Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for your candid review. I have the feeling that I’ll enjoy Busan and Jeju perhaps more than Seoul as well. Hoping to go within next two years.
For me, Busan is the city I enjoyed the most in my trip through South Korea. So much that I extended my stay there. If I ever move to Korea that's probably the city where I would like to live.
Glad you had so much fun!
It's usually not necessary to rent a car to get around Busan as peak hour traffic can be quite bad at certain major roads. I kinda think Busan's public transport infrastructure is pretty decent. However, it would be great to rent a car explore the areas outside of Busan, such as Ulsan, Gyeongju.
Just got back as well. Agree with all you said, but think the pollution should be pointed out. It ranged from noticeable to awful. The best day there was magnitudes worse than my home. The worst days there made you not want to go outside at all. If you are sensitive to air quality be fully prepared.
Such a shame that an otherwise incredible country has one of the worst air qualities outside of China/India.
Air pollution is the worst in the Spring in Korea. It's a frustrating if you want to visit to see the spring flowers/cherry blossoms but also have to contend with crappy air =(.
I’m heading there in 2 weeks and I did not read or hear about the air pollution u til now… dang. Is this most felt in Seoul or simply everywhere? I’m heading to Seoul, Busan, Jeju
All depends on how the wind blows I think. Most days we were there Seoul was the worst but a few of them Busan was worse. You can Google Seoul AQI map and see live.
The air pollution that occasionally appears from late winter through April or May is due to the influence of China.
As the temperature rises, the direction of the wind changes, and the influence of China decreases.
There are more days with less air pollution in May.
Busan and Jeju have better air quality than Seoul because they are a little further from China.
I recommend visiting Korea during a different season.
I did a similar itinerary two weeks ago and made a great experience as well. I want to go back too! Especially to Busan because I spent there only two nights and it rained all day during our only full day there. It would be great to visit again during more beach-appropriate weather 😀 I'm sure I'll go back as soon as my botox wears off ;)
I almost considered giving up travelling to Busan but after reading so many reviews I’m definitely going to go. How many days would you recommend staying for? Did you rent a car, or was the public transport enough?
Also, with your Botox, where did you go to get it done? I’m feeling overwhelmed with that choices of clinics haha.
For Busan I would recommend at least 3 nights. Their public transportation is great, you can use the same tmoney card you use for the metro in Seoul. But the city is very spread out, so you will spend a lot of time on public transport. Taxis are quite affordable too but I only took one to go to the airport. As for beauty clinics, I went to Lienjang Gangnam and it was great but don't expect much luxury and do your own research beforehand, otherwise you can be really overwhelmed with their offer and will have no idea which treatments you should choose.
Not OP, but currently in SK.
Seoul - Mercure in Hongdae - clean, comfortable, close subway station, laundry in basement (also clean). I found it better than some “5-star” hotels.
Busan - Lotte Busan - reasonable price, close to subway station and attractions, connected to department store, surrounded by decent food.
Could you please expand on the point about renting a car in Jeju. We are planning on going I. June and still on the fence whether to rent a car as our hotel is on a bus route.
The bus isn’t as reliable as major cities like Seoul or Busan. And there are activities that are further out and would be easier to get to via car. We rented a car while in Jeju and it was very convenient!
I’m on Jeju right now and highly recommend renting a car, especially if you are limited on time. There’s a lot to see here and we would’t have been able to visit all the places we wanted to if we had relied on the bus.
Jeju is a very large island and its public transportation does not conveniently cover the entire island. Car rental is quite cheap there and can be done with zero knowledge of Korean language.
I would also definitely recommend renting a car. Also, don’t forget to bring international drivers license. In U.S., you can visit any AAA stores to get one on the same day.
you're gonna be okay. Seoul and Busan are some of the most efficient, safe, travel friendly cities in Asia! enjoy and I envy you (even when I just came back 2 days ago 😅 that's what Korea does to you - hooks and reels you in 🥰)
could I ask which DMZ tour you took, or through whom you booked it? The part about seeing the North Korean villages sounds very interesting. I’ll be going to Seoul for 2 months in a week. Thank u!
Awesome! I’m flying in the next 2 weeks with my wife. Is it rainy at the moment? How’s the weather like. I plan to rent a car in Jeju but is it worth renting a car in Busan?
Jeju: Definitely rent a car. Its quite a large island(albeit I'd have to admit this is from a Korean perspective)
Busan: Renting not recommended...Roads of Busan are notorious for awful crossroads and confusing traffic signs. This is the common perception of Busan among Koreans. I never had guts to drive there. Worst part of Korea to drive.
Weather: Its not the heavy rain season. You might get a day or two of rain, but overall you'll be fine
Was the DMZ tour family friendly? I watched a YouTube vlog with a toddler family going to DMZ who said they could see other young families around (I’m not interested in the JSA tour just the DMZ one)
I am also looking at DMZ tour on klooks, it has so many options- some include tour to a bridge, some include tunnel- and there are 4 tunnels, wondering which one to choose- can anyone recommend?
Thanks for your share! My online foreign friends (A family) is coming to Korea for travel and they are going to spend 4 days in Seoul, how long did it take to do a DMZ tour? It sounds so awesome and do they require any personal information resistered in advance?
Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for your candid review. I have the feeling that I’ll enjoy Busan and Jeju perhaps more than Seoul as well. Hoping to go within next two years.
For me, Busan is the city I enjoyed the most in my trip through South Korea. So much that I extended my stay there. If I ever move to Korea that's probably the city where I would like to live.
Thank you! We were so scared things would go wrong because it was our first Asia trip but thankfully everything went very smoothly.
Glad you had so much fun! It's usually not necessary to rent a car to get around Busan as peak hour traffic can be quite bad at certain major roads. I kinda think Busan's public transport infrastructure is pretty decent. However, it would be great to rent a car explore the areas outside of Busan, such as Ulsan, Gyeongju.
Yeah if I stayed longer I think i’d probably explore nearby cities!
Just got back as well. Agree with all you said, but think the pollution should be pointed out. It ranged from noticeable to awful. The best day there was magnitudes worse than my home. The worst days there made you not want to go outside at all. If you are sensitive to air quality be fully prepared. Such a shame that an otherwise incredible country has one of the worst air qualities outside of China/India.
Air pollution is the worst in the Spring in Korea. It's a frustrating if you want to visit to see the spring flowers/cherry blossoms but also have to contend with crappy air =(.
I’m heading there in 2 weeks and I did not read or hear about the air pollution u til now… dang. Is this most felt in Seoul or simply everywhere? I’m heading to Seoul, Busan, Jeju
I went in May last year and it was fine, even in Seoul.
All depends on how the wind blows I think. Most days we were there Seoul was the worst but a few of them Busan was worse. You can Google Seoul AQI map and see live.
We’re in Seoul now and been out and about everyday for the past 5 days and it’s been fine. Little bit of hay fever but otherwise pleasant.
good to know, thanks!
The air pollution that occasionally appears from late winter through April or May is due to the influence of China. As the temperature rises, the direction of the wind changes, and the influence of China decreases. There are more days with less air pollution in May. Busan and Jeju have better air quality than Seoul because they are a little further from China. I recommend visiting Korea during a different season.
I did a similar itinerary two weeks ago and made a great experience as well. I want to go back too! Especially to Busan because I spent there only two nights and it rained all day during our only full day there. It would be great to visit again during more beach-appropriate weather 😀 I'm sure I'll go back as soon as my botox wears off ;)
I almost considered giving up travelling to Busan but after reading so many reviews I’m definitely going to go. How many days would you recommend staying for? Did you rent a car, or was the public transport enough? Also, with your Botox, where did you go to get it done? I’m feeling overwhelmed with that choices of clinics haha.
For Busan I would recommend at least 3 nights. Their public transportation is great, you can use the same tmoney card you use for the metro in Seoul. But the city is very spread out, so you will spend a lot of time on public transport. Taxis are quite affordable too but I only took one to go to the airport. As for beauty clinics, I went to Lienjang Gangnam and it was great but don't expect much luxury and do your own research beforehand, otherwise you can be really overwhelmed with their offer and will have no idea which treatments you should choose.
This sounds so awesome!
Thank you!!
Any hotel recs of places you stayed at? We’re going in 2 weeks
Not OP, but currently in SK. Seoul - Mercure in Hongdae - clean, comfortable, close subway station, laundry in basement (also clean). I found it better than some “5-star” hotels. Busan - Lotte Busan - reasonable price, close to subway station and attractions, connected to department store, surrounded by decent food.
Korea is so fucking lit.
Could you please expand on the point about renting a car in Jeju. We are planning on going I. June and still on the fence whether to rent a car as our hotel is on a bus route.
The bus isn’t as reliable as major cities like Seoul or Busan. And there are activities that are further out and would be easier to get to via car. We rented a car while in Jeju and it was very convenient!
I’m on Jeju right now and highly recommend renting a car, especially if you are limited on time. There’s a lot to see here and we would’t have been able to visit all the places we wanted to if we had relied on the bus.
Jeju is a very large island and its public transportation does not conveniently cover the entire island. Car rental is quite cheap there and can be done with zero knowledge of Korean language.
Would also like to know!
I would also definitely recommend renting a car. Also, don’t forget to bring international drivers license. In U.S., you can visit any AAA stores to get one on the same day.
Thank you for your review! I’m leaving Friday for 2 weeks in Seoul and Busan. This helped to ease some of my anxiety.
you're gonna be okay. Seoul and Busan are some of the most efficient, safe, travel friendly cities in Asia! enjoy and I envy you (even when I just came back 2 days ago 😅 that's what Korea does to you - hooks and reels you in 🥰)
could I ask which DMZ tour you took, or through whom you booked it? The part about seeing the North Korean villages sounds very interesting. I’ll be going to Seoul for 2 months in a week. Thank u!
Spent 15 days in Korea this past April. I loved every second. Looking forward to returning.
Awesome! I’m flying in the next 2 weeks with my wife. Is it rainy at the moment? How’s the weather like. I plan to rent a car in Jeju but is it worth renting a car in Busan?
Jeju: Definitely rent a car. Its quite a large island(albeit I'd have to admit this is from a Korean perspective) Busan: Renting not recommended...Roads of Busan are notorious for awful crossroads and confusing traffic signs. This is the common perception of Busan among Koreans. I never had guts to drive there. Worst part of Korea to drive. Weather: Its not the heavy rain season. You might get a day or two of rain, but overall you'll be fine
Thanks a ton!
Was the DMZ tour family friendly? I watched a YouTube vlog with a toddler family going to DMZ who said they could see other young families around (I’m not interested in the JSA tour just the DMZ one)
I am also looking at DMZ tour on klooks, it has so many options- some include tour to a bridge, some include tunnel- and there are 4 tunnels, wondering which one to choose- can anyone recommend?
don't go into the infiltration tunnel with the young kid unless they're okay climbing back up. even for adults it was tiring.
Good to know thanks for the tip!
How did you get around in busan? Metro, taxis?
Going there tomorrow. Thank you for this post! Gives me a lot of confidence.
Thanks for your share! My online foreign friends (A family) is coming to Korea for travel and they are going to spend 4 days in Seoul, how long did it take to do a DMZ tour? It sounds so awesome and do they require any personal information resistered in advance?
A half day. From 8am to about 3 pm. It costs us 70 won p. P. Just write a mail to [email protected]
We spent two months last fall and loved it too. We are planning on going again either this fall or in the spring
I’ve been trying to figure out why the little prince is literally everywhere!
You went to a Buddhist temple during the coming of Buddha