South Korea: Best Hotels in Seoul and Busan

Planning a trip to South Korea is an exciting adventure, but it also involves the crucial task of finding the perfect place to sleep. From the bustling streets of Seoul to the coastal charm of Busan, South Korea offers a wide range of accommodation options to suit every traveller’s needs. In this guide, I will show you some of the best districts in Seoul and Busan, each with its own unique character and attractions, and I will give you some selected recommendations for hotels and/or guesthouses. Whether you are culture enthusiasts, beach lovers, foodies, or urban explorers, I have included accommodation options that suit different preferences and budgets. My suggestions focus on affordable but comfortable hotels, with double rooms for couples, private bathrooms, and high ratings for location, service, and cleanliness.

Índice

1. Accommodation in Seoul

2. Accommodation in Busan

3. How to get to South Korea

4. Visa or other entry requirements

5. When to visit South Korea

6. Travel insurance

7. Money during the trip – N26 Card

8. Other blog posts about South Korea

Accommodation in Seoul

Seoul has 25 districts, but these are some of the neighbourhoods I recommend for your stay in the capital:

- Myeong-dong (Jung-gu district) is a commercial area fully adapted to tourism, filled with streets packed with cosmetics and clothing shops, as well as neon lights. From here, you can also take a free bus to the Namsan Tower.
  1. Hotel Venue-G Seoul: around €60 per night (we stayed here and I recommend it 500%)
  2. Staz Hotel Myeongdong 2 around €62/night
  3. Hotel 8 Hours around €62/night
  4. Sunny Guesthouse Seoul City around €45/night
- Insa-dong (within the Jongno-gu district) is the area closest to the city’s main attractions, where you will be surrounded by traditional sights and lots of cafés (my obsession). Jongno-gu is home to Bukchon Hanok Village and the main palaces, Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung.
  1. Insadong Crown Hotel around €53/night
  2. Petercat Hotel Insadong around €42/night
  3. 24 Guesthouse Insadong around €37/night
- Hongdae (Mapo-gu district) is one of my favorite areas in Seoul as it is a university neighborhood with a more local atmosphere, full of art galleries, bars, and restaurants. This is where you can enjoy the best nightlife in the city, or so they say! Most of the accommodations you will find here are guesthouse-style:
  1. Grape Garden House for €40/night
  2. Bunk Guesthouse Hongdae2 for €41/night
  3. Hotel The Designers Hongdae for €70/night
- Gangnam (Gangnam-gu district) is the area that reminded me the most of Tokyo because of its atmosphere and skyscrapers. It is a financial district with many shopping centers and the birthplace of the K-POP industry.
  1. Dormy Inn SEOUL Gangnam for €60/night
  2. K-Grand Hostel Gangnam1 for €45/night
  3. Hotel Star Gangnam for €60/night
- Dongdaemun (Jung-gu district): Dongdaemun is a shopper’s paradise, especially for fashion enthusiasts. This area is known for its 24-hour shopping malls and busy street markets.
  1. Acube Hotel Dongdaemun for €80/night
  2. Travelodge Dongdaemun Seoul for €80/night

*Gyeongbokgung Palace and National Folk Museum of Korea*

Accommodation in Busan

I recommend two neighborhoods to stay in Busan:

- Seomyeon (Busanjin-gu district) is one of the most vibrant and central districts in Busan. It is known as the city’s commercial and business center, making it a convenient place for those who want to explore a wide variety of attractions and activities:
  1. Lion Hotel for €52/night
  2. Busan Seomyeon Business Hotel J7 for €40/night
- Nampo-dong (Jung-gu district) is a district located next to Busan’s port and is known for its lively atmosphere, especially when it comes to shopping and coastal life:
  1. Aventree Hotel Busan for €70/night
  2. Hotel Foret Premier Nampo for €70/night
- Haeundae (Distrito de Haeundae-gu) es conocido por su hermosa playa y su ambiente costero. Es un lugar ideal para quienes desean disfrutar de la playa y la vida nocturna.
  1. Toyoko Inn Busan Haeundae 2 por 60€/noche
  2. Sunset Business Hotel por 50€/noche

How to get to South Korea

There are many companies you can travel with to get to Korea from Spain. If you live in Barcelona, you can take advantage of the fact that Asiana Airlines offers direct flights that take around 13 hours. Apart from Asiana, other companies you can look into are Emirates, Lufthansa, KLM, Finnair, Turkish Airlines or Alitalia. The lowest price you will be able to find (round trip) is around €600.

Visa or other entry requirements

To travel to South Korea for tourism purposes, you do not need to apply for a visa. Since 2021, you were required to apply for the KETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) at least 72 hours before your flight departure, but until December 31st, 2025, it is no longer mandatory for citizens of the following countries: Spain, South Africa, Canada, Chile, Colombia, United States, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Brunei, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Macao, Oman, Singapore, Taiwan, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Romania, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City, Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu. New in 2025 – E-Arrival Card: South Korea has launched the E-Arrival Card to streamline the immigration and customs process. You can now submit your details online up to 72 hours before your arrival, avoiding paper forms on the plane or at the airport. You only need to access the official E-Arrival Card website, upload a photo of your passport and complete your flight, accommodation and some personal information (such as your occupation). From January 2026, it will become mandatory and paper forms will be eliminated.

When to visit South Korea

As a general rule, it is very important that before planning a trip to any part of Asia you find out a little about the climate and the best times to go. The weather in Seoul, for example, is similar to what I explained in the Japan post, so it is characterised by a humid summer with very hot temperatures reaching highs of 30ºC and an extremely cold winter with highs of 2ºC and lows that can reach -6ºC. Below I leave you a chart from the Korea Meteorological Administration with more detailed information about Seoul: Therefore, the best option is to go in spring or autumn, as you will be able to enjoy both the cherry blossom season in April and the red and orange colours in October/November. These are also the best months to avoid heavy rainfall, as it tends to rain very often from July until the beginning of September.

Travel insurance

For this type of trip, I always take out IATI travel insurance to feel more relaxed in case something happens. We had an incident once in Japan and it was a lifesaver. We usually choose the “IATI Basic” or “IATI Standard” option, although depending on the country you should look into the “Star” or “Backpacker” options. Additionally, you can add or purchase cancellation insurance. There is the “IATI Premium Cancellation” option, which has been specifically designed to cover costs associated with cancelling trips (flights, accommodation, excursions, among others), up to a limit of €6,000, in case you are unable to travel for any of the reasons covered by the policy. By clicking on this link you can purchase any of the IATI insurance plans with a 5% discount: https://www.iatiseguros.com?r=81717716852618.

Money during the trip – N26 Card

In South Korea they use the South Korean Won (₩, KRW), and you can get an idea of its value by keeping in mind that ₩1,000 is around €0.70. We used a credit card to pay for everything during this trip and had no problems. The only downside to keep in mind is that if you get a public transport card and want to top it up at konbini (convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, for example), they only accept cash. I got this card to travel to Iceland and since then it has worked amazingly well for me on all my trips. As in recent years I have travelled quite a few times to Japan and other countries that do not use the euro, I was a bit tired of having to deal with exchange fees at airports or exchange offices, the approximately 3% commission my bank charged me for every card purchase, or for withdrawing money… So I tried to find a solution to this problem because although it may seem like a small percentage, when it adds up, the amount of money wasted on fees really hurts. So, when I travel I pay for everything with my N26 prepaid card. You can request it through this link. A few points to keep in mind:

- I opened an account for free at Spanish and eurozone ATMs, as long as they are contactless.
- If you want the physical card, you can request it for €10.
- Adding money to the card is very easy, as it is done via bank transfer.
- Some important points to keep in mind while travelling with this card:
  - - You can pay in any currency other than euros. N26 does not charge fees for making payments abroad, even when another currency is involved. The exchange rate applied is the one provided by Mastercard.
    - If you have a standard N26 account and want to withdraw money from an ATM outside Europe, you will have to pay a 1.7% foreign exchange fee (but nothing for the transaction itself). With an N26 You or Metal account, you will not be charged this fee. I use the Standard account.

All the payments I have made in countries with currencies other than the Euro have had a very good exchange rate (in this case, the Visa rate applies). I kept comparing it every now and then with a currency converter to check the daily exchange rate, and the rate they used was even better than the one shown online. If you have any questions about this topic, send me an email and I will help you, but honestly, the process is very easy. Here is the link again: N26.