Essential Travel Tips for South Korea: A Beginner's Guide

It is very easy to navigate yourself in South Korea, but you have to use the right apps. Korean people don't speak English very well. During our stay we meet only few people, who were fluently spoke English.

Seoul

If you are traveling to South Korea, here are some tips:

K-ETA or (E-) Arrival Card:

K-ETA represents Korea Electronic Travel Authorization. You can check on the official website if you need K-ETA or not based on your nationalities. Hungarians don't need to have K-ETA until 12.31.2025. However, it is mandatory to complete the Arrival Card on the flight or even beforehand online to fill the E-Arrival Card.

Naver Map

Download Naver Map! You can switch the language to English, making it easy to find the best route to your destination. Google Maps doesn't function well in South Korea, so you cannot rely to it.

Papago

Papago is very good translator app. You can take images for translation of the words, or you can type text to have it translated into Korean. We used multiple times, during our journey.

Bank card

In most cases, we used a bank card for payment. However, they only accept physical bank cards, so Apple Pay is generally not an option in most places. Cash is needed if you would like to buy something on the local markets like Gwangjang market or if you would like to upload your T-Money card.

T-Money Card

T-Money Card is a rechargeable public transportation card. It can be used for subways, buses, taxis and at some convenient store as well. You can charge it at every subway station, but it can charge only with cash. The automates weren't giving back money, so be prepared with exact amount of money.

E-sim

We purchased E-Sim at LG U+ to have internet access. You can easily buy it at the airport, or you can buy online as well. If you buy it personally, you can receive the T-Money card for free. I think this is really great opportunity.

I hope these tips were helpful as you prepare for your journey!