South Korea: Before You Go Guide (Printable + iPad)

South Korea is easy to love, but it runs on systems that catch first-timers out: an e-Arrival Card and a K-ETA exemption that ends on 31 December 2026, Google Maps that cannot give walking directions, T-money and Seoul's Climate Card, foreign cards that fail on the KTX app, and restaurants that want two portions.

This 23-page printable guide puts everything you should know before a trip to South Korea in one place, in 133 short, plain-English points with real prices, researched fresh in September 2026 with links to the official sites so you can double-check anything.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• Entry and paperwork (visa-free stays, the K-ETA exemption, the e-Arrival Card, customs and medicine rules)
• Money and payments (cards, Global ATMs, cash, no tipping)
• Getting around Seoul (T-money, Climate Card passes, subway, buses, taxis, Naver Map and KakaoMap)
• Airport transfers and intercity travel (AREX, limousine buses, KTX, SRT, Korail Pass)
• Phone, apps and internet (SIM, eSIM, pocket wifi, Papago, KakaoTalk)
• Etiquette and manners
• Food and ordering (banchan, two-portion minimums, barbecue, vegetarian pitfalls)
• Weather and when to go (yellow dust, rainy season, typhoons, autumn colours)
• Health and safety
• Accommodation (hanok, jjimjilbang, temple stays)
• Book ahead: palaces, DMZ and shows
• Holidays, closures and local rules
• Shopping and tax refunds
• Choosing where to go (Seoul, Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju, Jeju and more)
• Sample daily budgets
• What things cost: 22 prices, from a subway ride to the airport train
• A month-by-month calendar: weather, crowds, festivals and what to watch out for
• A pre-trip countdown checklist
• A tick-box packing checklist (34 items)
• A first-day checklist for arrival day
• 20 useful Korean phrases in Hangul with easy pronunciation
• Emergency numbers
• Two editions: a printable PDF and an iPad edition with a tappable contents page

PERFECT FOR

• First-time visitors to South Korea
• Anyone who wants the practical details in one place
• Travellers who like to arrive prepared
• A thoughtful gift for someone with a Korea trip booked

PAIRS WELL WITH

Our South Korea Travel Guide (the best things to do) for what to see once you're there.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

You'll receive 2 PDFs. No physical item will be shipped.

• Print edition (23 pages): US Letter, prints fine on A4
• iPad edition (32 pages): tappable contents, room to write

Sample budgets are per traveller per day and assume two people share the hotel room (a solo traveller pays the whole room).

This guide is general travel information, not legal, medical or immigration advice. Entry rules depend on your nationality: always confirm with the official sites before you travel.

PLEASE NOTE

Rules and prices were checked in September 2026 and are subject to change: fares, passes, admissions, hotel rates and entry rules can change without notice. Some prices are estimates and are marked as such. Please confirm important details with the official sites before you travel. Photos are illustrative. Researched and written with the help of AI tools.

Made by Global Trip Insight. For personal use only.