7 Essential Apps for Travelling South Korea

Planning a trip to South Korea? Before you start packing, there are a few apps worth downloading first.

From navigating Seoul and booking taxis to translating menus and receiving last-minute tour updates, having the right apps made travelling around Korea so much easier for me.

I had all of these downloaded and set up before I left for Korea, which meant that once I landed, I wasn't trying to figure everything out on the go. I already had the apps I needed ready to navigate, book transport, communicate and access my travel plans.

These are the apps I used throughout my trip - and the ones I'd recommend setting up before you land in South Korea.

1. Naver Map

Naver Map was easily one of my most-used apps while travelling around South Korea. I actually started using it before I even landed, saving all the places I'd found while planning my trip so I had everything ready to go when I arrived.

I used Naver Map to save my accommodation, restaurants and cafés I wanted to try, shopping spots, attractions and day trips. Once I was in Korea, I could quickly see what was nearby, work out directions from my hotel and plan my days around places I'd already saved.

I used it to:

• Save hotels & accommodation

• Save restaurants & cafés

• Save shopping & day trip spots

• Get directions from my hotel

• Plan out places I wanted to visit

  
  

Tip: Create separate folders for Seoul, Busan and Jeju before your trip and start saving everything in advance. It makes planning each day so much easier once you're there.

2. Kakao T

Kakao T made getting around South Korea so much easier, especially on days when catching public transport wasn't the easiest option. Being able to book a taxi through the app meant I didn't have to worry about explaining where I was going or trying to pronounce an address correctly.

You simply enter your pickup location and destination into the app before booking, so your driver already knows exactly where you're heading. I found this especially helpful when there was a language barrier or when travelling somewhere a little further out.

With Kakao T you can:

• Book taxis

• View estimated fares

• Track your driver

• Enter your pickup & drop-off before booking

  
  

It took a lot of the stress out of catching taxis and was definitely an app I was glad I had set up before arriving.

Tip: Enter both locations before you book - it's much easier than trying to explain your destination to a driver.

3. Papago

I learnt some Korean before my trip, but I definitely wasn't confident enough to rely on it for every situation. Having Papago on my phone gave me that extra bit of reassurance whenever I couldn't understand something or wasn't quite sure how to say what I needed.

I used it for everything from translating menus and signs to communicating with locals when my Korean wasn't quite enough. The image translation was especially handy - instead of typing everything out, I could simply use my camera to translate what was in front of me.

Papago offers:

• Text translation

• Voice translation

• Image translation

• Conversation mode

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It also became very useful when things didn't quite go to plan. Let's just say a little curb incident in Jeju left us needing some unexpected help, and Papago saved us a lot of confusion (and a headache or two!).

Tip: The image translation feature is incredibly handy - just point your camera at what you need translated.

Want to know what happened with the curb in Jeju? Read my Jeju blog for the full story and why having a translation app as backup was definitely worth it.

4. Klook

Klook was one of my favourite apps for keeping the organised side of travelling simple. I booked quite a few things through Klook before leaving for Korea, so having everything together in one app meant I wasn't constantly searching through emails trying to find tickets, booking details or meeting points.

I used Klook for:

• Attraction tickets

• Tours & activities

• Airport transfers

• Keeping bookings together

• Accessing tickets while travelling

  
  

On busy travel days, it was so much easier to open one app and have everything I needed right there. It was especially handy for pre-booked attractions and tours where I needed to quickly pull up a ticket or QR code.

Tip: Book in advance where you can, and save screenshots of important tickets or QR codes to your phone in case you have any internet issues while you're out exploring.

5. WhatsApp

WhatsApp might not be the first app you think of when planning a trip to South Korea, but it ended up being really useful. Many of the tours I booked with used WhatsApp to contact me directly before the tour, so having it already downloaded made everything much easier.

I received messages with:

• Tour confirmations

• Meeting point updates

• Pickup information

• Last-minute instructions

  
  

It was especially helpful when meeting points changed or a tour operator needed to send extra information before the day. Rather than constantly checking emails, everything came straight through to my phone.

Tip: Keep your notifications on when you have a tour booked so you don't miss any important updates from your tour operator.

6. KakaoMap

KakaoMap is another navigation app worth having downloaded before you arrive in South Korea. I mainly used Naver Map throughout my trip, but I liked having KakaoMap there as a backup whenever I wanted another option for finding a location or working out how to get somewhere.

KakaoMap is:

• An alternative to Naver Map

• Popular with locals

• Useful for navigation and finding places

• Handy to have downloaded alongside Naver Map

  
  

You definitely don't need to switch between the two every time you're going somewhere. I found it easier to stick with the one I was most comfortable using, but having both already downloaded gave me another option if I needed it.

Tip: If you find one easier to navigate, stick with it - but having both downloaded means you're covered either way.

7. KakaoTalk

I actually had KakaoTalk before travelling to Korea because I already used it to chat with friends and for my Korean language exchange lessons. What I didn't realise was just how useful it would be once I was actually there.

While travelling, I found that some local businesses and experiences used KakaoTalk as a way to communicate and organise bookings. Because I already had my account set up, it made things like organising dance lessons so much easier - I was lucky I'd downloaded it beforehand because I hadn't realised I'd need it for things like this.

KakaoTalk can be useful for:

• Contacting local businesses

• Booking dance classes

• Language exchanges

• Contacting gyms

• Beauty appointments & local experiences

  
  

If you're planning to do more than the usual tourist attractions and want to book local classes or experiences, it's definitely a handy app to have ready.

Tip: Create and verify your KakaoTalk account before arriving in Korea. Even if you don't think you'll need it, you might be surprised how useful it becomes once you're there.

Save These Before Your South Korea Trip

These are the seven apps I'd have ready before landing:

Naver Map - navigation & saving places

Kakao T - taxis

Papago - translation

Klook - tours & bookings

WhatsApp - tour communication

KakaoMap - navigation backup

KakaoTalk - local communication

Having these set up before my trip made navigating, booking and communicating while travelling around South Korea so much easier.

Save this list for your trip - and explore more of my South Korea travel guides, tips and itineraries on Thryve Travel.