Korea travel guide. South Korea. Bukchon Folk Village

South Korea has long been one of the important cultural centers and fashion capital of Asia. And since visas for Russians were abolished in 2014, the country has become even more attractive. We've teamed up with Korean Air and the Korea National Tourism Organization to create a guide to what to do, where to eat and what to see in Korea.

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Classic style

After spending nine hours on a plane, you want to have time to see all the main tourist attractions in Korea. The classic guide contains the most important places to visit.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

The palace was built in 1394. The scale is impressive: the total area is 410 thousand square meters. Its throne room and one of the pavilions are on the list of national treasures. And believe me, there is something to look at: the throne is bright scarlet and looks more like a theater stage, and ponds of marvelous beauty lie around the palace. At the entrance to Gyeongbokgung, the changing of the guard is regularly staged, just as it was done every day during the Joseon Dynasty (its representatives ruled Korea from the 14th to the 19th centuries).

Gwanghwamun Square

Gwanghwamun is considered main square Korea. It opens from it beautiful view to Mount Bukhansan. There are also major architectural monuments here, such as the Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gate, built in 1395 during the Joseon Dynasty. There is a changing of the guard every hour near the gate. The square houses the King Sejong History Museum, with an exhibition in nine different areas dedicated entirely to the ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, the author of the Korean Hangul alphabet.

Bukchon Folk Village

A rare place in Seoul where old, unmodernized Korea has been preserved: no skyscrapers - but traditional hanok houses. In imperial times, aristocrats and officials settled here. Perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of the city.

National Museum of Korea

The largest historical and art museum in the country. The most interesting exhibitions are dedicated to the history of Korea. Admission is free, there is no audio guide in Russian, but you can listen to the English version.

Demilitarized Zone

Negotiations between representatives of North and South Korea are still taking place here. The main attraction is the so-called Freedom House, from which you can look at the North Korea. Today the demilitarized zone is a popular tourist place: observation towers and the tunnels dug by Pyongyang's intelligence officers are still in place.

Namsan Seoul Tower

Opened in 1980. On the third floor of the tower there is a wishing well: those who want eternal love throw coins there.

Seoul Square

Seoul Square in the Jongno district is located directly in front of the city hall, a monumental architectural monument from the beginning of the last century. Iconic place for many Koreans. Couples in love gather on the square, numerous events take place - for example, an authentic kimchi sourdough festival ( National dish Korea, to which a museum is dedicated in Seoul), more than four thousand people participate in the event every year. Here, on huge screens, the successes of the national football team were followed at the World Cup in 2002.

Oceanarium

One of the largest aquariums in the country is located in mall COEX, but that shouldn't scare you. It’s worth going there at least for the sake of the giant tunnel, where sharks and rays will swim above your heads. An adult ticket costs 25,000 won – 1,360 rubles.

Insadong

Seoul's answer to Moscow's Arbat is a wide tourist street with a huge number of souvenir shops, each with its own twist. But Insadong's main attraction is its galleries: there are about 100 of them, and they offer everything from folk art to the work of up-and-coming artists.

Busan

In every sense, the city of the future will easily give Hong Kong a head start in terms of the number and beauty of skyscrapers. If you are going to Busan, be sure to get to the village of Gamcheon, a huge cluster of colorful houses in the mountains. The houses are so close to each other that their roofs serve as a yard. It is also worth seeing the Haedong Yongungsa Buddhist Temple standing on the edge of a cliff, sunbathing on Haeundae Beach and having dinner at fish market Chagalchhi

Authentic style

Korea is a unique country that is visited by numerous tourists every year. In this authentic guide, we have compiled a list of what you need to see to get a sense of the national flavor.

Gwangjang Market

One of the symbols of Seoul. The market opened at the beginning of the last century, then it was destroyed during the Korean War, and later restored and expanded. In modern Gwangzhang there are several tens of thousands of shops employing more than 100 thousand people. They sell everything here: from clothes and shoes to food. But the most important thing, of course, is the small kiosks with national cuisine. For this, gourmets from all over the world come here. We recommend trying mayak bimbap, also known as “narcotic” bimbap - Korean rolls with a spicy taste. The dish, as you might guess, is named so for its addictive taste.

Changdeokung Palace (and its secret garden)

The only palace that now looks exactly the same as during the Joseon Dynasty: Gyeongbokgung was either destroyed by the Japanese or restored by locals, but Changdeokgung remained untouched. Inside is a secret (okay, semi-secret) garden: you'll have to work hard to find it.

Templestay

Templestay is when ordinary people live in a temple with monks. The practice is akin to living in an Indian ashram - only this time we are talking about Korean Buddhists. In Seoul, this can be done, for example, at Ponginsa Temple. What awaits you? You will get up early with everyone else, eat vegetarian monastic food, participate in the tado tea ceremony, meditate, study Buddhist customs and get to know yourself.

Namdaemun

The most popular (and, what can we say, the oldest) market in the city. The price is more than affordable - most of the shops and stores operating here have their own factories, so they sell the goods without extra charges. Most often, foreigners buy ginseng - it comes here in huge quantities and in any state of aggregation: healing honey tincture, fresh roots, face creams. Food sellers scurry between the counters. If you are willing to take a risk, buy from them not an ordinary hot dog, but local fast food - for example, tteokbokki, rice dumplings in a sauce so spicy that it can easily make your eyes water.

Accommodation in a traditional Korean house

Korea has a Hanok Stay program, which allows tourists to stay in an authentic hanok house for a fee. There is no need to be afraid that you will be placed in fake houses. Only houses that have passed the local certification (and the most comfortable) are selected for living - so don’t be afraid of discomfort.

Hiking in Bukhasan National Park

The country's landscape is mountainous, with plains occupying only 30% of the territory, so Tynsan, also known as hiking, is a favorite way to relax for Koreans. And Bukhansan Park is the most popular hiking route. If your physical fitness allows you, put on your sneakers, take your backpack and boldly go to the mountains. It makes sense to go there for at least a day (you won’t be able to see everything in a couple of hours) and with a good camera to take pictures local beauty not only on a smartphone. We recommend that you plan your hike carefully, otherwise it’s easy to get lost. But you definitely won’t get hungry: there are restaurants serving national food in the park. Avid travelers can take one day and climb mountain range Bukhansan, located north of Seoul. From the tops of smooth rocks opens best view to the city. Ideal place for thinking about the frailty of existence.

Dragon Hill Spa

Seoul's main spa complex: seven floors, open 24 hours a day. To avoid getting into trouble, you need to know a few things important rules And national characteristics. Firstly, do not talk in steam rooms under any circumstances - this is not accepted. Yesterday's walk in Bukhansan can be discussed elsewhere. Secondly, do not underestimate steam: experts recommend taking procedures for no more than 15 minutes. In the remaining time, you can watch a movie and walk around the huge complex. Thirdly, come hungry: you can have a snack in between procedures local food. Dragon Hill, for example, sells traditional rice drink and smoked (yes, you heard that right) eggs.

NANTA

A non-verbal comedy performance that has been drawing full houses in Seoul since 1997 - note that not every Broadway musical has lived that long. The plot is simple: three chefs are preparing a wedding banquet, time is running out, the manager ruins everything - and sends his incompetent nephew to work in the kitchen. The music is created by kitchen utensils: the actors bang knives, spoons, cans of water and everything else that comes to hand. Food scraps are flying towards the audience - so it is better to choose seats away from the stage.

Jeju

Island volcanic origin- hence the views worthy not only of a travel Instagram, but also of a BBC nature film. There is a diving museum on the island. This is a special culture: for years, women in Jeju have dived to the bottom of the sea with a minimum of equipment (mask, small stability ball, bag, knife) to collect shells, mussels and seaweed. In the museum - everything you wanted to know about the life of divers: you can see the houses in which they live, the food they eat, the tools they use to kill all kinds of sea predators. If you don’t want to gain new knowledge, we recommend just wandering through the caves - here it is natural heritage, protected by UNESCO. The most famous is Ssangyongul, the “cave of two dragons”, formed after the eruption of the island volcano. Then you can walk along Xingyang Beach - where nature has been preserved in an almost untouched form, which, as you understand, is very rare for a beach.

Fashionable style

In terms of scope, the art market and shopping in Korea are not inferior to the main European capitals. In this fashion guide, we have collected all the most interesting things for lovers of art and shopping.

Cheongdam-dong District

The local answer to New York's Fifth Avenue and Paris's Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré: the area for those who want to spend big in luxury boutiques. But even if the card shows zero, just walking around Cheongdam-dong also makes sense. Every store building in Cheongdam-dong is a work of art in itself: Dior, for example, is made in the shape of a giant flower. Luxury boutiques, however, are not the only attraction of the area; there is also a Mecca for lovers contemporary art. A must-see is the SongEun Art Space, which has exhibited with Tom Wesselman, the Chapman Brothers, and many local artists.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza

On the site of the old Dongdaemun Stadium, a gigantic complex arose with the help of Zaha Hadid; its construction cost 460 million dollars. total area- 86,574 square meters. This year in the photogenic avant-garde architectural complex Prominent figures from the fashion world and street style activists gathered here: Seoul Fashion Week usually takes place here. It makes sense to come here separately at night, LED flowers light up near the building - thousands of white roses.

Walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream

A triumph of Seoul urbanism: since the authorities decided to restore the stream in 2005, the area has become one of the main attractions of Seoul. Cheonggyecheon stretches through the entire city center for 11 kilometers. Everything is very photogenic: a panorama of a stream with 22 bridges, magical fountains and backlight. Here is the main New Year's bazaar, festivals and holidays that attract tourists and local residents. In the vicinity of the stream there are the main attractions of the city: Deoksugung Palace, Seoul Square, Cultural Center named after King Sejong, Insadong Street, Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung Palaces, so after a walk along Cheonggyecheon you can visit them too.

Art gallery "Lium"

The gallery is located on Mount Namsan. One sector is dedicated to Korean traditional art: Buddhist art, ceramics, paintings, calligraphy. The other is for Korean art since 1910 and foreign art since the mid-20th century: works by Francis Bacon are also exhibited here.

Of course, the most famous and popular place among foreigners - the capital of the country is Seoul. Someone ends up passing through here and, having stayed for one day (to get acquainted with the main attractions), stays for a long time to walk through the ancient and modern quarters, get acquainted with the original Korean culture, fashion and music, which has long become popular in Europe, and visit buddhist temples...

The author of the guide, Natalya Ni, Ph.D. in Philology, a well-known expert in the field of Korean culture and literature, thoroughly re-worked the entire book. After all, South Korea is a very dynamically developing country, which means it is necessary to make all the changes that have occurred over the past year. She went to this place several times most interesting country(both spring and autumn) to create the most convenient routes for you.
The guide contains 14 routes, 6 maps
For the convenience of users, the guidebook has been supplemented with a large detailed map countries (in the patch pocket on the cover).
Of course, the most famous and popular place among foreigners is the capital of the country - Seoul. Someone ends up passing through here and, having stayed for one day (to get acquainted with the main attractions), stays for a long time to walk through the ancient and modern quarters, get acquainted with the original Korean culture, fashion and music, which has long become popular in Europe, and visit Buddhist temples or, taking advantage of the unique Korean Temple Stay program, even stay for a couple of days in a monastery.
After getting acquainted with the capital, be sure to go on a trip throughout the country! Visit the beaches of Sokcho, Busan is the main one seaport. After the 2018 Winter Olympics, many learned that South Korea has many modern ski resorts with excellent infrastructure. Well. and since most of the country is occupied by mountains, it is well developed hiking, there are many marked and, importantly, specially equipped trails that will be appreciated by ecologists and conservationists. Every spring the country looks like a wonderful garden. These are the flowers that bloom and cover the mountains and valleys with a colorful blanket. But among all the colors there is one that is worth mentioning separately. This is a hibiscus that has long been national symbol South Korea.
It turns out that it’s common to go not only to Japan, but also to South Korea to admire the cherry blossoms! For Russian tourist Recently, this choice has become increasingly preferable, since it does not require a visa. If you are not going to stay there to work or study, then you can safely stay in Korea for 60 days.
In addition to convenient maps (6) and proven author's routes (14) with descriptions of the most important attractions, the guide "South Korea" also contains practical information - useful links, addresses, museum schedules and public transport routes, driving directions.
In the South Korea travel guide you will also find sections that will help you prepare for your trip. This Short story countries, information about transport communication, calendar of upcoming events and holidays. The climate section will help you choose the best time to travel for you, and information about hotels and restaurants will help you navigate the variety of offers.
The guide also contains unique routes.

Food: you can’t do without kimchi

First of all, remember: food in Korea is not just spicy, but very spicy. If your request for “no spice” was not fully fulfilled, eat rice - it will take away the excess, and it is served with almost every dish.

Popular here not only local kitchen, lovers of Chinese, Japanese and European will also be pleased. The popular TripAdvisor, which contains information about probably all the delicious places in the world, will help you find a suitable restaurant.

Download TripAdvisor

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The top 5 must-try dishes in Korea are topped by kimchi. Because it’s simply impossible not to do this - when you order almost any food in a restaurant, they will most often bring you several types of such appetizers made from pickled vegetables with seasonings for free. Kimchi comes from cabbage, radish, radishes, cucumber and even green onions. Koreans believe that such food helps against all diseases, promotes weight loss, good mood, in general, seven troubles - one answer.

Kimchi

From vegetables to meat. Another very popular dish among the local population is samgyeopsal. Sliced ​​pork is lightly fried and served with vegetables, often raw. Restaurant visitors fry it themselves - both food and entertainment. There is no place here without cabbage again - Koreans wrap pieces of meat in pickled leaves. It’s delicious, although it doesn’t look like cabbage rolls at all. If you don’t like pork, it doesn’t matter: instead, you can cook beef ribs (galbi) or, for example, duck fillet in the same way.

Samgyeopsal

Hard to imagine Asian country without rice. In Korea, try bibimbap - rice with vegetables and spicy paste with the addition of raw or fried eggs and thinly sliced ​​beef.

Bibimbap

A dish that sounds like a bulldog, but isn't what you'd think, is bulgogi—sliced ​​beef that's been soaked in a marinade of soy sauce, garlic and green onions, sesame oil and seasonings, then grilled.

Bulgogi

But hveh is not fried or boiled at all. This is thinly sliced ​​raw fish or raw meat that you get with big amount hot red pepper or with dark red pepper sauce. Almost like tartare or stroganina.

Almost all Korean desserts are based on rice flour or glutinous rice. The best way to try them is with green tea. We recommend:
tteok - a pie you know what it’s made of, steamed, stuffed with nuts, fruits, and sometimes flowers;
hotteok - flatbreads, similar in appearance to Russian pancakes, but with nuts and cinnamon;
hangwa are long colored chewing candies made from flour, sugar, honey and various roots.

Drinks: rice, rice, rice

Fortunately, Koreans do without cabbage in alcohol, but still the composition of the drinks is very different from ours. Rice, corn and aloe. Here's what you need to know about local booze.

Let's start with makgoli (Makkoli) - this is Korean rice wine. It’s quite strange to call a liquid without milky grapes wine, but oh well. But it is tasty, unusual and fun - the strength of makgoli is 6-7 degrees.

Makgoli

Soju is already stronger - 19-20 degrees, but again on rice. Also with the addition of barley, wheat or potatoes. It goes well with stroganina, or rather hve.

Soju

The most popular beers here are the Hite and OB brands. Again, there are unexpected ingredients - Hite, for example, is brewed from corn, rice and barley. The OB brand's foamy varieties are more traditional, using 100% barley malt.

Korean beer

Download Untappd

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Among non-alcoholic drinks, aloe-based drinks with added fruit are popular - they quench your thirst well. You can find it in any supermarket in Korea.

Transport: screen replaced paper

It has become much easier for modern tourists to organize self-guided tours, moving and just hiking. Paper maps and phrasebooks have replaced smartphones and apps that will help you not get lost, save money when buying tickets and not miss the right stop. In Korea, the public transport system is very developed, and, armed with mobile assistants, you can comfortably and inexpensively travel around all the places on your “must visit” list.

You should start by downloading a guidebook with a map where the attractions are marked onto your smartphone. major cities, hotels, restaurants, metro stops and so on. One of the best local "transport" apps is Korea Tour - Offline Maps (in English). It not only has a map of Seoul, but also a map of the subway and bus network. You can build a route on the go. Even in offline mode, the program will tell you in how many minutes the next bus will arrive or at which metro station it is better to make a transfer.

Download Korea Tour - Offline Maps

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Korea Tour app

The first thing that all guidebooks to Korea say is to be careful on the roads: there has been a high percentage of car accidents here for years. You can also give up the idea of ​​renting a car because there are often traffic jams on the roads. But public transport runs smoothly.

It is more convenient to travel inside the city by metro; tickets there are sold in special terminals in the metro itself. The base fare for a trip up to 10 km will cost 1,250 won, for every additional 5 km you will have to pay an additional 100 won, and if you exceed 50 km - 100 won for every 8 km. The most convenient way for tourists is to buy a Tmoney or Cashbee card; information about them is here. These cards are suitable for both metro and bus travel. Sold at the box office, as well as in stores GS25, CU, 7-eleven, MINISTOP, With me, Buy the way, Story way and others marked Tmoney and Cashbee.

Olympics 2018: everything will fit in a smartphone

The two main sites of the Winter Olympic Games are the Pyeongchang mountain cluster (Alpensia, Yeonpyeong, Phoenix Park, Changsong resorts) and the Gangneung coastal cluster (Gangneung city). The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games will take place in Alpensia, where most of the competitions will take place - biathlon, cross-country skiing, giant slalom, ski jumping, bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. There is a map of the competition here.

The schedule can be viewed here - https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/schedule or in the official application of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Download PyeongChang 2018 Official App

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PyeongChang 2018 Official App

But it’s better to store all tickets for the Games in the convenient 2018 PyeongChang Tickets application. It will be enough to present at the entrance e-ticket on the screen of your smartphone.

Download 2018 PyeongChang Tickets

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Pyeongchang was chosen as the venue for the Olympics, among other things, because of its compact location. Especially for the Games, the Koreans built a high-speed railway, which can be used to get from Seoul to Gangneung in just over an hour. Detailed Transport Card There are games here.

Sights: from palaces to saunas

Read about everything interesting places In Korea, you can get “first-hand information” on the website of the local national tourism organization. And if you download the Seoul Pass app, you can save on excursions and tickets.

Download Seoul Pass

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It’s hard to imagine that a tourist visiting South Korea would not visit Seoul and pass by Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest of the five palaces of the royal dynasty.

Our guide will help you spend an unforgettable vacation in South Korea, get acquainted with oriental culture, walk around the Land of Morning Freshness, and enjoy unusual cuisine. In it you will find thoughtful routes along best places and attractions, do not miss anything important and interesting, and your time will be spent as economically as possible. We will advise you on original dishes, places for entertainment and great shopping, tell you about what events have unfolded over the years on these streets and what kind of lifestyle leads local population. In the section with useful information you will learn what can be done and what experiences can only be lived in South Korea.

The work was published in 2018 by Eksmo Publishing House. The book is part of the "Orange Guide" series. On our website you can download the book "South Korea. A Guide" in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format or read online. Here, before reading, you can also turn to reviews from readers who are already familiar with the book and find out their opinion. In our partner's online store you can buy and read the book in paper form.

There are not as many guidebooks to Korea as we would like. Even fewer of them have been published in Russian. This is partly why the book you are reading now was created. For those who like to hold a paper version of the guidebook in their hands, I will try to briefly tell you what kind of guidebook you can buy when planning a trip to Korea.

Guide to Korea series " Russian Guide. Polyglot". The most up-to-date travel guide to Korea today. The information is presented simply and quite conveniently. The guide is a pleasure to use. But the brevity of the presentation is confusing. Suitable only for those who do not want to go into all the details of Korean life, and who do not plan long journey around the country. For a trip of a week or quite suitable.

Guide active traveler"Step by step". The book is good, very detailed and complete. More detailed guide At the moment there is no Russian language. But there are also disadvantages - the information is largely outdated. Korea is developing dynamically, so information about Korean public transport and opening hours of cultural institutions must be clarified separately. Sometimes the authors of this guide use dubious transcriptions of Korean names, but this is a common problem when translating proper names from into Russian.

Guide to Korea publishing house " Le Petit Fute". There is almost nothing to praise this guide for. The information is outdated, and it is presented very briefly and inconveniently. There are almost no cards. The guidebook is completely inconvenient to use. I don't recommend buying.

If there are no problems in studying the guide about Korea on English language, That the best option are probably