Before You Go Korea

Checked Oct 16, 2026 Jongno Trail Course 4 guide card. Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1) Course 4 of the Jongno Trail (종로둘레길) follows Cheonggyecheon (청계천), the stream through central Seoul. It is 3.0 km and takes about 1 hour. The official leaflet rates it "very easy", the easiest of the five courses. It runs from Heunginjimun Park (흥인지문공원), near Dongdaemun Station, west to Cheonggye Plaza (청계광장). The stamp box is at the start, in the park. I have not walked Course 4 yet. This guide comes from the Jongno-gu leaflet and Seoul city sources, and I say where they disagree. It is the fourth of five guides, one per course of the Jongno Trail. Course Course 4 of 5 · Cheonggyecheon · Heunginjimun Park (흥인지문공원) to Cheonggye Plaza (청계광장) Length and time 3.0 km · about 1 hour · "very easy" on the leaflet Stamp box Heunginjimun Park, start of the course · 4 of 5 on the whole trail Open Cheonggyecheon is open at all times · the path can be clos...

Checked Oct 16, 2026 Jongno Trail Course 3 guide card. Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1) Course 3 of the Jongno Trail (종로둘레길) is the Naksan (낙산) section: 3.0 km, about 1 hour, rated "moderate" on the official leaflet. It runs from Seongbuk Historic Park (성북역사문화공원) to Heunginjimun Park (흥인지문공원) beside Dongdaemun. The stamp box is at Marronnier Park (마로니에공원), in front of the performance information center. The second half is on the Seoul City Wall, and the leaflet recommends seeing the wall lit at night. I think the Jongno stamp tour will do well, because the courses are put together so well. I have not walked Course 3 yet, so this guide follows the official leaflet map and city sources. Course Course 3 of 5 · Naksan · Seongbuk Historic Park (성북역사문화공원) to Heunginjimun Park (흥인지문공원) Length and time 3.0 km · about 1 hour · "moderate" on the official leaflet Stamp box Marronnier Park, in front of the performance information center (좋은공연안내센...

Checked Oct 16, 2026 Jongno Trail Course 2 guide card. Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1) Course 2 of the Jongno Trail (종로둘레길) is the Bugaksan (북악산) section, and it is the hardest of the five. It is 4.8 km and takes about 2.5 hours. The official leaflet marks it "somewhat hard", the only course with that rating. It runs from the Changuimun information center (창의문안내소) over the mountain to Seongbuk Historic Park (성북역사문화공원). The stamp box is at the start, in front of Changuimun gate. I walked part of this course on Wednesday, Oct 14. From the first stair at Changuimun it took me 8 minutes to reach Dolphin Shelter and 30 minutes to reach the summit marker. Almost all of that is stairs, so I understand why the leaflet marks this course as the hard one. Course Course 2 of 5 · Bugaksan · Changuimun information center (창의문안내소) to Seongbuk Historic Park (성북역사문화공원) Length and time 4.8 km · about 2 hours 30 minutes · "somewhat hard" on the leaflet ...

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. If you book through it, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change the prices I show or what I recommend. Details in my Privacy Policy . Checked Oct 24, 2026 Omokdae hill above the Hanok Village. Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1) Jeonju is about 1 hour 30 to 45 minutes from Seoul by KTX from Yongsan Station, and a one-way ticket is about 31,500 won on the Oct 28 timetable. The old town is compact: Hanok Village, Gyeonggijeon shrine, Jeondong Cathedral, Omokdae hill and Nambu Market all sit in one area. A day trip works. Stay one night if you want to see the market after dark. I used to go to Jeonju often, but I have not been in several years, so this guide is built from official data and Korean reports, not from a recent trip. When I was a kid, food was the reason to go. Red bean porridge, red bean noodle soup, Jeonju bean sprout hangover soup and bibimbap are what I remember, and it felt li...

The 2nd Korea Grand Festival runs from Thu Oct 29 to Sun Nov 15, 2026, and foreign visitors can save real money during it. The three biggest benefits are free entry to the Seoul palaces and royal tombs, Korea Welcome Week coupons (eSIM and portable Wi-Fi up to 25% off, tours and activities up to 35% off) and up to 25% off at 25 duty-free shops. The coupons sit on an official English page, and palace entry needs no booking. Checked Oct 29, 2026 Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. If you book through them, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Details in my Privacy Policy . Changdeokgung, March 2026. Photo: SeoulAslan I really dislike crowds, so I read the Korean notices for this festival to see which parts are worth planning around. The government says about 40,000 businesses are taking part, and most of the official site is in Korean. This guide keeps only what a visitor can use. The palace photos here are mine, from Changdeokgung in March 2026 and Gyeongbokg...