Korea, region by region
Almost every first trip is Seoul, Busan, Jeju — and then people find out the country has fourteen more. Here is what each region is for, with the places, stations and neighbourhoods we've checked ourselves.
Metropolitan cities
특별시 · 광역시Seoul
서울특별시
Palaces, night markets and the densest café scene on earth.
48 places
Incheon
인천광역시
Where you land. Chinatown, Songdo and island ferries.
6 places
Daejeon
대전광역시
Science city and the country's rail crossroads.
6 places
Sejong
The purpose-built administrative capital.
Not written up yet
Gwangju
광주광역시
Art, democracy history, and southwestern cooking.
8 places
Daegu
대구광역시
Herbal medicine markets, hot summers, serious street food.
5 places
Busan
부산광역시
Beaches, fish markets and hillside villages over the sea.
13 places
Ulsan
울산광역시
Industry and whales, with Taehwagang's bamboo forest.
6 places
Provinces
도Gyeonggi
경기도
Suwon's fortress, the DMZ, and day trips that ring Seoul.
7 places
Gangwon
강원특별자치도
Mountains and the east coast. Sokcho, Gangneung, ski country.
6 places
Chungbuk
충청북도
Landlocked and green — Danyang's cliffs and Cheongju.
6 places
Chungnam
충청남도
Baekje history at Gongju and Buyeo, west-coast beaches.
6 places
Jeonbuk
전북특별자치도
Jeonju hanok village and the food Koreans travel for.
5 places
Jeonnam
전라남도
Southern coast, thousands of islands, green tea fields.
7 places
Gyeongbuk
경상북도
Gyeongju — an open-air museum of the Silla kingdom.
5 places
Gyeongnam
경상남도
Tongyeong's sea, Jinju fortress, Geoje coastline.
7 places
Jeju
제주특별자치도
Volcanic island — craters, coastal trails, its own dialect.
9 places