When I was doing my exchange in Seoul, it was not exactly a hot travel spot for North Americans. Most people I knew in Canada had never seriously considered it. Japan was the Asian destination everyone talked about. Korea was more of a footnote.
That has changed dramatically since COVID. I have watched Seoul quietly climb up the travel wish list of people I know here in Vancouver, and now it is showing up everywhere: on Netflix, in travel magazines, in conversations at dinner. The popularity of Korea as a travel destination is rising fast, and there are very real, practical reasons why 2026 is a particularly good year to finally go.
I am not just talking about the food hype, though the food alone is worth the flight. I am talking about flights that are now more direct and cheaper than before, an exchange rate that works in your favour, a city that has become genuinely easy to navigate as an English speaker, and a tipping culture that will make you feel like you are living in a different world. Here is what makes Seoul worth your next vacation budget.
The Netflix Effect: Culinary Class Wars Put Seoul Restaurants on the Global Map
If you have a Netflix account, you have probably seen Culinary Class Wars in your recommended list. The show pits Korea’s top established chefs against 80 unknown challengers in a brutal kitchen competition. Season 1 became the first Korean unscripted series to hit number 1 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 (Non-English) list, sitting there for three consecutive weeks.
Season 2 wrapped up in January 2026. The timing could not be better for planning a trip now.
The show does something that no travel article can replicate: it makes you genuinely hungry for Korean food in a way that feels specific and real. These are not generic restaurant scenes. You watch specific chefs cook specific dishes at specific restaurants, and then you find out those restaurants are real places you can actually visit. When chef Choi Kang-rok’s Neo restaurant was featured, over 20,000 people tried to book a table. The monthly reservation slots sold out in under a minute.
That kind of food energy is everywhere in Seoul right now. The 2025 Michelin Guide for Seoul and Busan lists 186 recommended restaurants in Seoul alone. Mingles was just elevated to three Michelin stars this year. The city runs an annual Taste of Seoul programme highlighting 100 top-rated spots across every price range. You can eat a world-class meal for $20 CAD, or spend more if you want, but you are never forced to.
Plan your trip: If you want to eat at the restaurants featured on Culinary Class Wars, book reservations before you fly. Popular ones fill up weeks in advance.
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Watch Culinary Class Wars on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728365
Your Canadian Dollar Goes Further Than You Expect
Let me give you actual numbers, because this is where Seoul surprises most Canadians.
The Korean Won is relatively soft against the Canadian dollar right now. When you land and exchange your CAD at a currency exchange booth (the ones inside Incheon Airport are fine, the ones in Myeongdong offer slightly better rates), you will see the difference immediately in how far your money goes.
Here is a realistic daily budget breakdown for a mid-range Canadian traveller in Seoul:
- Accommodation: $60 to $90 CAD per night for a clean, well-located hotel or guesthouse in a central neighbourhood
- Meals: $5 to $8 CAD for a proper sit-down meal at a local restaurant. $2 to $3 CAD for street food at Gwangjang Market. $15 to $25 CAD if you go to a nicer spot
- Subway: the T-money card covers all transit for roughly $1 to $1.50 CAD per ride
- Coffee: $3 to $5 CAD at a trendy cafe in Hongdae, and Seoul has more cafes per square kilometre than almost any city I have visited
A couple travelling mid-range can realistically do Seoul for $150 to $200 CAD total per day, including accommodation. That covers food, transport, activities, and coffee. Compare that to Tokyo, Paris, or even a weekend in New York.
For solo backpackers, hostel dorm beds run from $25 to $35 CAD per night in good locations. You can eat well all day for under $30 CAD if you stick to local spots and street food.
Best for: Travellers who want a high-quality city trip without burning through their savings.
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Search Seoul Flights from Canada: https://www.ca.kayak.com/flight-routes/Canada-CA0/Seoul-SEL
No Tips. Not Even a Little.
This one takes a few days to fully internalize if you have lived in Canada your whole life.
In South Korea, tipping is not expected. At restaurants, it is not done. In taxis, it is not done. At hotels, it is not the norm. At coffee shops, there is no tip screen waiting for you to choose between 18%, 20%, and 22% while the barista watches.
You pay the price on the menu. That is it. The bill comes, you pay the bill, you leave. No math, no guilt, no awkward moment.
For Canadians who are used to mentally adding 18 to 20 percent to every meal, this is a genuine psychological reset. Over a two-week trip, the savings add up too. If you are eating out three times a day, you are not leaving an extra $10 to $20 CAD on every single meal.
The no-tipping culture also reflects something broader about how service works in Korea. Staff are paid a proper wage. Service is included. The experience at even a modest local restaurant is often attentive and professional in a way that does not depend on tip incentives.
More Direct Flights from Canada Than Ever Before
This was one of the practical barriers when I was a student. Getting to Seoul from Canada used to mean a connection, usually through a hub in the US or Asia.
That has changed significantly. In 2025 and into 2026, the direct flight options from Canada to Seoul have expanded:
- Air Canada operates nonstop service from Vancouver to Seoul (Incheon) and Toronto to Seoul. A newer Montreal to Seoul nonstop route launched in 2024, giving Quebec-based travellers a direct option for the first time.
- Korean Air runs direct routes from both Vancouver and Toronto to Seoul.
- Alaska Airlines joined the nonstop lineup for South Korea in 2025, adding more competition and downward pressure on prices.
Kayak is currently showing round-trip fares from Canada to Seoul from around $417 CAD in 2026, depending on dates and how far in advance you book. That is a competitive price for a long-haul flight to Asia, and it is significantly cheaper than what flights used to cost even a few years ago.
Flight time from Vancouver is roughly 10 to 11 hours nonstop. From Toronto, expect around 13 to 14 hours. Korean Air and Air Canada both offer reasonable in-flight meals and entertainment on these routes.
Best for: Travellers flying from Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal who want a direct route without US connections.
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Air Canada Seoul Flights: https://www.aircanada.com/en-ca/flights-from-canada-to-south-korea
Seoul is Easier to Navigate Than You Think
One concern I used to hear from friends considering Seoul was the language barrier. Korean script looks unfamiliar, and the assumption was that getting around would be stressful.
In practice, Seoul is one of the more foreigner-friendly cities in Asia for English speakers.
Every subway station in Seoul has English signage alongside Korean. The subway app (Kakao Metro or Naver Maps, both available in English) gives you turn-by-turn directions on the transit system better than Google Maps does in many North American cities. You buy a T-money card at any convenience store, tap to board, and go.
The Seoul city government publishes an official English tourist guidebook, updated for 2025. Most restaurants in tourist-adjacent neighbourhoods like Itaewon, Hongdae, and Myeongdong have English menus or photo menus. Hotel staff at any mid-range or above property will speak English.
For the gaps, the Papago app (made by Naver, optimized for Korean) is more accurate than Google Translate for Korean text. Point your phone camera at a menu, a sign, or a product label and it translates instantly. I used this constantly when I was living there and it made navigating local markets and smaller restaurants easy.
The one area where you will feel the language gap is in smaller neighbourhood restaurants outside the tourist corridors. This is also where some of the best food is. Point at what the table next to you ordered. It works every time.
What to Actually Do: Food, Culture, and the Han River at Night
Seoul rewards slow exploration more than checklist tourism. Here are the experiences worth building your trip around:
Gwangjang Market is the original Korean street food market. Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), mayak gimbap, and raw beef yukhoe are the classics. Go hungry, go with cash, and plan to spend two hours there minimum.
Gyeongbokgung Palace is Seoul’s largest historical palace, and you can rent a Hanbok (traditional Korean dress) at the entrance to wear while you explore. It sounds touristy and it is, but the photos are genuinely beautiful and the history of the palace complex is worth the time.
Hongdae is the university neighbourhood. Street performers, independent clothing stores, affordable restaurants open until 3am, and the kind of energy that makes you feel like you are 22 again regardless of how old you actually are.
Insadong is the neighbourhood for traditional crafts, tea houses, and Korean art galleries. Quieter than Hongdae, easier to walk slowly through.
Noryangjin Fish Market opens early and operates around the clock. Buy fresh seafood directly from the vendors on the lower level, take it upstairs to a restaurant on the second floor, and pay a small preparation fee to have it cooked or served as sashimi. It is one of the most memorable meals you can have in Korea.
The Han River is where locals go to exhale. On any evening with decent weather, Seoulites spread out picnic mats, order fried chicken and beer to the park via delivery apps, and sit by the water for hours. You can buy convenience store snacks, find a spot, and do exactly the same thing. No reservation, no fuss, no bill at the end.
For something completely unlike anything else, the DMZ day tour from Seoul is worth doing. It is sobering and fascinating in equal measure, and it is only an hour from the city.
See more below
Official Seoul Travel Guide: https://english.visitseoul.net
Seoul vs Tokyo: A Quick Comparison for Canadian Travellers
| Seoul | Tokyo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily budget (mid-range, CAD) | $150 to $200 | $200 to $280 | |
| Tipping expected | No | No | |
| Direct flights from Vancouver | Yes | Yes | |
| English signage | Good in tourist areas | Good in tourist areas | |
| Street food culture | Excellent | Good | |
| Michelin restaurants | 186 listed (2025) | Most in any city globally | |
| Best for | Food, culture, value | Culture, food, shopping |
My Take: Why 2026 Specifically
The city has changed a lot, more international visitors, more English on menus, more cafes per block.
But it has not yet tipped into the kind of overcrowding that makes parts of Tokyo’s tourist centres feel exhausting in peak season. You can still show up at Gwangjang Market, find a seat at a busy pojangmacha stall, and feel like you are actually in the city rather than watching it through a tourist bubble.
The combination right now is unusually good: Culinary Class Wars has put Korean food on the global radar at exactly the moment when direct flights from Canada are more accessible than they have ever been, the exchange rate is working in your favour, and Seoul has invested seriously in making the city navigable for international visitors.
If Seoul has been sitting in the back of your mind as a someday destination, 2026 is a practical year to move it to the front.
Seoul is not a hidden gem anymore, but it has not yet hit the overcrowded tourist fatigue you feel in parts of Paris or Tokyo in peak season. The timing right now is genuinely good: prices are reasonable, flights are accessible, and the food scene is at an all-time high thanks to global attention. If Seoul has been on your list, 2026 is the year to stop waiting. Start with one week. You will probably want two. Seoul, 서울. Worth every hour of that flight.
