The Sunday Times November 14, 2021 15

Hanbok costumes

at Bukchon Hanok

Village in Seoul, right.

Dalgona coffee, below.

Gwangjang Market in

Seoul and Gwangalli

Beach, Busan, left

Busan Yachting Centre

WHAT ARE

THE RULES?

At the time of writing,

travel to South Korea is

still highly restricted. On

arrival all travellers must

submit proof of a negative

PCR test taken within

72 hours of departure.

All unvaccinated

foreign travellers must

quarantine for 14 days in

a government-designated

facility; a daily charge of

about 120,000 won

(£75) applies. Travellers

vaccinated outside

South Korea must also

quarantine, unless they are

eligible for a quarantine

exemption due to

humanitarian, business

or academic purposes

(tourism is not a valid

reason). Even if you are

granted quarantine

exemption, you will need

to take a PCR test on day

six or seven after arrival,

and comply with active

health monitoring via the

official app. Mask-wearing

and social distancing are

compulsory in Seoul. Bars

and restaurants are closing

at 10pm and proof of

vaccination is sometimes

required for entry. When

things open up again

British visitors are

permitted to stay for a

period of 90 days in South

Korea visa-free. At least

24 hours before travelling

you will need to apply for

a Korea Electronic Travel

Authorization (K-ETA)

online, submitting your

passport details and a

photo; the fee is about

£6. It is valid for two years

once issued.

Bulguksa temple is strung

with lanterns, splashed

with colourful frescoes

and home to robed monks

WAV E

HE

dedicated to K-pop bands, Seoul’s answer

to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cap off nights in Hongdae to the west of

the city — a neon wonderland with

multistorey bar complexes. It’s the pick

for local university students craving

Seoul’s best drinking food: fried chicken.

When you’ve had enough beer, the

noraebang (karaoke) booths are waiting.

South Korea has a less frenetic side too,

and it’s only a two-hour train ride from

Seoul station to the country’s undisputed

historic heart, Gyeongju (letskorail.com).

It pays to have booked a package; you’ll

be needing a car (and preferably a guide)

to whisk you from Singyeongju station

to the spread-out sights — ancient graves,

remote temples and palace ruins.

As the one-time capital of the Silla

kingdom (57BC to AD935), Gyeongju is

full of echoes of the past. The Silla kings

evidently loved bling, as a visit to the

National Museum shows, with its opulent

gold ornaments excavated from the city’s

royal tombs.

Some of the country’s most important

temples — deeply meaningful to South

Koreans — are here. The Unesco-protected

Bulguksa is strung with lanterns, splashed

with colourful frescoes and home to robed

monks — plus, come autumn, electric-red

foliage to rival that of Vermont. Ascend

from here to Seokguram Grotto, high up

on Mount Tohamsan. This tiny nook,

which contains an 8th-century white

granite Buddha, is goosepimple-inducing.

Gyeongju is a great place to try a

traditional Korean stay: in a temple at

Golgulsa (one night’s full-board from £38,

sunmudo.net) or in a hanok (room-only

from £62, hwangnamguan.co.kr). You’ll

want to sample Korean barbecue. It’s a

DIY affair, so you sizzle your choice of

cuts — pork belly (samgyeopsal), short

ribs (kalbi), brisket (chadolbaegi) — over

your own smoking charcoal grill. Veggie

side dishes (banchan) such as kimchi,

cucumber salad and rice come as

standard. The other essential? A tall glass

of rice spirit (soju). Cheers! Or as they

say in Korea, gunbeh!

NORTH

PACIFIC

OCEAN

DMZ

Seoul

SOUTH KOREA

NORTH

KOREA

Andong

Gyeongju

Busan

Jeju

50 miles

For the final two days make for Busan,

only a half-hour train ride away. South

Korea’s city on the sea is part working

port and part international beachside

resort. In places this feels like Korea at its

purest, with traditional wet markets and

alleyways stuffed with street-food stalls.

In other places it feels a little American

— which sounds strange, until you

remember the city was a crucial base

during the Korean War (Camp

Humphreys, near Seoul, is the US’s

largest overseas military base).

Haeundae Beach is Busan’s flagship

draw, especially for Asian visitors, such as

the Japanese, who are just a ferry trip

from its sands. It’s an undeniably

photogenic golden strip, lined with resort

hotels — try Paradise Hotel, a glossy pile

with a sea-facing pool and sun-drenched

lobby lounge, casinos and seafood

restaurants (room-only doubles from

£140, busanparadisehotel.co.kr). There’s

even the odd Irish pub. It’s at its best out

of the frantic high-summer season, when

you can stroll the length of the beach

freely all the way to verdant Dongbaek

Park, which dangles on a peninsula.

The unbuttoned western side of the

city is perhaps the most interesting,

especially for markets. Jagalchi is

brimming with wriggling octopus, giant

molluscs and dried fish, while Gukje is

stuffed with everything you need and

everything you don’t.

Then there’s the 14th-century Haedong

Yonggungsa Temple. One of the few

seaside temples in Korea, and certainly

the prettiest, it has a three-storey pagoda,

stone carvings within earshot of crashing

waves and views over sparkling sea.

Seeing the sunrise here is a morning tonic

before you take the train back to Seoul.

It’s no secret, so crowds are common.

But then again, in these hallyu days,

would you really expect it to be?

Six nights’ B&B taking in Seoul, Gyeongju

and Busan from £2,340pp, including

return flights and private guided tours

(bambootravel.co.uk)

GOT MORE TIME?

If you have a few more days to spare

and you’re a history fan, stop in

Andong before Gyeongju — a

Unesco-protected folk village with

traditional hanok houses, temples

and a rich cultural scene. If you prefer

great scenery, make instead for Jeju,

a large island off the south coast with

lava tubes, walking trails and beaches.

Alternatively, stay in Seoul and put

extra time into day trips, for example

to the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone), the

strip of land separating South and

North Korea. Guided tours with

operators such as DMZ Tours

(dmztours.com) will take you to the

Joint Security Area, the only place

where the two countries’ forces

meet face to face.

TAWATCHAIPRAKOBKIT, NUNAWWOOFY, F9PHOTOS, PRASIT PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES; PAUL BROWN/ALAMY