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South Korea / 8–19 Dec 2022

Seoul city bookends, Busan sea air, and winter food warmth

A winter trip split between big-city Seoul and Busan by the sea.

  • South Korea
  • 8–19 Dec 2022
  • Seoul → Busan → Seoul
  • Winter city + coast
  • Travel notes

Easy two-city plan: start and finish in Seoul, put Busan in the middle for the coast and the food. Leave room for winter weather.

Busan coastal rail line with sea and hillside views
Busan is where the trip looked best. Water, trains along the coast, cold air, and a slower pace between the Seoul bits.

Seoul at both ends, Busan in the middle to slow down.

Seoul was winter streets, cafe corners, Korean barbecue and skyline views.

Busan was the easy middle: sea air, colourful hillside lanes, warm meals, and slow days by the water.

Route

Seoul → Busan → Seoul

Start in Seoul, go south to Busan for the coast, then come back up to Seoul to finish.

Good for

A winter route idea, not a full guide

What it felt like, how fast to go, where to stop, and what I ate.

The two cities

Pick a city

Busan for coast, colour and comfort food. Seoul for the big city, cafes, barbecue and skyline views.

Wide Seoul skyline seen from a high observatory window 01 / Start and finish

Seoul

Winter streets, quiet cafes, Korean barbecue, and a skyline view to finish on.

Big city BBQ Skyline
Go to Seoul
Busan coastal rail line with sea and hillside views 02 / The coast bit

Busan

Bridge lights, colourful hillsides, trains by the sea, cafe breaks, seafood, pork soup, and a slower winter pace.

Coast Colour Comfort food
Go to Busan
Food notes

The food lives in the city pages for now

The seafood table, the pork soup lunch and the Korean barbecue deserve their own posts. I just need the restaurant names and proper taste notes first.

Photos

Places, not people

A lot of my favourite shots from this trip have people in them, so they're not here.

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