comes with the fish served two ways.
Haeundae Beach night walk
Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu. The sand is lit and busy until late; walk west and you end up back under the Marine City towers.
Morning
KTX to Singyeongju, then bus 700
Busan Station to Singyeongju takes about 30 minutes by high-speed rail. Bus 700 runs from the station past Bomun Lake to Bulguksa.
Bulguksa Temple
385 Bulguk-ro, Gyeongju. UNESCO-listed since 1995; the Silla stone terraces and twin pagodas in the main courtyard are the eighth-century originals.
Seokguram Grotto
873-243 Bulguk-ro, up Tohamsan. A shuttle climbs from the Bulguksa car park. The granite Buddha sits behind glass; allow an hour there and back.
Afternoon / Day
Ssambap lunch at Dosol Maeul
71-2 Poseok-ro 1092beon-gil, Sajeong-dong. Gyeongju ssambap: a dozen side dishes and a basket of leaves to wrap them in. A short taxi from Daereungwon.
Daereungwon Tomb Complex
Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju. Grass burial mounds the size of hills; one, Cheonmachong, is open so you can walk inside. Cheomseongdae observatory is 400 m east.
Hwangnam Bread
Hwango-dong, a few minutes from Daereungwon. The original 1939 bakery for hwangnam-ppang, red-bean cakes stamped with a chrysanthemum. Boxes travel well.
Evening
Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond
Wolseong-dong, Gyeongju. Go at dusk: the rebuilt pavilions are floodlit and double themselves in the pond. This is the shot Gyeongju is known for.
Last train to Busan
Bus 700 back to Singyeongju, then the KTX. Check the evening timetable before you settle in at the pond.
Gamcheon, Yeongdo and Out
Morning
Gamcheon Culture Village
203 Gamnae 2-ro, on the hillside above Gamcheon port. Painted terraced houses stacked in rows; take the marked route down rather than the road.
Across to Yeongdo island
About 25 minutes by taxi east over the Namhang Bridge. Leave the bags at the hotel or a station locker before you go.
Afternoon / Day
Huinnyeoul Culture Village
Yeongseon-dong 4-ga, Yeongdo-gu. A single cliff-edge lane above the shipyards, with steep stairs cutting down to the seawall path.
Samjin Eomuk original store
36 Taejong-ro 99beon-gil, Yeongdo-gu. Busan fish cake since 1953. Eat the fried skewers hot at the counter, then buy a vacuum pack upstairs.
Evening
Out to Gimhae Airport
About 40 minutes by taxi from Yeongdo, or the light rail from Sasang. Allow extra at rush hour on the western bridges.
Fly out of Gimhae (PUS)
108 Gonghangjinip-ro, Gangseo-gu. The international terminal is small; regional flights across Asia go from here without backtracking to Seoul.
