Seoul

Currency

Myeongdong street exchange booths give better rates than banks or the airport. Korea is heavily cashless — a card and a T-money transit card cover almost everything.

ATMs & cards

Look for ATMs marked "Global" at KB, Shinhan or in convenience stores — ordinary domestic machines often refuse foreign cards. Decline conversion.

Look for the word Global on the machine before queueing.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Extremely safe, including for solo travellers at night. Air quality can be poor in spring due to dust — check the index and consider a mask. Summers are hot and very humid with a monsoon in July.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Routine vaccinations up to date
• Hepatitis A

Getting treated

Excellent, fast and surprisingly affordable even without insurance — a specialist consultation without cover often costs less than a co-payment elsewhere. Large hospitals have international clinics with English-speaking staff.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Korean barbecue is usually for two or more people minimum. Gwangjang Market is the classic street food stop. Convenience store food in Korea is genuinely good and very cheap.

Getting around

• Subway — one of the world’s best: cheap, signed in English, WiFi throughout
• T-money card — buy at any convenience store, works on subway, bus and taxis
• Bus — colour-coded by route type, very cheap
• Taxi — inexpensive by international standards, use Kakao T
• Airport: AREX express from Incheon to Seoul Station (43 min, ~9500 KRW)

Must-see

Things to do

• Watch the guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung
• Wear a hanbok through Bukchon village
• Eat through Gwangjang Market
• Hike Bukhansan National Park
• Experience a jjimjilbang bathhouse
• See the city at night from N Seoul Tower

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Korean

• Hello안녕하세요 — Annyeonghaseyoan-nyong-ha-SE-yo
• Please주세요 — JuseyoJOO-se-yo
• Thank you감사합니다 — Kamsahamnidakam-sa-HAM-ni-da
• Yes / No네 / 아니요 — Ne / Aniyoneh / A-ni-yo
• Excuse me저기요 — JeogiyoJUH-gi-yo
• How much is it?얼마예요 — Eolmayeyo?ol-ma-YE-yo
• The bill, please계산해 주세요 — Gyesanhae juseyogye-san-HE joo-se-yo
• Cheers!건배 — Geonbae!gon-BE

Religion

No majority faith

Roughly half report no religion; the rest are largely Protestant, Buddhist and Catholic. Buddhist temple stays are open to visitors and are a genuine experience rather than a show.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Pour drinks for others, never for yourself, and hold the bottle with two hands for elders
• Turn your head away from elders when drinking
• Give and receive with two hands
• Take shoes off entering homes and many traditional restaurants

Don't

• Do not stick chopsticks upright in rice; it echoes ancestral rites
• Do not start eating before the eldest person at the table
• Do not write someone’s name in red ink — it is associated with the dead
• Do not tip; it is not part of the culture and can embarrass