Things visitors ask

Probably not.
Around 110 nationalities can come in visa-free, with the length depending on the passport, usually 30, 60, or 90 days.

Full list with the actual numbers in our Visa & K-ETA guide.

If you're from one of 67 listed countries (US, Canada, UK, the EU, Japan, Australia, plus a few more), you're K-ETA-exempt through Dec 31, 2026.
So nothing to do before flying.

If your country is visa-free but not on that exempt list, you'll still need to apply at k-eta.go.kr.
Do it at least 72 hours before your flight, otherwise you'll get pulled aside at boarding.

30, 60, or 90 days depending on your passport.
The exact number for each country is in the /visa table.

Card, basically everywhere.
Even most street food stalls take cards now.
Visa and Mastercard work without issues; American Express is hit-or-miss.

That said, keep about ₩50,000 in small bills for traditional markets, temples, and the occasional taxi driver who prefers cash.

If you spend ₩15,000 or more in one go at a tax-refund store (you'll see the sticker on the door), ask for a tax-refund slip and show your passport.

At the airport, process the refund at the kiosk before you go through security.
Full walkthrough on /tax-refund.

No, don't bother.
Rates at Incheon Airport, and especially at the Myeongdong street kiosks, are usually better than what you'll get back home.

Or skip cash entirely and use a no-FX-fee card.
Most travelers do.

On our coupons page.
It collects partner offers for visitors, things like eSIM data, travel cards, and activity bookings.

Tap "Get" to save an offer to your list, then "Use" when you're ready to redeem it.

No. Saved coupons live in this browser only, no sign-up, no email, same as bookmarks.

Just note they won't follow you to another device or browser.

Public perks and visitor savings: passport discounts at attractions, tax-refund tips, transit passes, that sort of thing.

The current list is on /deals, and coupons near you show up on the nearby page.

AREX is the default.
The express train runs straight to Seoul Station, takes about 50 minutes, costs ₩9,500.

Limousine buses are 60-80 minutes depending on traffic and drop you near major hotels.
Taxis are ₩70,000+ and not really worth it unless you're landing late and tired.

A pre-paid travel card you tap at gates.
Works on subway, bus, and most taxis.

Buy one at any convenience store (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven) or at the airport, then top it up at any subway station.
Way cheaper than buying single tickets each ride.
More on /transit.

For driving and public transit, yes.
For walking directions, no, it's often just wrong here.
Korea restricts mapping data exports for security reasons, so Google's walking layer is incomplete.

Use Naver Map or Kakao Map for anything on foot.
Both have English now.

If your phone supports eSIM (most iPhones since X, most newer Pixels), get an eSIM.
Cheapest, and you don't swap your home SIM out.

If not, grab a physical SIM at the airport, easiest path.
Pocket Wi-Fi only makes sense if 3+ travelers are sharing one device.

SIM and eSIM kiosks are at both Incheon and Gimpo airports (KT Roaming, SK, Olleh).
Or pre-book on Trazy or Klook for slightly cheaper.

Expect ₩15,000-30,000 for 5-10 days of unlimited data.

Honestly, better than most countries.
Free Wi-Fi is on every subway station, in cafés, malls, and most restaurants.

Fine for email and quick lookups.
But for navigation, get a SIM, you don't want to be stuck without data on a Hongdae backstreet.

Yes, and it's actually very good.
Private clinics in Seoul accept walk-ins, and many in Apgujeong and Cheongdam have English-speaking staff.

Pricing is usually clearer than what you're used to back home, and often cheaper than US or EU rates.
Early notes live at /healseoul.

We'd recommend it.
If you end up at a Korean private hospital without insurance, a specialist visit can run into the high hundreds.

EU EHIC isn't honored here, so don't rely on it.

Yes, including at night.
Seoul is one of the safest large cities in the world.
Solo travelers, late subway rides, walking home at 2am, all normal.

You'll see people leave laptops and phones on café tables to hold their seat.
That's how casual it is.
Just keep the usual urban awareness in nightlife districts (Itaewon, Gangnam): watch your drink, watch your bag.

Police: 112.
Fire and ambulance: 119.

Tourism hotline: 1330.
Free from any phone, 24/7, with English / Chinese / Japanese support.
They'll also help with translation, taxi disputes, lost items, basically anything tourist-shaped.

First, go to the nearest police station and file a report.
Call 1330 if you need translation help getting there.

Then contact your embassy in Seoul to get an emergency travel document.
Most major embassies cluster around Gwanghwamun and Itaewon, so it's usually a short subway ride.

Call 119 if it's an emergency.
For non-urgent care after hours, large hospitals like Severance (Sinchon) and Asan Medical Center (Songpa) have international healthcare centers with English-speaking staff.

Most pharmacies (약국) close around 10pm.
Some neighborhoods have a 공공심야약국 sign, that's a public night pharmacy.

A few quick things.
Don't tip, it's not customary and can sometimes confuse the staff.
Banchan (the side dishes) are free and refillable, just ask.

If you're drinking with locals, pour for others first, not yourself, especially when there's an elder at the table.
And wait to be seated unless you see a number-tag system at the entrance.

No. Tipping isn't a thing here, and many restaurants already include a service charge in the bill.

Pushing cash on a server can be awkward for them.
The only exceptions are hotels and tour guides, where international norms apply.

At hanok (traditional) restaurants, temples, and private homes: yes.
At regular Western-style restaurants and cafés: no.

The visual cue is a step-up onto a raised wooden platform.
If you see one, shoes off.
There'll be cubbies or a shelf near the entrance.

Through CATCHTABLE, the app almost every reservation-only restaurant in Seoul uses.
The global version signs you in with Google or Apple, no Korean phone number.

Step-by-step walkthrough, deposits and no-show rules included, on /reserve.

Yes.
Seoul's tap water (branded "Arisu") is tested to stricter standards than most bottled water.
Locals still tend to filter or boil it out of habit, not necessity.

Restaurants serve free filtered water by default, and bottled water at convenience stores runs about ₩1,000.

In tourist-heavy areas (Myeongdong, Hongdae, Itaewon), usually yes, or at least photos and an ordering kiosk with an English mode.

Local neighborhoods, less so.
Papago's camera translate handles a wall menu in seconds, and every place in our eats guide lists the exact dish names to point at.

Seoul barely closes.
24-hour gukbap (soup rice) joints, barbecue streets that run past midnight, and convenience stores you can eat in are everywhere.

What's actually good right now is on /hot.

Around midnight, a little earlier on Sundays and holidays.
The exact last train differs by line and direction.

We track the real departure times on /last-train.
After that it's taxis (cheap by global standards) or the N-prefix night buses.

Seoul removed most street bins in the 90s when pay-per-bag waste pricing came in, and they never really came back.

Do what locals do: pocket your wrapper until you pass a subway station or convenience store, both have bins.

Stand on the right, pass on the left.
Official signage discourages walking on escalators entirely, but in practice the left lane moves.

220V at 60Hz, with round two-pin sockets (European Type C/F).
UK and US plugs need an adapter.

Phone and laptop chargers are almost all dual-voltage, so an adapter alone is enough, no converter.

Coin lockers.
Most subway stations have banks of them in small, medium and suitcase sizes, paid by card or T-money.

Major hubs (Seoul Station, Hongik Univ., Myeongdong) also have staffed storage if the lockers are full.

Yes, drinking in parks and public spaces is legal, and a convenience-store beer by the Han River is a certified Seoul experience.

Just take your cans with you when you leave.
Our Han River guide covers which park sections to pick.

April-May (cherry blossoms, mild) and September-October (clear skies, autumn color) are the sweet spots.

August is hot and sticky, January is properly cold.
Both are workable if you plan around them, and flights run cheaper.

Korea's monsoon: roughly late June through July, with days of heavy on-and-off rain.

Seoul stays fully functional, you just plan more indoor stops.
We keep a rainy-day guide for exactly this.

Three to four full days covers the core: palaces, two or three neighborhoods done properly, a market, a night out.

Add a day per side trip.
The worthwhile ones are on /daytrips.

Yes, and it catches people out: Gyeongbokgung closes Tuesdays, Changdeokgung closes Mondays, and most big museums rest on Mondays.

Check the closed day before you build your morning around one.

Pop-up stores are our specialty: /popups tracks what's open this month, plus a preview of next month's openings.

For the broader pulse (what's trending, what's on tonight), see /hot.

Yes, completely.
No paywalls, no email walls.
More about who we are.

Yes.
Bookmarks live in this browser only, no account, no email.
See your saved list.

Email [email protected] with the page URL.

We're a small team and usually fix it within the same week.