The classic Korea route from Da Nang — Gyeongbokgung Palace, the tree-lined avenues of Nami Island, a full day at Everland and evenings in Myeongdong.
Photo: Daniel Bernard / Unsplash
Day 1
The group meets at Da Nang International Airport for the flight to Incheon. Your guide meets you on arrival and transfers you to the hotel in Seoul. Depending on landing time, the evening is free to walk the neighbourhood around the hotel.
Day 2
We leave Seoul for Chuncheon and take the ferry across to Nami Island, a crescent-shaped island in the Bukhan River known for its dead-straight avenues of ginkgo, pine and metasequoia — the setting for the drama Winter Sonata. In autumn the ginkgo leaves turn gold; in winter the paths are under snow. The afternoon takes in Petite France, a French-styled village inspired by The Little Prince and used as a location for many Korean television series. We return to Seoul in the evening.
Day 3
A full day at Everland in Yongin, Korea's largest theme park. You can ride the T Express, one of the steepest wooden roller coasters in the world, take the safari bus through Lost Valley to see the tigers and lions, or simply walk the seasonal flower gardens if thrill rides are not for you. There is a parade and a fireworks display in the evening before we return to the hotel.
Day 4
The morning starts at Gyeongbokgung, the principal palace of the Joseon dynasty, founded in 1395, where the changing of the guard takes place in front of Gwanghwamun Gate. You can hire a hanbok, which gets you in free and makes for far better photographs. We walk on to Bukchon Hanok Village, a hillside neighbourhood of more than 900 tile-roofed houses still lived in today, then browse the craft shops of Insadong. In the afternoon we take the cable car up Namsan to N Seoul Tower for the city panorama. The evening is free in Myeongdong.
Day 5
We check out and stop at Dongdaemun or a ginseng store for last-minute shopping. Transfer to Incheon International Airport for the flight back to Da Nang, where the programme ends.
This is the Korea route we run most often, and the one that makes most sense for a first visit. Five days is enough to see Seoul properly, give Nami Island a full day and give Everland a full day, without spending the whole trip on a coach.
YESTOURS has Korean management, so the itinerary is built the way people who live there would travel, rather than translated from someone else’s brochure. We know when Gyeongbokgung is quietest, which ferry crossing to Nami moves fastest, and which part of Myeongdong sells the real thing.
The group departs from Da Nang. We prepare and submit the Korean visa applications on your behalf; you supply a valid passport and the supporting documents from a checklist we send in advance. Group size, hotel category and exact departure dates are fixed when the contract is signed.
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