TRAVEL IS CALLING. LET’S GO EXPLORE – SOUTH KOREA 2023

TASTE OF SOUTH KOREA
8 DAYS FROM $3,795* PP TWIN SHARE

• 7 nights in premium accommodation
• Services of a Travelmarvel Tour Director
• 13 meals – 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 2 dinners
• Indulge in a traditional Korean BBQ dinner in Seoul
• See the changing of the guard ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace
• Learn how to make South Korea’s favourite dish, bibimbap, during a cooking class and demonstration
• Experience a traditional Korean village at Bukchon Hanok
• Enjoy tea time with a monk at Jogyesa Temple
• Watch the beautiful countryside whip past your window when you board one of South Korea’s famous KTX Express Trains to Busan
• Take a moonlight stroll around Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond

Discover the highlights of South Korea a on a premium Travelmarvel holiday. Explore the capital Seoul, visit the DMZ, historic Gyeongju and feast on delicious food along the way.

Day 1. Arrive Incheon, Seoul Arrive into Incheon and transfer to Seoul. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner this evening, joining your Tour Director and fellow travellers at a traditional Korean-style BBQ house. Smoky meats and sizzling savoury pancakes are often on the menu. Then you’ll be transferred back to your hotel, which is located in the heart of Seoul. Three Nights: Seoul, Courtyard Marriott Namdaemun. D

Day 2. Seoul Begin a full day of sightseeing at Gyeongbok Palace, the largest palace in South Korea. Built in 1392 at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty, it was the main royal palace for five centuries. While here, you’ll witness the changing of the guard ceremony. Later, learn how to make South Korea’s favourite dish, bibimbap, during a cooking class and demonstration. Continue on to Bukchon Hanok, a traditional hanok village, before visiting Jogyesa Temple for the chance to share tea with a monk. Your final stop for today is Insadong Antique Alley, where

quirky amulets and jewellery among other wares are scattered across stalls. Poke around the many streets, maybe picking up a souvenir or two. BL

Day 3. Seoul, Paju, Demilitarised Zone Today is dedicated to the relationship between North and South Korea. You’ll visit the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) in Paju to gain an understanding of the bordering countries. See Imjingak Park, the Bridge of Freedom and the Third Infiltration Tunnel, where it’s believed that some 30,000 soldiers could pass through within an hour. You’ll also spend time at the DMZ Theatre and Exhibition Hall, and the station, along with Dora Observatory, which offers binocular views into North Korea. Return to Seoul for an afternoon visit to the War Memorial Museum to reflect further on the conflict. BL

Day 4. Seoul, Busan After breakfast at your hotel, travel to Busan, aboard one of South Korea’s famous KTX Express Trains. Watch the beautiful countryside whip past your window, and jet right past busy cities as your train reaches speeds of over 300 kilometres per hour. Upon arrival in South Korea’s second-largest city, you’ll be taken on a city sightseeing

tour. Begin at Busan Tower, which offers a great vantage point to the city’s bustling port. Visit Jagalchi Fishery Market, the largest seafood market in South Korea. Here, locals select seafood that is straight from the ocean and take their purchase to the market’s chefs to be prepared just how they like it. Finish your explorations in Gamcheon Village, a mishmash of pastelcoloured houses, street art and art galleries. Stay: Busan, Avani Hotel. B

Day 5. Busan, Gyeongju There’s more of Busan to be explored this morning. At Taejongdae observatory, admire sweeping views of the natural wonders of Taejongdae Resort Park. Continue to the United Nations Memorial cemetery. Afterwards, voyage to the seaside for a visit to Haedong Yonggung temple before journeying to Gyeongju. Be welcomed into the ancient city with a traditional performance at Jeongdong Theatre. Two Nights: Gyeongju, Commodore Hotel.

Day 6. Gyeongju Set your sights on the World Heritage Bulguksa Temple resting on the slopes of Mt Toham. Built in 774 AD, the temple is considered a masterpiece of Buddhist art. Nearby, explore Seokguram

Grotto and see the giant Sakyamuni Buddha, which is enshrined in the grotto’s inner chambers. Afterwards, take a stroll across the green grounds of Tumuli Park and Family Choi’s House, which was built in 1630, and also visit the Cheomseongdae observatory. After time for dinner, join a moonlight walking tour of Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, once part of the palace complex of ancient Silla. BL

Day 7. Gyeongju, Gayasan National Park, Seoul Make the journey by coach to Haeinsa Temple. As one of the three principal Buddhist temples in Korea, discover Buddhist scriptures carved into more than 80,000 wooden blocks. Afterwards, head to Dongdaegu train station to board a KTX Express Train to Seoul. Tonight, celebrate your holiday with your fellow travellers and Tour Director with a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant. Stay: Seoul, Courtyard Marriott Namdaemun. BLD

Day 8. Seoul, Depart Incheon Breakfast is served at your hotel this morning before a transfer takes you to the airport, where your South Korea adventure comes to an end. B