South Korea holidays

Holidays to South Korea have got culture vultures covered. You can step back in time in 400-year-old villages, or hit fast forward in Seoul, the kaleidoscopic capital city.

Shops and shrines in Seoul

Futuristic shopping centres, neon-lit skyscrapers and traditional Buddhist shrines – you’ll find them all in South Korea’s capital. It’s one of the biggest cities in Asia, and comes with a platter of photo-worthy sights. Culture fans can head to the UNESCO-protected Jongmyo Shrine – the oldest Confucian temple in the world. Bargain hunters, meanwhile, can browse the night markets in the Dongdaemun shopping district for tea sets and bottles of Soku – South Korea’s version of vodka.

Panoramic vistas and peaceful villages

Head out of the capital city, meanwhile, and you’ve got rolling-green countryside, towering mountains and frozen-in-time hamlets to explore. Seoraksan National Park, near South Korea’s north-east coast, is ideal for scenic hikes – some of the peaks here climb above 1,500 metres. And, over near the city of Andong, you’ll find the UNESCO-stamped Hahoe Folk Village. This traditional settlement’s famous for its 400-year-old bamboo houses.

Wartime relics

No trip to South Korea’s complete without a day at the infamous Demilitarised Zone – the 250-kilometre-long border between North and South Korea. Here, at the Dorasan Observatory, you’ll be able to see Freedom Bridge, where prisoners were traded during the war in the 1950s. And don’t miss a chance to venture into the Third Tunnel – an underground passageway that was dug by North Korean soldiers in the 1970s.