Ultimate Korea: Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan & Jeju

Upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, you will welcomed by your local driver, please look out for your name on their welcome board. Transfer to your hotel for overnight. Remainder of the day is at your leisure.

This morning, you'll be met by your guide in the lobby of your hotel to begin your full-day exploration of South Korea's vibrant capital city. Begin with a visit to Gyeongbokbung Palace, where you'll witness the Palace Royal Guard changing ceremony and the palace. Built-in 1395, Gyeongbokgung Palace was the first and largest of the royal palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Next visit to "Bukchon Hanok Village." This Village is home to hundreds of traditional houses, called hanok, that date back to the Joseon dynasty. Bukchon, which was the central residence of nobles and bureaucrats during the Joseon Dynasty, is a place called a city street museum because of its many historic sites, cultural assets, and folklore materials.

After enjoying lunch at a local restaurant, visit "The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History" to see the history of South Korea from the late 19th century to the present. Tour will continue on to visit Insadong Arts and Crafts Street. Insadong Street is one of the most popular areas in Seoul and represents the focal point of Korean traditional culture and crafts. Stores in Insadong specialize in a wide variety of goods that can only be purchased or appreciated in Korea: hanbok (traditional clothing), hanji (traditional paper), traditional teas, pottery, and folk crafts. Today's tour will end at "Gwangjang Market". This historic market opened in the early 20th century and is home to a number of clothing and food stalls, offering tourists a taste of traditional Korean cuisine. Starting with 'Mayak gimbap', one of Koreans' all-time favorite snacks, and Nokdu-jeon (Mung Bean Pancake), visitors can sample a range of Korean delicacies. Other traditional treats such as Tteok-bokki (Stir-fried Rice Cake) and eomuk (Fish Cake) are also available.
Following your tour, you'll be transferred back to your hotel for the remainder of the day and evening at your leisure.

This morning, you'll be met by your local driver in the lobby of your hotel and transferred to Seoul Station where you'll have your first experience on South Korea's KTX high-speed trains as you travel 2 hours to Gyeongju. Upon arrival at Singyeongju Station, you'll be met by your local guide and escorted to a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, proceed to Yangdong Village for a tour of this traditional yangban village from the Joseaon dynasty. Yangban residences with tile roof houses are found up in the valleys where residents stay cool in summer and warm in winter. Thatched-roof residences that belong to the commoners are clustered below them. The landscape in the village was rearranged in line with Joseon's hierarchical social order set by different classes.

Then move back to downtown Gyeongju city and visit the historic Hwangridan-gil Street. Cafes and restaurants on the street are designed and inspired from hanoks, the Korea traditional houses. Hwangridan-gil itself is a wonderful place where you can see the past and the present of Gyeongju. Following your tour, you'll be transferred and checked into your hotel for the remainder of the day and evening at your leisure.

This morning, you'll be met by your guide in the lobby of your hotel to begin another full day of exploration in Gyeongju. Start with a visit to Seokguram Grotto located on Tohamsan Mountain. It is the main stone temple of Korea. The official name of Seokguram, National Treasure No. 24, is Seokguram Seokgul. Designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995, it is an artificial stone temple made of granite. Continue on to visit the iconic Bulguksa Temple, the representative relic of Buddhist culture from the Silla Kingdom in Gyeongju which used to be the capital of Silla Kingdom (BC57-AD935). Along with Seokguram Grotto nearby, Bulguksa Temple was designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1995.

Afterward, visit the National Museum of Gyeongju. This is a fantastic place to uncover the cultural history of Gyeongju with earthenware, art & craft works, and many galleries exhibiting everyday household goods dating back to life in the Royal Court during the Silla kingdom. Next, visit Cheomseongdae, the oldest existing astronomical observatory in Asia. Afterward, continue on to the Daereungwon Tomb Complex where large ancient tombs of kings and nobles of the Silla Kingdom can be explored.

Conclude your tour with a visit to Anapji Pond, designed as a park for royalty. Following your tour, you'll be transferred back to your hotel for the remainder of the day and evening at your leisure.

This morning, you'll be met by your guide and transferred by road to Busan (approximately 1 hour). On the way, you'll visit Tongdosa Temple which is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Tongdosa is famous as there are no statues aside from Buddha at the temple because the "real shrines of the Buddha" (relics) are preserved here. Afterward, visit Haedong Yonggungsa Seaside Temple. This superb attraction offers visitors the rare chance to see a temple along the shoreline as almost all temples in Korea are located in the mountains. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple was first built in 1376 by the great Buddhist teacher known as Naong during the Goryeo dynasty. Continue on to Dongbaekseom Island (Island of Camellias) which is an island located off one end of Busan's famous Haeundae Beach. You'll also have time to visit APEC House Nurimaru and Haeundae Beach before being transferred to your hotel to check-in. Enjoy the remainder of your day and evening at leisure.

This morning, you'll be met by your guide in the lobby of your hotel to begin another full day of exploration in Busan. Your tour includes a visit to the UN Memorial Cemetery where South Korea honors UN soldiers from 16 countries and UN aids from five countries that were killed in battle during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. Next, visit Youngdusan Park (Busan Tower) in downtown Busan which is one of Busan's three famous mountains. Continue to Gukje Market, which has a history of over 70years, is a representative traditional market in Busan. Following the Korean War, refugees who fled to Busan set up stalls in order to make a living by selling smuggled or imported products, which developed into Gukje Market (gukje meaning "international '' in Korean) of today.

Then visit one more market called Jagalchi Fish Market located on the shoreside road in Busan's Jung-gu, which is Korea's largest seafood market, selling both live and dried fish. After the Korean War, the market solidified itself as a fish market.

Today's tour ends with a visit to Songdo Yonggung Suspension Bridge. This suspension bridge is 127m long, 2m wide, and made of wire mesh, people can see the blue ocean under their feet and feel the thrill of walking on the sea and at the same time enjoy the refreshing view of the sea.
Following your tour, you'll be transferred back to your hotel for the remainder of the day and evening at your leisure.

This morning, you'll be met and transferred to Busan's Gimhae International Airport for your short 1-hour flight to Jeju. On arrival, you'll be met by your local tour guide.

Directly from the airport, you'll head out to begin your initial exploration of Jeju. Begin with a visit to Haenyeo Museum. Haenyeo refers to female divers who dive into the ocean water to gather various shellfish, seaweed, etc, without using any underwater diving equipment. Jeju-do established the Jeju Haenyeo Museum to introduce to the world the unique activities and culture of Jejudo's haenyeo female divers.

Tour will continue on to Seongsan Ilchulbong Sunrise Peak which rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago. Located on the eastern end of Jejudo Island, there is a huge crater at the top of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. The crater is about 600m in diameter and 90m high. With the 99 sharp rocks surrounding the crater, it looks like a gigantic crown. At Seongsan Ilchulbong Sunrise Peak, you can watch a Haenyeo performance at 3 pm. Through the performance by the Real Jeju Haenyeo, you can see how they catch fresh seafood from the sea and what is the unique culture of Jeju Haenyeo. After watching the Haenyeo performance, you'll head to Jeju Stone Park which serves as a historical and cultural space where collected stones represent Jeju's foundation and culture.

Following your tour, you'll be transferred and checked into your hotel for the remainder of the day and evening at your leisure.

This morning, you'll be met by your guide in the lobby of your hotel to begin another full day of exploration on Jeju.

Tour will begin with Hallim Park, which reaches almost 100 thousand square meters and has a variety of gardens that can be enjoyed in any season. Among the various themes in the park, tour will include visiting Hyeopjeegul Cave and Jaeam Folk Village. Hyeopjaegul Cave, the most famous tourist site in Hallim Park, is known to be the only two-dimensional cave in the world. Jaeam Folk Village was reproduced to preserve Jeju's traditional thatched houses, which are gradually disappearing with the development of modern civilization. The next stop is O'sulloc Tea Museum which opened on September 1, 2001 and is located at the entrance of Seogwang Tea Garden. The building itself is the materialization of a green teacup, and it is a place of culture, where tradition and modern east and west are harmonized. Afterward, you will visit Jusangjeollidae Seaside Cliff where stone pillars can be viewed piled up along the coast and it is a designated cultural monument of Jeju Island. Jusangjeolli Cliff was formed when the lava from Hallasan Mountain erupted into the sea of Jungmun. There are rock pillars shaped like cubes or hexagons of various sizes and look as if stonemasons had carved them out. Lastly, enjoy a visit to Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls, named "The Pond of God," which consists of 3 sections. Around the falls, you can find a variety of diverse plant life, such as the rare 'solimnan' reeds. To the east, there is a cave where cold water pours from the ceiling to create the first waterfall. The water gathers into a pool and from there, falls two more times, creating the second and third waterfalls, which then flow into the sea. Following your tour, you'll be transferred to your hotel for the remainder of the day and evening at your leisure.

Enjoy time at leisure until you check out and are met and transferred to Jeju International Airport for your return flight to Seoul. Upon arrival at Seoul's Gimpo International Airport, you'll be met in the arrival area by your local driver who will be holding a signboard with your name on it. From here, you'll be transferred to Seoul's Incheon International Airport for your onward flight.