Great Wide Open Travel guides and transformative journeys

South Korea in Two Weeks: Seoul, Jeonju, Gwangju, Mokpo and Jeju

Two weeks through the country’s quieter south-west, and across the sea to Jeju by boat

Most of the two-week routes we read run the same line: Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan, a flight to Jeju. This one goes the other way. From Seoul it turns south-west into the old province of Jeolla, the country’s rice bowl and, Koreans will tell you, its kitchen: a city of tiled roofs and bibimbap, a city whose uprising changed the country, a bamboo forest, and a port at the end of the railway. Then it does what islanders have always done and takes the boat to Jeju.

14 days · 13 nights · six bases · fast train, bus and ferry, then a flight · Seoul to Jeju, and back to Seoul to fly home.

It suits a second trip, or a first one for travellers who would rather eat and walk than tick off sights. Start on a Tuesday: the days are arranged so that the places that close on Mondays fall on open days. For the classic first route, take our South Korea in a week.

How this page was madeWe have not yet been to South Korea, and this route is researched rather than travelled: from the national, city and venue sites, the railway, bus and ferry timetables, and our own guides to every place it sleeps. No journey time here is one we measured. Where sources disagree or fall silent, we say so. When we go, we will say so here.

Last updated 13 October 2026

The itinerary, day by day

Fourteen days, starting on a Tuesday. Open one, or open them all. Each says what people go to each place for, then where to sleep and eat. The practical detail for the whole route follows below.

Day 1Seoul — arriving, and a first evening on footairport train, then on footAirport train Insadong Jogyesa Cheonggyecheon

You land tired, in a very large city. So the first day asks only for a walk, through three places close together, and nothing needs a ticket.

  1. Midday
    Incheon to Seoul StationSeethe airport express

    The express train runs straight from the airport to Seoul Station, and the metro takes you on to your hotel. Drop your bags and go out on foot.

  2. Metro to Anguk or Jonggak.
  3. Afternoon
    InsadongSeeInsadong·the tea houses

    A street of tea houses, craft shops and small galleries, and the tea house is the point: something warm in a small cup, sweets on a tray, and nowhere you need to be.

    Two cups of traditional Korean tea on a wooden tray with small rice cakes, at a tea house in Insadong
  4. Late afternoon
    JogyesaSeethe lanterns·the main hall

    Step through its gate from a street of offices and you are under a ceiling of paper lanterns, among people who have come to pray. Visit Seoul calls it a lovely contrast to the busy streets around it. Open day and night, and free.

    Paper lanterns hung in rows over the courtyard of Jogyesa temple in central Seoul
  5. Evening
    CheonggyecheonSeethe stream·the path below the street

    Running water and a path below street level, the traffic out of sight above you. Walk until you are ready to sleep.

    Cheonggyecheon stream in central Seoul in the evening, a stone bridge over the water lit pink, office towers above

Sleeping here · Seoul, nights 1 to 3, and night 13 on the way home. Choose Myeongdong & central Jung-gu: the airport train and the fast trains south are a short ride away, and the evening food streets are on your doorstep. On the last night it keeps the airport train close. Watch for small rooms at the lower end.

Travel
Airport express to Seoul Station, 43 min from Terminal 1, then the metro
Stay
Myeongdong & central Jung-gu — where to stay in Seoul
Eat
Insadong’s side lanes — where to eat in Seoul
Check
Book nothing timed today
Day 2Seoul — the palaces and the old cityon foot, then metroGyeongbokgung Bukchon Secret Garden Gwangjang

The day most people picture when they think of Seoul: a king’s court, a lived-in old quarter, a king’s garden, and supper at a market counter.

  1. Morning
    GyeongbokgungSeeGyeongbokgung·the guard change

    Gate follows gate into courtyards laid out in strict order, with a mountain behind the throne hall. Be at the main gate for ten, when guards in Joseon dress change over to drums. Entry is 3,000 won; free in hanbok.

    Guards in Joseon-era uniform at the changing ceremony outside Gyeongbokgung palace
  2. On foot, up the hill to the east.
  3. Late morning
    BukchonSeeBukchon Hanok Village

    Lanes of tiled roofs climbing between two palaces. People live here, so keep your voice low; the best-known lane may be visited only from 10am to 5pm.

    A lane of tiled hanok roofs in Bukchon in the morning
  4. Afternoon
    Changdeokgung and the Secret GardenSeethe Secret Garden

    The kings kept this wooded valley for stepping away from the court, and visitors still describe it as peaceful, a relief from the city outside the wall. Entry is only at the time on your ticket.

    A pavilion above a square pond among trees in the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung
  5. Metro to Jongno 5-ga.
  6. Evening
    Gwangjang MarketSeeGwangjang Market

    You sit on a stool at a counter while mung-bean pancakes are fried in front of you. Bring cash.

    Mung-bean pancakes frying on a griddle at a Gwangjang Market stall
Travel
On foot between the palaces and Bukchon; metro to the market
Stay
Myeongdong & central Jung-gu — second of three nights
Eat
Lunch near Anguk station; supper at the Gwangjang counters
Check
A Wednesday on this route, as it should be: one palace closes on Mondays, the other on Tuesdays
Day 3Seoul — the border, then the city from abovecoach tour, 5 to 8 hoursThe DMZ N Seoul Tower Myeongdong

North of the city the country stops, and a morning at the border changes how the rest of the trip looks.

  1. Early
    The DMZSeeThe Third Tunnel·Dora Observatory

    From the observatory you look into North Korea; then, in a hard hat, you walk stooping down a tunnel dug under the border. Visitors call it moving and eerie. Book a licensed tour; the tunnel walk is steep both ways.

    Looking north from Dora Observatory across the demilitarised zone: fields, then a North Korean town below a bare mountain.
  2. Back to the city by coach.
  3. Dusk
    Namsan and N Seoul TowerSeeN Seoul Tower

    Come for the hour when the lights come on, and the districts you have walked join up into one place. On a hazy day the view is poor.

    Seoul lit up at night seen from Namsan
  4. Evening
    MyeongdongSeeMyeongdong after dark

    Graze for supper from the carts down the middle of the lanes, until about ten.

Travel
Tour coach from central Seoul; cable car up Namsan
Stay
Myeongdong & central Jung-gu — last of three nights
Eat
Myeongdong — supper from the food carts
Check
Carry your passport. Pick-up is early, often before 8am
Day 4Seoul to Jeonju — a city that kept its tiled roofsKTX about 1½ hoursKTX south Hanok lanes Omokdae Nambu Market

Jeonju was the home of the family that founded the Joseon dynasty, and it has kept a neighbourhood of several hundred tiled-roof houses that are still lived and worked in. It is also a city Koreans name for its food. You arrive by lunch and have the village by evening.

  1. Morning
    The KTX southSeeYongsan·Jeonju Station

    The fast train from Yongsan takes about an hour and a half, and there are more than 25 a day. Jeonju Station is about 4 km from the Hanok Village, so take a taxi with your bags.

  2. Taxi to the Hanok Village.
  3. Afternoon
    The Hanok Village lanesSeeJeonju Hanok Village·hanji workshops·tea rooms

    This is the reason to sleep here rather than pass through. Leave the main street to the crowds and walk the side lanes, where tiled roofs curve over wooden gates, paper-makers and tea rooms.

    A street in Jeonju Hanok Village: hanok shopfronts with curved tiled roofs either side of a quiet paved road.
  4. Dusk
    OmokdaeSeethe pavilion·Jaman’s mural lanes beyond

    A short climb to a pavilion where Yi Seong-gye, the dynasty’s founder, is said to have celebrated a victory over Japanese raiders and spoken of founding a new kingdom. Below you the village becomes a sea of grey roofs; stay as its lights come on. Across the footbridge, the painted lanes of Jaman climb the hill.

    Omokdae, a small tiled-roof pavilion among autumn trees on the slope above Jeonju, with the city spread out beyond.
  5. Evening
    Nambu Market’s night marketSeethe stalls·the old south gate

    On Friday and Saturday evenings the market by the old south gate fills with food stalls, which is why this is a Friday. Our guide notes the sources disagree on whether they start at 5pm or 6. Graze for supper.

    A hand holding a paper tray of golden fried snacks at a stall in Nambu Market.

Sleeping here · Jeonju, nights 4 and 5. Stay in the Hanok Village, in a hanok: the evening, after the day visitors have gone, is what a night here buys. Expect bedding on a heated floor, and in simpler houses a shared bathroom; our guide explains what to expect. If you need a bed, Gaeksa & the city centre is a short walk away.

Travel
KTX from Yongsan, about 1½ hours; taxi to the village
Stay
Hanok Village — where to stay in Jeonju
Eat
Pungnammun & Nambu Market — where to eat in Jeonju
Check
The night market runs on Fridays and Saturdays only
Day 5Jeonju — the founder’s shrine, bibimbap and the makgeolli tableon foot, then a taxiGyeonggijeon Bibimbap Gaeksa Makgeolli alley

A slow day: one shrine, one cathedral, and two meals that are the reason many Koreans come here.

  1. Morning
    Gyeonggijeon and Jeondong CathedralSeeTaejo’s portrait·the cathedral’s brick façade

    Gyeonggijeon was built in 1410 to keep the portrait of Taejo, the first Joseon king, and rebuilt in 1614; its courtyards under old trees are the village’s quiet heart. Open 10am to 6pm, 3,000 won. Across the road, Jeondong Cathedral was built between 1907 and 1914 on a site where Catholics were martyred; free, 9am to 5pm outside mass.

    The red-pillared gate hall of Gyeonggijeon shrine in Jeonju, with a dark tiled roof, a stone wall and tall trees around it.
  2. Midday
    Bibimbap

    Jeonju’s own: rice under a mosaic of vegetables and beef, in brass, with a row of side dishes. Our where to eat guide explains the Jeonju way and where to find it.

  3. Afternoon
    Gaeksa and the old downtownSeeJeonju Gaeksa·the shopping streets

    West of the village, the old government guesthouse stands in a courtyard among the shopping streets of the modern city. It is the Jeonju that lives here every day, and a good place for coffee.

    Jeonju Gaeksa, a long timber hall with a heavy tiled roof and painted eaves, on a bare earth courtyard.
  4. Taxi about 3 km south-west.
  5. Evening
    The makgeolli alley at Samcheon-dong

    Order a kettle of rice wine and the table fills with dishes as you drink, more with each kettle. Our guide explains how the makgeolli table works.

Travel
On foot in the village; taxi to Samcheon-dong and back
Stay
Hanok Village — second of two nights
Eat
Bibimbap at lunch; the makgeolli alley at night
Check
Gyeonggijeon is free on the last Wednesday of the month; not on this route
Day 6Jeonju to Gwangju — the square that changed the countrybus about 1½ hoursBus to Gwangju Democracy Square Asia Culture Center Daein Market

In May 1980 the people of Gwangju rose against military rule and were crushed, and the square where they held out is now a place of memory. Today is for that history.

  1. Morning
    The bus to GwangjuSeeJeonju Express Bus Terminal·U-Square

    There is no direct train. Buses run from Jeonju’s express bus terminal to Gwangju’s U-Square terminal 24 to 26 times a day, in about 1 hour 25 minutes, by timetable listings updated in October 2026. Take a taxi on to Downtown.

  2. Afternoon
    5·18 Democracy Square and the old Provincial OfficeSeeGwangju·the Jeonil Building

    Where the uprising was fought and ended. The restored provincial offices opened as a memorial site on 18 May 2026: the rooms where the citizens’ leaders met, exhibitions and oral histories, and bullet marks in the Jeonil Building’s walls. Closed on Mondays, which is why this is a Sunday. Han Kang’s novel Human Acts is the book to read before you come.

    5·18 Democracy Square seen from above: a round fountain in a wide paved square, with city buses and office blocks around it.
  3. Late afternoon
    The Asia Culture CenterSeethe sunken gardens

    A national arts centre opened in 2015 on the ground the uprising held, much of it sunk below gardens so as not to tower over the square. Closed on Mondays.

    The Asia Culture Center's long low buildings set below ground level around a planted courtyard and fountain, with office towers behind.
  4. Evening
    Daein Market

    Supper among the market’s restaurants, a few minutes north of the square. Our where to eat guide names the city’s dishes.

Sleeping here · Gwangju, nights 6 and 7. Stay Downtown, by the Asia Culture Center: the square, the culture centre and the cafés of Dongmyeong-dong are on foot. Our guide compares it with Sangmu and the KTX station.

Travel
Bus to U-Square, about 1 h 25; taxi Downtown
Stay
Downtown — where to stay in Gwangju
Eat
Downtown — where to eat in Gwangju
Check
The memorial site and the Asia Culture Center close on Mondays
Day 7Gwangju — the bamboo forest at Damyangcity bus, then on footBus to Damyang Juknokwon Metasequoia road Dongmyeong-dong

A day out of the city, among bamboo. Damyang, about 20 km north, is the classic excursion from Gwangju, and a Monday, when the city’s museums close, is the day for it.

  1. Morning
    Bus 311 to Damyang

    City bus 311 runs from Gwangju to Damyang about every fifteen minutes, one guide says; intercity buses from U-Square are quicker. We found no published journey time, so allow an hour.

  2. Late morning
    JuknokwonSeethe bamboo paths

    A hillside bamboo garden laced with paths, where the stems close overhead and visitors often remark on how cool the air feels. Allow two hours. Adults 3,000 won. Sources disagree on summer closing, 7pm or 6pm, so go in the morning.

    A path through the tall green bamboo of Juknokwon, with a few walkers dwarfed by the stems.
  3. Taxi across the town, a few minutes.
  4. Afternoon
    The Metasequoia-lined RoadSeethe avenue·the trees in autumn colour

    A long avenue of tall metasequoias outside the town, a tree-lined walk that appears in most guides to the region: green in summer, rust-red in late autumn. Walk it slowly, end to end and back. We found no current entry fee.

    A straight path running into the distance under two rows of tall green metasequoia trees at Damyang.
  5. Bus or taxi back to Gwangju.
  6. Evening
    Dongmyeong-dongSeecafés·studios in old houses

    End in the quiet grid of older houses east of the Asia Culture Center, now full of cafés, restaurants and design studios.

    A white two-storey café with arched windows on a street corner in Dongmyeong-dong.
Travel
Bus 311 or an intercity bus; taxis between Damyang’s sights
Stay
Downtown — second of two nights
Eat
Lunch in Damyang town; supper in Dongmyeong-dong
Check
With a taxi, add Soswaewon, a sixteenth-century garden south of the town: 9am to 5pm, 2,000 won
Day 8Gwangju to Mokpo — the old port at the end of the lineKTX about 30 minutesKTX to Mokpo History museums Cable car Gohado Yudalsan

Mokpo is where the railway runs out and the islands begin: a treaty port from 1897, a hill of bare rock in its streets, and a cable car over the sea.

  1. Morning
    The KTX to MokpoSeeGwangju Songjeong·Mokpo Station

    Metro Line 1 to Gwangju Songjeong, then the KTX to Mokpo in about half an hour. Mokpo Station is in the old town; leave your bags at your hotel.

  2. Late morning
    The modern history museumsSeeMokpo·the former Japanese consulate

    Two buildings of the colonial years, a few minutes’ walk from the station, tell the story of the port and of colonial rule. Closed on Mondays.

    The red-brick former Japanese consulate in Mokpo, a two-storey building with white trim, seen across a curved path and garden of bare trees.
  3. Lunch
    Small octopus

    The dish the city is known for, in soup, grilled or chopped. Our Mokpo guide names where to eat it.

  4. Taxi to Bukhang, the north port.
  5. Afternoon
    The cable carSeethe glass-floored cabins

    More than three kilometres from Bukhang over Yudalsan and out across the sea; a round trip takes about forty minutes.

    A red cable car cabin on its wires against a clear blue sky, with a station on a wooded ridge and the city below.
  6. Late afternoon
    GohadoSeethe boardwalk·the observation deck

    The island at the end of the line: a boardwalk of about 1.8 km along the shore, and a deck looking back at the city.

    The tall brick observation tower on Gohado rising above pine woods, with a long bridge and the sea beyond.
  7. Dusk
    YudalsanSeethe summit rocks·the Tears of Mokpo monument

    Ride back and get off at the middle station, then walk the hill as the light goes. The 1935 song Tears of Mokpo, a lament of parting at this port, has its monument here; the poet Kim Ji-ha, author of Five Bandits, was born in the city.

    Rounded granite boulders on top of Yudalsan, looking out over a hazy sea scattered with low islands in the late afternoon light.

Sleeping here · Mokpo, night 8. Stay in the old town: the station, the cable car and both ferry piers are close, and tomorrow’s boat leaves at 8.30. Our Mokpo guide names three places.

Travel
Metro to Gwangju Songjeong; KTX to Mokpo; taxis in town
Stay
The old town — where to stay in Mokpo
Eat
The old town — where to eat in Mokpo
Check
Mokpo’s museums close on Mondays; this is a Tuesday
Day 9Mokpo to Jeju — by sea to the volcanic islandferry about 4½ hoursFerry Manjanggul Haenyeo Museum Seongsan

Most visitors fly to Jeju. This route goes by sea, as islanders and their cars always have, and the crossing is the slowest, quietest morning of the trip.

  1. Early
    To the pier

    Take a taxi in good time. The 8.30 sailing usually leaves from Samhak Pier, but on some days from the International Passenger Terminal, so check your ticket.

  2. Morning
    The crossingSeethe islands of the south-west·the open sea

    For the first hour the ship threads the islands off Mokpo, and travellers describe watching them and their bridges pass from a cold, windy deck. Then the sea opens. There are cafés, a restaurant, shared floor rooms and cabins. You land at Jeju Port at about 12.45 to 1.20pm.

    A large white Seaworld ferry with a red and blue hull moored at the quay in Jeju port under a pale sky.
  3. A taxi east to the lava tube, about 26 km in a straight line; or a taxi to the bus terminal for bus 101 along the coast.
  4. Afternoon
    Manjanggul Lava TubeSeethe lava tube

    A tunnel left by a river of lava, part of the island’s UNESCO listing, about a kilometre of it open to walk. Open 9am to 6pm, last entry about 5; closed the first Wednesday of the month.

    A lone visitor with a torch inside the wide, rounded tunnel of Manjanggul lava tube, its walls lit amber
  5. Late afternoon
    Jeju Haenyeo MuseumSeethe divers’ gear·the films

    The story of the women who dive this coast for abalone and sea urchin. Tickets to 5pm, 1,100 won; closed on Mondays. With a late ship, choose this or the lava tube, not both.

    The low, modern building of the Jeju Haenyeo Museum, with a lawn and a paved yard in front
  6. Evening
    SeongsanSeethe harbour·the crater above the roofs

    The village at the foot of Sunrise Peak, where tomorrow begins. Eat early, and eat from the sea.

    The lights of Seongsan village at blue hour, seen from the crater, curving round a bay

Sleeping here · Seongsan, night 9. Choose a place within walking distance of the path up the crater; our guide names one.

Travel
Taxi to the pier; ferry 4¼ to 5 hours; bus 101 or a taxi east
Stay
Seongsan — where to stay in Jeju
Eat
Seongsan — where to eat in Jeju
Check
Book the ferry ahead; the timetable changes on 7 November 2026. Day 9 is a Wednesday: on the first Wednesday of the month the lava tube is shut, so give the afternoon to the haenyeo museum and the coast
Day 10Seongsan to Seogwipo — sunrise on the crater, then the southon foot, then bus 201Sunrise Peak Seopjikoji To Seogwipo Olle market

The morning the island is known for: the sun coming up out of the sea, seen from the rim of a crater. The beauty has a shadow. Jeju’s villages remember the killings of 4·3, from 1948, and Han Kang’s novel We Do Not Part is set in that memory.

  1. Dawn
    Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak)Seethe crater rim·the sunrise

    Thirty to forty minutes of stairs to the rim. It opens at 5am in spring and autumn, 6am in winter and 4.30 in summer; 5,000 won; closed the first Monday of the month.

    Seongsan Ilchulbong in silhouette against a pale sunrise sky, reflected in still water in the foreground
  2. Morning
    SeopjikojiSeethe headland path·the lighthouse

    A walk on a grassy headland with the crater across the water behind you. The wind at the lighthouse can be strong; take a layer.

    A grassy headland path at Seopjikoji above dark volcanic rocks, with a rock stack and the sea beyond
  3. Midday
    Seongsan to Seogwipo

    Route 201 runs round the south-east corner every 15 to 30 minutes; no source gives the journey time.

  4. Evening
    Supper at the Olle market

    Seogwipo’s covered market, for hairtail, black pork and tangerines. Our where to eat guide has more.

Sleeping here · Seogwipo, nights 10 to 12. Stay in the city centre, where the falls and the market are on foot; our guide compares it with Jungmun.

Travel
On foot at Seongsan; bus 201 to Seogwipo
Stay
Seogwipo city centre — where to stay in Jeju
Eat
Seogwipo city centre — where to eat in Jeju
Check
Check the season’s opening time for the dawn climb the evening before
Day 11Seogwipo — the south coast’s falls and cliffsshort buses along the coastJeongbang Jusangjeolli Cheonjeyeon Cheonjiyeon

A day on the coast where the island’s rock meets the sea in waterfalls and columns of stone.

  1. Morning
    Jeongbang FallsSeethe falls on the shore

    A waterfall that drops straight onto the shore. Open 9am to 5.30pm, every day; 2,000 won.

    Jeongbang Falls pouring down a cliff of grey basalt beside pines, onto the rocky shore
  2. West to Jungmun, on route 600.
  3. Late morning
    Jusangjeolli CliffsSeethe basalt columns

    Lava cooled into columns packed like pencils at the water’s edge, with the sea breaking over them. Open 9am to 5.30pm; 2,000 won.

    Dark hexagonal basalt columns at Jusangjeolli, with waves breaking white over them
  4. Afternoon
    Cheonjeyeon FallsSeethree falls·the gorge

    Three falls in a wooded gorge, one below the other. Last entry 5.10pm; 2,500 won.

    A clear turquoise pool below dark cliffs and trees at Cheonjeyeon Falls, with white boulders on the bank
  5. Evening
    Cheonjiyeon Falls after darkSeethe lit falls

    Back in town, the waterfall at the end of a short gorge path is lit until 10pm, last entry 9.20; 2,000 won.

    Cheonjiyeon Falls at night, the white water lit gold against a dark cliff, reflected in the pool
Travel
Short buses along the coast; Jungmun is on route 600
Stay
Seogwipo city centre — second of three nights
Eat
Jungmun at lunch; Seogwipo centre at night — where to eat in Jeju
Check
Reach Cheonjeyeon before its last entry at 5.10pm
Day 12Seogwipo — the mountain, or the coast pathtaxi or bus, then on footTo Yeongsil Yeongsil trail Back to Seogwipo

A day on foot. Hill walkers take the shortest way onto Hallasan, the volcano at the island’s centre; everyone else takes a stretch of the Olle coast path from the town.

  1. Early
    Seogwipo to Yeongsil

    A taxi up the mountain’s south-west side is simpler than the bus: route 240 stops at the Yeongsil ticket office between Jungmun and Jeju City, but we found no route from Seogwipo itself.

  2. Morning
    The Yeongsil trail on HallasanSeethe rock pillars·the high plateau

    A climb past a line of volcanic pillars onto the open plateau below the summit, an hour and a half to two hours up. No booking is needed. Walkers are let in until noon from October to March and until 3pm from April to September. A mountain path, for hill walkers.

    A wooden staircase climbing the Yeongsil trail through low scrub, with forested ridges of Hallasan and a cloudy sky beyond
  3. Afternoon
    Back to Seogwipo, or the Olle path

    The alternative day: walk a stretch of the Jeju Olle trail along the cliffs from the town, at your own pace, and come back for a last supper at the market.

Travel
Taxi to Yeongsil; bus or taxi back
Stay
Seogwipo city centre — last of three nights
Eat
A packed breakfast for the trail; supper at the Olle market
Check
Start early; last entry to the trail is noon from October to March
Day 13Jeju to Seoul — a last evening by the riverflight about an hourJeju Airport Flight The Han River

A travel day with a reward at the end of it: one last evening in Seoul, where the city spends its own.

  1. Morning
    Seogwipo to Jeju Airport

    The airport is on the far side of the island, so allow plenty of time by taxi or the airport bus.

  2. Midday
    The flight to Gimpo

    About an hour across the sea to Seoul’s domestic airport, then the metro or the airport railway into the city.

  3. Evening
    The Han RiverSeethe river parks·the bridges lit at night

    End where Seoul ends a warm day, on the grass beside the river with the people who live here. Our Seoul in five days has the river’s parks.

    Banpo Bridge at night with jets of water lit in rainbow colours arcing into the Han River
Travel
Taxi or airport bus; flight to Gimpo; metro into the city
Stay
Myeongdong & central Jung-gu — the last night
Eat
By the river, or back in Myeongdong — where to eat in Seoul
Check
Seogwipo to the airport crosses the island; leave plenty of time
Day 14Seoul to Incheon — going homeairport trainAirport express

The last morning, and an easy one.

  1. Morning
    The airport expressSeeSeoul Station·Incheon

    From Seoul Station the express runs to Incheon in 43 minutes to Terminal 1 and 51 to Terminal 2. Leave time in hand.

Travel
Airport express from Seoul Station
Check
Check which terminal your airline uses
Pause and notice · the ferry out of Mokpo, Day 9

Go up on deck as the ship leaves the pier, and stay there while it threads the islands. Feel the wind; it is colder than the morning on land. Watch the islands come up one behind another, low and green, some with a village and a few boats, some with nothing at all, and the bridges that join them slide overhead and fall behind. For eight days you have been arriving somewhere. This morning you are only travelling. Notice how the hours lengthen when there is nothing to catch, and how the sea, when the last island has gone, takes the hurry out of you.

The route at a glance

Six places to sleep, and what each stay is for. Tap a base to open its first day above.

The bases, in route order
BaseNightsThe leg inWhat these nights are forPressure
Seoul3Airport express to Seoul Station, 43 or 51 minThe palaces, the old city and a morning at the borderA timed garden ticket and a booked border tour
Jeonju2KTX from Yongsan, about 1½ hoursThe Hanok Village, a hanok night, and the city’s foodThe night market only on Fridays and Saturdays
Gwangju2Bus from Jeonju, about 1 h 25May 1980, the art quarters, and Damyang’s bambooThe memorial site closes on Mondays
Mokpo1KTX from Gwangju Songjeong, about 30 minThe old port, the cable car, and the boat in the morningOne night only; the 8.30 ferry
Seongsan1Ferry to Jeju Port, then eastThe lava tube, the divers’ coast, and sunrise on the craterA late ship shortens the afternoon
Seogwipo3Bus 201 round the south-eastThe falls, the cliffs, and Hallasan or the coast pathThe trail’s noon cut-off in winter
Seoul1Flight to Gimpo, about an hourA last evening by the riverThe airport the next morning

The shape of the route

The route is a long arc from the north-west to the south-west tip of the mainland, then across the sea. Six bases, thirteen nights. Jeonju lies about 190 kilometres south of Seoul, Gwangju about 80 kilometres beyond it, and Mokpo about 60 kilometres south-west of Gwangju on the coast; Jeju is a sea crossing of four to five hours. These are straight lines; the journeys are longer. Every leg goes forward until the flight back, so you never change bed for nothing.

Route map of South Korea in Two Weeks. Six numbered bases: 1 Seoul in the north-west; 2 Jeonju, inland to the south; 3 Gwangju further south, with a short day-trip spur north to Damyang; 4 Mokpo on the south-west coast; then a dotted ferry line south across the sea to Jeju Port, and a road east to 5 Seongsan and round to 6 Seogwipo on the island’s south coast. A long dashed flight line returns from Jeju to Seoul, and a short line joins Seoul to Incheon Airport. Train lines are solid, the Jeonju–Gwangju bus line thinner.
The route: six places to sleep, thirteen nights, the ferry to Jeju and the flight back to Seoul. The short dashed spur north of Gwangju is the day trip to Damyang. The lines are simplified.

Before you commit

The hardest move is day 9: a ferry that fixes your arrival on Jeju, and the one leg the weather can stop. The bookings that shape the route are the ferry, the border tour and the Secret Garden ticket. What it leaves out is Gyeongju and Busan, the classic south-east; see Make it yours.

Book before the rest of the route: the ferry, as soon as your dates are fixed. The operator, Seaworld Express Ferry, changes its timetable on 7 November 2026, and the ship and the pier depend on the day; check both on the ticket. Book ahead: the border tour, the Secret Garden, the KTX seats for days 4 and 8, and the flight on day 13. Our getting around guide explains the trains and the T-money card, and our rail pass guide whether a pass pays on two train journeys.

Start on a Tuesday. It puts the palaces on a Wednesday, Jeonju’s night market on its Friday, the Gwangju memorial site on a Sunday, Damyang on the Monday when Gwangju’s museums close, Mokpo’s museums and the haenyeo museum on open days.

One clash remains: on the first Wednesday of the month the lava tube on day 9 is shut. Starting on another day works, but check each Monday against the days.

Choose your season. April and May, and October’s autumn colour, are the finest and the busiest. July and August are hot and wet, and late summer brings typhoons, which can stop the ferry. Our best time to visit guide has the months.

With children · The palaces, the Hanok Village, Juknokwon, the cable car and Jeju’s coast suit a family. The border tunnel is a steep stoop, Jaman and Yudalsan are steps, Sunrise Peak is a climb and the Yeongsil trail a mountain path. The ferry has open floor rooms where children can lie down.

We found no published child fare for it, the border tour or the Secret Garden, so ask when you book. One booking guide gives KTX fares at half price from 6 to 12. We could not confirm step-free access at every station on the route. If a day needs replacing, Mokpo’s cable car or a beach day on Jeju’s south coast suits younger children best. We have no Korea guide for children yet.

Make it yours

The route keeps its shape if you change one of these.

If you would rather fly to Jeju

Skip Mokpo: on day 8, fly from Gwangju Airport, close to Gwangju Songjeong station, to Jeju in about an hour, and give the night to Jeju or to Gwangju. You lose the old port and the boat, and gain a day. Our Jeju in four days starts at the airport.

If you want the east coast instead

Swap Jeonju and Gwangju for Gangneung by KTX from Seoul, with Seoraksan as a day out via Sokcho, then rejoin by flying to Jeju. It is a different country: beaches, pine woods and mountains in place of food and history.

If the sea is the point: Yeosu

Replace Mokpo with Yeosu, on the south coast east of Gwangju: an island cable car and a night sea that Koreans sing about. A ferry has run from Yeosu to Jeju, but we could not confirm its current timetable; check with the operator, or fly. Our Tongyeong and Yeosu guide has the coast.

If you drive on Jeju

Hire a car at the port or the airport on day 9 and the island opens up: our Jeju in four days gives the car version of each day. You will need an international driving permit.

If the route slips

Five things are fixed: your flight home, the ferry, the flight from Jeju, the border tour and the garden ticket. The days on Jeju are flexible within their base. The credible failures are a late arrival, a rough sea, a heavy summer rainstorm, or a typhoon in late summer and early autumn.

Recover in this order. Protect the flight home first. If the ferry is cancelled, go back by KTX to Gwangju Songjeong and fly to Jeju from Gwangju Airport close by; you lose half a day, not the island. If the border tour is cancelled, take Suwon’s fortress instead. If a Monday falls on the wrong day, swap the two Gwangju days or the two Jeonju days. Check the Korea Meteorological Administration before day 9.

A final word on two weeks in South Korea

Two weeks lets you go where the first trip does not: into the south-west, where Koreans go to eat, to a square that changed the country, and out across the sea the slow way. Start on a Tuesday, book the boat, and go hungry.

Andrew + Margaret

Postcards from the Great Wide OpenOnce a month: our travel news, insights and stories from the road, with one feature piece to linger over.

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