Sydkorea

One of the most beautiful and iconic parks on the entire Korean Peninsula, and a draw for Koreans and travellers from all over, Seoraksan National Park is a Unesco Biosphere Protection site. Seorak-san (Snowy Peaks Mountain) is the third-highest mountain in South Korea, with its highest peak, Daecheong-bong (대청봉), soaring to 1708m. Set within this landscape are two stately Buddhist temples, Sinheung-sa and Baekdam-sa. Certain natural preservation areas are closed to the public. Ask at the visitor centre for details on free guided tours and hikes (the minimum number of participants is five).

Home to high-rise malls and labyrinthine covered markets, the 24-hour retail frenzy that is Dongdaemun attracts suitcase-wheeling shoppers from all over Asia. It's mostly clothing and fabrics, but you can also find Seoul's busiest street-food arcades within Gwangjang Market. Further east the couture gives way to antiques, flea-market goods and herbal medicines. Dramatic contemporary architecture is provided by Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Plaza & Park, while up-and-coming Seongsu-dong, an old shoemaking district being touted as Seoul’s answer to Brooklyn, is awash with industrial-chic cafes and hip boutiques.

Seoul's staggeringly efficient mass transit system makes its surrounding areas incredibly accessible, whether for easy day trips or longer excursions. And despite such proximity, cities such as Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do with its World Heritage–listed fortress, or Incheon with its intriguing multicultural background, have a vibe all their own.

Some of Seoul’s most charming neighborhoods are clustered in an arc across three of the city’s guardian mountains. To the east, beside Naksan, you’ll find the student and performing-arts hub of Daehangno. Moving anticlockwise across to Bukaksan is Seongbuk-dong, an affluent residential district with excellent museums. Buam-dong further west is the starting point for hikes along the scenic Seoul City Wall, while the slopes of Inwangsan are home to the city’s most famous shamanist shrine. Continuing south there's a park dedicated to the country’s independence at Seodaemun.

The sprawling port city of Mokpo (목포), set on a small peninsula jutting out into the West Sea, is the end of the line for trains and expressway traffic, and a starting point for sea voyages to Jeju-do and the western islands of Dadohae Haesang National Park. Korea’s National Maritime Museum is appropriately located here, and the craggy peaks of Yudalsan Park rear up in the city center, offering splendid sea, city and sunset views.

Koreanska smekmånadspar älskar Jeju. Även vandrare attraheras av ön som utsetts till ett av världens naturliga underverk. Vi tog båten till Koreas Hawaii.

Defined by the off-limits US army base that eats up a great chunk of Yongsan-gu, this area has long been Seoul's ‘foreign’ hangout for hamburgers, hookers and everything else. Nowadays, Itaewon (and adjacent 'hoods Hannam-dong, Haebangchon and Gyeongridan) boasts one of the most dynamic restaurant scenes in Asia, with a new global food trend emerging every five minutes. This diversity extends to the nightlife, with craft beer, underground clubs and something for every sexual persuasion. In daylight hours, the area has several major museums you won’t want to miss.

This beautiful southwest province is one of Korea’s greenest and least developed. The heartland of Jeollanam-do (전라남도) has rolling hills, the towering Sobaek Mountains to the east and 6100km of coastline to the south and west, with more than 2000 islands offshore – less than 300 of which are inhabited. The province was largely isolated for centuries and it retains an off-the-beaten-track feel. It also has a rebel edge, and is proud of its ceramic and artistic traditions, its exiled poets and its pro-democracy martyrs.

Known as ‘the museum without walls’, Gyeongju (경주) has more tombs, temples, rock carvings, pagodas, Buddhist statuary and palace ruins than any other place in South Korea. It's a lovely city, stuffed to the gills with history.

Sydkoreas huvudstad är en mångmiljonstad och ett neonblinkande virrvarr där natten är kung och selfiepinnarnas kamerablixtar blinkar non-stop. Vi guidar till de skönaste kvarteren, bästa shoppingställena och sevärdheterna du inte vill missa.