Architecture on the Road
MY 10 DAYS, FIRST TIME TO SOUTH KOREA ITINERARY
In October 2019 we managed to squeeze in a 10 day trip to South Korea.
As much as we enjoy a slower pace while traveling, this trip had to take place during the National Holiday in the country we are currently working (China).
Ten days was a really small window to plan a route that covers an entire country, but we were aware that most likely we would not have the opportunity to come back to South Korea in the next few years, so we tried to make the most of the time we had.
The relatively small size of the country allowed us to really plan a great route for only 10 days, which focused mainly on Korean cities and towns in the mainland (no Jeju island).
DISCLAIMER: I decided to share this 10 day itinerary that I crafted for myself with a tendency to include destinations that cater to my particular interest in traditional and vernacular architecture. I’m not claiming this to be the ultimate Korean Itinerary, as it lacks some of the beautiful natural and island attractions that the country has to offer (next trip!).
Without further adding, here is my unpolished, straight out of excel, 10 day to South Korea itinerary:
DAY 1: BUSAN
- Our flight arrived in Busan very early in the morning.
- morning: Haeundae Beach and surrounding neighborhood
- afternoon: Haedong Yonggunsa Temple
In Busan, we stayed at the Kimchee Haeundae Guesthouse. The hostel was really close to Haeundae Beach with great restaurants and street food around, and super conveniently located for the long distance bus station to get out of Busan.
DAY 2: BUSAN
- morning: Beumeosa Temple
- afternoon: Gamcheon Culture village
- night: Gwangalli Beach and neighborhood
DAY 3: BUSAN > GYEONGJU
- morning: 11 am bus to Gyeongju. 1h ride- 5,400 ₩
- afternoon: Tumuli Park
- Gyeongju Hanok Neigborhood (right next to the Tumuli park; nice place to wander around and enjoy sophisticated shops and nice food)
- night: dinner at Jungang Market
- after dinner, bike rental at hostel and ride to a few of the main Cultural Heritage sites. It is suggested to visit some of these at night because the lighting is particularly enjoyable:
- Cheomseongdae observatory tower
- Donggung Palace
- Woljeonggyo Bridge
In Gyeongju we stayed at Doobaki Hostel, very conveniently located in the city center close to bus stops and the yummy local Jungang Market, and granted the opportunity to rent bikes.
DAY 4: GYEONGJU
- morning: Bulguksa Temple
- afternoon: Gyeongju Gyochon traditional Hanok village
- Gyeongju Hanok Neigborhood (again), visiting some local temples found along the route and seeking scrumptious food in many of the restaurants and cafés in the traditional hanok neighborhood.
DAY 5: GYEONGJU > ANDONG
- morning (10 am): bus to Andong. 2.5h ride – 15,000 ₩
- afternoon: visit to Andong Hahoe village (approximately 1h local bus ride from the city center)
In Andong we stayed at Kim’s Guesthouse hostel, a small and cozy hostel in a traditional hanok house.
DAY 6: ANDONG > SEOUL
- morning: 10 am bus to Seoul. 3h ride – 22,000 ₩
- afternoon: Namsan Hill and Tower
- night: Itaewon district
In Seoul we stayed at Come On Guesthouse Myeongdong, fairly average but really cheap guesthouse, conveniently located at the subway stop Chungmuro, in the busy and lively shopping district of Myeongdong.
DAY 7: SEOUL
- morning: Gyeongbokgung Palace. People wearing hanbok get free entrance to the Palace. Renting a hanbok is similarly priced to the Palace’s ticket, but dressing up is a lot more fun! (there are a lot of hanbok rental shops all around the city center and next to the Palace)
- afternoon: Buchon Hanok village
- night: Hongdae district
DAY 8: SEOUL
- morning: Jogyesa Temple
- Insadong district
- afternoon: Ikseondong Hanok Village
- Gwangjang Market
- walk along the Cheonggyeocheon Stream
- Dongdaemun Design Plaza
- night: Gagnam district
DAY 9: SEOUL > JEONJU
- morning: Namsagol Hanok village
- 12 pm bus to Jeonju. 3h ride – 22,000 ₩
- afternoon: exploration of the Hanok village
In Jeonju we stayed at Beautiful Garden Hanok Guesthouse, a very pretty traditional Hanok house, conveniently located in the quiet south of Jeonju Hanok neighborhood.
When in South Korea, a Hanok Stay is a must try! (but be prepared to sleep on the floor)
DAY 10: JEONJU > BUSAN
- morning: Jeonju Hyanggyo Temple
- Omogdae Hill
- Lazy wandering in the hanok village
- afternoon: Gyeonggijeon Palace
- 17.30 bus back to Busan. 3h – 24,000 ₩
In Busan we spent the last night in the Vins 70 Hotel, affordable and really conveniently located close to the railway to the airport (we had a 7.am flight back to China waiting for us the following morning).
The area around the hotel was surprisingly alive, full of many restaurants of each kind (we had our last, grand, Korean bbq of the trip), at a much more affordable price than Busan downtown.
CONCLUSIONS, THOUGHTS, IN HINDSIGHT CONSIDERATIONS
South Korea has been a surprising blast.
Often underrated compared to the majority of Asian countries, a lot more expensive than South East Asia and bypassed in favor of the the well renowned natural and cultural attractions of Japan or China, we found South Korea really an enjoyable place to visit.
It’s pleasant, well functioning and easy to navigate (which is refreshing after years living and travelling in China as a foreigner). We found the public transport system efficient, not crowded and easy to understand, which helped a lot to make the most out of these 10 days.
It’s definitely expensive compared to the most of Asia, and we found quite easy to spend money too: there are so many delicious food and coffee shops to try and so many great quality items (such as clothes or make-up) that is quite easy to start splurging here and there.
I must admit that we treated ourselves a bit, especially with food, as we are great fans of Korean delicacies. Our love for Korean food was indeed one of the main point of inspiration to go to Korea, and therefore an important part of the whole trip. It’s probably where we spent the most money (no regrets).
Time-wise I believe that 10 days are a fair amount of time to have a general impression of South Korea and visit its most interesting cities.
The time spent in Gyeongju, Andong and Jeonju was just perfect to see pretty much everything we were interested in, and at a leisurely pace.
Of course in cities like Seoul or Busan would have been nice to spend few days more. There is so much fun stuff to do (especially in Seoul) that I felt I could move there tomorrow, and no surprise it’s considered one of the coolest cities to live in.
Unfortunately only 10 days were not enough to pay a visit the beautiful nature of South Korea. We would have loved to visit the some of the beautiful National Parks and the islands (especially Jeju) in the South, but to do so we would have needed the double of the time, so we had to compromise, hopefully with the chance to come back one day!
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