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ItinerariesUpdated 2026-09-09· 7m

Three Days in Seoul When You Speak No Korean

Not a different itinerary — the same city with the language friction removed. Where English runs out, what replaces it, and the four moments that actually need preparing for.

Reality check

English menu
Photos only
Going alone
Perfectly normal
Payment
Card accepted

You do not need a different itinerary because you do not speak Korean. Seoul is one of the easier large Asian cities to move around without the language: signage is bilingual, the subway is bilingual, and younger staff often have some English. What you need is a plan for the four or five specific moments where that stops being true.

Where English is reliable

How it goes
Subway and train stationsBilingual signage and announcements throughout
AirportsFully bilingual, staffed
Palaces and major museumsEnglish signage, English tours, English tickets
Chain cafes and international restaurantsEnglish menus, or photographs
HotelsReliable. Guesthouses vary

The moments that need a plan

  1. 1

    Ordering at a kiosk

    Self-order screens have taken over fast food and cafes. Almost all have an English button, usually small, in a corner of the first screen. Find it before you start browsing, not after.

  2. 2

    Ordering in a small restaurant

    Point at a photograph, or at the neighbouring table. Camera translation on the menu works well and nobody minds you doing it. Hold up fingers for quantity.

  3. 3

    Telling a taxi driver where to go

    Do not pronounce it. Show the destination on your phone in Korean script — both Korean map apps let you do this in a tap. This single habit removes most taxi difficulty.

  4. 4

    Asking for directions

    Use the exit number. “Exit six?” with a questioning tone is a complete sentence in Seoul and everyone understands it.

Learn the alphabet on the flight

Korean script is phonetic and genuinely learnable in an evening — it is not characters to memorise. You will not understand what you are reading, but you will be able to match a station name, a bus destination or a menu item against your phone, and that is most of what you need.

What to lean on

  • Camera translation. It handles printed Korean menus and signs well, and it is the single most useful tool you will carry.
  • The map apps. Naver and Kakao both have English interfaces and are far better than Google Maps inside Korea.
  • Photographs. Korean restaurants and kiosks are heavily illustrated, which is not an accident.
  • Your hotel front desk. Asking them to call a restaurant, confirm an opening time, or write an address in Korean is a normal request.

The one place it gets harder

Small, old, excellent restaurants — the ones with no English menu, no photographs and no kiosk — are where the language barrier is real. This is also where a lot of the best food is. Camera translation plus willingness to point gets you through; the alternative is eating only where English is offered, which narrows the trip considerably.

Four phrases that do real work

  1. Hello — opens every interaction and is expected.
  2. Thank you — closes it.
  3. This one, please — with a point, orders anything.
  4. Excuse me — calls staff over, which in Korea you are supposed to do rather than wait.
+Will people speak English to me?

Often some, especially younger people and anyone working with tourists. Assume goodwill and no fluency, and the interaction goes well.

+Is it rude to use a translation app at the table?

Not at all. It is common and staff are used to it.

+Should I book a guided tour to be safe?

For the city, no. Seoul is navigable alone and a tour insulates you from the part that makes the trip. For the border area, a tour is required anyway.

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