Not to miss

Songnisan National Park

Central Korea's top scenic spot, Songnisan means 'remote from the mundane world mountains', and indeed it is. The place is a magnet for hikers, with heaps of excellent walks. The thing that really drags them in by the busload, though, is Beopjusa, one of the largest and most magnificent temple sites in Korea. This Buddhist temple was built in AD 553. The invading Japanese, as was their wont, burnt it to the ground in 1592, and the current temple dates from 1624. Even more impressive than the five-storey pagoda is the temple's 33m (108ft) high Buddha, a one-piece bronze monstrosity and the largest standing figure in the Orient.

Songnisan has plenty of places to stay, including two campsites and a few hotels (budget and luxury). Direct buses go to Cheongju, Daejeon and Seoul.

Gyeongju

Gyeongju is an open-air museum masquerading as a small, provincial town littered with ancient rubble. Those keen on Silla culture or archaeology will be in heaven, fossicking through the remains of temples, tombs, shrines, palaces, pleasure gardens and castles.

Seoul

Seoul is an intriguing city transforming itself from the Yi Dynasty capital of the Hermit Kingdom to a major mover and shaker on the international scene, especially in the field of commerce and sports. Nowhere else is the Korean drive to come to terms with a turbulent and fractured past so evident.

Seoul was battered by Japanese and Manchu invasions in the 16th and 17th centuries and flattened by the Korean War; most of its cityscape is modern. Overshadowed by high-rises and 12-lane freeways, it yet retains a hidden history of centuries-old temples, palaces, pagodas and pleasure gardens.

Despite being home to 10 million residents, Seoul is a safe and friendly city with a low crime rate. Seoulites work long hours, but also enjoy socialising and are generally more than kind to foreign visitors. If you look lost, someone is bound to offer to help you.

Dadohae Haesang National Park

This marine national park, situated off the southwest corner of the peninsula, is made up of over 1700 islands. Hongdo (Red Island) and Heuksando are the most popular. Hongdo is worth visiting for its sheer cliffs, bizarre rock formations, spectacular sunsets and wooded hillsides cut by steep ravines. Heuksando is flatter and more populous.

Dadohae Haesang National Park occupies much of the coast and coastal waters of Jeollanam-do. Some of the isles support small communities with income from fishing and tourism; others are little more than tree-covered rocks.

Mokpo, Hongdo and Heuksando make up the gateway to the western sector. They are popular spots in July and Auguest, when people are looking to beat the heat. Because of this, booking ferries and accommodation in advance is advised.

Gyeongbokgung

The grandest palace in Seoul, Gyeongbokgung lay in ruins for nearly 300 years until Heungseon Daewongun, regent and father of King Gojong, began to rebuild it in 1865. King Gojong moved in during 1868. Despite damage during Japanese colonial rule, the majesty of surviving buildings like the 48-columned Gyeonghoeru pavilion easily warrants a visit.

This was the country's principal royal residence until the palace was destroyed in 1592 during the Imjaewaran war with Japan. But it was not the Japanese that razed the palace. The citizens of Seoul did that dirty deed. As the Japanese marched across the country, the King and yangban (aristocrats) abandoned Seoul to save their own skins. Angered by the desertion, a mob burned down the palace.

Free English-language tours are conducted daily (except Tuesday) and the ceremonial changing of the guard takes place six times daily (also except Tuesday). Paid admission to the palace includes entry into the National Palace Museum.

On the other side of the compound, the National Folk Museum recreates everyday Joseon life. Farming implements, clothing and the requisite kimchi display are here along with an exhibition of scholarly thought.

Seongnamsa

This must-see temple is a visual masterpiece. The 800m (.5mi) walk along an interlocking stone path from the park entrance to the temple is sublime. At the temple's main gate, pause half way up the stairs and take in the image of a multi-storeyed pagoda and bamboo trees juxtaposed against the mountain.

Seongnamsa is an easy day-trip from Busan. The bus climbs a steep road carved into the mountainside with stunning views of peaks and valleys smothered in a green forest. Be savvy and sit on the right hand side of the bus for the best views.

Dodong Mineral Spring Park

Get a birds-eye view of Ulleungdo by taking the cable car from the park to Manghyangbong peak. If watching the beautiful sunset has made you all emotional, let it out at the karaoke lounge. The park's namesake mineral-water spring is near the top and some claim drinking it has all sorts of medicinal benefits.

There are also two free museums in the park - the elaborate Dokdo Museum and Ulleungdo's simple historical museum. Both islands have fascinating history, but given that the exhibits are only in Korean, non-Korean-speakers may find them a little impenetrable.

Korean Folk Village

Set around a quiet river, the folk village houses a temple, a Confucian school and shrine, a market, a magistrate's, storehouses, a bullock and cart, and household furnishings and tools. They represent traditional housing styles from all over the country.

This is a real village, not just a tourist show - the people you see working here live here all the time, although there are regular dance performances and parades held every day, which may be a nod to sightseers.

The village takes at least half a day to look around and has a true rural village atmosphere: hanbok-clad artisans create pots, make paper and weave bamboo while other workers tend vegetable plots, pigs, and chickens.

Next door is an amusement park for children, an art gallery and a world folk museum. A combo ticket to all three gives you a discount off the separate admission fees.