Rob O'Leary

South Korea Travel Expert

A captivating mix of old traditions and new wave popular culture, South Korea is unveiling a new and exciting side to Asia. Classical beauty and deep-rooted history sit side by side with modern innovation and a fast-paced food scene, all encircled by a dramatic coastline that shifts from beach paradise to winter wonderland with the seasons. It’s true, a tailormade holiday in South Korea is full of the unexpected.

Rob O'Leary

South Korea Travel Expert

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South Korea Highlights

A captivating mix of old traditions and new wave popular culture, South Korea is unveiling a new and exciting side to Asia. Classical beauty and deep-rooted history sit side by side with modern innovation and a fast-paced food scene, all encircled by a dramatic coastline that shifts from beach paradise to winter wonderland with the seasons. It’s true, a tailormade holiday in South Korea is full of the unexpected.

More about South Korea

MORE ABOUT SOUTH KOREA

Seoul – South Korea’s booming, boisterous capital – remains one of the world’s most addictive and untouched hubs for nightlife, food, history and culture. This alone is one of the best reasons to travel to this famed East Asian country, poised between the future and its own storied past; ringed by hills, Seoul’s jubilant architecture ricochets from impossible glass skyscrapers to the tranquility of historic Bukchon Hanok Village, and will find you tucking in to piquant mouthfuls of kimchi and tempura on the bustling streets of Hongdae, or browsing walls of contemporary art at the city’s towering Leeum museum. It is generous, endless, and unrelentingly cool.

Private tours in South Korea

DIVE INTO ELECTRIFYING SEOUL

The best way to experience South Korea is by joining a guided tour through the full-metal flowering of Seoul’s electrifying streets. Sample tteokbokki – spicy rice cakes slathered in molten red gochujang sauce – where these distinctive silver trays line the bustling food stalls of Hongdae, or treat yourself to the warm embrace of Korean pajeon pancakes, stuffed with fresh leeks and green onions – their cakey texture rich with ink-black soy sauce. Your tour will take in the intimate physicality of Korea’s streetlife while remarking on the ways in which history has shaped this supercharged city – from laid-back artistic Insadong district to the bustling epicentre of South Korean baseball in Jamsil.

Luxury Hotels in South Korea

STAY IN A MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS

Gyeonjgu, the country’s historic capital, offers some of South Korea’s best and most enviable hotels and makes for a quite remarkable change of pace from shuttling Seoul. Here, in this ‘museum without walls,’ temples and historic ruins scrape the skyline, while bright sprays of cherry blossom thicken the city’s plentiful branches. From the startling architecture to the exquisite food, Gyeongju’s most arresting feature is Daereungwon park, where rolling ancient green tumuli – or burial mounds – flow across the manicured grounds.

Luxury Honeymoons in South Korea

A HEADY SOUTH KOREAN HONEYMOON

As a country steeped in history, blessed with remarkable culture and scenery, and buffeted by its attention to service and detail, South Korea is fast becoming a favoured destination for luxury honeymoons. In the southern tip of the country, Jeju Do is the country’s largest island, drawing crowds for its Hawaii-level beaches, luscious countryside, and glamorous seaside hotels. Find rest and relaxation here, after the fast cultural pace of Seoul, and the historic eye-candy of Gyeongju.

South Korea Highlights

A captivating mix of old traditions and new wave popular culture, South Korea is unveiling a new and exciting side to Asia. Classical beauty and deep-rooted history sit side by side with modern innovation and a fast-paced food scene, all encircled by a dramatic coastline that shifts from beach paradise to winter wonderland with the seasons. It’s true, a tailormade holiday in South Korea is full of the unexpected.

Luxury Hotels in South Korea

ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW

Cities such as Seoul are loaded with chic, glamorous hotels that offer exacting service within some of the most in-demand neighbourhoods, whether exciting Dongdaemun or traditional, bustling Insadong. This includes a plethora of Western institutions, such as the Four Seasons and Hilton. Beyond Seoul, this attention to stylish comfort continues in the historic former capital of Gyeongju and on the romantic island of Jeju Do.

Luxury Hotels in South Korea

IN THE CITY

To stay among Seoul’s eye-opening skyscrapers, in the midst of its most happening districts, is the best way to experience this city of a thousand sights. Gangnam, a district that needs no introduction, is a South Korean Chelsea, both wealthy and stylish. The city’s outposts of the Four Seasons and Hilton offer unbeatable comfort and locations from which to dip your toe into Seoul’s never-ending sea.

Luxury Hotels in South Korea

IN THE LAP OF HISTORY

Gyeongju - South Korea’s cultured and architecturally flamboyant former capital - is an authentic slice of Korean culture, where temples and blossom trees stand guard over its 1,000 year old Seokguram Grotto and the gigantic stone buddha that sits there, and the 31 national treasures and UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are festooned across this living, rewarding city. The best hotels of this sumptuous and compact city put you right at the heart of its cultural and historical milieux.

Luxury Hotels in South Korea

ON THE SEA

Jeju Do, the luscious and dramatic island on South Korea’s southern tip, offers striking views from its blue-faced cliffs which fall - heavily and sedately - into the East China Sea. On this majestic opal-shaped island, there are a large number of luxury hotels offering some of the best and most scenic vantage points across this poem of a landscape, where you’re never far from the expansive blue water.

  • Population Population 50,801,405
  • Capital Capital Seoul
  • Language Language Korean
  • Currency Currency South Korean Won
  • Time difference Time difference +8 hours GMT +13 hours ET
  • Expert tip Expert tip

    "Head up to the fortress and hills surrounding Seoul for incredible panoramic views of the city".

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