The cherry blossoms, Joseon dynasty, K-beauty and K-everything was what drew me to South Korea.

I recently spent three weeks in South Korea — a lot of it involved a bit of cycling, hiking and even staying in a temple for 2 days with a monk. (I’ll tell you more about that in detail later!)

In my opinion, 10 days to 2 weeks is just the right amount of time to spend in South Korea.

I slow travelled the Korean countryside and saw a different side of Korea that nobody talks about.

This involving hiking, visiting locations with gorgeous flower fields, experiencing a lot of cultural activities and seeing a Korea that’s not always pretty on the outside, but made me think about deeply about their life, values and culture.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. I only provide unbiased and completely honest recommendations. Read more about the site’s privacy policy.

What You Should Know About South Korea (My Travel Tips!)

here’s my south korea itinerary anywhere from 10 days to 2 weeks

Buy your sim-card beforehand here. It comes with a free T-money card for transportation!
If you’re coming from the airport: get the AREX express train ticket (great for less luggage) but for convenience get the limousine bus here.
The two most common maps used are NaverMaps & KakaoMaps
Papago is the go-to translation app for conversing in locals
You can book your train tickets on Trip.com & bus tickets via Klook.com (it is easy and saves a ton of time instead of using Korail!)
Bring cash with you if you’re in the countryside; otherwise I would recommend getting a WOW pass which serves as a debit card and transportation combo.
Get T-Money card to navigate Korea’s metro & bus system (easy to use & top-up)

10 Day Korean Itinerary: Nature, Cities & Hikes

a look at some of the gorgeous countryside in south korea

Day 1-3: Seoul
Day 4: Damyang
Day 4-6: Jirisan National Park
Day 6-8: Busan
Day 8-9: Gyeongju
Day 9-10: Seoul

2 Weeks Adventurous Korean Itinerary: Cities, Cycling & Hiking

Day 1-3: Seoul
Day 3-9: Cycling South Korea Countryside (Mokpo-Naju-Sunchang-Jirisan National Park-Hadong) (Read my guide here)
Day 9-11: Busan
Day 11-12: Gyeongju + Temple stay at Golgusa
Day 12-14: Seoul

(option to visit Jeju Island from Mokpo. It takes 4 hours 30 minutes - you can book ferry tickets here.)

The Complete South Korea Itinerary

Day 1: Seoul

catching the last bit of cherry blossoms towards middle of april in seoul

The first day in Seoul is a sensory overload and the best way is to explore the neighbourhoods you’re staying in.

The most common place where people stay in is at Myeongdong area or you could even stay close to Seoul station (which is near Namsan Tower).

If you’re here for the first day, the best way is to explore Namdaemun Market 남대문시장 and try out their local street food from hotteok shops, japchae to knife cut noodles called Kalguksu.

You could then walk over to Namsan Park and see all the flowers in bloom (it doesn’t even have to be cherry blossom season) as I found the park to be so pretty and tranquil.

There’s an option to ride the cable car and head to Namsan Seoul Tower.

On your way down, head to Namsangol Hanok Village 남산골한옥마을 where you’ll see well-preserved Korean buildings.

This is the perfect time to also slow down and have nice coffee at this cute green cafe called Earth Dome.

The other touristy Hanok villages should be saved for your time in the morning on another day as this is a great spot to soak in the tranquility of Seoul.

Where to stay in Seoul?

Day 2: Seoul - Hanbok & The Palace Grounds

our gorgeous hanbok rental in seoul - a must do in south korea

The best thing about Seoul are all the places that you should visit. You should spend this day visiting the tourist sites.

I went straight to the Gyeongbokgung Palace and here’s where you should catch the changing of guards which happens at 10.00am and 2.00pm everyday except Tuesdays.

Before that, you should rent a hanbok because it is the best way to enjoy the palace grounds for free and take as many pictures as you want in these elaborate pastel dresses.

exploring the palace grounds in our hanbok

I am not much of a dress-up person but I found the whole process so seamless — I took the luxury option with hair included and I think that’s worth it. You can choose to take the outdoor shoots with a photographer as well.

If you have time after or before the hanbok experience, you must sign up for an ebike tour — I found it the best way to explore the backstreets of seoul with a dash of adventure. They even make a pitstop at cute bakeries and take you to the Bukchon Hanok village.

Day 3: Seoul (Hiking Bukhansan Mountain or DMZ Tour)

hiking bukhansan mountain - the highest point in seoul

If you feel like you’ve decision fatigue and want to do everything — this is perhaps the day where you have to decide if you want to do hiking or go for a historical tour.

Some of my friends who I knew decided to go for the DMZ tour (the only way to do this is with a tour) which is the best way to learn about the aftermath of Korea and the history of North and South Korea.

on our descent down - a bit tricky and giving yosemite feels

But if you prefer seeing a different side and want to leave the tour for maybe your last day in Korea, I would recommend visiting Bukhansan Mountain and heading to the top of Baegundae Peak.

It’s a Korean version of the Halfdome in Yosemite and it’ll take you to the highest point in Seoul at 836 metres. This entire trek is about 4-5 hours long but it was so worth it to see Koreans hiking in droves, cooking noodles on the peak and enjoying the views!

If you’re afraid of heights, the last 200 metres may be a bit scary but otherwise it was a very enjoyable and moderate hiking trail! Go on a weekday and not a weekend to avoid crowds!

Day 4: Damyang

Head to the countryside of Korea to see their version of the bamboo forest.

There’s a direct bus from Seoul Express Bus station. You can easily book your bus here and it’ll take you 2.5 hours to reach Damyang.

Damyang was such a hidden gem on my South Korea itinerary.

It is known for its towering bamboo groves and those perfectly lined metasequoia trees that make you feel like you’re in some dreamy... Korea movie-set forest.

You can easily spend half a day healing in the Juknokwon forests as what some locals do and then head to see these tall metasequioa trees.

One thing about Damyang are its cold or warm noodles and its special fishy broth overlooking the stream and these bright Azalea flowers. They were a special treat when we reached in the summer and spring season.

Where to stay in Damyang?

Day 4-6: Head to Jirisan National Park & Hwaeomsa Temple

on the top of ngodan peak in jirisan national park

hwaeomsa temple - a must visit in jirisan

You should visit atleast one national park in Korea and Jirisan National Park is one of them.

To get here, you would need to take a bus from Damyang to Gwangju as a pit stop and change the bus to Gurye.

From Gurye, it is a 10 minute taxi ride to Jirisan National Park. People travel all the way here to admire their pink cherry blossoms, but even if you come off season, the other flowers here are worth it.

There are countless trails and easy hikes to do — you also get to visit a bear rehab centre right in Jirisan National Park.

Jirisan Mountain means the 'the mountain of wise people'. In the past, many hermits entered Jiri Mountain to train their minds.

If you’re here you should climb the Ngodan Peak (1,507 metres) — I would ask for help from the guesthouse to make a permit reservation as it is free for foreigners.

The peak is an easy 3 hour hike and it offers splendid views of Korea’s mountain range.

Hwaeomsa Temple was also a real highlight when we stopped here for a day. The temple grounds are huge and you can totally do a temple stay here. We even met foreigners who were volunteering here as ‘tea makers’ for 3 weeks.

Where to stay in Jirisan National Park?

Day 6-7: Busan: Haeundae Beach + Busan Spa Land

On your first day, grab a bus from Gurye to Busan. There are usually buses to Busan at 9:30, 12:30, 14:00 and 18:30.

But if there are none, the other option is to take a bus to Hadong and take a direct train from there to Busan (Bujeon station).

There’s so many things to do in Busan but on your first day you should ease into it. I explored Haeundae Beach and their traditional market. It was fun to do some cute caricatures drawing and hop around to eat local food.

In the evening to rest and relax, you should absolutely explore Busan’s spa land. It is easy to book your tickets here.

The spa was like anything I had ever visited - there are 18 different hot springs and 13 theme spas to choose from and you can have meals there as well!

Where to stay in Busan

Day 7-8: Explore Busan’s Igidae Coast Trail + Visit Gamcheon Village

If you’re looking for blue skies and to have crazy views, you absolutely should do the Igidae Coastal trail on your last day.

It’s a wooden board walk paved path that hugs the coastline. The Igidae trail, it is about 4.7km long and can be completed in 2-3 hours. The starting point is from the Oryukdo sky walk and it is best to start from South to North.

In summer, the skies was crazily blue and we had a lot of sections to ourselves. On a clear day, you can even see Tshumia Island of Japan!

the gorgeous gamcheon culture village in busan

You can then head to Gamcheon Culture Village — it is likened to be Korea’s Santorini. The murals of k-pop stars, colourful houses remind you like you’re elsewhere in Busan.

There are still traces of its history where it was a shanty town settlement for Korean War refugees.

I would urge you to spend an hour or two to walk through the entire town to dig deeper into the historical and cultural aspects of these spots.

During sunset, opt for the Haeundae blueline sky capsule and night view tour here. The morning slots are often taken up and I think the golden hues during sunset make it far more iconic!

Day 8-9 Gyeongju

Gyeongju was a fascinating place to visit if you’re interested in traditional temples, scenic cafes and seeing cherry blossoms.

There’s a day trip tour that even takes you to all the main spots like the Korean traditional houses without having to worry about transport. If you’re tight on time, you should do this.

But if you’ve an extra day and want to experience a temple stay, you should try Golgusa temple. You can book it here.

Most stays range from 2 days 1 night and includes Sunmudo training which includes is a traditional Korean Buddhist practice that combines meditation, yoga, qigong, and martial arts training.

Where to stay in Gyeongju

Day 9-10: Seoul

You can easily book your bus here from Gyeongju to Seoul. There are direct buses every one hour or so.

Spend your last night in Seoul by exploring Hongdae neighbourhood and if you’ve time and want to soak in the last of the city views, head to Naksan park and do the Seoul city wall trail.

It is only a 30 minute walk but the night time views are splendid!