First Trip to Korea: The Pre-Departure Checklist
The things that are difficult or impossible to fix once you have landed, in the order you should deal with them. Entry permission first, everything else after.
Reality check
- Payment
- Card accepted — Korea is close to cashless, but a small amount of cash still helps at markets and older buses
Almost everything about a Korean trip can be sorted out after you arrive. A handful of things cannot, and they are the ones that ruin a trip when missed. This list is ordered by how badly it hurts to get it wrong.
Before you book anything
Entry permission comes first
Most visitors need either a visa or an approved K-ETA before boarding. A number of countries are on a temporary waiver, but the list and the end date both move, and airlines check at the gate. Confirm your own nationality against the official position rather than against a travel blog — including this one.
- If you need a K-ETA, apply well before you fly. Approval is usually quick, but it is not instant and it is not available at the airport.
- Check your passport has enough validity for your dates.
- Note the address of your first night's accommodation. You will write it on an arrival form.
Two weeks out
- 1
Ask your bank to enable international online payments
Korean payment gateways require 3D Secure verification. If your issuer has not enabled it, online bookings for trains and attractions will be refused with an unhelpful error. This is the single most common friction visitors hit, and it can only be fixed from home.
- 2
Decide on data
A tourist SIM or an eSIM, bought before you fly or collected at the airport. Korea runs on connected apps for maps, taxis and payment, and being offline is a genuine handicap rather than a minor inconvenience.
- 3
Book anything with a fixed date
Long-distance trains on weekends and holidays, and any restaurant that takes reservations. Almost nothing else needs booking ahead.
- 4
Check what is closed
Many Korean museums and palaces close one day a week, most often Monday or Tuesday, and English-language sources rarely mention it. Look before you build a day around one.
What to pack that you might not think of
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| A plug adapter for the round two-pin type | Korea uses 220 V with the round European-style pin, not the flat pins used in Japan or North America |
| Shoes you can walk a long way in | Seoul is hilly and you will walk considerably further than you plan to |
| Shoes you can take off easily | Traditional restaurants, guesthouses and temples all involve removing them at a step |
| A small bag for rubbish | Public bins are genuinely scarce on Korean streets |
| Any prescription medicine, with its documentation | Pharmacies are everywhere, but foreign prescriptions are not straightforward |
The first hour after landing
- Collect or activate your data. Do this before leaving the airport — everything below assumes you are online.
- Buy a transit card at a convenience store and load it with cash.
- Install Naver Map or Kakao Map. Google Maps does not do transit routing properly inside Korea.
- Take the train or the limousine bus into the city. Both are straightforward and signposted in English.
Cash is not dead, just quiet
Cards work almost everywhere, including on buses and in taxis. Keep a small amount of cash anyway: market stalls, a few older buses, and the machine that sells your transit card all prefer it. An airport ATM once is enough.
Things that surprise first-timers
- There is no tipping, anywhere, for anything. Adding one causes confusion.
- Side dishes in restaurants are free and refillable. Asking for more is normal.
- Most restaurants have a bell on the table, or you call out to staff. Waiting quietly to be noticed does not work.
- Water is free and self-service, usually from a dispenser near the door.
- Public transport is quiet. Phone calls on the subway are unusual.
- Almost everything is open late, and much of it is open on Sunday.
+Do I need to speak any Korean?
No. But learning to read the alphabet takes an evening and pays for itself immediately, because it turns station names and menu items from shapes into words you can match against your map.
+Is Korea expensive?
Transport and eating out are cheaper than most visitors expect. Accommodation in central Seoul is the line item that stands out.
+When is the best time to go?
Late spring and autumn are the reliable answers — mild, dry and clear. Summer is hot and wet with a proper rainy season; winter is cold and dry with very good light.
+Is it safe?
Yes, including alone and at night, by most international comparisons. Ordinary caution in nightlife districts is still ordinary caution.
Read next
Do You Need a K-ETA to Enter Korea? Many Visitors No Longer Do
Korea suspended the K-ETA requirement for 22 countries, and the waiver runs to the end of 2026. Here is how to tell which of the three entry categories you fall into.
Korea SIM or eSIM: The Question Is Whether You Need a Korean Number
Most guides compare data allowances. The decision that actually matters is whether you need a Korean phone number, because that is what unlocks reservations, taxis and delivery.
Getting Around Korea: The Complete Transport Guide
One card, one map app, and a rail network that changed operators this September. Everything you need to move around Korea, in the order you will need it.