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Introducing South Korea

South Korea captivates travelers with its unique blend of traditional and modern cultures. This vibrant peninsula nation offers a diverse range of experiences from the bustling metropolis of Seoul, with its high-tech subways and pop culture, to the tranquil Buddhist temples and historic palaces tucked away in the countryside. South Korea's landscapes are equally varied and beautiful, ranging from the volcanic Jeju Island to the stunning Seoraksan Mountain peaks, and the scenic coastal city of Busan. Visitors can immerse themselves in the country's rich history in Gyeongju, sample local cuisine in a Seoul food market, or explore the art scenes in the rustic village of Andong. All these elements combine to create an unforgettable Korean experience that appeals to adventurers, history buffs, and food lovers alike.

Explore trips by duration: 5 days · 7 days · 8 days · 9 days · 10 days · 13 days · 14 days

South Korea Tours & Itineraries

Get inspired by trips other travelers have loved
Go for a ride in a Sky Capsule tram at the Haeundae Blue Line Park in Busan
Map of Best of South Korea: Seoul,  Andong, Busan & Jeju Island - 10 Days
Best of South Korea: Seoul, Andong, Busan & Jeju Island - 10 Days

Explore South Korea's cultural highlights and natural wonders on this 10-day itinerary. The adventure begins in Seoul, where you'll explore the urban culture and street food scene. Visit the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) next before continuing to historic temples in Andong. Discover the beautiful coastline of Busan, then fly to Jeju Island to marvel at the spectacular scenery and take in views from the country's highest peak.

Discover South Korean history and culture on a cross-country tour, stopping for views at Busan's Songdo Skywalk
Map of  Best of South Korea & Japan: Seoul, Busan, Tokyo & Kyoto - 14 Days
Best of South Korea & Japan: Seoul, Busan, Tokyo & Kyoto - 14 Days

See the best of South Korea and Japan as you cross the two nations by car, plane, and train. Learn about culinary traditions at busy markets in Seoul and Busan, then explore volcanic Jeju Island's gardens and mountains. Jet off to Tokyo for Mount Fuji views and pop culture, and ride a bullet train to Kyoto for a tea ceremony and hike before indulging in street food in Osaka.

Visit famous K-drama filming locations like Jeonju Hanok Village, with traditional buildings
Map of South Korea K-Drama Tour: Seoul, Jeonju, Gyeongju & Busan - 10 Days
South Korea K-Drama Tour: Seoul, Jeonju, Gyeongju & Busan - 10 Days

Immerse yourself in Korean drama on this 10-day tour of South Korea. You'll visit the country's most famous locations, featured on film, from Seoul to Jeonju, Gyeongju, and Busan. Marvel at the capital's Gyeongbokgung palace and N Seoul Tower, then discover European-themed villages and the UNESCO-listed Seokguram Grotto. More movie-worthy highlights include Jeonju's ancient hanok houses, Daerengwon Tomb Complex, and Busan's Gamcheon Cultural Village.

Damyan Bamboo Forest
Map of Discover South Korea's Western Coast Natural Wonders - 7 Days
Discover South Korea's Western Coast Natural Wonders - 7 Days

From bamboo forests to mountain summits, discover some of South Korea's natural wonders along the peninsula's western coast. Touchdown in Seoul and admire the extensive grounds of Gyeongbokgung palace before heading south to explore Taeanhaean National Park and soaring over Daecheon Beach by sky bike. After checking out the traditional houses of Jeonju Hanok Village and wandering Damyan's lush bamboo forests, you'll take in the extraordinary views of Jirisan National Park.

Explore K-drama filming locations like the sprawling Gyeongbokgung palace
Map of South Korea K-Drama Tour of Seoul - 5 Days
South Korea K-Drama Tour of Seoul - 5 Days

Experience a taste of South Korea's "Hallyuwood" as you hit the sights of Korean drama scenes on this five-day trip. You'll tour some of Seoul's most famous locations, which feature heavily in popular South Korean movies and TV shows. Visit ancient Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namsan Mountain, and the iconic N Seoul Tower—you'll even have the chance to ride rollercoasters at Lotte World. Head out of the city for more K-drama hotspots, from European-themed villages to the tree-lined parks of Nami Island.

Taste the flavors of South Korea from the islands to the city
Map of South Korea Culinary Adventure: Seoul, Busan & Jeju - 7 Days
South Korea Culinary Adventure: Seoul, Busan & Jeju - 7 Days

Explore South Korea's diverse culinary traditions from cities to islands on this seven-day tour by train, car, and air, from Seoul to Busan to Udo. Learn Korean flavors and ingredients in a cooking class, and explore the vast Gyeongbokgung palace in Seoul. Board a train south to Busan and then join locals at Jagalchi Fish Market, buying seafood cooked to order. Then fly to tranquil Udo for beach time and village life to end your adventure.

Make the Most of Your Time in South Korea

Have a fixed number of days? Maximize the things to see and do during your visit
Take in a pansori (genre of musical storytelling) performance of drums and singing
How Many Days to Spend in South Korea

A 10-day visit is recommended for South Korea. The small size of the country, combined with good roads, multiple domestic airports, and excellent public transportation, makes it...

South Korea Travel Advice

Read our detailed insights to make sure you have the best trip

Our Latest South Korea Content

See the iconic sights of Seoul and spend a peaceful night in the tranquil Geumsunsa Temple
Map of Signature Seoul & Geumsunsa Temple Stay - 6 Days
Signature Seoul & Geumsunsa Temple Stay - 6 Days

Experience the highlights of South Korea's capital, including an immersive temple stay, with this six-day Seoul getaway. See the traditional changing of the guard at the palace of Gyeongbokgung, learn about more recent Korean history at the DMZ, and take in the views from atop the iconic N Seoul Tower. Spend a night with the monks at Geumsunsa Temple, then end your trip amid the city's best cafés, bathhouses, and street food markets.

Indulge in savory pork bone hot pot with traditional Korean "banchan"
Map of South Korea Culinary Adventure: Seoul, Jeonju, Gwangju, Busan & Jeju - 13 Days
South Korea Culinary Adventure: Seoul, Jeonju, Gwangju, Busan & Jeju - 13 Days

Love exploring new cultures through your taste buds? You'll explore local markets in five different cities and learn to cook plenty of traditional dishes with this 13-day foodie adventure through South Korea. Start by following tantalizing smells and sizzling sounds in Seoul's markets and alleyways before moving on to the country's culinary capital, Jeonju. Continue making your way south, exploring seaside Busan, before wrapping things up among the tangerine groves and tea fields of Jeju Island.

Explore South Korea's UNESCO-listed sites, such as Namhansanseong, during this 10-day tour
Map of South Korea's UNESCO Treasures & Temple Stay - 10 Days
South Korea's UNESCO Treasures & Temple Stay - 10 Days

Discover some of South Korea's UNESCO-listed wonders during this 10-day journey. See palaces and temples in Seoul, make your own Korean name stamp, and learn some traditional recipes before admiring ancient relics in Gongju and Buyeo. Spend a memorable night at the Beopjusa Temple in Songnisan National Park before transferring to Gyeongju, South Korea's "museum without walls." Finally, return to Seoul via a walk along the ancient fortress walls of Namhansanseong.

South Korea Travel Maps

Get the lay of land, and understand distances between the places you want to visit
Map 2 Weeks in South Korea - 4 Unique Itinerary Ideas
2 Weeks in South Korea - 4 Unique Itinerary Ideas
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Map 10 Days in South Korea - 4 Unique Itinerary Ideas
10 Days in South Korea - 4 Unique Itinerary Ideas
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Map 1 Week in South Korea - 4 Unique Itinerary Ideas
1 Week in South Korea - 4 Unique Itinerary Ideas
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Meet our Local Travel Specialists

Experienced travel agents with a passion for South Korea
Travel specialist Jessica Wang
active 13 mins ago

Jessica Wang

My philosophy is that travel is about personal reflection and growth, about meeting people of different cultures, taking in the beauty of nature, and experiencing authentic activities. Let me know...

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Travel specialist Christine Liu
active 2 hours ago

Christine Liu

I have a deep passion for exploring and traveling, as it allows me to encounter new cultures, meet new people, and witness the incredible diversity of our world. I have traveled to more than 30...

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Travel specialist Winnie Wu
active 19 mins ago

Winnie Wu

I am Winnie, with over 10 years of experience in the travel industry, I specialize in crafting personalized journeys across East Asia, especially to Japan, Korea, and China. Each of these countries...

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Travel specialist Hilda Yang
active 57 mins ago

Hilda Yang

Travel is my greatest passion—it awakens my senses, connects me with nature's wonders, and continually deepens my appreciation for our diverse world. Every journey through Japan reveals new layers...

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Trip Reviews for South Korea

The latest reviews by travelers who booked their trip on kimkim

Our first stop was Seoul and our Driver/Guide...
South Korea | Jun 10 - Jun 25, 2026

Rebecca
Rebecca S.
Wake Forest, NC, USA | Reviewed on Jul 02, 2026

Our first stop was Seoul and our Driver/Guide was Jun and he was so fun that nothing felt awkward.

Local specialist: Jessica Wang
Jessica
Jessica Wang
Local specialist in South Korea | Replied on Jul 03, 2026

Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I'm delighted to hear that you had such a great start to your trip in Seoul. Jun will be thrilled to know that you enjoyed your time with him. It's wonderful to hear that his friendly personality helped you feel comfortable and made the experience so enjoyable.😊

The BEST trip ever!!!
South Korea | Jun 20 - Jun 30, 2026

Emily
Emily P.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Jul 01, 2026
Our trip with KimKim was the trip of a lifetime! Jessica did an outstanding job and planned the best vacation for us in Korea and Japan. It could not have been any better! She listed to our needs and wants and worked to accommodate our every wish. She was extremely responsive and always eager to help us! Her details and follow through was fantastic. The trip itself was perfect for our family! We loved Seoul and Busan and wished we had planned more time in Korea. Our tour guide Jino in... Read more

Our trip with KimKim was the trip of a lifetime! Jessica did an outstanding job and planned the best vacation for us in Korea and Japan. It could not have been any better! She listed to our needs and wants and worked to accommodate our every wish. She was extremely responsive and always eager to help us! Her details and follow through was fantastic. The trip itself was perfect for our family! We loved Seoul and Busan and wished we had planned more time in Korea. Our tour guide Jino in Busan was the best and by the time the day was done, we felt like he was a member of our family! We visited four cities in Japan and Jessica tailored our visits to each city perfectly. All of our tour guides and drivers were wonderful and so genuinely sweet and helpful. The transportation and transfers were smooth and flawless, and we appreciated not having to worry about a thing! The hotels that Jessica booked were top notch and she situated us in the best parts of town. We loved being able to walk around the areas and shop find food quickly for some late night snacks or early coffee runs. Jessica allocated the perfect amount of time at each site we visited and we were able to do so much during our trip, and we quickly realized we could not have planned such an amazing trip without her. I highly, highly recommend KimKim and our specialist Jessica. This was the most memorable trip and truly the trip of a lifetime.

Hotel Reviews
Richmond Hotel Asakusa

Beautiful hotel. Rooms were lovely.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Highland Resort Hotel & Hot spring
Fujiyoshida

Beautiful hotel and staff was extremely helpful. Rooms were lovely and clean. The Onsen and spa were closed when we were there and it was also raining so the amusement park was closed. We didn’t have much to do in the rain, so the Onsen and hotel spa would have been good options had they been open.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kyoto Premier
Kyoto
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu
Osaka
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Avani Central Busan
Busan
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
ENA Suite Hotel Namdaemun
Seoul
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Tea Ceremony in Kyoto FLOWER TEAHOUSE
Tea Ceremony in Kyoto FLOWER TEAHOUSE
Kyoto

This was a beautiful experience. So glad we did this!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Dotonbori Family-Friendly Food Walk
Dotonbori Family-Friendly Food Walk
Osaka

Loved our guide Ken. Sweet man and we enjoyed our time with him.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
 Half  Day  shopping tour
Half Day shopping tour
Tokyo
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Kyoto's Cultural Treasures: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji
Kyoto's Cultural Treasures: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji
South Korea
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
 Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle
Osaka
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Lake Kawaguchiko Day Trip
Lake Kawaguchiko Day Trip
Fujikawaguchiko

We loved this day even though we did not have a view of Fuji. Everything was beautiful! Loved the cultural village we visited.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide also recommended a wonderful sushi restaurant for lunch. The food was incredible!
Transport
Explore Tokyo: Culture, History & Local Life
Explore Tokyo: Culture, History & Local Life
Tokyo

Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and as with all of our guides, she genuinely wanted us to enjoy our day. We loved the beautiful places we visited.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Half Day Seoul City Tour with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village
Half Day Seoul City Tour with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village
Seoul

This was beautiful and highly informative! Our guide Billy did a wonderful job!! We loved this experience!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo: Enter the Sanctuary
Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo: Enter the Sanctuary
Tokyo

This was so much fun and my college age kids loved this!! The two guides were outstanding and the wrestlers were fun and hilarious while also seriously teaching about sumo wrestling. My kids loved getting to train and wrestle the sumos. This was wonderful!!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Full Day Busan Highlights Tour with Jagalchi Fishery Market
Full Day Busan Highlights Tour with Jagalchi Fishery Market
Busan

This day was outstanding! Our tour guide Jino was the absolute best - the best of our trip. Loved eating at the fish market. Busan is beautiful and it was wonderful to see everything. The sky train was great too.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Jino!!
Transport
Local specialist: Jessica Wang
Jessica
Jessica Wang
Local specialist in South Korea | Replied on Jul 02, 2026
Hi Emily, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful review. It truly means a lot to me. It was an absolute pleasure helping you and your family plan this journey, and I'm so happy to hear that Korea and Japan gave you so many wonderful memories. I'll be sure to pass your kind words along to Jino and the rest of our guides and drivers—they'll be delighted to know they made such a positive impression. Thank you again for trusting me with such a special family trip.... Read more

Hi Emily,

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful review. It truly means a lot to me.

It was an absolute pleasure helping you and your family plan this journey, and I'm so happy to hear that Korea and Japan gave you so many wonderful memories. I'll be sure to pass your kind words along to Jino and the rest of our guides and drivers—they'll be delighted to know they made such a positive impression.

Thank you again for trusting me with such a special family trip. Wishing you all many more amazing adventures together, and I hope our paths cross again someday!

Warmly,
Jessica

S. Korea fun
South Korea | Jun 3 - Jun 18, 2026

Joyce
Joyce Y.
Diamond Bar, CA | Reviewed on Jun 25, 2026
We had a great time with all of our guides. They were each very knowledgable and friendly and fun. The day trip to Udo Island, though, was quite strenuous with many cardiovascular activities and a warning of that would have been helpful. The DMZ tour was a disappointing, since the JSA is no longer open to the public. Knowing this would have also been helpful because that was probably what I looked forward to most. The other stops on the tour were less than thrilling and had I known what the... Read more

We had a great time with all of our guides. They were each very knowledgable and friendly and fun. The day trip to Udo Island, though, was quite strenuous with many cardiovascular activities and a warning of that would have been helpful. The DMZ tour was a disappointing, since the JSA is no longer open to the public. Knowing this would have also been helpful because that was probably what I looked forward to most. The other stops on the tour were less than thrilling and had I known what the tour would entail I would have opted instead for a free day. Maire, the tour guide for DMZ was also very difficult to understand because of her unique accent.

Hotel Reviews
Lotte Hotel Seoul
Seoul
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Grand Hyatt Hotel Jeju

This hotel caters to Chinese national tourists and feels more like China than S. Korea. Most patrons and staff speak Mandarin Chinese and the breakfast buffet also catered more to a Chinese palette than showcasing authentic Korean cuisine. The flashiness of a Vegas hotel, but without the actual need of such. It appears as an impostor on an island that doesn't need it. Wish we had stayed elsewhere.

Authenticity & Character
Cheesy, flashy, wannabe Vegas hotel.
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Grand Josun Busan
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

So beautiful with great amenties. Highlight is the breakfast buffet!

Authenticity & Character
Location
within walking distance to many neighborhoods in Seoul.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Christine Liu
Christine
Christine Liu
Local specialist in Seoul and Japan | Replied on Jun 26, 2026
Hi Joyce, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughtful feedback. I'm delighted to hear that you had a great time with all of your guides and found them knowledgeable, friendly, and fun. I'll be sure to pass along your kind words—they'll be thrilled to hear them. I also really appreciate your comments about Udo Island and the DMZ tour. We'll review how we describe the physical activity level for Udo Island so future travelers can make a more informed decision. Regarding... Read more

Hi Joyce,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughtful feedback. I'm delighted to hear that you had a great time with all of your guides and found them knowledgeable, friendly, and fun. I'll be sure to pass along your kind words—they'll be thrilled to hear them.

I also really appreciate your comments about Udo Island and the DMZ tour. We'll review how we describe the physical activity level for Udo Island so future travelers can make a more informed decision.

Regarding the DMZ, we're sorry it didn't meet your expectations. Unfortunately, access to the JSA remains subject to government restrictions. It can change with little notice, but we understand how disappointing that must have been, especially since it was one of the highlights you were looking forward to.

Thank you again for traveling with us. It was truly a pleasure helping you plan your trip, and we hope to welcome you back to Korea—or perhaps Japan—in the future! 😊

Why travelers love kimkim

Custom trips for independent travelers who are too busy to plan
Customize your trip with the help of a local travel specialist

Kimkim has handpicked the world’s top local travel specialists so you will have peace of mind and an unforgettable trip that meets your exact requirements.

Authentic travel experiences

Kimkim’s local specialists ensure that you will have the best experience based on up-to-date local insights. On top of that, the vast majority of your money will go straight to support and grow local economies.

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Once you are happy with the trip, you can easily book via kimkim’s secure payment platform.

Local support during your trip

You can always reach your local specialist with a quick message or call in case you hit a snag during your trip, or simply want some great local recommendations.