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Seoul / Panmunjeom / Mt. Seoraksan / Andong / Hahoe Village / Gyeongju / Busan Tour |
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9 Days / 8 Nights |
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Day 1 ¡ª Arrive in Seoul
Arrive in Seoul at Incheon International Airport, where you will be met and transferred to your downtown hotel. After check-in the balance of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Seoul.
Day 2 ¡ª Seoul
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A full day tour of Metropolitan city of Seoul, where old meets new in modern Korea. Established by the founder of Joseon Dynasty in 1392, the capital of the Republic of Korea has a population of more than 12,000,000 people. Seoul is a city of incredible contrasts which, despite its immense size, make it one of the most fascinating cities in the world. It is the heart of Korea¡¯s culture and education as well as politics and economics. The tour includes Gyeongbokgung Palace (Palace of Shining Happiness) - the main palace during the Joseon Dynasty - passing by Blue House (Presidential Residence)£» |
National Folk Museum of Korea - the collections display complete items from every region of Korea which illustrate all aspects of traditional life£»Namdaemun (South Gate) Market-one of the oldest and largest markets in Korea, with colorful and bustling spots for bargain shoppers£»Changdeokgung Palace (Palace of illustrious Virtue) - constructed in 1405, and is now the best preserved of Seoul's five palaces of the Joseon Dynasty£»Biwon (Secret Garden) - behind Changdeokgung Palace are tranquil gardens of unequalled beauty and woodland originally constructed for the recreational area for the royal family and palace women£»Insadong Antique District - called "Mary's Alley" by foreigners, Korea's art and antique district reminds many visitors of a street museum. One hundred-odd antique shops, old bookstores, and art galleries are concentrated in this area£»Jogyesa Temple - it is the headquarters of the Jogye sect of Korean Buddhism, and the regional office of the World Fellowship of Buddhism£»and Namsangol Traditional Korean Village - these houses were rebuilt after the traditional houses of Joseon Dynasty. The houses belong to various social ranks of the society from peasant to king. Overnight in Seoul.
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Day 3 ¡ª Seoul / Panmunjeom / Seoul |
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Enjoy a full day tour to the armistice village of Panmunjeom where the agreement ending the Korean conflict was signed in 1953 and scene of many international headlines in recent years. The day includes the Korean Border Line and the Demilitarized Zone (D.M.Z.) including the Freedom House, the Conference Site, the Bridge of No-Return and the Joint Security Area. Lunch is included. Return to Seoul. Overnight in Seoul.
Day 4 ¡ª Seoul / Mt. Seoraksan
Today we journey to Mt. Seoraksan National Park, this northern stretch of Korea's eastern coast, which is rugged and mountainous with breathtaking scenery making it the "Alps of Asia", and give this area an unparalleled popularity with the dense forests bordering crystal clear streams, tumbling over cataracts and dropping from precipices to form fleecy waterfalls, as well as awesome sawtooth cliffs spiraling into the blue skies. Overnight at a hotel at the foot of Mt. Seoraksan.This morning explore Mt. Seoraksan National Park with visits to Sinheungsa Temple - established in 653 A.D., claims to be the country's oldest Zen Buddhist temple, and it would be the oldest existing Zen temple in the world£»Cheonbuldong Valley - the most visually stimulating
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valley in the park£»and Biseondae (Flying Fairy Rock)-a wide, flat rock surface where the river rapids drain into a crystal clear pool and a peak rises majestically above the valley, one hears many legends of the heavenly nymphs who come to laugh and play while they bathes in the placid pools of the many glens hidden from human eyes. Drive this afternoon to the Korean Peninsular Unification Prayer- Observatory set at the edge of the demarkation line which is a symbol of the Korean people's long-cherished desire for the unification of the two Korea. Afterward, visit Daejin Harbor, where you will have your own independent tour to explore this small exotic harbor, located near the demarkation line and in the northeastern tip of Korea. Overnight at a hotel at the foot of Mt. Seoraksan.
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Day 5 ¡ª Mt. Seoraksan / Andong |
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This morning travel to Andong, one of the last living vestiges of old Korea, where still is very conservative and traditional, a stronghold of Confucianism, which has deeply influenced all aspects of the lives of its people, along the crystal east coast. En route to Buseoksa Temple-established in 676, it is one of Korea's most venerated temples, and five national treasures and three treasures including the second oldest wooden structure and some of the oldest mural paintings in the country, are preserved at this temple, and the panoramic mountains' spreading views from the temple are spectacular. Continue to Jirye Artists' Colony (Jirye Art Village) for Home Stay Program in Andong for accommodations - Jirye Artists' Colony is located near Imhaho Lake and a great place to have a unique experience of traditional Korean culture. Every month there are events such as traditional Korean ancestral rites, making rice cake or Kimchi and you can stay in traditional Korean houses. The village is 350 years old and there are houses with rooms of Ondol, Korea's unique system of floor heating with wood. The colony has lavatories, bathrooms with hot water. Because the village has preserved the
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old customs with small details, it is a great place to experience and understand Korean traditional culture. Jirye Artists' Colony is a cultural inquiry spot for foreigners and a creative space for the artists to work. It is also used as a traditional life study site and as Confucianism institute. Recently, many Koreans and foreign visitors have been gathering in Andong to spend a night in the traditional Korean way in old traditional Korean houses, known as ¡®Hanok¡¯. Dinner at the colony restaurant to taste typical regional food. Overnight at the houses of the Colony in Andong.
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Day 6 ¡ª Andong / Hahoe Village / Gyeongju |
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A morning tour visits Dosanseowon Confucian Academy-founded by Korea's foremost Confucian scholar, Yi Toe-gye during the Joseon Dynasty and was the hub of Korea Confucianism which ruled all Koreans in their ethical-moral way and still conduct the ethical behavior in Korean society£»Andong Folk Museum which displays rich folk artifacts collected in variety in Andong and its surrounding county£»and Hahoe Village-the best preserved traditional village of
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the Joseon Dynasty, where residents still live in traditional thatched and tile-roofed houses and one of the few remaining examples of a classical Joseon Dynasty Confucian village layout. In the afternoon, drive to Gyeongju, where was the capital of the Silla Dynasty from 57 B.C. to 935 A.D., and designated by UNESCO as one of the world's ten most historically significant sites with numerous relics of that era, and is called the "Museum Without Walls". Overnight in Gyeongju.
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Day 7 ¡ª Gyeongju |
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A full-day tour of Gyeongju includes Bulguksa Temple-originally constructed in 535 A.D., the most frequented and best-known temple in Korea, was added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995£»Seokguram Grotto-dating back to the same era as Bulguksa Temple, one of Asia's finest Buddhist shrines, an attempt to represent physically the highest spiritual aspirations, the crowning achievement of Silla religio-artistic work, was added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995£»Bunhwangsa Pagoda-erected in 634, is considered, with Cheomseongdae, one of the country's two oldest stone structures, and the pagoda was originally 9 stories high, only 3 remain today£»Gyeongju National Museum, which has the best collection of Silla Dynasty artifacts with more than 100,000 pieces£»Anapji Pond -
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constructed in 674 A.D. as a pleasure garden to commemorate the unification of the peninsula by the Silla forces, used the recreational area for the Silla royal family and banquet garden to entertain royal important guests£»Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory-built in 634 A.D., is considered the world's earliest known existing observatory and admired by archaeologists worldwide£»Royal Tumuli Park-a collection of royal Silla tombs located in the middle of Gyeongju with 20 tombs, of which Cheonmachong (Flying Horse Tomb) is the most famous with its excavation which yielded more than 10,000 treasure-artifacts£»and the 15th century built Family Choi¡¯s House. Overnight in Gyeongju.
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Day 8 ¡ª Gyeongju / Busan |
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This morning drive to Busan, the country's principal international port city, second largest city with a population of 4 million, and is the San Francisco of Korea built along the sea at the site of an excellent harbor. An afternoon tour includes Yongdusan Park, where provides a pleasant touch of greenery on a hill in the heart of the city and a very popular public park with Busan Tower£»Busan Tower-Yongdusan Park crowned with the tower, 120-m-high tower |
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observatory dominates the most of the area of the city, and the sea and harbor views spreading below the tower are spectacular£»Jagalchi Fish Market-Busan's most active fish-dealers' cooperative, the colorful spectacle is also a great attraction for tourists and camera buffs£»Taejongdae Seaside Cliff Park-the scenery of rugged cliffs dropping straight down to the sea is breathtaking, along with a panoramic sea view from the Park, overlooking the Korean Strait-on a very clear day you can even see the Japanese island of Tsushima on the horizon to the southeast£»and UN Memorial Cemetery where the Korean War (1950-53) dead from the sixteen UN allies rest in honored serenity and is the unique one in its kind in the world. Overnight in Busan. |
Day 9 ¡ª Busan / Depart Korea
Transfer to Busan (Gimhae) Domestic Airport, then fly to Seoul and connect with international flight at Incheon International Airport for departure. |
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