How do you arrange stopover flights?

[finespineline]

I really cannot see how to do this. Thinking of going to South Korea the direct flights are pretty expensive but there are airlines which fly there but with a stop.
I really would prefer to use the price difference to have an overnight stay somewhere and have a new experience but I really am not sure how it works. Can you leave the airport ? No point in just waiting in an airport really.
Do I need a travel agent we usually sort stuff for ourselves but I'm struggling to understand!! Please help!

@finespineline we booked the flights through trailfinders but did everything else ourselves (booking.com etc)

I know Seoul best, but having visited Busan and Jeju, I can say they are both great fun. The train from Seoul to Busan is a great way to see the countryside (even without film references!). Definitely make sure you have good hiking shoes because the walks in both places are beautiful. Depending on your schedule and if you enjoy hiking, consider a day trip to Seoraksan National Park while in Seoul.

However there is so much in Seoul and it's brilliant for walking around.

1. Bukchon Hanok - the old village with traditional houses, Its good to do in the morning - you can go to Insadong before you explore Bukchon, lots of galleries etc then land back near Gyeongbokgong. There are lots of other palaces and I recommend diving into any you go past, but this one is the biggest and the Changing of Guards is fun so check the times.
2. Seoul tower (inc Teddy Bear Museum, which is kitsch but always makes me smile! There is also one in Jeju next to the Sex Museum 😃) and then Namsangol village - get the cable car up to the tower then walk down to the village, especially if an nice day, as great to get out of city
3. Late afternoon walk along Cheonggyecheon canal - lots of art in the canal, but I recommend popping up to street level at random parts to see the 'markets', basically streets dedicated to different items, e.g. Sewing machine street, fire fighting equipment street. Start at the City Hall end, finish near the fabric markets by Dongdaemun towards evening as this is also food markets for good street food. The Fashion Markets only really get going late in the evening - so the later you go, the better.

Food - restaurants change all the time but my favourite areas

1. Garugo-sil Street, Sinsa-Dong, people watching, mooching, nice bars
2. Samcheong-Dong - cafes/pop-ups/galleries.
3. Itaewon - night out bars/clubs etc but a good intro to Korean BBQ is Mapletree.

But in any of the cities you can get an "Ajuma scrub" - ask hotel for nearest local spa (jimjilbang). In Seoul my favourite was in the city bus station near Seorae Maeul or go to Dragon Hill, more touristy but also less likely to get your private bits descaled with a Brillo pad!! Please note this is not the same as a western 5* spa experience, dignity is not maintained but your skin will be phenomenal.

You've probably been looking here but this is one of the best source of tourist info, especially for opening times and addresses
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto

Enjoy!

Go to the airlines Web site. Go to the booking page, select the multi stop option, or it might be called advanced booking. Say for instance it's on Emirates airlines you would put London to Dubai and the date, then Dubai to Seoul and the date you want that, then repeat on the return as you want it. Many connecting flights are often only a 2hr stop. If you just chose the return option, you will still have a choice of which connecting flights that might suit you. Just practice it on various airlines Web sites till you understand the processes involved.

I just came to say have a great time in South Korea. We are going this year also. When we were looking into flights, many had a long layover in China. In the end we opted for more expensive and via our local airport to a European city that flies directly to Seoul. If you are ever in Incheon airport I heard they have a free sleep area and spa you can book into so perhaps other airports do also.

Talk to a flight specialist like trailfinders, they'll be able to give you all the options and could probably help with overnight accommodation too. Don't book separate flights, they'll most likely be more expensive and if any issues meaning a missed connection, it will be up to you to sort.