10 Best Places To Visit In South Korea

South Korea. The country with over 51 million people, with technologically advanced cities, an ancient traditional culture, with its deep rich natural beauty and history of war and violence. This is one of the most unique places in the world and this is the ultimate top 10 South Korea. The Lotte Tower is the sixth tallest tower in the entire world. First you walk inside and there are crazy light displays all over the walls and ceiling. You take a picture, get in the elevator and then make your way up to the 120th floor. Once you reach the 120th floor you walk out and watch a really cool video about the Lotte Tower and then the screen rises up and reveals the view of the city. But there's still even more than that. So then you go up another elevator and even more stairs and then you finally make it to the very top floor. The view on the 123rd floor is truly shocking when you first see it. But that's not all that you can do here because right below the tower is a full theme park built on a lake that's connected to the Lotte Tower. Lotte World is a magical theme park with so many unique rides to explore. I tried all kinds of different Korean fair foods which were all delicious. There's also a massive indoor section to the Lotte World with rides, food and even a huge ice rink. The Lotte World is an incredible way to spend a day when you're in South Korea. The Demilitarized Zone Tour is an exhilarating experience that lets you go to the border of North Korea. First you wait on a corner for a van to pick you up where you start your journey to the border. At the first checkpoint you start the hike up the mountain where you pass these active bunkers and you can even go inside of them. Next you cross the famous suspension bridge. The view was absolutely stunning. Checkpoint number two is the gondola which takes you across the river. There are landmine signs so there's mines all over the land here. Then you finally make it to checkpoint three. Listening to tanks firing off rounds right above us. The whole tunnel is rumbling. This is the closest that you can get to North Korea. You can see a North Korean city in the distance along with their flag. You can even hear the propaganda message echoing through the valley. It's super ominous. If you want to have an adventure then the DMZ tour is definitely something that you'll want to experience. Nami Island is a magical island with one of the longest zip lines in Asia. You take an elevator to the top of this massive tower and walk all the way to the edge and get strapped in. Once they strap you in they open the door and count down. Three, two, one. Nami Island is absolutely beautiful with so much to explore and do. You can easily spend a whole day wandering around looking at all of the unique spaces. The bike trails lead everywhere on the island and this was a really fun way to explore. You can even go on some rides. Once you're done exploring the ferry comes and picks you up and takes you back to the mainland. The ferry ride is beautiful and it's such a perfect way to wrap up this experience. Temple stay is a magical experience where you can stay in a 2,000 year old temple and experience what it's like to live as a Buddhist monk. When you arrive at the temple your guides give you your robe to change into and then you check into your room. It's very minimal. There's a mat to sleep on and a full bathroom. Walking around the temple grounds is so peaceful. It really makes you want to be present in the moment and reflect on your life. Twice a day you meet outside of the main temple and ring the service bell and then you go inside the temple where you worship. There is so much to experience during temple stay like hiking up the mountain at sunrise and having tea while getting life advice from the monks. You're only allowed to eat vegetarian food and there are so many options to choose from that are all delicious. Overall temple stay is a life-changing experience that can truly alter your perspective on life. The Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest temple in South Korea and it is a must see. The temple grounds have such a magical energy and the architecture is unbelievable. You slowly make your way across the palace yards all the way to the main temple. Walking around the temple honestly feels like you're going back in time. Once you're done exploring the temple you can walk across the street to the most photographed place in all of South Korea. The Bukchon Hanok traditional village is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Korea and it's amazing to wander through the streets and explore. It gets very busy so make sure you get there really early in the day if you want to take pictures. The Gwangjang market is an indoor market that is such a vibrant place with so much life. It has some of the most unique foods that I have ever seen from seafood to snacks to baked goods. Honestly I didn't know what most of the foods were but I tried as many as I could and they were all surprisingly good and the people here are awesome. Okay so I'm at the Gyeomcheon culture village where there is a stamp map where you can go around the town and complete this map with the stamps once you've found them. Let's see if I can do it. So I picked up the stamp map at the visitor center at the entrance of the town and I laid out the map and found the starting point. I quickly found my first stamp but I knew it wasn't going to be that easy for the rest of them. The stamps were hidden all over the town in the most unique places from restaurants to lookout points to museums. I hiked up and down the mountainside about 20 different times to find all of the stamps but it was definitely worth it. Collecting the stamps really let me see a lot of things that I wouldn't have been able to if I was just wandering around on my own. The Gyeomcheon culture village is truly a one-of-a-kind place that everyone should visit. Gwangmyeong cave is a fully themed cave with almost five miles to explore. The lights feel like a portal into another world. There are so many different kinds of light displays that keep it super interesting. There's even a theater that puts on one of the craziest light shows that you'll ever see and if that's not enough there's also a full aquarium inside the cave with robot fish. The cave seems to go on forever with so many different areas to explore and of course there's a restaurant and wine bar also. The Gwangmyeong cave is one of the most unique experiences in South Korea and I would highly recommend it. Myeongdong is the shopping center of Korea. It's a very modern area with stores ranging from luxury brands to local Korean shops. There's street food vendors all over the place so I was able to eat while shopping. There's also a huge underground mall where I shopped even more. It honestly feels like it goes on forever. The best place to get nighttime views of South Korea is the Namsan tower. First you make your way into the cable car to start the ride to the top of the mountain. Once you get out of the car you have to walk up even more to get to the base of the Namsan tower. Once you walk inside there's a really cool display in the lobby. Then you make your way up the elevator and over to the window to see the view. It is absolutely incredible.