South Korea 2026

Flight from Washington, DC

My partner and I had a direct, 14+ hour flight with Korean Air. 2nd to last row in economy, 2 seats only, whole row to ourselves.

Service and food: good. First meal was their famous bibimbap (yummy). Snack was a hot pocket (fine). Second meal was beef, mushroom, and rice (yummy). Plentiful water and pineapple juice.

Temperature: warm to hot, ok to bad. No self-controllable air vent. Made sleeping extra difficult. Learned Korean Air is infamous for this. Wish I brought a fan and wore shorts.

Economy seat space: great. Very spacious, recline was good.

In-flight entertainment: good. IMO United is slightly better but I'm not complaining.

ICN customs and immigration: good. We were out in maybe 20-30 min, including waiting for my checked bag. No K-ETA needed for U.S. passport holders. Still needed to fill out Arrival card (at airport).

As I remembered from my last (much shorter) time in Korea, getting from ICN airport to Seoul is logistically easy but long. Lots of public transportation options but ICN is far from Seoul city center. We got to our hotel in Gwangwhamun in 1.5 hours. Exhausted.

We were so tired that we settled for having a quick and casual meal at the hotel restaurant - we otherwise have never eaten at our hotel's restaurant except for complimentary breakfast.

Day 2: Nandaemun Market tour & N Seoul Tower

The tour was ok. We tried 7 different street foods. We mainly liked the noodles (one hand cut and hot, other cold and made of potato starch with egg) we had at one of the crowded, busy stalls served by a couple older women and surrounded by other older women. 😆 We also had hoettok (pretty good), tteokbokki (eh), Korean potato / onion / pork pancake (good but greasy), spicy fishcake with soy sauce (eh), and bibimbap (ok; we've had better). The guide also showed us around several flea market style shops where folks buy fresh or artificial flower, Korean souvenirs, army-themed clothes, kitchenware, furniture, bedding, and more. Felt very much like New York Chinatown. At the end she showed us Namdaemon Gate and shared a bottle of makgeolli.

The guide was very sweet, took pics of us, and generously shared with us recommendations for other things (food, Jeju sights, skincare products, more) to see via Naver Map lists.

She recommended we hike to N Seoul Tower next, and we did – but we underestimated the climb! We came across a free City Wall Museum on the way. We could've taken a cable car but anyway it was crowded. The top was beautiful and full of people enjoying the scenery and little shops. There is a tradition for couples to buy "love" locks too, but we opted not to.

We took a bus back to our hotel - it was an easy straight shot. We only had to wait a few min for it to come.

So far our bus experience here has been nice – buses are frequent and cheap and haven't been too crowded in the times we have used them so far.

Day 3: Private tour around Gwanghwamon, Insadong, Hanbok Village, Kilsangsa

Breakfast: oxtail soup from Imun Seolleongtang (https://naver.me/Go57Jhv7). Alright. Hidden local spot. Michelin guide??

Coffee: espresso from bitterbutter. Yummy!

Lunch: Suwang (https://share.google/RRoi9WS8VMKkWpJ0u). Good. Had clam ramyeon and soybean paste seafood soup with rice and banchan. Hidden local spot.

Dinner: SUPERPAN. We met, were served by, and had pictures with head chef Seoul Mother herself! So much food we were exploding. The best cod and octopus we've had. First time having Korean red wine. Piña colada ice cream with strong, natural coconut taste. 8-course meal.

Most of the day was on a private walking tour with a local guide. She was great. She tailored the day to suit our interests and pace, and she taught us a lot about Korean history and culture. We visited Gwanghwamun square, the National History museum rooftop, Bukchon Hanbok Village, Gilsangsa temple, and small hanok houses along the way. The guide showed us both bitterbutter and Suwang for drink and food. We were together for 6+ hours! After that we had the multi-course dinner at SUPERPAN. A packed day.

Day 4: Fly to Jeju Island, drive to Seogwipo

Breakfast: Coffee and salt bread from Mass Coffee. Anko butter pretzel scone from bitterbutter. Sandwiches from Jimmy John's. Everything's good. JJ's was a much needed break from Korean fermented food to fresh vegetables.

Flight: from Gimpo Airport via Jeju Air. Generally smooth experience. Was reminded of how rude Koreans, especially Korean men, can be on planes and in general. Less than 1 hour flight. Easy commute to airport from Gwanghwamun. Landed in Jeju at 1:35 p.m. Had to wait for checked bags and navigate to car rental office.

Car rental: via Lotte rent a car from Jeju airport. A little tricky finding the shuttle but we did it. Driving in Jeju is frustrating given the very slow speed limits - 30-60 km/hr, often 30 or 50 km/hr. 50 min drive to go to 44km from Jeju city to Seogwipo.

Hotel: at Run Hotel in Seogwipo. It is spacious and clean with working a/c. Conveniently located. Arrived a little before 4 p.m., official check-in time.

Walking tour: at 6:30 p.m. Expected it to be leisurely but we ended up walking a 5k... Only able to eat close to 9 p.m. I was struggling. Overall it was a pleasant and beautiful evening - on the west side of Seogwipo, saw Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, walked across the Sunset Point bridge, saw a light show and live singer/guitarist, hiked around a a path by the bridge, and walked all the way back to the city center through Olle Maile Market. Still, it felt very rushed. I was cranky.

Day 5: Scuba diving, Netflix & chill

Breakfast: instant ramen, snacks, CU coffee

Diving: fun! Went with MJ Diving Club and three other women - from Germany, Netherlands, and USA (Florida). We were all considered advanced divers, which our divemaster mentioned as enjoybable since she could skip the basic dive site and dive longer with us (~43+ minutes) in 20C water. I saw a lot of soft coral, lionfish, clownfish, Dory, nudibranches, and even a crab! I think we all got along well. MJ was a very good DM, taking care of carrying our equipment and and even providing snacks and towels for the surface interval.

Day 6: Laundry, Jeongbang & Sojeongbang waterfalls, omakase dinner

Felt so tired from the last several days, so taking it easy this day.

Laundry: at 24-hour coin self-service laundry. 4500 won for wash. Found a great place to eat nearby while waiting for the clothes...

Breakfast: at Boxmeal, 33000 won for an olive basil grilled sandwich, jamon cheese grilled sandwich, french fries, and 2 americanos. A great way to start our day.

Picked up the clothes, hung them to dry in our room, and rested some more. Then, wanted to watch the World Cup game between South Korea and Czechia at a sports pub but the only one that was open for the game was full. We changed plans...

Lunch: at Monstera Vietnamese restaurant. So good. Pho bo, banh mi, 2 spring rolls, iced hibiscus tea, and iced limeade for 33000 won.

Next, Jeongbang (2,000 won ticket per person) and Sojeongbang waterfalls - east Seogwipo, 20 min walk from our hotel. So pretty and great island vibe paths. Just made us unpleasantly sweaty in the heat. Stopped by quickly at the Castle of Shell for a little rest.