Why make a list with 12 items? I just need to keep everyone on their toes, but honestly these are simply some of the things that have been unique and memorable experiences while living in South Korea. They are listed in no particular order other than how I brain dumped them, so here it goes. Of note, this is by no means an exhaustive list of things to do in Korea, there are endless places to visit and hopefully there are some on this list you are able to get out and see while living here.

1) Visit Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan

One of our first road trips we did when we moved to Korea was travel down to Busan. We had just had our second child and my sister in law was visiting, so we opted to drive versus take the train with all of the things our babies require for travel. If you have older children or are traveling kid-free, the train is a much quicker option to get to Busan. Busan is a lively coastal area with beaches, temples, shopping and endless opportunities for exploration.

One of my favorite locations we visited while in Busan was the colorful Gamcheon Culture Village. This area was settled by refugees during the Korean War and was thrust into the forefront of tourism for Busan when in 2009, art students and locals decorated the village as part of a village art project. The brightly colored houses, funky art and shops make Gamcheon Culture Village a must see! Note, the town is built on the side of a mountain so walking around is quite steep. We used a stroller with our newborn at the time, but I would recommend wearing your child if they are still in the “wearable” stage and ditching the stroller all together.

Address: 203 Gamnae 2-ro, Saha-gu, Busan

Parking: A few lots spread out but they fill up quickly. We found a road you can park on towards the very top.

View of Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan

2) Songdo Cable Car Ride in Busan

The weekend we went to Busan was just after a typhoon had gone through, so there was some damage to the coastal walk and some of the bridges. Thankfully the Songdo cable car ride (Busan Air Cruise) was working so we opted for a transparent bottom car and enjoyed the views of Songdo Beach from above.

Transparent bottom round trip: 22,00 won adult, 16,000 child

Closed bottom round trip: 17,000 won adult, 12,000 child

Hours: 9:00-20:00

3) Explore the Buddhist Temples

There are no shortage of beautiful temples to explore all throughout Korea. Many have fantastic hiking trails around them, so check out All Trails to scope out the trails if you want to add a hike to your temple visit. Most are still active temples, so be mindful of that when you are visiting and dress modestly out of respect.

Guinsa Temple: **73 Guinsa-gil, Yeongchun-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do**

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple: **86 Yonggung-gil, Gijang-gun, Busan**

Beopjusa Temple: **405 Beopjusa-ro, Songnisan-myeon, Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea**

Gakwonsa Temple: **45 Gagwonsa-gil, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea**

Seoknamsa Temple: **3-120 Sangchonsaemal-gil, Geumgwang-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea**

Beomeosa Temple: **250 Beomeosa-ro, Geumjeong-gu, Busan**

4) Do a Temple Stay

If you are interested in learning more about Buddhism in Korea, I highly recommend doing a temple stay. You can choose from many temples all throughout Korea and the activities include delving into Korean Buddhism, a temple tour with the history of the temple, hiking, meditation and tea with a monk. You will be placed with a guide who speaks English, so don’t let the language barrier deter you. It’s also a great way to meet travelers from all over the world.

5) Visit a Korean Rice Spa

The rice spa was one of the weirdest and most hilarious experiences for me while living in Korea. Nothing says welcome to Korea like having your naked self scrubbed by a Korean granny in a communal shower. Have I sold you on the experience yet? I hope so.

Chorok Miso Rice Bran Enzyme Golden Therapy: ***https://naver.me/GLynrQVl***

6) Visit Jeju Island

We took a family trip to Jeju Island during one of the long weekends this summer. A quick one hour flight from Gimpo International makes this island a great destination if you are wanting to explore with children (or without) but don’t want to get on a long flight. Fun fact, Seoul to Jeju Island is the busiest domestic flight route in the world!

The best way to get around Jeju Island is to rent a car since the island is quite large. We rented through Lotte Rental Car, they accept USFK licenses if you do not have an international drivers permit. We opted to stay on the east side of the island near Seongsan Ilchulbong in an Air BnB designed for families with small children but there are plenty of resort style hotels on the island as well.

Though we stayed on the east side, we still ventured throughout the island to:

Jeongbang Waterfall
Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls
Osulloc Tea Fields
Jusangjeollidae (cliff views)
Manor Blanc Cafe during the hydrangeas bloom
Brunch at Cafe Blossom

There is so much to do on Jeju, we packed a lot into the two days we were there. I would definitely try to spend three to four days if you go down that way, but you can certainly see a lot over a long weekend.

Pro tip, if you are a Delta Amex points person, you can typically find roundtrip flights to Jeju for just 10,000 miles.

7) Visit Boseong Tea Fields

The Boseong Tea Fields are up there with my top favorite things in Korea. The countryside surrounding the tea fields is stunning and if you go in April there are colorful flower fields in bloom everywhere. Boseong is a little over three hours drive south from Humphreys, so pack your bags for a fun little overnight trip.

8) Hike a Suspension Bridge

There are quite a few notable suspension bridges in Korea, and the views from them are even more spectacular in the fall. This summer we took our children to the Cheonjangho Suspension Bridge, aka, the chili pepper suspension bridge which they loved. More recently, I ventured to the Wanju Sogeumsan Suspension Bridge in the fall and spent several hours enjoying the scenery from spectacular views up top.

Wonju Sogeumsan Suspension Bridge (원주 소금산 출렁다리)

9) Dive into Korea’s Cafe Culture

If you have been here for any amount of time, you will see that Korea has no shortage of cafes. Everywhere you look there unique cafes with varying themes and beverages just waiting for you to visit. With winter settling in and the air quality plummeting, now is the perfect time to check out some new cafes. Locally my favorites are Dewdrop Cafe (they open at 7:30 AM during the week, win!), the Cottage (fantastic speciality drinks like those coveted holiday favorites) and Cafe Hangout in the Ville for their amazing cookies.

10) Go to a Korean Festival

Trout, ice, mud, flowers, lanterns, fire, you name it, Korea probably has a festival for it. Though my husband loathes crowds of any sort, we have managed to get out to a few festivals while living here in Korea. Those festivals include the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, the Taean Tulip Festival, the lantern festival in Seoul right before Christmas and most recently the Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival.

11) Take a Cooking Class

Another one of my favorite things that I have done while living in Korea was taking a cooking class in Seoul- this is actually something I planning to do again here very soon (email me if you want to join, seriously!). I share about the experience in more detail here, but I cannot recommend taking a cooking class (in whatever country you are visiting) enough. I learned so much about Korean cooking and culture and just overall had a fantastic time.

12) Explore One of the Food Markets in Seoul

Strolling through local markets has become a way for me to quickly learn about local foods and dive into the culture throughout Asia. In Seoul there are several great markets, with the most popular one being Gwangjang, the oldest and largest traditional market in South Korea. Many food stalls located in Gwangjang were made famous in 2019 when Netflix featured them in their series, Street Food: Asia. Those stalls are annotated with a banner you can find when you walk throughout the market.

Another popular market, yet smaller, is Tongin market. This market was built in 1941 specifically for locals but has since blossomed into more than 70 businesses, sit-down stalls and shops. You can trade 5,000 won for coins and fill up a food tray to eat on the second and third floor. Other markets include Namdaemun, Huam and the Myeong Dong Night Market.

Bonus 13) Samgwangsa Temple during Buddha’s Birthday

If you are in Korea during Buddha’s birthday, the lotus lanterns at Samgwangsa Temple are not to be missed. In Korea, Buddha's birthday falls on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Lunar calendar. This date varies from country to country and falls on different days each year. This year (2024), his birthday falls on May 15 and there will be celebrations and parades from Seoul to Busan. As dusk approaches, a click springs the thousands of lanterns to life, eliciting ohs and ahs from everyone around. As the sun finally disappears across the horizon, a spectacular kaleidoscope of color remains.

*Samgwangsa Temple during Buddha’s birthday 2024*

Address: 77 Choeupcheon-ro 43beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan

Parking: Pro tip, park at the bottom and walk up the lantern lined steps to avoid the parking congestion at the top.

Cost: Free

Besides this list, we have spent hours hiking family friendly hikes with our littles, enjoying local parks whenever the weather and air quality are good and kids cafes whenever they aren’t. We love to get out and explore and hope this list inspires you to do the same!

12 Unique Korean Bucket List Experiences