Korea Beyond Seoul: 10 Incredible Cities You Need to Visit Now

Most travelers arriving in Seoul in 2026 spend their entire trip within the capital — Han River, Gyeongbok Palace, Myeongdong, done. It’s understandable. Seoul is enormous, endlessly interesting, and easy to navigate. But this habit means millions of people are flying home having missed some of the most vivid, authentic, and genuinely surprising travel experiences Korea has to offer. The country’s high-speed rail network now connects more regional cities faster than ever, and with the expanded KTX-Eum routes that came online in late 2025, reaching places like Andong or Mokpo has never been simpler. These ten cities are not backup plans. They are the main event.

Gyeongju — Korea’s Open-Air Museum

Gyeongju is the former capital of the Silla Kingdom, which unified the Korean peninsula over a thousand years ago. The city wears that history on its skin. Walking through the Tumuli Park area, you pass enormous grass-covered royal burial mounds — some the size of apartment buildings — rising out of an otherwise ordinary neighborhood. There are no fences between you and most of them. You can walk right up and press your hand against the earth.

Bulguksa Temple, about 16 kilometres from the city center, remains the single most important Buddhist architectural site in Korea. Arrive before 9 a.m. to walk the stone stairways before the tour groups arrive. Nearby Seokguram Grotto houses a granite Buddha that has been looking out over the East Sea for over 1,200 years. The morning light inside the grotto creates an atmosphere that photographs simply cannot capture.

Gyeongju is 2 hours 10 minutes from Seoul by KTX, and just over an hour from Busan. Most travelers visit as a day trip from Busan, but an overnight stay unlocks Anapji Pond at night — where the illuminated Unified Silla palace ruins reflect off still water in a way that stops you mid-step.

Jeonju — Where Korean Food Culture Was Born

Jeonju has a legitimate claim to being the culinary capital of Korea. This is not marketing language. The city is officially designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and the food here — particularly bibimbap — is measurably different from what you find elsewhere. Jeonju bibimbap is served in a brass bowl, built on a base of rice cooked in beef bone broth, topped with more than a dozen separate vegetable and meat preparations. The version at Gogung or Hanilkwan in the Hanok Village area is the benchmark every other bibimbap in Korea is judged against.

The Jeonju Hanok Village is one of the few remaining clusters of traditional Korean architecture — over 700 hanok buildings — that functions as a living neighborhood rather than a museum. Rent a hanbok for around 15,000 KRW (~$11 USD) and wander the narrow alleys between paper workshops, makgeolli bars, and cafés operating out of 100-year-old wooden structures.

Jeonju is 1 hour 50 minutes from Seoul by KTX to Jeonju Station. It works as a day trip but deserves two nights to eat your way properly through the neighborhood.

Andong — The Soul of Confucian Korea

If Jeonju represents Korea’s culinary identity, Andong represents its philosophical one. This city in North Gyeongsang Province has preserved Confucian culture — clan villages, ancestral rites, traditional education — more stubbornly than anywhere else in the country. Hahoe Folk Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site about 25 kilometres from the city, is a clan village that has been continuously inhabited by the Ryu family for over 600 years. The thatched-roof homes and earthen walls have not been reconstructed; they have simply been maintained.

Andong jjimdak — braised chicken with glass noodles, vegetables, and a deeply savory soy-based sauce — was invented in this city’s traditional market district in the 1980s and has since spread across Korea. Eating it in its hometown, at a restaurant on Jjimdak Alley near Andong Market, is one of those experiences where context genuinely improves flavor.

Andong is not on the main KTX line. From Seoul Cheongnyangni Station, the ITX-Saemaeul takes about 2 hours 40 minutes. Alternatively, express buses from Seoul’s Dong Seoul Terminal reach Andong in roughly 2 hours 30 minutes. It is best as an overnight stay, ideally in a traditional guesthouse inside Hahoe Village itself.

Sokcho — Gateway to the Mountains and the Sea

Sokcho sits at an unusual geographic intersection: on one side, the East Sea with its clear water and fresh seafood markets; on the other, the dramatic granite peaks of Seoraksan National Park. Most visitors come for one and end up grateful they stumbled into the other. The Sokcho Jungang Market is one of the best seafood markets outside Busan — order a plate of raw octopus (san-nakji) or grilled ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab) and eat at the market tables while vendors call out around you.

Seoraksan’s Ulsanbawi Rock formation, a six-peaked granite ridge, requires a moderately demanding 4-kilometre return hike and rewards you with views that have made this national park one of the most painted landscapes in Korean art history. Take the cable car to Gwongeumseong Fortress ruins for an easier alternative that still delivers mountain drama.

Sokcho is not directly served by KTX. From Seoul, express buses from Seoul Express Bus Terminal take about 2 hours 20 minutes and run frequently. The new GTX-A connection to Suseo, operational since late 2024, has cut the initial Seoul leg for travelers coming from the southern districts, making the combined journey noticeably faster in 2026.

Daejeon — The Science City That Surprised Everyone

Daejeon is not on most traveler’s radar, and that gap between reputation and reality is exactly what makes it worth mentioning. South Korea’s fourth-largest city is home to KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and the Expo Science Park, built on the grounds of the 1993 World’s Fair. The Hanbat Arboretum — one of the largest urban arboretums in Asia — is free to enter and gives the city a green, unhurried atmosphere that feels nothing like Seoul.

The food scene here is quieter and more local-facing than in cities on the tourist circuit. Sikjangkal국수 (knife-cut noodle restaurants) cluster around the Jungang Market area, and the raw fish restaurants along the Gapcheon River draw Koreans from surrounding cities on weekends. Daejeon is also the hub for exploring nearby Gyeryongsan National Park and the historic fortresses of Chungcheong Province.

Daejeon is 50 minutes from Seoul by KTX — faster than getting across Seoul by car on a Friday evening. It functions well as a half-day addition to a regional trip rather than a standalone destination for most international visitors.

Tongyeong — The Naples of Korea

Koreans call Tongyeong “the Naples of Korea” and the comparison earns its keep: a harbor city built on hills, surrounded by dozens of small islands, with a seafood-obsessed food culture and a disproportionate output of artists, writers, and musicians for a city of its size. The composer Yun Isang was born here. The painter Lee Jung-seop spent formative years on nearby Geoje Island. The city has turned this cultural density into a coherent identity.

The Tongyeong Cable Car climbs to Mireuksan Mountain for panoramic views of the island-dotted Hallyeo Sea. Down at the harbor, the Gangguan Port area fills with grilled shellfish stalls every evening — the smell of clams and oysters on charcoal grills drifts across the waterfront from around 5 p.m. Take a short ferry to Somaemuldo Island for hiking trails with coastal views that look nothing like mainland Korea.

Tongyeong has no train station. From Seoul, express buses take about 4 hours. From Busan, buses run regularly and take about 1 hour 30 minutes, making Tongyeong a natural add-on to a Busan trip rather than a standalone journey from the capital.

Gangneung — Coffee, Coast, and Olympic Legacy

Gangneung became internationally visible during the 2018 Winter Olympics, when its coastal venues hosted speed skating and ice hockey events. What the broadcast cameras didn’t show was that this city had already developed one of the most distinctive café cultures in Korea, concentrated in the Anmok Coffee Street area along the beachfront. Over 100 independent cafés operate within a short stretch of coastline, most of them roasting their own beans. This did not happen by accident — Gangneung has hosted Korea’s largest coffee festival for over a decade, and the culture around specialty coffee here is serious and local.

Gyeongpo Beach, stretching north of the city center, is the most swimmable beach on the East Coast for most visitors. Gyeongpo Lake, sitting behind the beach and separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land, provides a calmer alternative for morning walks. The Ojukheon House — birthplace of the scholar Yulgok Yi I, whose face appears on the 5,000 won note — is an easy cultural counterpoint to the beachside café crawl.

KTX from Seoul’s Cheongnyangni Station reaches Gangneung in about 2 hours. The line, opened for the 2018 Olympics, remains one of the most scenic train journeys in Korea as it passes through the Taebaek mountain range.

Chuncheon — Dakgalbi, Lakes, and Slow Travel

Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province and the city most Koreans associate with one dish: dakgalbi — spicy stir-fried chicken with rice cakes, cabbage, and sweet potato in a gochujang-based sauce, cooked on a tabletop griddle in front of you. Myeongdong Dakgalbi Street in central Chuncheon has been dedicated to this dish for decades, with restaurants competing for the title of original. The pan arrives sizzling, and the smell of caramelizing sauce is the introduction before you even sit down.

Beyond the food, Chuncheon is defined by its lakes — Soyang Dam created one of the largest artificial lakes in Asia, and the surrounding reservoir landscape gives the city a quiet, provincial energy unusual for a provincial capital. The Nami Island ferry, departing from a dock about 30 minutes from downtown, reaches the famous tree-lined island that became a Korean Wave pilgrimage site after the drama Winter Sonata. In 2026, Nami remains busy but has diversified into a genuine cultural campus with art installations, music performances, and a functioning zip line to the island.

ITX-Cheongchun trains from Seoul Yongsan Station reach Chuncheon in about 1 hour 20 minutes, running through forested terrain along the North Han River. This is a popular weekend escape for Seoulites and functions perfectly as a day trip.

Mokpo — The Port City Making a Comeback

Mokpo spent decades as one of Korea’s overlooked port cities — a place most people passed through on the way to Jeju’s ferry terminal rather than a destination in its own right. That is changing. The city’s Japanese colonial-era architecture has been preserved rather than demolished, and the old Japanese district near the harbor now functions as a de facto open-air museum of early 20th century urban design, with brick buildings repurposed as galleries, wine bars, and guesthouses.

The National Maritime Museum of Korea, located in Mokpo, houses the best collection of Goryeo Dynasty celadon ceramics in the world — most recovered from shipwrecks off the southwest coast. The Mokpo Natural History Museum next door is surprisingly strong for a regional institution. For food, Mokpo is famous for its octopus dishes — specifically nakji yeonpo-tang (spicy braised octopus) and grilled eel from the Yeongsanho Lake area.

KTX reaches Mokpo from Seoul in about 2 hours 30 minutes. The city works as an overnight base for exploring the Dadohae Haesang National Park island chains by ferry, or as the final stop on a slow southwestern route through Jeonju and Gwangju.

Suwon — The Fortress City You Keep Skipping

Suwon is technically part of the Seoul metropolitan area, sitting about 30 kilometres south of the capital, and this proximity is exactly why so many visitors overlook it. They assume proximity means sameness. It does not. Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site completed in 1796 under King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty, encircles a significant section of the old city in a 5.7-kilometre wall that you can walk almost entirely. The wall climbs hills, dips into valleys, and passes towers, gates, and command posts that are among the best-preserved military architecture in East Asia.

Inside the fortress walls, the Haenggung Palace complex hosts regular traditional performances and archery demonstrations. The Suwon Hwaseong Museum provides context that makes the fort significantly more meaningful than simply following the wall path alone. For food, Suwon is Korea’s galbi capital — specifically, the thick Suwon-style beef short ribs that are cut differently and cooked over charcoal in the Paldalmun Galbi Street area just south of the south gate.

Suwon is 30 minutes from Seoul by subway (Line 1) or 17 minutes by KTX. It is the easiest regional addition to a Seoul itinerary and requires only an afternoon, though a full day is better spent.

Day Trip or Overnight? How to Plan Your Regional Itinerary

The honest answer depends on your base city and your travel style, not just on distance. Here is a practical breakdown:

• Easy day trips from Seoul: Suwon (30 min by subway), Chuncheon (1 hr 20 min by ITX), Daejeon (50 min by KTX), Gangneung (2 hrs by KTX)
• Better as overnight stays: Gyeongju, Jeonju, Andong, Mokpo — all have enough content for 1–2 full days and evening experiences worth staying for
• Best combined with a Busan base: Gyeongju (1 hr from Busan), Tongyeong (1.5 hrs from Busan), Andong (2 hrs from Busan by express bus)
• Sokcho and Tongyeong are awkward from Seoul: Both require bus journeys. Build them into itineraries where they make geographic sense rather than forcing an out-and-back from the capital.

For a 7-day Korea trip outside Seoul, a practical route might run: Seoul → Suwon (half day) → Jeonju (2 nights) → Mokpo (1 night) → Gyeongju (1 night) → Busan (2 nights). This covers west coast, southwest coast, and southeast Korea in a logical loop without backtracking.

2026 Budget Reality — What Regional Korea Actually Costs

Regional Korea is meaningfully cheaper than Seoul across almost every category. Here is what to realistically expect in 2026:

Accommodation (per night)

• Budget: Guesthouses and motel-style yeogwan — 35,000–55,000 KRW (~$26–$41 USD)
• Mid-range: Business hotels, boutique hanok guesthouses — 80,000–140,000 KRW (~$59–$104 USD)
• Comfortable: Four-star city hotels in Gyeongju, Jeonju, or Gangneung — 150,000–250,000 KRW (~$111–$185 USD)

Food

• Budget meal (market food, local restaurant): 8,000–12,000 KRW (~$6–$9 USD)
• Mid-range sit-down meal: 15,000–28,000 KRW (~$11–$21 USD)
• Galbi or premium seafood: 35,000–60,000 KRW per person (~$26–$44 USD)

Transport

• KTX Seoul to Gyeongju: approximately 59,800 KRW (~$44 USD) one way
• KTX Seoul to Jeonju: approximately 28,600 KRW (~$21 USD) one way
• Express bus Seoul to Andong: approximately 18,800 KRW (~$14 USD) one way
• Local city buses within regional cities: 1,400–1,600 KRW (~$1.00–$1.20 USD) per ride

Renting a car in regional Korea costs approximately 55,000–90,000 KRW per day (~$41–$67 USD) for a basic compact, and it makes a genuine difference for places like Andong’s Hahoe Village, Seoraksan’s trailheads, or the island ferry ports near Mokpo.

Getting Around Regional Korea in 2026

The T-Money card — the tap-and-go transit card that works across Seoul’s subway — functions on buses in most regional cities as well. Load it before you leave Seoul and tap it on the reader as you board. The card beeps with a sharp tone on entry. Most regional city buses do not have English route information displayed, so download Kakao Maps before you travel — it handles regional bus routing better than Google Maps in Korea, and both apps improved their English-language support in the 2025–2026 update cycle.

KTX and SRT tickets can be booked through the Korail website or the Korail Talk app, which added a significantly improved English interface in 2025. Book seats at least a day ahead on weekends and during Korean public holidays (Chuseok and Seollal especially). Standing tickets are sold on some routes but are genuinely uncomfortable on journeys over 90 minutes.

K-ETA requirements: as of 2026, travelers from most visa-exempt countries still require K-ETA pre-approval for entry to Korea. The process is online and takes 24–72 hours. This does not affect movement between domestic cities, but confirm your K-ETA status before departure, as the approval system was updated in January 2026 with a new portal interface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Korean city outside Seoul is easiest to visit for first-timers?

Gyeongju is the most accessible for first-time regional travelers — it has excellent KTX connections from both Seoul and Busan, a compact historic center walkable without a car, clear English signage at major sites, and a clear identity that makes planning straightforward. Jeonju is a close second, especially for food-focused travelers.

Can I visit multiple cities on a single trip without returning to Seoul each time?

Yes, and this is genuinely the better way to travel. Regional Korean cities connect to each other by express bus and regional rail, not just to Seoul. A Jeonju-to-Mokpo bus takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. Busan to Gyeongju is 1 hour by KTX. Plan a southwest loop or an east coast route rather than radiating in and out of Seoul each day.

Is English widely spoken in smaller Korean cities?

Less than in Seoul, but more than travelers expect. Tourist information centers in Gyeongju, Jeonju, Andong, and Gangneung all have English-speaking staff. Younger Koreans across the country are increasingly comfortable with basic English. Having Papago (Naver’s translation app) or Google Translate downloaded handles most ordering and navigation situations effectively.

What is the best time of year to visit regional Korea?

Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–November) are ideal for almost every city on this list. Spring brings cherry blossoms to Gyeongju and Jeonju; autumn turns Seoraksan near Sokcho into vivid red and orange foliage that peaks in mid-October. Summer (July–August) works well for coastal cities like Sokcho and Gangneung but is hot and humid inland. Winter is best for Gangneung if skiing in the nearby Pyeongchang area is on the agenda.

Do I need a car to visit these cities, or is public transport enough?

Public transport covers the main sights in most of these cities adequately. Exceptions: Andong’s Hahoe Village is awkward by bus and much easier by taxi or rental car. Sokcho’s Seoraksan trailheads require either a local bus or taxi. Tongyeong’s island ferries are best reached by taxi from the bus terminal. For any city where you plan to explore beyond the urban core, a one-day car rental pays for itself in time and convenience.

Explore more
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📷 Featured image by Sébastien Jermer on Unsplash.