Asia Unseen · South Korea
South Korea
The best-kept secret in North-East Asia. Infrastructure on a par with Japan for 30 % less, a food and culture scene in full expansion, and Western tourism that stays modest the moment you leave Seoul.
Who it suits: People who love cities, hiking and food; travellers who have already done Japan.
- Entry
- 90 days visa-free
- Best months
- Apr · May · Jun · Sep · Oct
- Budget
- from €55 / day
- Rules checked
- September 2026
Séoul · Won (KRW) · UTC+9
Can you enter, and for how long
Ordinary passports, tourism. Each rule below comes from the traveller's own government, with the month it was read — not from another guide.
By passport
90 days visa-free
No visa for a short tourist stay. The K-ETA electronic authorisation is currently suspended for French nationals.
Taken in September 2026 · France Diplomatie — Corée du Sud, entrée et séjour ↗
90 days visa-free
90 days visa-free for tourism or short-term business. K-ETA not required until 31 December 2026.
Taken in September 2026 · GOV.UK — conseils aux voyageurs, conditions d'entrée ↗
180 days visa-free
180 days visa-free — a length specific to Canadian nationals. K-ETA not required until 31 December 2026.
Taken in September 2026 · Gouvernement du Canada — conseils aux voyageurs ↗
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the US portal refuses automated reading — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the Australian portal refuses the connection — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the New Zealand portal does not publish entry rules — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
When to go
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
April to June and September to October are the two obvious windows. July and August bring heavy heat and jangma, the rainy season. December to February is very cold but bright, and the ski season is decent. Korean autumn, in October, is one of the finest in Asia.
What not to do
- Staying only in Seoul: the KTX puts Busan two and a half hours away
- Skipping the T-money card — it works on every form of transport and in most convenience stores
- Booking a hotel in Myeongdong “to be central”: it is the most touristed and least interesting district
Booking your trip
The links below are affiliate links: they change nothing about what you pay, and they fund the writing of these pages. We only put here what we actually use.
Accommodation
The best coverage of small family-run hotels, and free cancellation almost everywhere.
Find a hotel (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)Trains, buses and ferries
The only reliable aggregator for overland transport in Southeast Asia, with real timetables and named operators.
See the routes (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)Activities and guides
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before, verified reviews, and someone to talk to when a boat does not sail.
See what is on (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)The French version of this page also lists a travel insurer. It is not here on purpose: that insurer sells to French residents, and a policy you cannot buy is not a recommendation.
More on South Korea
Sources and data
Entry rules for South Korea are read on these official pages, and re-read every night. When one changes, the page changes and the correction is published in the corrections log, next to what we used to say.
Some source names below are in French, and stay that way on purpose: they are the titles of French government pages. Renaming them in English would make them harder to find, and finding them is the point. The rule for your own passport is read at your own government's portal, named alongside it above.
- France Diplomatie — Corée du Sud, entrée et séjour
- Portail officiel K-ETA
- France Diplomatie — Conseils aux voyageurs
The data behind this page is open: coree-du-sud.json, CC BY 4.0.