We came home from South Korea with two kids who now ask for mandu and katsu for dinner. That’s probably the most honest review I can give you.
We spent 10 days there — a 4 and 6 year old in tow — from late March into early April, splitting our time between Seoul and a couple of days in Busan. Here’s exactly what we did, what the kids loved, what we’d skip, and what we’d do differently.
Where We Stayed
We based ourselves in Myeongdong for the Seoul portion of the trip, and it turned out to be a great call for a family. Most of the main sights were within easy reach, the metro connections are excellent, there’s a supermarket right there, and street food is literally on your doorstep. Yes, people say Myeongdong’s market isn’t the most authentic food experience in Seoul — and that’s probably fair — but we enjoyed it regardless. It’s fun, it’s busy, and it’s very convenient.
We stayed at Metro Hotel Myeongdong — a solid mid-range option in the heart of the neighbourhood.
If you have a bigger budget, Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong is a popular choice and very well located.
Considering a different base? We also looked seriously at staying in Jamsil — the neighbourhood near Lotte World — specifically Lotte Hotel World, which sits right next to the theme park. It’s a very different vibe: quieter, more space for kids to run around, and a supermarket nearby too.
The honest answer is that the right base depends on your itinerary:
- Myeongdong works well if your priority is the palaces (Gyeongbokgung is close), Seoul Tower, and soaking up the neighbourhood itself. The downside for families: there are almost no playgrounds or parks in this part of the city.
- Jamsil is a better base if Lotte World and Seoul Children’s Grand Park are high on your list — both are right there. The trade-off is that it’s further from the palace area. The two neighbourhoods are about an hour apart by metro, so switching between them is doable but takes planning.
We went with Myeongdong and don’t regret it, but if your kids are theme-park-obsessed, Jamsil is worth serious consideration.
Getting Around: The T-Money Card
Before anything else on Day 2, we sorted the T-money card — a reloadable transit card that works on buses and the Seoul metro. You can pick one up at any convenience store (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven) and top it up at the machines in metro stations. It makes getting around the city simple, even with kids in tow.
Our Day-by-Day South Korea Itinerary (With Young Kids)
Day 1 (Arrival): Myeongdong First Impressions
We flew in on an overnight Asiana flight — the kids managed a couple of hours of sleep, which took the edge off, just barely. A taxi from the airport dropped us at the hotel in Myeongdong in about an hour. If you’d rather skip the taxi queue after a long flight, pre-booking a private transfer is worth it — especially with kids and luggage.
🚕 Pre-book Incheon airport transfer →
After dropping our bags, we didn’t go far. We didn’t need to. Myeongdong is one of those neighbourhoods that does the work for you — busy streets, packed shops, and a street food market just minutes from the hotel. We tasted our way through it and went to bed.
Day 1 tip: Don’t underestimate Myeongdong as an arrival-day activity. It requires zero planning and the street food does the work for you.
Day 2: T-Money Card + Seoul Children’s Grand Park
Morning logistics first: figuring out the T-money card, charging it, and heading out. Then: Seoul Children’s Grand Park.
We started in the Children’s Grand Park Amusement Park — paid entry for rides, 3 each, and the kids got to pick their own. At around ₩9,000 per child for 3 rides (roughly $6–7), it’s remarkably cheap.
It was a Tuesday morning and almost nobody was there. One other family, some stalls still closed. They had most rides essentially to themselves with no queues — that combination of novelty and total freedom went down extremely well.
After the rides, sweets at a nearby cafe, then on to the zoo — included in the park at no extra charge. Lots of animals, relaxed pace. The elephants and seals were the clear highlights.
Then the Big Kids Playground — easily 1–2 hours of pure running-around energy. No cherry blossoms yet (they hadn’t started), but that barely registered.
Lunch at a nearby restaurant: cold noodles (naengmyeon) for the adults, and for the kids the staff recommended a soup with meat dumplings — an instant hit that set the tone for a lot of meals ahead.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Cheonggyecheon — a long urban stream cutting through the city, flanked by high-rises. We did it in late afternoon; it’s more atmospheric at night, but still a lovely wind-down after a full day.
Dinner: katsu — Korean-style schnitzel with rice. The kids were immediately obsessed, and this became a recurring staple for the rest of the trip.
Day 3: Gyeongbokgung Palace + Bukchon Hanok Village + Insadong
Our second full day took us to Gyeongbokgung Palace — and we walked straight into a very long queue. It turned out we’d arrived on the last Wednesday of the month, when entry is free. Lucky timing, depending on how you look at it. The line moved quickly, and once inside, the crowds spread out across the enormous palace grounds. We easily spent two hours there without it ever feeling rushed.
About half the visitors were wearing hanbok — traditional Korean dress — and it made the whole place feel even more special. Some families had matching outfits for parents and kids, which looked incredibly sweet. We hadn’t planned ahead and missed out on renting them ourselves, but we’ve already decided we’re coming back to Seoul with the kids in a few years — and hanbok rental is top of the list for that trip.
If you want to do it right, book in advance. There are two great options near the palace:
👘 Hanbok rental + Gyeongbokgung entry →
👘 Hanbok rental with Gigibebe (includes hair styling) →
Tip: Wearing a hanbok gets you free entry to Gyeongbokgung and several other palaces in Seoul — so if you’re planning to visit more than one, it’s doubly worth it.
From the palace we walked to Bukchon Hanok Village — a neighbourhood of traditional Korean houses (hanok) tucked between the palaces. The streets were busy and the atmosphere was lovely, but one practical note: getting a table at a restaurant around lunchtime is a real challenge here. Expect to wait, or eat before you arrive.
We then took a bus to Insadong Culture Street — a street lined with galleries, craft shops, and teahouses — and walked south through the shops all the way down to Tapgol Park.
Along the way we stopped for bibimbap at one of the restaurants on the street — a lovely end to a very full day. Then back to the hotel.
Day 4: Lotte World
We’ve written a full guide to the day — see Is Lotte World Worth It With Kids?.
Day 4 was Lotte World — and it was amazing. I’ll cover it properly in a dedicated post, but the short version is: if you’re visiting Seoul with kids, don’t skip it.
On the way out we walked past Lotte World Tower — the impossibly tall skyscraper right next to the park. We didn’t have the energy to go up, but it’s on the list for next time. A lot of people actually recommend it over N Seoul Tower for the views, since it’s significantly higher and the observation deck is more modern.
🏙 Book Lotte World Tower (Seoul Sky) tickets →
Full details, tips, and ticket info: Lotte World with Kids — Our Honest Review.
Day 5: N Seoul Tower + Yeouido Hangang Park
Day 5 started with N Seoul Tower — and it’s much more accessible than it looks. You can either walk up and down the hill towards the tower, or take the cable car, which we did. Tickets for both rides (up and down) were ₩16,000 for adults, and the kids loved it. We went in the morning, which meant no crowds and great views from the cable car on both rides.
From the cable car, you walk up to the tower itself. The must-do here is the love lock — buy a heart-shaped padlock in the shop just above the cable car station (around $5), write a message on it, and attach it to one of the designated fences around the tower. It sounds touristy and it is, but it’s genuinely lovely, especially with kids.
🎟 Book N Seoul Tower + Cable Car combo →
After the tower we stopped for a snack at Twosome Coffee nearby, then ducked into Wiggle Wiggle for a family photobooth session — those colourful, fun photo booths you see everywhere in Seoul. Highly recommended if you have kids; ours thought it was brilliant.
Since the kids needed space to properly run around — something Myeongdong doesn’t really offer — we took the subway to Yeouido Hangang Park. It’s a wide riverside park with a street food market, and on a nice day half of Seoul seems to be there having a picnic. We headed to the playground and let the kids do their thing for a good while.
You can also rent bikes in the park — a great way to cover more ground along the river with kids.
🚴 Han River bike ride experience →
Day 6: Seoul → Busan by KTX
Day 6 was a travel day — but an easy one. Our hotel was only 15 minutes from Seoul Station, which made the morning stress-free. If you’re planning a Seoul–Busan trip, book KTX tickets in advance and aim for seats next to a table — much better for a family with kids.
🚄 Book KTX Seoul–Busan tickets →
Seoul Station itself is easy to navigate — like most things in Korea. Right next to the station there’s a huge Lotte Mart worth stopping into: good for last-minute souvenirs, but also for picking up food for the train. We grabbed kimbap sets and samgak gimbap (triangle rice balls) — a perfect train snack. Picking non-spicy options for kids requires a bit of label-reading, but the tuna & mayo triangle was a hit with ours.
The express KTX takes about 2.5 hours to Busan. There’s WiFi on board, though no power sockets — charge your devices before you board.
We’d booked a hotel in Haeundae, Busan’s beach neighbourhood, which meant one more hour on public transport from Busan Station. Worth it though — we were steps from Haeundae Beach and the night market. The kids made straight for the sand that first afternoon and didn’t look back.
Day 7: Haedong Yonggungsa Temple + Songjeong Beach
Our first full day in Busan took us to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple — about 40 minutes by bus northeast of Haeundae. It was a Sunday and it was absolutely packed, but we hadn’t come just for the sights. The temple serves a free lunch to everyone — a simple noodle dish, nothing fancy — and eating there surrounded by visitors from all over the world turned into one of the more memorable moments of the trip.
The temple itself is spread across multiple levels along the sea cliffs. The kids were particularly taken with the stone turtles dotted around the grounds. Admission is free.
A lesson we learned the hard way: the logical next stop from here is the Sky Capsule — a glass pod monorail that runs along the coast with stunning sea views, and probably one of the two most iconic things to do in Busan. We forgot to book, and it was sold out well over a week in advance. Don’t make the same mistake.
🎟 Book Busan Sky Capsule tickets in advance →
Instead, we headed to Songjeong Beach for the afternoon — a quieter, less touristy beach than Haeundae, with shallow water that’s perfect for young kids. We played in the sand, the kids were happy, and honestly it turned into a lovely afternoon regardless.
Day 8: Haeundae Beach Walk + SEA LIFE Aquarium + Brickman
We started the morning with a long walk the full length of Haeundae Beach, all the way round to Dongbaekseom Lighthouse — a gentle coastal walk that was a lovely way to ease into the day.
Then we handed the rest of the day over to the kids. SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium is right on Haeundae Beach and very easy to get to. Lots of fish, lots of tanks — and for my daughter, the highlight was unambiguous: the axolotls. She would have stayed there all afternoon.
Our tickets included entry to Brickman — Wonders of the World next door, which turned out to be a genuine surprise. It was almost empty when we visited, which meant we had the whole exhibition to ourselves — incredibly detailed LEGO recreations of world landmarks, plus multiple building stations dotted around where kids (and adults) can actually sit down and build. Ours were completely absorbed. Highly recommended, especially as a combo with the aquarium.
🎟 Book SEA LIFE Busan + Brickman tickets →
In the evening we were back at the Haeundae night market — mandu (dumplings) for my son, who had decided by this point that they were his favourite food in Korea, and ssiat hotteok for everyone. Ssiat hotteok is a Busan street food staple — a chewy filled pancake stuffed with seeds and brown sugar syrup — and there’s a long queue for it every single day. It’s worth every minute of the wait.
Day 9: Gamcheon Culture Village + Jagalchi Market
Our last full day in Busan and we saved one of the best for it. Gamcheon Culture Village is in the western part of the city — a solid 1.5 hours from Haeundae by bus. My husband was skeptical about whether it was worth the journey. He changed his mind within about five minutes of arriving.
It’s called the Korean Santorini for a reason: tightly packed colourful houses cascading down a steep hillside, narrow winding streets, art installations tucked into alleyways, and plenty of places to eat. The bus ride there was an experience in itself — a local bus taking hairpin bends at speed on a very steep road, which the kids found extremely entertaining.
If Gamcheon is high on your list, consider staying more centrally in Busan rather than Haeundae — the journey is long from the east side of the city.
If you’d rather do Gamcheon and Jagalchi with a guide, there’s a great half-day walking tour that covers both:
🗺 Gamcheon + Jagalchi walking tour →
On the way back we stopped at Jagalchi Market — Korea’s largest seafood market. The ground floor is a sprawling wet market of tanks filled with live fish, crab, octopus, and shellfish. You pick what you want, and the restaurants upstairs cook it for you right there. We pointed at a snow crab and it was one of the best meals of the entire trip. An experience well worth having, even with young kids.
🦀 Jagalchi Market food tour with tastings →
Day 10: Busan → Seoul → Incheon
The last travel day. We rode to Busan Station, grabbed food from the stalls outside, and took the KTX back to Seoul — already doing a mental debrief of the whole trip.
Back in Seoul we made one final stop: Lotte Mart Zettaplex for last-minute shopping — souvenirs, snacks for the flight, anything we’d missed. Then onto the AREX train to Incheon, where we’d booked our last night close to the station.
It turned out to be the right call. Free shuttle to the airport every hour, plenty of restaurants nearby, and a genuinely calm last evening. After 10 days of constant movement, we needed it.
Day 11 (Departure): Incheon Airport
Flight at 11am, which meant a relaxed morning. The shuttle to the airport, then straight into the terminal — where we did what any sensible person does on the last day of a trip to Korea: spent every last won we had. Between the airport restaurants and whatever was left on the T-money cards, we ate our way through the remaining cash and boarded the direct flight home already missing the place.
Practical Tips for South Korea with Young Kids
Sort your data before you land. Korea has excellent mobile coverage and you’ll want Google Maps from the moment you arrive. We used an eSIM — you download it before you fly and activate it on arrival. No SIM swapping, no hunting for a phone shop at the airport.
Get a T-money card on Day 1. Pick one up at any convenience store and top it up at metro stations. It works on buses and the subway across Seoul and Busan and makes getting around effortless, even with kids.
Book the Sky Capsule in advance. We can’t stress this enough. It sells out well over a week ahead — don’t leave it to chance.
🎟 Book Busan Sky Capsule tickets →
Katsu is your emergency meal. Korean-style schnitzel with rice is on the menu everywhere, kids almost universally love it, and it saved us on more than one occasion when the local options weren’t landing.
The T-money card works in Busan too. Same card, same system — no need to sort anything new when you get there.
Myeongdong has almost no green space. Great for sightseeing, less great for kids who need to run. Build in a park day (Yeouido Hangang Park worked well for us) or factor this into where you choose to stay.
Cherry blossom timing is unpredictable. We were there late March to early April and caught only the very tail end. Build some flexibility into your plans rather than optimising the whole trip around it.
Seoul is extremely easy to navigate. Signs are in English, apps work perfectly, and public transport is clean, reliable, and cheap. With kids, it’s genuinely one of the least stressful cities we’ve ever visited.
Quick Reference: Our 10 Days in South Korea
- Day 1 — Arrive, Myeongdong street food, sleep
- Day 2 — T-money card + Seoul Children’s Grand Park (amusement park, zoo, playground)
- Day 3 — Gyeongbokgung Palace + Bukchon Hanok Village + Insadong
- Day 4 — Lotte World
- Day 5 — N Seoul Tower + Yeouido Hangang Park
- Day 6 — KTX to Busan, Haeundae beach afternoon
- Day 7 — Haedong Yonggungsa Temple + Songjeong Beach
- Day 8 — Haeundae coastal walk + SEA LIFE Aquarium + Brickman
- Day 9 — Gamcheon Culture Village + Jagalchi Market
- Day 10 — KTX back to Seoul + Lotte Mart + AREX to Incheon
- Day 11 — Fly home
Final Thoughts
South Korea with young kids is one of those trips that surprises you. We knew it would be good. We didn’t expect it to be this good.
The food was a highlight from day one — the kids took to Korean flavours faster than we’d expected, and by the end of the trip they were requesting katsu, mandu, and tuna triangle gimbap by name. The cities are clean, the transport is brilliant, and people were genuinely warm towards our children everywhere we went.
Seoul and Busan are very different cities and complement each other well. If we were doing it again, we’d probably allow a little more time in Busan — there’s a lot there that we didn’t get to. And we’d book the Sky Capsule the moment the tickets went on sale.
We came home tired, full, and already making plans to go back.
