10 things you need to know before visiting South Korea

1. Lots of places will need cash, including buses (unless you top up a T-money travel card – using cash). 

2. So, get a T-Money card. You can buy and top them up from convenience stores and it’s cheaper and easier than buying single tickets all the time. 

3. Give and receive cash and anything else you’re passing with both hands, or your right hand with your left hand on your right wrist. 

4. You will need Google Translate on your phone. Sometimes restaurants have English menus or signs are translated. But more often than not, you’ll need to translate things yourself. Especially if you’re going into the less-touristy areas of towns and cities. 

5. You’ll also need Naver – Google Maps doesn’t recognise road directions and lots of places aren’t listed. But on Naver, lots of places will only recognise Korean script not English. You get used to it. 

6. If you’re driving you need an international driver’s licence. You can get these for £5.50, you just need a new passport photo and a valid driving licence. We got ours at the Post Office, but this changed in April 2024 and its stores with a PayPoint that issue IDPs. Find out more here.

7. There are a lot of restrictions and controls. Over and over again I realised how ‘free’ things are in the UK compared to South Korea. As I explain in my blog about 3 days in Jeju Island, we couldn’t climb a mountain without booking it and passing checkpoints, following one completely over-infrastructured trail that took away from the natural beauty. We couldn’t go to some beaches because there weren’t lifeguards. We couldn’t go to see the coastline without paying. I understand that some of these are for safety reasons but it just feels so over the top and unnecessarily controlled. 

8. You should research the subtleties of Korean etiquette. There are lots of small things you can do that make a difference, including point 3 about how to give and receive things. Other examples include bowing slightly as a sign of respect as you say thank you, and understanding the hierarchy of age that remains strong in South Korea. Koreans also tend to dress modestly (and very stylishly) so take this into account when packing.  I used this website as a guide.

9. People will bump into you, cut you up, and generally ‘get in your way’ without acknowledging it or apologising. This isn’t rude. It’s just considered to be a part of life – especially in busy cities. Don’t take it personally.

10. It’s not a great place for veggies. Like many Asian countries, South Korea takes its meat dishes seriously. But with a bit of Googling (and a bit of luck) I managed to find plenty of good Korean restaurants that do serve vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Find out more about where we ate in South Korea in my two week itinerary.