Your first week in Korea, step by step
Sixteen steps from before you fly to the end of your first week. Each one opens a free tool or a guide with sources — no account, no Korean number.
Rules and prices change; every linked page shows its own sources and check date.
Before you fly
Finish these at home, where everything is easy.
- 1
Check K-ETA or visa rules for your passport.
- 2
Pick a SIM or eSIM by what you need: SMS codes, calls or data only.
SIM & eSIM guide - 3
Decide how you’ll pay: foreign card, prepaid card or cash.
Workarounds - 4
Save your accommodation’s Korean address, ready to show.
Korean address tool
Arrival day
The first hours after landing.
- 1
Compare AREX, airport bus and taxi for the trip into the city.
Airport guide - 2
Buy or top up a transit card; check what your card can do.
Transit cards - 3
Drop your bags: check lockers at your station for size, exit and price.
Locker finder - 4
Get a map app working: KakaoMap or Naver Map, no login needed.
Workarounds
First 48 hours
While everything is still new.
- 1
Order your first meal: Baemin guest checkout takes a foreign card.
Workarounds - 2
Learn the phrases you’ll actually use.
Korean phrases - 3
Save 1330 for help and interpretation, 24/7.
Emergency help - 4
If something’s lost, start with where you lost it.
Lost property
Your first week
Settle in for the week ahead.
- 1
Booking trains or tickets? Use routes that skip a Korean number.
Workarounds - 2
Compare subway fares and taxi estimates for your plans.
Travel tools - 3
Staying 90+ days? See what an ARC unlocks and its three traps.
Workarounds - 4
Keep the emergency numbers close: 112, 119, 1330.
Emergency help
Checked 2026-10-03.