Travel noTebook

South Korea

Getting There

Asiana Airlines has direct flights from Australia, with several Asian airlines including Air Asia, Cathay and JAL having one stop en route.

GETTING AROUND

Extremely tourist friendly, the subway system is colour coded, efficient, inexpensive and easy to navigate. Hop on hop off tourist shuttle buses go to places of interest. Busan is just over 2 hours from Seoul by fast train.

Where To Stay

The 185-room Park Hyatt Seoul T: 82-2-2016-1234 W: seoul.park.hyatt.com occupies a glass and steel building in the central Gangnam district. For a luxury stay in a traditional house, the Rakkojae Traditional Korean House (Hanok) is recommended W: www.rkj.co.kr In Busan, Haeundae Grand Hotel, Haeundae Beach is 5 star W: www.haeundaegrandhotel.com, while Apple Guest House is a good budget choice. W: www. appleguest.com. There are also many affordable traditional guest houses, youth hostels, home stays and temple stays. For a comprehensive listing go to W: www.visitkorea.or.kr

MUST TRIES

Kimchi is a traditional fermented side dish made of cabbage and vegetables, thought to have curative health properties.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Korea Tourism Organization, Level 18, Australia Square Building, 264 George Street, Sydney Ph: 02-92524147 W: www.visitkorea.or.kr has maps, brochures and helpful staff. There are many Tourist Information Centres in Seoul and Busan with roving staff providing assistance in English at tourist venues. Walking tours are provided by volunteers. A 24/7 phone interpreting service operates and information can be downloaded onto your smart phone. Currency is the Won, with 1AUD = approx 1,000 Won at the time of print.

Clockwise from top left: Changing of the guards, Gyeongbokgung Palace

A Seoul local Jagalchi Fish Markets

Beomeosa Temple

Textiles at the National Folk Museum

The Seoul shopping scene Insa-dong

Beomeosa Temple

A Namdaemun Market stall

South Korea may be among the most wired and densely populated countries in the world, but its first religion many centuries ago before the arrival of Christianity and Buddhism, was based on the worship of mountain spirits