Post Last Modified – October 24, 2025 ¦ gr8traveltips.com
Certain products/services may have affiliate links where I may receive a commission.
There is no cost to you whatsoever.
Helpful Travel Tips For Visiting South Korea
Having recently returned from a vacation in South Korea, I thought I would put together a few things we learned on our travels throughout the country. This list of …
South Korea Travel Tips
were very helpful for us and I thought they may be useful, especially for first time visitors like ourselves.
Korea Electronic Arrival Card
South Korea Travel Tips #1
Completing your e-entry Declaration for the Republic of Korea up to 3 days before arrival into the country. This is absolutely free, easy to complete for you and your companions and will allow you to whip through Customs/Immigration upon arrival quickly.
It also saves you from having to complete the arrival card on the airplane and will take more time at Customs/Immigration when you do arrive.
You prefill your passport information, length of stay, an address/hotel where you plan to stay upon arrival and so forth. It takes just a few minutes to complete and is very worthwhile.
I’ve listed the official website link below for your convenience.
Korea Electronic Arrival Card
Naver Maps
South Korea Travel Tips #2
If you’re planning on moving around by taxi/bus/subway and/or train, be sure to download the Naver Maps app. It is ideal, as Google Maps is not the preferred app in South Korea.
Much like Google Maps, it offers mapping directions, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels and so forth on the app when searching. What’s really great is that it also gives you real time tracking updates and recommendations for catching buses, subways and/train travel.
We used it many times when searching for a bus or subway to catch. It will give you walking directions to the bus stop, bus number to catch and when the bus will arrive. It will also recommend the best option closest to you and time of travel.
If you click the taxi icon, it will also give you an estimate of the fare and approximate time to reach your chosen destination.
We found Naver Maps a godsend!
T Money Card
South Korea Travel Tips #3
Speaking of transportation, if you are using this mode of travel, then purchasing a T Money Card is vital. This is the only accepted form of payment when using public transportation.
You can easily purchase T Money cards upon arrival at the airport. There are self-serve kiosks you can use, manned bus ticket offices and/or at the airport convenience stores.
You bought our directly from the manned bus ticket office pre-loaded with 20,000 won each.
The normal fee is 4,000 won or about $4 cdn. You then load the card up with as much as you like. If you’re going to be using the bus/subway system a lot throughout the country, I would recommend loading 20 to 30,000 won onto the card to get started.
You can even use the card as payment in taxis and making purchases at convenience stores and elsewhere.
Any unused money on your T Money card is refundable to you. We did just that at the airport before departure at the convenience store for a 500 won service fee, or .50 cents.
We did on a couple of occasions choose to take a taxi from the train station to our hotel. After checking Naver Maps, we were quite surprised how reasonable fares are, compared to that of North American fees for taxis.
When you ride the bus, you scan your T Money when entering. It will show the fare paid and what’s remaining on your card.
Be sure to scan your card once again when exiting the rear door. This way, it ensures you are not paying for the full distance of the bus route.
So if you’re only going for a couple of stops, you may receive a refund on the card if there is a reduction allowable on your fare. You will always see locals scan their cards when exiting.
Trains In Korea
South Korea Travel Tips #4
When booking train travel for example; KTX Airport Express Train, they do not take T Money cards. You must purchase tickets either at manned counters and/or kiosks.
Trains are a very efficient way of travel throughout Korea. They are on-time and make for getting around most anywhere in the country, quickly and easily.
The train stations are like airports, very organized and easy to navigate around. Most everything and everywhere in Korea is written in both Korean and English.
Tourist Information booths are also at many train stations and at Incheon International Airport with English speaking attendants.
Train times and numbers are displayed on large screens and you board precisely 15 minutes before departure.
Not a minute before or after!
Depending on where and when you are traveling, advance reservations are highly recommended. This especially if you want to travel on the speedier Bullet Trains as we did. They are fast, comfortable and very smooth riding!
We booked all our train travel well in advance at home at Rail Ninja. I’ve added their official website below as well, for your convenience to check out.
Rail Ninja
Convenience Stores
South Korea Travel Tips #5
Convenience stores in South Korea are everywhere. They are virtually on almost every street corner throughout the country.
The main stores you will see are; 7-11, GS25 & Nice to CU
They all have your typical convenience store items including alcoholic beverages. You can purchase a variety of local and imported beer, along with other various alcohol beverages.
What’s amazing is the rows of Ramen Noodles to choose from.
Two things you should try when visiting are their Ramen Noodles for fun and a small container of Banana Milk as a treat!
Tap Water Is Safe To Drink
South Korea Travel Tips #6
The tap water in the country is completely safe to drink. All of the hotels/airbnb’s etc. that we stayed at, supplied bottled water as well.
We experienced no stomach ailments at any time drinking water at restaurants, at our chosen accommodations or elsewhere.
One thing we always do before and during travels abroad, is we take a daily probiotic for gut health. Just a little extra protection to prevent any unwanted stomach upsets.
Public Toilets
South Korea Travel Tips #7
What we found very surprising and thankful for while on our travels, was the amount of public toilet facilities available. From subway entrances, popular streets for visitors and various other places, we found toilets available most everywhere we went.
Not once did we find any public toilet facilities untidy. The many we used were all kept in a clean sanitary state.
Dining
South Korea Travel Tips #8
Depending where and what you plan to eat, dining can be very affordable and/or very expensive. It all depends on your personal choices and budget.
We were able to eat very affordably most everywhere we were in South Korea. Yes, they even have McDonalds, KFC, Burger King and other franchise restaurants.
For you Starbucks lovers, they are everywhere!
If you are like us and try to avoid expensive restaurants, then you simply must experience their traditional markets and food stalls.
The choices are endless for superb local dishes. You can easily enjoy a good meal for about 10,000won to $15,000won or $10 – $15 each.
On many occasions and by just taking a little time walking around off the beaten track, we discovered some wonderful small local eateries and enjoyed huge meals for about 15,000won total for the two of us.
We found that one order was plenty for the two of us, as they come with a variety of small side dishes.
If you do like experiencing the local cuisine, then I highly recommend taking a guided walking food tour upon arrival to Seoul and/or Busan.
They are excellent and will give you an idea of what local dishes you enjoyed and may not enjoy so much, when out and about on your own afterwards.
Tangerines
South Korea and the island of Jeju in particular, is known for their tangerine orchards. Their oranges are superb tasting and very juicy.
We found while on the island of you could purchase 100% tangerine juice from vendors, which was excellent. Some of the best tasting and most juicy oranges we’ve ever had!
Cash – ATM Machines
South Korea Travel Tips #9
As with most places around the world, ATM’s are readily available most anywhere. We always order a specific amount from our bank here at home prior to travel. This is just a personal choice, so we have local currency available immediately upon arrival to our chosen destination.
It is recommended when in the country, to use an ATM affiliated to a Major Bank. Many of their ATM kiosks have English options and /or Global sayings on them.
We experienced no difficulties using one of these ATM’s at a major bank in Seoul.
Be sure to check with your local bank if they have any reciprocal agreements with Korean Banks. If so, this will save you any service charges.
Major Attractions
South Korea Travel Tips #10
In closing my list of 10 travel tips, for those of you like me who are seniors over 65, most major tourist attractions {palaces, museums, etc.} do not charge an entry fee. Be sure to have your official ID with you to confirm your age.
They will ask for it at the ticket booth.
South Korea is an interesting country to visit. If you are visiting for the first time, I hope some of these tips will come in handy for you as they did for us.
The country is full of surprises, including these fun and brightly lit novelty shops. Getting around most anywhere can be done quickly and easily with their advanced public transportation system.
There are so many different parts of the country to visit, with each having distinct and unique features of their own to offer visitors.
We found for the most part, Koreans do keep to themselves and many times you may feel like you’re invisible. This is their way, so don’t let this make you feel like you’re unwanted. We found many older locals to be very friendly and helpful at times.
On a number of occasions we were approached by individuals who offered to assist when we looked lost or checked our Naver maps for bus routes. Also after taking a long exhausting mountain hike, one senior lady approached us and gave us snacks.
It was wonderful to experience this part of the world and I hope you can as well one day.
Safe and Healthy Travels!
All personal photographs on this post are the property of gr8traveltips.com and
are copyright protected.
Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
Join Me On Instagram For Travel Photos, Video’s & More!
Seoul City Tour Bus – Tiger Bus {Review}
🥢 Korean Gourmet Hunters Food Tour – Seoul {Review}
Selecting The Right eSIM For Travel: Helpful Guide
© 2025, All Rights Reserved ¦ gr8traveltips.com