Travel Attractions in Korea: Seoul, Busan, Jeju, and Entry Rules
Seoul, Busan, and Jeju anchor Korea's top attractions. Gyeongbokgung Palace costs 3,000 won; short-stay visitors need a K-ETA or the free e-Arrival Card.
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South Korea concentrates most of its best-known sights in three places that a first-time visitor can cover in a week or two: Seoul for palaces and street food, Busan for beaches and seafood markets, and Jeju Island for volcanic scenery. The Korea Tourism Organization, the country's national tourism agency, features all three among its headline destinations on the official VisitKorea site. As of July 2026, most short-stay tourists also have one document to sort out before they fly, either a K-ETA or the free e-Arrival Card, and the Korea Immigration Service, which runs the official K-ETA portal, sets those rules. This guide is written for leisure travelers planning a short trip of up to 90 days. It covers what to see, roughly what it costs, and the entry paperwork you need, not long-stay visas or work permits.
Where to focus: Seoul, Busan, and Jeju
Seoul is the usual starting point. Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest of the city's royal palaces, sits within walking distance of Bukchon Hanok Village, a residential quarter of traditional tile-roofed houses, and Gwangjang Market, one of the older covered food markets in the city. The three make an easy first day on foot.
Busan, on the south coast, trades palaces for coastline. Haeundae Beach is a crescent of sand about 1.5 kilometers long, backed by hotels and restaurants. Close by, Gamcheon Culture Village covers a hillside with painted houses and small galleries, and Jagalchi Market is the country's largest fish market, where vendors sell the day's catch on the ground floor and restaurants cook it upstairs.
Jeju Island, a short flight south, is built on volcanic rock. UNESCO lists parts of Jeju as a World Natural Heritage site for its lava tubes and volcanic cones, and Hallasan, the shield volcano at its center, is South Korea's highest mountain at 1,947 meters. If your first pull toward Korea came from a screen rather than a guidebook, several animation and drama settings turn out to be real places you can fold into the same trip; a few of them appear in our guide to the real Korean spots behind KPop Demon Hunters.
How much do the main sights cost?
Less than many visitors expect, because a lot of Korea's signature spots are free public space. The government's official Royal Palaces admission page lists a Gyeongbokgung Palace adult ticket at 3,000 won, around two US dollars, with a child ticket at 1,500 won. The same page grants free entry to anyone wearing a full hanbok, the traditional Korean outfit, though it notes that a partial outfit, such as the jacket worn over jeans, does not qualify. Walking Bukchon Hanok Village, Gamcheon Culture Village, or Haeundae Beach costs nothing; you pay only for the museums, cable cars, or observation decks you choose to add.
When is the best time to visit?
Spring and autumn are the easiest seasons. The Korea Tourism Organization highlights April and May for cherry blossoms and September through November for autumn foliage, when the weather is mild and the scenery does most of the work. Summer brings heat, humidity, and the July rainy season, and winter is cold but quieter at the big sights.
Check closing days before you commit to a specific morning. The official Royal Palaces admission page lists Gyeongbokgung Palace as closed every Tuesday, with opening hours that shift by season, running roughly 9:00 to 17:00 in winter and later into the evening in summer. National holidays can also change what is open and crowd the transit network, so scan the calendar for your travel dates before you lock in a fixed itinerary.
Entry documents: K-ETA and the e-Arrival Card
These are two separate things, and mixing them up is the most common pre-trip mistake. The K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) is an online pre-approval tied to your passport. The Korea Immigration Service, which operates the official K-ETA portal, charges 10,000 won for it and advises applying at least 72 hours before departure. The service has temporarily waived the K-ETA for citizens of 67 countries (including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore) through December 31, 2026, so many travelers will not need one at all right now.
The e-Arrival Card is a different form. The Korea Immigration Service made it mandatory for all foreign nationals arriving from January 1, 2026; it is free, and you submit it within the 72 hours before you land. If you already hold a valid K-ETA, you are exempt from the e-Arrival Card. Because both programs are recent and their exemptions carry end dates, confirm the current rules on the official portal before you book. That is the same check we walk through in what to confirm about entry requirements before booking.
| Item | K-ETA | e-Arrival Card |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 10,000 won | Free |
| Who needs it | Visa-waiver nationals; 67 countries waived through Dec 31, 2026 | All foreign nationals, unless exempt |
| When to submit | At least 72 hours before departure | Within 72 hours before arrival |
| Validity | Multiple entries | One arrival |
Getting around after you land
One rechargeable transit card covers most day-to-day travel. A T-money card, sold at convenience stores and subway station machines, taps onto city buses, the subway, and many taxis across the country, so you top it up once instead of buying single tickets. For longer hops, Korail, the national rail operator, runs KTX high-speed trains between Seoul and Busan and on to other major cities, which saves you the domestic airport routine for most mainland journeys. Jeju is the exception; because it sits offshore, most visitors reach it by a short domestic flight or a ferry.