May 19, 2026

QUIET PHOTO SPOTS IN SOUTH KOREA

A short guide for people who like photography and want to stay away from the crowds

South Korea is definitely an interesting country that transformed from a poverty-stricken nation after the Korean War (1950–1953) into a top-tier global economic powerhouse within a single generation, a feat known as the “Miracle on the Han River”. Today is globally renowned for its rapid technological advancement, vibrant pop culture (K-Pop and K-Dramas), estetics and culinary scene. More recently, even the cherry blossom tourism got on the world map as a less crowded verision of Japan. As a blend of ancient tradition and futuristic innovation, it is famous for industry giants like Samsung and Hyundai, the “Korean Wave” (Hallyu), high-speed internet, and a deeply-rooted café and nightlife culture.

For us, it caught our attention also the latest years Korean cinema, with films like “Parasite” , “Old Boy” , “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring”, ” Eun Gyo”, ” Little forest” or “Past Lives” that were absolute gems. ( we highly reccoment watching them for a better insight into the Korean culture )

However, nothing is perfect, like everywhere, and I am sure you might have heard about the population, social and inequality issues, but we’ll leave this for another time.

Below is a short guide with photos about the untouristy places that we loved the most in two Korean cities: Seoul and Busan. Since we had a limited amount of time, we did not get the chance to go to other places or to the countryside, but we would have loved to.

However, we would suggest that rather than chasing the spots themselves, try to pick some neighbourhoods and explore them more in depth. There are always photo opportunities. Also, bear in mind that Seoul is a huge city and it will be impossible to tick all the places.

Visa

Not going to discuss this in a lot of details, since as of 2026, nationals from over 100 countries can enter South Korea visa-free for tourism or short-term stays, typically ranging from 30 to 90 days, though many require a K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) before travel. Key visa-free countries include the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, and most of the EU.

Interesting/ unusual things about Korea

most of the restaurants/ cafes are self service – you self order from a machine and then you are given a pager that beeps once the order is ready – while this can be super efficient, there is significantly less human interaction
tap/ filtered water is always included free of charge and it is mostly self service, as well
there are no trash bins on the street, meaning you will have to carry your trash with you ( there are some in the subway stations, though )
a lot of the cafes offer latte but no cappucino on the menu
they use a lot of sugar in everything: drinks, bread etc
phones are life
there are clubs that impose an age limit of 30 years maximum
if you’re a vegetarian like me, you’re going to struggle more than usual, but I guess that is not so unexpected , considering they eat eve-ry-thing!!!
they have whole sale shopping centers which are open exclusively at night ( 20:00 – 05:00 ) and you can only pay in cash
people are obsessed with selfies – there are self portrait studios at all corners of the street
people don`t speak a lot of English, even in big cities like Seoul

Getting around Seoul

Public transport and Uber work really well and they are cheap by European standards. The metro network is really good and there is direct line from the airport to the city center.

Although paying for the metro can seem a bit tricky and a lot of posts mention buying a card and toping up using cash only, there is an app called TMoney Mobile where you can get a virtual card and top up by foreign cards. It worked very well on Iphone and the process was relatively short. This card works also for buses and other forms of public transport. The best part of it is that you can top up any amount you may require.

Getting around Busan

Same as in Seoul, metro and Uber work well. However, there is a different app to use in Busan exclusively for metro. Not sure about buses/ trams. The app is called Busan Pay , however this one works by generating a QR code and there is a preset amount to top up with. We personally got an unlimited day pass.

Google Maps is not reliable in Korea

While it does show the map itself and cafes/ restaurants, it doesn`t provide walking indications. Sometimes, the public transport option works well but we reccommend having KakaoMap downloaded as an alternative ( available both for Iphone and Android ). If you come during the cherry blossom season, the app also has all the blossom spots.

Best areas to stay in Seoul

I think the image above is better than any words.

However, all areas are super well connected with the public transport and each area has its advantages. We would strongly advise to get a hotel close to a metro station, it`s going to make such a big difference.

Cool Spots in Seoul

Although we tried to check out the most intagramable/ famous places, we quickly realized that those are not for us. Firstly, they are extremely crowded and secondly, being so touristic, they loose the authenticity that we needed for photography. However, we were able to find some more quiet neighbourhoods and spots that we absolutely loved.

SEOCHON HANOK VILLAGE AND THE SURROUNDING AREA

A really quiet area with cool coffee shops and local boutique shops. Also here is one of the oldest bookstores – DAE O

THE AREA AROUND BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE – including Jongchinbu heritage museum

Although the famous Bukchon village looks really cool and it is worth paying a visit, it is obviously very crowded. Also, bear in mind that this is an area where people live and there are quite hours and the village is closed in between evening and morning.

But the whole area around it looks really nice and it is full of art shops, small galleries and some museums.

HUAM – DONG AREA

By far, our favorite areas in the city: plenty of rooftops with amazing views, vinyl shops, live music bars, hipster places, cool restaurants, you name it. We discovered here a really great panoramic view point – on top of Comfort Coffee. And next to it is even a greater coffee place – Komfortabel.

GEUMHO – DONG NEIGHBOURHOOD

This is our second favorite place in Seoul. We discovered this area looking for the stairs in the “Past lives” movie and we fell in love with it. One of the typical neighbourhoods in Seoul where there are only friendly locals. It is absolutely perfect for photography. The stairs can be found by searching “Past Lives Stairs” on Google Maps.

NAKSAN PARK AND THE AREA WEST OF IT ( AROUND DONGSUNG GIL )

Apart from the beautiful views from the park, this area is also not very well known among tourists but it has many entertainment places and bars/ restaurants.

DONGDAEMUN DESIGN PLAZA (DDP)

Another must visit landmark in Seoul, designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo. It offers a range of exhibition spaces, seminar rooms, event halls, library, education center, serving as a hub for design-related shows and conferences, exhibitions, and other events and gatherings.

GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE

Although it is not a secluded place at all, it is definitely a highlight landmark of Seoul. At the time of our visit it was very busy but it might be a bit better early morning or just before closing time. Around the palace there are many shops where Hanbok can be rented, the traditional clothes in Korea.

MYEONG – DONG AREA

Myeongdong is the most popular place to stay in Seoul, and probably what most people picture when they think of the city – bright neon lights, crowds of shoppers and street food stalls on every corner.

Nice places that we saved for future times in Seoul

Here you can find a list of researched places that we would have loved to visit but we didn`t have enough time. Most of them are links from Instagram.

Ewha Woman’s University Daegangdang
Cafe Tirol
Eunpyeong village and 1in1jan Cafe
Nice architecture – list of buildings
the area between Taepyeong and Gachon university metro stations for nice perspective views

Cool spots in Busan

BEOMCHEON – DONG AND HOCHEON VILLAGE

This is was an unexpectedly nice place, very authentic and relaxed. We haven`t seen a single tourist in the entire area. Perched above the neighborhood, this hillside village features colorful rooftops, cinematic murals, and stellar night views. It’s often considered an underrated, less crowded alternative to Gamcheon Culture. The location of the blue stairs is not depicted on Google Maps but you can check it out on the screenshot below.

GAMCHEON CULTURE VILLAGE

Probably one of the most popular places in Busan, very busy but it`s definitely worth paying it a visit.

THE AREA BETWEEN AMI-DONG AND TOSEONG -DONG

As you walk down from Gamcheon village towards Busan city centre, there is a rather underrated area but which is worth exploring, offering nice views over the city and narrow streets.