Adventures We Seek

Korea With Kids: The Family Guide From Someone Who Lived There Twice

By , ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel · Updated October 2026

Korea with kids

Korea With Kids: The Family Guide From Someone Who Lived There Twice

South Korea is one of the most underrated family trips in the world. It’s safe enough to walk home at midnight, the people are kind, the trains and buses are easy, and Korean BBQ runs about ten dollars a person. Start with Seoul and Busan, then add the cities most tourists skip, like Jeonju and Suncheon.

Start planning with meThe full Korea plan
2Years I lived there
$10Korean BBQ a person, about
6Places I love
1Norebong, at least

Korea is not on most people’s radar.

It should be.

I lived there from 2009 to 2010 in Gwangju. Then again from 2011 to 2012 in Busan. I taught English. I rode my bike everywhere. I took the bus to ferry ports and camped on remote islands by myself. I became pregnant with my son Gavin there.

But Korea never left me.

I took Jake back with my best friend Jenifer and her daughter Harper. We walked home at midnight without a single worry. We ate Korean BBQ every night for about ten dollars each. We sang at a norebong until we couldn’t breathe from laughing.

Here is everything I know.

Why Korea

The most underrated country for families

People go to Japan. People go to Thailand. People skip Korea.

That’s a mistake.

Korea is safe in a way that’s hard to explain until you feel it. Walking home at midnight through a busy city. Kids ahead of you, laughing.

When we lived in Gwangju our neighbors would invite us in for tea. Strangers at restaurants would send something over for us to try. Nobody wanted anything back. That’s just Korea.

Where to go

The cities nobody talks about

Two women walking past a traditional building in Jeonju Hanok Village
BibimbapHanok village

Jeonju

The birthplace of bibimbap, and one of the most beautiful hanok villages in Korea. Narrow lanes and street food everywhere.

Myeongdong night market in Seoul in the rain
Start hereK-pop

Seoul

Palaces, Bukchon, tea in Insadong and Myeongdong street food that goes on forever.

  1. 1Jeonju

    Famous with Koreans, almost unknown to tourists

    Eat bibimbap in the city where it was created. Walk the hanok village. It feels like stepping back in time and it’s still completely alive.

  2. 2Suncheon

    One of my favorite cities in Korea

    The Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve is reed fields that go on forever and a quiet that fills you back up. Their botanic garden is incredible too.

  3. 3Gwangju

    Where I lived my first year

    A real city, not a tourist city. Art, history that matters, and it’s known all over Korea for its food. Here’s Gwangju with kids.

  4. 4Busan

    Where I lived my second year

    Haeundae Beach, the painted houses of Gamcheon, Bujeon Market with giant blocks of fresh tofu for a dollar, and Jagalchi Fish Market right on the water. Haedong Yonggungsa sits on the ocean rocks. Go early. Busan with kids.

  5. 5Seoul

    Everything people say it is

    Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Insadong and Myeongdong. If you have a K-pop fan, this city is their whole world made real. Book HYBE Insight ahead.

  6. 6Heuksando Island

    For the adventurous

    Bus to the port. Ferry to the island. We camped right on the beach by ourselves. Just the ocean and the stars.

Getting around

Buses, trains, ferries and taxis

  • Buses and trains connect every city, on time and clean
  • Easy to use without speaking Korean
  • Ferries from the coast to the islands
  • Taxis are everywhere and affordable
  • Kakao Taxi works like Uber
  • Getting lost always leads somewhere good

Food

Korean food deserves its own trip

  • Korean BBQ at a grill built into your table, about ten dollars a person
  • Banchan, the little side dishes that just keep coming
  • Bibimbap, in Jeonju if you can
  • Tteokbokki, spicy rice cakes from a street stall
  • Kimbap, in every corner store. Kids love them
  • Bingsu. Jenifer and I had the most incredible strawberry bingsu in March

Do this

The norebong

Every single person who goes to Korea needs to do this.

A norebong is karaoke, but you rent a private room. Just your group, a big screen, tambourines and thousands of songs.

You close the door and you sing your heart out.

Jake and Jenifer and Harper and I sang until we couldn’t breathe from laughing. It costs almost nothing and it’s everywhere. Don’t skip it.

For the moms

Skincare and beauty in Seoul

Korea is the skincare capital of the world.

In March Jenifer and I went to clinics in Seoul. Laser treatments, microneedling, and a lymphatic massage at a second clinic. The same treatments in the US would have been about six thousand dollars. I paid twelve hundred.

We did hair and optical appointments too. If you want a trip that mixes travel with real self care, Korea is your answer. And yes, I can help you plan exactly that.

What it costs

What a family trip to Korea costs

$40 to $60Korean BBQ for four, with drinks
$1 to $3Street food snacks
$5 to $15Bus between cities
$300 to $500A day for a family of four, about

A mid range hotel in Seoul runs about $100 to $150 a night. Luxury hotels are about $250 to $400, with some of the best buffet breakfasts you’ve ever seen. Don’t skip breakfast.

Before you go

What I’d tell a friend

Walk home at midnight. You’ll feel free.

The kindness is not a performance. You’ll be invited in and given things to try.

Go to the cities nobody tells you about. Jeonju. Suncheon. Heuksando.

Eat everything. Even the things that scare you a little.

And come back. One trip to Korea is never enough. I’m living proof.

“I lived there. I went back with my kids. I went back again just for the skincare and the bingsu. Korea is still one of the places I recommend most.”

Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel. Former social studies teacher, mom of three, 60+ countries.

Plan your trip with me

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Quick answers

Is South Korea safe for families?

Yes. I’ve walked home at midnight through Korean cities with kids ahead of me without a single worry.

Which cities should we visit in Korea with kids?

Seoul and Busan first. Then Jeonju for bibimbap and the hanok village, Suncheon for the wetlands, and Gwangju for food.

How do you get around Korea?

Buses and trains connect every city and they’re clean and on time. Kakao Taxi works like Uber, and ferries run from the coast to the islands.

Is Korea expensive for a family?

No. Korean BBQ for four is about $40 to $60 with drinks, and a family of four can travel comfortably for about $300 to $500 a day.

What will kids eat in Korea?

Korean BBQ, kimbap, bibimbap, tteokbokki and bingsu. Kimbap from the corner store is a kid favorite.

What is a norebong?

Private room karaoke. You rent a room for just your group and sing. It costs almost nothing and it’s one of the best things to do in Korea with kids.

Keep planning: Korea with kids, South Korea travel guide, my Japan guide.

Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel. Adventures We Seek is my travel blog and planning resource. Trips are booked through Favorite Grampy Travels. Prices, fees and rules last checked October 2026 and change often.

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