Best day trips from Seoul: Suwon, Nami Island, Incheon, Jeonju and Gangneung
TUREFF• •0
Seoul has enough to fill a fortnight, but some of the most memorable days on a Korea trip are spent just outside it. Korea's trains and intercity buses are fast and frequent, so a lot of places are an easy day out with no overnight stay. Here are the trips people recommend most, roughly from nearest to furthest, with how to get to each.
Suwon Hwaseong Fortress
Suwon is a big city just south of Seoul, built around Hwaseong, an 18th-century fortress wall that loops for several kilometres around the old centre and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can walk most of the wall in a few hours, with gates, watchtowers and views over the city, and visit the rebuilt palace (Hwaseong Haenggung) inside it.
- Getting there: subway Line 1 runs to Suwon Station; faster trains (ITX, Mugunghwa, KTX) also stop there. From the station, take a local bus or taxi to the fortress.
- Do not miss: Suwon is famous for galbi (marinated beef ribs) and for fried chicken; there is a whole street of chicken restaurants near the fortress.
Nami Island and Gapyeong
Nami Island is a small, tree-lined island on the Bukhan River, made famous by the drama Winter Sonata. It is pretty in every season, especially in autumn leaves. It is reached by a short ferry (or a zip line) from the Gapyeong side.
- Getting there: the ITX-Cheongchun train or the Gyeongchun subway line to Gapyeong Station, then a short taxi or shuttle bus to the ferry wharf. Shuttle tourist buses also run from central Seoul.
- Combine it with: the Garden of Morning Calm, Petite France or a rail bike ride, all in the Gapyeong area. Having a car or joining a tour makes combining them easier.
Incheon Chinatown and Songwol-dong
Korea's only official Chinatown sits next to Incheon's old port, a short walk from Incheon Station at the end of subway Line 1. It is where jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce) is said to have been born in Korea, and there is a museum devoted to the dish. Next door is Songwol-dong's Fairy Tale Village, with brightly painted streets, and the old open-port district with early 20th-century buildings. An easy half day, and cheap to reach on a T-money card.
The DMZ
The demilitarised zone between the two Koreas can only be visited on an organised tour with your passport. Tours typically include observatories that look across the border, infiltration tunnels and Imjingak park. Which sites are open changes with the security situation, sometimes at short notice, so book with a licensed operator and read the current itinerary carefully.
Jeonju (a long day, or worth a night)
Jeonju is the city people mean when they say Korea's food capital. Its Hanok Village has hundreds of traditional tiled-roof houses, many now cafés, guesthouses and shops, and visitors often walk it in rented hanbok. Eat Jeonju bibimbap where it is a local speciality, and try the street food stalls and makgeolli houses in the evening.
- Getting there: KTX from Yongsan Station, or an express bus from Seoul's Central City terminal. It is doable as a day trip, but many people stay one night in a hanok guesthouse.
Gangneung by KTX
The KTX line built for the 2018 Winter Olympics put the east coast within easy day-trip range. Gangneung has long sandy beaches (Gyeongpo and Anmok), a famous coffee street along Anmok beach, and chodang sundubu, soft tofu made with seawater. Jumunjin's fish market and the coastline north of the city are close by.
- Getting there: KTX from Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni. Buy tickets ahead for weekends and holidays, when trains sell out.
Planning tips
- Book trains on the Korail website or app, which has English and accepts foreign cards. Seats sell out on Friday evenings, Sundays and holiday weekends.
- Avoid Chuseok and Seollal (the big autumn and lunar new year holidays) for any trip out of Seoul, when transport is packed.
- Check the last train back before you set off, and keep enough on your T-money card for local buses at the other end.
Which day trip from Seoul was your favourite, and is there one you would add? Tell us in the comments.