dani.korea Guide

Guide

Every question, by category

297 questions in 12 categories. Tap a heading to fold a category away; tap a letter to jump to it.

AMoney & Payments36
  1. How does paying for things in Korea work?
  2. Which transit card should I get?
  3. Will my own bank cards work in Korea?
  4. How does the tourist tax refund work?
  5. Can I tap my Visa at the subway gate?
  6. How do I pay for buses and the subway?
  7. What is a Tmoney transit card?
  8. Can I add a Tmoney transit card to my iPhone?
  9. Can I top up Tmoney inside Apple Wallet with a foreign card?
  10. Can I top up Tmoney in the Mobile Tmoney app with a foreign card?
  11. Android: how do I set up a Tmoney card?
  12. Can I top up a Tmoney card at a subway station?
  13. How do I buy a physical Tmoney card?
  14. What is WOWPASS, the prepaid card for visitors?
  15. Is Seoul's Climate Card transit pass worth it?
  16. Korea Tour Card (now Tmoney Travel Card) or a plain Tmoney card?
  17. Getting my Tmoney or WOWPASS balance back before I fly
  18. Will my Tmoney card work in Busan and outside Seoul?
  19. Does Apple Pay work in Korea?
  20. Does Google Pay work in Korea?
  21. Can a visitor use Samsung Pay in Korea?
  22. Will my foreign card work at restaurants and shops?
  23. Are Amex, Discover and UnionPay accepted?
  24. How much Korean won cash should I carry?
  25. Where to exchange money for Korean won
  26. Which ATMs take my foreign card?
  27. Do I tip at restaurants and in taxis?
  28. Why was my card declined?
  29. Pay in Korean won or my own currency?
  30. Tourist tax refund: am I eligible?
  31. Tax refund: immediate, downtown or airport?
  32. Tax refund limits: minimum receipt, caps and deadlines
  33. Downtown tax refund: the customs scan you must not miss
  34. What's excluded from the tourist tax refund
  35. Splitting purchases to get a bigger tax refund
  36. Tax refund at the airport: kiosk first, then bags
BGetting There & Around37
  1. How do I get around Korea?
  2. How does the Korean subway work?
  3. How do maps work in Korea?
  4. Incheon Airport: Terminal 1 or Terminal 2?
  5. Getting from Incheon Airport into Seoul
  6. I land at Incheon at 23:40 — how do I get in?
  7. Arriving at Gimpo Airport, Seoul's other airport
  8. Arriving at Gimhae Airport in Busan
  9. Arriving on Jeju Island by air
  10. Luggage delivery to my hotel
  11. What can't I bring into Korea?
  12. Declaring cash at the Korean border
  13. The immigration desk and fingerprint scan
  14. Why doesn't Google Maps give directions in Korea?
  15. Naver Map or Kakao Map?
  16. Searching in Korean without reading Korean
  17. Subway fares: buying a ticket and riding
  18. Subway exit numbers and why they are the address
  19. Single-journey subway cards and the deposit
  20. City buses and what the colours mean
  21. Bus etiquette: boarding, seats and stops
  22. Taxi fares and how to hail one
  23. Hailing a taxi with Kakao T on a foreign number
  24. A taxi refused me — what now?
  25. Showing a taxi driver where I'm going
  26. KTX high-speed trains: fares and booking
  27. Booking SRT high-speed trains with a foreign card
  28. Intercity and express buses
  29. Ferries to Korea's islands
  30. Do I need an International Driving Permit?
  31. Driving in Korea: limits, cameras and fines
  32. Public bike share and shared scooters
  33. Walking in Seoul: hills, crossings and distance
  34. Step-free access on subways, buses and trains
  35. Luggage lockers at subway stations
  36. Getting between Korean cities: train, bus or plane
  37. Getting home after the subway stops
CReservations & Access29
  1. How do I get a table at a Korean restaurant?
  2. Why do Korean booking apps reject me?
  3. How do I book a restaurant as a foreigner?
  4. Signing up for CatchTable Global, the booking app
  5. Paying a restaurant deposit with a foreign card
  6. The restaurant only takes the Tabling app
  7. Which booking system does this restaurant use?
  8. Booking on Naver with a passport, not a Korean ID
  9. Naver passport verification, step by step
  10. My restaurant booking silently failed
  11. Booking a restaurant by Instagram DM
  12. Asking your hotel to book a restaurant
  13. Phoning a restaurant when the apps fail
  14. When do restaurant reservations open?
  15. Restaurant deposits and no-show penalties
  16. Restaurant cancellation windows and refunds
  17. Remote restaurant waitlists and their deadlines
  18. The waitlist tablet at a restaurant door
  19. Screenshot your bookings before you need them
  20. Which restaurants need no booking at all
  21. Palace and museum tickets
  22. Buying K-pop and concert tickets from abroad
  23. Ticket lotteries for palace night tours
  24. Renting hanbok (한복), Korean traditional dress
  25. Korean cooking classes and hands-on experiences
  26. Templestay: booking a night at a Buddhist temple
  27. DMZ tours: the two different trips
  28. Seoul has five palaces. Which one should I actually visit?
  29. It is Monday, or it is raining. What is open, and free?
DEating30
  1. Ordering from a table tablet or QR menu
  2. Call buttons at your table, not waving
  3. Banchan (반찬): the free side dishes and refills
  4. No tipping in Korean restaurants
  5. Eating alone: which restaurants take one person
  6. Minimum orders and the two-portion rule
  7. What one portion (1인분) means and how to order it
  8. Reading a Korean menu
  9. Allergy and dietary phrasing in Korean
  10. Halal: certified vs friendly vs unknown
  11. Vegetarian and vegan eating in Korea
  12. Soju, beer, and drinking etiquette
  13. Pouring and receiving drinks: the rules
  14. Convenience-store food worth eating
  15. Street food and market etiquette
  16. Ordering delivery to a Han River picnic
  17. Where to eat after midnight
  18. Hangover food: haejangguk (해장국) and where to find it
  19. Korean BBQ: how it actually works
  20. Jjigae (찌개) and eating from a shared pot
  21. Regional specialities by city
  22. Coffee culture and study cafés
  23. Dessert cafés and bingsu (빙수)
  24. Buffets and all-you-can-refill (무한리필)
  25. Michelin and Blue Ribbon in Korea
  26. How to spot a tourist-trap restaurant
  27. Why Korean restaurant review counts mislead
  28. Korean chain restaurants worth knowing
  29. Food courts and department store basements
  30. Korean table manners and taboos
EWhere You Stay18
  1. Hotel, motel, guesthouse or hanok: what's what
  2. Hotel check-in and check-out times
  3. Hotel deposits, card holds and cancellation refunds
  4. Luggage storage before check-in and after check-out
  5. What a Korean hotel room provides, and what it doesn't
  6. Heated floors (온돌) and the controller
  7. Korean bathrooms: wet floors and no shower tray
  8. Noise and quiet hours where you're sleeping
  9. Hotel wifi and amenities
  10. Your hotel's Korean address and how to show it
  11. Choosing a Seoul neighbourhood to stay in
  12. What "5 minutes from the station" means in practice
  13. Airbnb legality in Korea
  14. Staying in a hanok (한옥), a traditional house
  15. Using a templestay as a place to sleep
  16. Love hotels and the ordinary motel (모텔)
  17. Hostels and Korean guesthouses (게스트하우스)
  18. Accessible rooms in Korean hotels
FShopping24
  1. Korean clothing and shoe sizing
  2. Olive Young 1+1 and 2+1 deals explained
  3. Olive Young Global vs in-store pricing
  4. Korea's seasonal sale calendar
  5. Department store food halls in the basement
  6. Daiso: Korea's ₩1,000–5,000 variety store
  7. Traditional markets and haggling norms
  8. Shopping in Myeongdong, Seongsu or Gangnam?
  9. Duty-free: downtown vs airport vs online
  10. Duty-free pickup at departure
  11. What you cannot take out of Korea
  12. Liquid rules for cosmetics in carry-on
  13. Shipping purchases home
  14. K-beauty ingredient glossary
  15. Matching K-beauty products to your skin type
  16. Counterfeit risk and where not to buy
  17. Electronics, 220V voltage and plug shape
  18. Buying a phone in Korea: SIM-free and warranty
  19. Choosing souvenirs to bring home
  20. What's worth buying in a convenience store
  21. Korean bookshops and stationery stores
  22. Vintage and thrift shopping in Seoul
  23. Buying Korean art, ceramics and craft
  24. Planning a Seoul shopping route by cluster
GEntry & Documents17
  1. Do I need a visa to visit Korea?
  2. Do I need K-ETA travel authorisation?
  3. Applying for K-ETA travel authorisation
  4. The e-Arrival Card: Korea's online arrival form
  5. Filling in the e-Arrival Card, field by field
  6. Do I need both K-ETA and the e-Arrival Card?
  7. How much passport validity does Korea need?
  8. How long can I stay in Korea without a visa?
  9. The customs declaration on arrival
  10. Bringing medication into Korea
  11. Do I need travel insurance for Korea?
  12. Finding my embassy in Korea
  13. What do I do if I lose my passport in Korea?
  14. What happens if I overstay in Korea?
  15. Re-entering Korea on a multi-country trip
  16. Travelling to Korea with children
  17. Can I go to Jeju without a Korean visa?
HHealth & Safety22
  1. Emergency numbers (112 police, 119 fire/ambulance)
  2. The 1330 tourist helpline
  3. The 1345 immigration and foreigner helpline
  4. BBB Korea: the free volunteer interpreter line
  5. Tourist police: what replaced them
  6. Pharmacy, clinic, or ER?
  7. Finding a pharmacy open at night
  8. What does medical care cost a visitor?
  9. Making a travel insurance claim from Korea
  10. Buying common medications in Korea
  11. Air quality and fine dust (미세먼지)
  12. Coping with Korean heat and cold
  13. Typhoon and monsoon season safety
  14. Korea's emergency alert texts on your phone
  15. Is Korean tap water safe to drink?
  16. Food safety: raw dishes worth knowing about
  17. Solo female traveller safety
  18. Korea's public drinking laws
  19. Flying a drone in Korea
  20. What not to photograph
  21. How do I get back something I lost in Korea?
  22. I was overcharged or scammed
ICulture & Communication27
  1. Do people speak English, and what do I do when they don't?
  2. What the 1330 interpretation line can do for you
  3. Using BBB Korea's volunteer interpreters
  4. Papago and translation apps
  5. Showing Korean text on your phone
  6. Learning to read Hangul (한글)
  7. Essential Korean phrases by situation
  8. The two Korean number systems and when each is used
  9. Pointing and gesturing in Korea
  10. Where you take your shoes off
  11. Two-handed giving and receiving
  12. Age, speech levels, and why people ask your age
  13. Bowing, and what to do instead
  14. Queueing in Korea, and the ticket system
  15. Subway silence and priority seats
  16. Using escalators safely
  17. When attention from strangers feels uncomfortable
  18. Public affection: what's normal in Korea
  19. Where you may legally smoke
  20. Finding bins and sorting rubbish
  21. Seoul's palaces and what you're looking at
  22. Hanbok and free palace entry
  23. Jjimjilbang (찜질방): the step-by-step protocol
  24. Noraebang (노래방): how Korean karaoke works
  25. Self photo studios and photo booths
  26. PC bang (PC방): Korea's gaming cafés
  27. Korean age and the lunar calendar
JTiming, Weather & Closures21
  1. When is the best time of year to visit Korea?
  2. What is January like in Korea?
  3. What is February like in Korea?
  4. What is March like in Korea?
  5. What is April like in Korea?
  6. What is May like in Korea?
  7. What is June like in Korea?
  8. What is July like in Korea?
  9. What is August like in Korea?
  10. What is September like in Korea?
  11. What is October like in Korea?
  12. What is November like in Korea?
  13. What is December like in Korea?
  14. Regular closing days (정기휴무일)
  15. Palace and museum weekday closures
  16. Seollal and Chuseok: Korea's two big holidays
  17. Korea's public holiday calendar
  18. Cherry blossom season and when it peaks
  19. Autumn foliage season and where to see it
  20. Monsoon and typhoon season
  21. What to pack by season
KConnectivity & Apps18
  1. How do I get mobile data and internet in Korea?
  2. eSIM vs pocket wifi vs roaming
  3. Where to buy and activate a Korean SIM
  4. What a Korean phone number unlocks and what it doesn't
  5. Public wifi in Korea: what actually works
  6. The app checklist to install before you fly
  7. Setting up Naver Map in English
  8. Setting up KakaoMap as your second map
  9. Papago: Naver's Korean translation app
  10. Booking a taxi with Kakao T or k.ride
  11. CatchTable: the restaurant booking app
  12. Mobile Tmoney and Korea Tour Card options
  13. KakaoTalk: the messaging app Korea runs on
  14. VPNs and blocked content in Korea
  15. Charging, plugs, power banks, and airline rules for them
  16. Calling home from Korea
  17. Dialling a Korean number, here and from abroad
  18. Staying reachable and controlling roaming charges
LAccessibility & Specific Needs18
  1. Step-free routes and station lifts
  2. Finding an accessible toilet
  3. Wheelchair rental and repair
  4. Getting around Seoul with a pushchair
  5. Baby facilities and nursing rooms
  6. Eating out with children in Korea
  7. Hearing support at attractions
  8. Visual support and audio guides
  9. Open Tourist Sites: Korea’s accessibility-improvement programme
  10. Travelling with older parents
  11. Eating with dietary restrictions in Korea
  12. Finding a prayer room or mosque
  13. Who certifies halal food in Korea
  14. LGBTQ+ travel context
  15. Bringing a dog or cat into Korea
  16. Finding plus-size clothing in Korea
  17. Bringing medication through Korean immigration
  18. Service and assistance animals in Korea