An ancient East Asian capital, seat of power for a thousand years, and still home to a staggering host of treasures from that period – it’s hard for Gyeongju to avoid comparisons with Kyoto, though we’d argue this little city is actually even better than its far more famous Japanese counterpart.

Spend a week in Seoul, and you’ll most likely come away feeling that you’ve barely scratched the surface – this hyperactive, endlessly beguiling megalopolis somehow feels uber-cool, hyper-modern, charmingly traditional and historically fascinating, all at the same time.

Given that three quarters of South Korea is covered by mountains, it’s both annoying and convenient that most of the best-looking ones have decided to huddle together in the same location, near the east coast – welcome to Seoraksan National Park, the answer to all your Korean hiking prayers.