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7-Nights Best of South Korea - Classic

South Korea
7-Nights Best of South Korea - Classic
South Korea
G Adventures
Vacation Offer ID 1532732
Reference this number when contacting our travel specialist.
Overview

G Adventures

Best of South Korea
Ready for a unique travel experience? South Korea fits the bill and then some. On this eight-day trip, you’ll see the highlights in and around Seoul plus visit folk villages, unique Korean temples, and the bustling markets of Busan. Learn about the sombre history of North and South Korea and take an excursion to the Demilitarized Zone separating the two. This is the perfect snapshot of a country coming into its own as a top travel destination.

Highlights
Visit the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, sleep in a temple in Gyeongju-si, sample the diverse cuisine of Korea.

Accommodation
Standard hotels (6 nts), temple (1 nt).

Group Leader
CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout, local guides.

Group Size Notes
Max 16, avg 12.

Meals Included
7 breakfasts, 1 dinner

What's Included
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group Your Local Living Moment: Overnight Temple Stay, Gyeongju-si. City tour of Seoul. DMZ visit. City tour of Gyeongju. Yangdong Folk Village visit. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple Visit. City tour of Busan. Haeundae Beach and Dongbaek Island (APEC House) Visit. N Seoul Tower Visit. Namdaemun Market Visit. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.

Featured Destinations

Sultan Bathery
Yangdong
Gyeongju

Gyeongju

If your schedule permits stopping at only one city other than Seoul, that city should be Gyeongju, 165 mi/265 km southeast of Seoul. It was the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935) and has a high concentration of temples, statuary and burial mounds, as well as an excellent historical museum.

One of the highlights of your visit will be a walk through Tumuli Park, where you'll stroll among the burial mounds of 20 kings, some several stories high and looking more like hills covered with soft green grass than the royal tombs that they are. (Oddly enough, the park was only dedicated in the 1970s. Before that, the area was residential.) Just a few have been excavated, and the interior of only one is open to the public. Inside, an exhibit re-creates what it looked like when the mound was first explored, and some of the original contents are on display. Most of the finds, however, are exhibited in the Gyeongju National Museum, along with other artifacts from Gyeongju's golden age.

Outside of town is Bulguk Temple, one of the most beautiful temples in the country. It's a large complex with wonderful architecture, pagodas and statuary. There are other temples and mounds near Gyeongju (some have larger-than-life stone soldiers and bureaucrats to guard and guide the departed kings in the afterlife) as well as the Seogbinggo (where ice was kept long before refrigeration), Anapji Pond (a part of the royal pleasure garden), a very early star-gazing tower and other relics.

Also within easy driving distance are the Seokguram Grotto (containing an exquisite stone Buddha image surrounded by friezes) and the Poseokjeong Pavilion. In the mountains surrounding the city are thousands of Buddhist temples, inscriptions and pagodas (the roads to some are impassable without a four-wheel-drive vehicle). You could spend weeks driving around, but two or three days will give most travelers a taste of the area.

One other nearby attraction merits mention, though it is difficult to get to: the underwater tomb of King Munmu (AD 661-681). The tomb is submerged in shallow water in the middle of a little island about 300 ft/90 m offshore. Legends say that King Munmu asked to be buried there so he could return as a dragon to protect his people from invasion. Visitors must bargain with a local boat owner to get to the tomb.

If time permits, visit the village of Yangdong, just south of Pohang. Ignored by most tourists, the village seems immune to all forms of modernization.

Destination Guide
Pusan (Busan)

Pusan (Busan)

Korea's "museum without walls" is akin only to China in its depth and cultural wonder. From Pusan, you can journey to the ancient Silla capital of Kyongju, a dynasty which reigned in Korea for almost a thousand years. Today this small provincial town is virtually a museum without walls, dotted with many splendid ruins. Nearby, the forested mountains and valleys shelter hundreds of beautiful Buddhist shrines including the renowned Sokkuram Grotto, and Tongdosa and Pulguksa Temples. Pusan is also a shopper's mecca and Korea's vital southern link to Japanese and American trade.
Destination Guide
Seoul

Seoul

Seoul, capital of South Korea, lies in the northwest of the country on the Han River 37 miles from the coast. Landmarks in Seoul include the National Museum, featuring collections of Korean art and artefacts; the National Science Museum; Ch'anggyong, Ch'angdok, Kyongbok, and Toksu palaces; Chong-myo Shrine; a Roman Catholic cathedral; and zoological and botanical gardens. Other sights include the bell tower, which contains a large bronze bell inscribed with the date 1468, and the remains of the ancient stone wall that once encircled the city.
Destination Guide

View Full Itinerary

Valid Date Ranges

November 2024
11/08/2024 11/15/2024 $2,399 per person
December 2024
12/13/2024 12/20/2024 $2,799 per person
January 2025
01/10/2025 01/17/2025 $2,799 per person
February 2025
02/21/2025 02/28/2025 $2,799 per person
02/28/2025 03/07/2025 $2,799 per person
March 2025
03/02/2025 03/09/2025 $2,799 per person
03/07/2025 03/14/2025 $2,799 per person
03/09/2025 03/16/2025 $2,799 per person
03/16/2025 03/23/2025 $2,999 per person
03/23/2025 03/30/2025 $2,999 per person
03/28/2025 04/04/2025 $2,999 per person
03/30/2025 04/06/2025 $2,999 per person
April 2025
04/06/2025 04/13/2025 $2,999 per person
04/11/2025 04/18/2025 $2,999 per person
04/13/2025 04/20/2025 $2,999 per person
04/20/2025 04/27/2025 $2,999 per person
04/25/2025 05/02/2025 $2,999 per person
04/27/2025 05/04/2025 $2,999 per person
May 2025
05/02/2025 05/09/2025 $2,999 per person
05/04/2025 05/11/2025 $2,999 per person
05/09/2025 05/16/2025 $2,999 per person
05/11/2025 05/18/2025 $2,999 per person
05/16/2025 05/23/2025 $2,999 per person
05/18/2025 05/25/2025 $2,999 per person
05/23/2025 05/30/2025 $2,999 per person
05/25/2025 06/01/2025 $2,999 per person
05/30/2025 06/06/2025 $2,999 per person
June 2025
06/01/2025 06/08/2025 $3,199 per person
06/06/2025 06/13/2025 $3,199 per person
06/08/2025 06/15/2025 $3,199 per person
August 2025
08/01/2025 08/08/2025 $3,199 per person
08/08/2025 08/15/2025 $3,199 per person
08/15/2025 08/22/2025 $3,199 per person
08/22/2025 08/29/2025 $3,199 per person
08/24/2025 08/31/2025 $3,199 per person
08/29/2025 09/05/2025 $3,199 per person
September 2025
09/05/2025 09/12/2025 $3,199 per person
09/07/2025 09/14/2025 $3,199 per person
09/12/2025 09/19/2025 $3,199 per person
09/19/2025 09/26/2025 $3,199 per person
09/21/2025 09/28/2025 $3,199 per person
09/26/2025 10/03/2025 $3,199 per person
October 2025
10/10/2025 10/17/2025 $2,999 per person
10/12/2025 10/19/2025 $2,999 per person
10/17/2025 10/24/2025 $2,999 per person
10/19/2025 10/26/2025 $2,999 per person
10/24/2025 10/31/2025 $2,999 per person
10/31/2025 11/07/2025 $2,999 per person
November 2025
11/07/2025 11/14/2025 $2,999 per person
11/14/2025 11/21/2025 $2,999 per person
11/21/2025 11/28/2025 $2,799 per person
11/28/2025 12/05/2025 $2,799 per person
December 2025
12/12/2025 12/19/2025 $2,799 per person
January 2026
01/09/2026 01/16/2026 $2,799 per person
February 2026
02/20/2026 02/27/2026 $2,799 per person
02/27/2026 03/06/2026 $2,799 per person
March 2026
03/01/2026 03/08/2026 $2,799 per person
03/06/2026 03/13/2026 $2,799 per person
03/08/2026 03/15/2026 $2,799 per person
03/13/2026 03/20/2026 $2,799 per person
03/15/2026 03/22/2026 $2,799 per person
03/20/2026 03/27/2026 $2,799 per person
03/22/2026 03/29/2026 $2,799 per person
03/27/2026 04/03/2026 $2,799 per person
03/29/2026 04/05/2026 $2,799 per person
April 2026
04/03/2026 04/10/2026 $2,799 per person
04/05/2026 04/12/2026 $2,799 per person
04/10/2026 04/17/2026 $2,799 per person
04/12/2026 04/19/2026 $2,799 per person
04/17/2026 04/24/2026 $2,799 per person
04/19/2026 04/26/2026 $2,799 per person
04/24/2026 05/01/2026 $2,799 per person
04/26/2026 05/03/2026 $2,799 per person
May 2026
05/01/2026 05/08/2026 $2,799 per person
05/03/2026 05/10/2026 $2,799 per person
05/08/2026 05/15/2026 $2,799 per person
05/10/2026 05/17/2026 $2,799 per person
05/15/2026 05/22/2026 $2,799 per person
05/17/2026 05/24/2026 $2,799 per person
05/22/2026 05/29/2026 $2,799 per person
05/24/2026 05/31/2026 $2,799 per person
05/29/2026 06/05/2026 $2,799 per person
05/31/2026 06/07/2026 $2,799 per person
June 2026
06/05/2026 06/12/2026 $2,799 per person
06/07/2026 06/14/2026 $2,799 per person
06/12/2026 06/19/2026 $2,799 per person
August 2026
08/02/2026 08/09/2026 $2,799 per person
08/07/2026 08/14/2026 $2,799 per person
08/14/2026 08/21/2026 $2,799 per person
08/21/2026 08/28/2026 $2,799 per person
08/23/2026 08/30/2026 $2,799 per person
08/28/2026 09/04/2026 $2,799 per person
08/30/2026 09/06/2026 $2,799 per person
September 2026
09/04/2026 09/11/2026 $2,799 per person
09/06/2026 09/13/2026 $2,799 per person
09/11/2026 09/18/2026 $2,799 per person
09/13/2026 09/20/2026 $2,799 per person
09/18/2026 09/25/2026 $2,799 per person
09/29/2026 10/06/2026 $2,799 per person
October 2026
10/02/2026 10/09/2026 $2,799 per person
10/04/2026 10/11/2026 $2,799 per person
10/09/2026 10/16/2026 $2,799 per person
10/11/2026 10/18/2026 $2,799 per person
10/16/2026 10/23/2026 $2,799 per person
10/18/2026 10/25/2026 $2,799 per person
10/23/2026 10/30/2026 $2,799 per person
10/30/2026 11/06/2026 $2,799 per person
November 2026
11/06/2026 11/13/2026 $2,799 per person
11/13/2026 11/20/2026 $2,799 per person
11/20/2026 11/27/2026 $2,799 per person
11/27/2026 12/04/2026 $2,799 per person
December 2026
12/11/2026 12/18/2026 $2,799 per person
Pricing is per person, land only, in US dollars and based on double occupancy. For specific validity dates, discount amount and tour information, please return to the promotion in question. Promotion valid on G Adventures small group tours excluding Independent, MS Expedition or National Geographic Journeys, unless otherwise stated. Promotion applicable to new bookings only and cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. Does not apply to airfare (unless otherwise stated), pre-/post-accommodation, 'My Own Room' or 'My Own Tent', transfers, theme packs, insurance, polar kayaking & camping excursions or other in-country services. G Adventures reserves the right to withdraw this offer from sale at any time. Itinerary and map subject to change.  Please click here for a description of the travel style options provided by G Adventures. 

Dossier Disclaimer
The information in this trip details document has been compiled with care and is provided in good faith. However it is subject to change, and does not form part of the contract between the client and the operator. The itinerary featured is correct at time of printing. It may differ slightly to the one in the brochure. Occasionally our itineraries change as we make improvements that stem from past travellers, comments and our own research. Sometimes it can be a small change like adding an extra meal along the itinerary. Sometimes the change may result in us altering the tour for the coming year. Ultimately, our goal is to provide you with the most rewarding experience. Please note that our brochure is usually released in November each year. If you have booked from the previous brochure you may find there have been some changes to the itinerary. VERY IMPORTANT: Please ensure that you print a final copy of your Trip Details to review a couple of days prior to travel, in case there have been changes that affect your plans.

Itinerary Disclaimer
While it is our intention to adhere to the route described below, there is a certain amount of flexibility built into the itinerary and on occasion it may be necessary, or desirable to make alterations. The itinerary is brief, as we never know exactly where our journey will take us. Due to our style of travel and the regions we visit, travel can be unpredictable. The Trip Details document is a general guide to the tour and region and any mention of specific destinations or wildlife is by no means a guarantee that they will be visited or encountered. Aboard expedition trips visits to research stations depend on final permission. Additionally, any travel times listed are approximations only and subject to vary due to local circumstances.
 

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.