The Korea Grand Journey
From palace courtyards to coastal markets, discover the many lives of Korea.
Per person · Twin-sharing · Land only · Subject to availability and confirmation
From palace courtyards to the open sea.
Korea rewards the traveler who looks beyond a single skyline. Begin in Seoul, where palace courtyards and hanok lanes sit within reach of museums, galleries, and the bright energy of Myeongdong. Then follow a regional circuit through Jeonju’s traditional houses, Hadong’s tea culture, Busan’s waterfront, and Gyeongju’s Silla heritage. Andong and Pyeongchang bring quieter textures before your return to the capital. With seven nights in 4-star or similar hotels, hotel breakfasts, scheduled Incheon airport transfers, and English-guided shared touring, this eight-day journey offers an inviting introduction to the country’s remarkable range – with time to make your own discoveries over lunch and dinner.
The moments that stay with you.
Palace courtyards & city life
Begin with Changdeokgung Palace, hanok lanes, galleries and museums before joining the regional circuit.
The textures of tradition
Korean Folk Village, Jeonju’s hanok neighborhood and a scheduled traditional music experience bring cultural heritage into view.
Coastal light, market life
Walk beside Haeundae Beach, discover colorful Gamcheon and explore Busan’s Gukje and Jagalchi markets.
Your itinerary
Follow the journey day by day. Open each day for the full itinerary, hotel, meals and practical details.
DAY 01 / MONDAYA Welcome to Seoul
Incheon Airport / Seoul
Arrive at Incheon International Airport and meet the representative for your transfer into Seoul. Your first day is deliberately unhurried: check in from 3:00 p.m., settle into your room, and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. Choose a gentle first look at the neighborhood or simply rest before tomorrow’s guided exploration. No sightseeing or meals are scheduled today. Supply flight details when booking and follow your confirmed transfer instructions.
Stay: The Link Seoul, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, or similar
Meals: None included
Hotel check-in is available from 15:00. Early check-in is not guaranteed.
DAY 02 / TUESDAYPalace Courtyards & the Pulse of the Capital
Seoul
Begin your guided introduction to Seoul at Changdeokgung Palace, whose buildings are celebrated for their relationship with the surrounding landscape. Continue through Bukchon Hanok Village, where traditional homes offer a glimpse of the city’s older residential life, then explore Insadong’s galleries, craft shops, and tea-house culture. The National Museum of Korea broadens the story through art and artifacts spanning the country’s past. End the day in Myeongdong, where fashion, cosmetics, and street-food stalls bring a different energy to the capital. Lunch and dinner remain at your own expense, with choices shaped by the day’s touring schedule.
Stay: The Link Seoul, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, or similar
Meals: Hotel breakfast
Meet your guide at 08:40 in the hotel lobby. Respect residents and local visitor guidance in Bukchon. The separately ticketed Secret Garden is not listed as an inclusion.
DAY 03 / WEDNESDAYVillage Rooflines & the Voice of Korea
Seoul / Yongin / Jeonju
Leave Seoul for a different rhythm of Korea. At Yongin’s Korean Folk Village, traditional homes and scenes of Joseon-era life bring the country’s cultural inheritance into view. Continue to Jeonju, where tiled roofs gather into one of Korea’s most atmospheric hanok neighborhoods. Wander through the village’s lanes, then encounter the expressive world of Korean traditional music through the scheduled pansori / gugak experience. This is a day of living textures: wood, stone, melody, and the pleasures of looking closely. Settle into your hotel in Jeonju for the night.
Stay: Jeonju Lahan Hotel or similar
Meals: Hotel breakfast
Morning meeting time and location are awaiting operator confirmation. Follow the final confirmed joining instructions.
DAY 04 / THURSDAYTea Country to the Open Sea
Jeonju / Hadong / Busan
Begin with breakfast before traveling to Hadong, where tea offers a quieter way into Korean culture. Visit the Wild Tea Museum or join a tea-tasting experience, subject to availability, and enjoy a traditional tea ceremony. The landscape then changes as you continue to Busan. Walk beside Haeundae Beach and around the coastal scenery of Dongbaek Island, with sea air replacing the inland hush. A one-way ride on the Haeundae Blue Line Train adds another perspective on the shoreline before you check in for your night in Busan.
Stay: Avani Central Busan Hotel or similar
Meals: Hotel breakfast
The included ride is the Haeundae Blue Line Train, not the Sky Capsule. During peak season, if advance reservations or boarding are unavailable, the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea replaces the train visit.
DAY 05 / FRIDAYBusan in Color, Gyeongju at Your Own Pace
Busan / Gyeongju
Discover Busan through its streets and markets. Gamcheon Culture Village climbs the hillside in a patchwork of colorful homes, murals, and small works of public art. Continue to Gukje Market for the bustle of everyday trade, then to Jagalchi Fish Market for a glimpse of the city’s deep connection with the sea. Travel onward to Gyeongju, once the capital of the Silla Kingdom. Here, enjoy free time on Hwangridan-gil, where hanok-style buildings shelter cafés, restaurants, and independent shops – a welcoming place to choose your own pause before settling in for the night.
Stay: Commodore Hotel Gyeongju or similar
Meals: Hotel breakfast
Market food, café purchases, lunch, and dinner are at your own expense.
DAY 06 / SATURDAYA Thousand Years, Told in Stone & Timber
Gyeongju / Andong / Pyeongchang
Explore the enduring artistry of Bulguksa Temple, where stonework and carefully composed spaces speak to the cultural achievements of the Silla era. Gyeongju National Museum adds context through the objects and stories of this ancient capital. Continue to Andong Hahoe Village, a UNESCO-listed village whose traditional homes remain part of a living community. Its lanes offer a different kind of history: measured, domestic, and deeply rooted in place. This is a full touring and travel day, continuing into the mountain region of Pyeongchang, host of the 2018 Winter Olympics, for your overnight stay.
Stay: Ramada Hotel Pyeongchang or similar
Meals: Hotel breakfast
DAY 07 / SUNDAYForest Stillness, Then the Energy of Seoul
Pyeongchang / Seoul
After breakfast, head toward the forested setting of Woljeongsa Temple. Walk along its fir-tree path and take part in the scheduled daytime temple-life activity: forest meditation or Buddhist prayer-bead making. It is a gentle counterpoint to the journey’s cities and markets. Return to Seoul for COEX Starfield Library, where soaring bookshelves give contemporary culture a memorable architectural setting. The regional circuit returns to the Gwanghwamun area, with your final night in Seoul included. From temple woods to the capital’s modern spaces, the day brings two very different expressions of Korea into focus.
Stay: The Link Seoul, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, or similar
Meals: Hotel breakfast
The temple-life activity is a daytime experience, not an overnight temple stay. If it cannot operate, a Korean traditional cuisine experience at Jeonggangwon replaces it. No fixed return time is promised; allow flexibility for traffic and local conditions.
DAY 08 / MONDAYUntil the Next Journey
Seoul / Incheon Airport
Enjoy your final hotel breakfast before the scheduled transfer to Incheon International Airport. Pickup is arranged four hours before your flight departure; follow the confirmed instructions for your precise meeting time and location. There is no sightseeing scheduled today, keeping the focus on your onward journey. As you leave, the week’s impressions may return in small details: a tiled roof in Jeonju, sea air in Busan, the stillness of a temple path. Your eight-day Korea journey concludes at the airport, with international flights arranged separately from the tour.
Stay: Tour concludes
Meals: Hotel breakfast
Breakfast service availability may depend on an early flight departure; confirm any special arrangement with the hotel.
Beyond the skyline, Korea unfolds.
Its lanes offer a different kind of history: measured, domestic, and deeply rooted in place.
Andong Hahoe Village · Day 6 of your journey
What’s included
- 7 nights in 4-star or similar hotels.
- 7 hotel breakfasts (Days 2-8).
- Scheduled transfers from and to Incheon International Airport.
- Shared transportation for the scheduled sightseeing program.
- English-guided service with an English-Korean bilingual guide.
- Admission to scheduled attractions and experiences, with some exclusions. The operator has not specified all excluded admissions; confirm the complete list with Gala Holidays before booking.
Not included
International airfare. Lunches and dinners. Travel insurance. Optional tours and optional admissions. Personal expenses and any services not expressly included.
Named hotels are examples from the itinerary. All accommodation is 4-star or similar; final hotels and the sightseeing sequence may change because of local conditions.
Shared coach (SIC); English-Korean bilingual guide; minimum 2 participants. Vehicle type and size depend on group size. Other language-speaking guides may accompany when available.
Your journey, clearly priced.
All amounts are in USD. Twin-sharing tour fares are per person sharing a room. The single-room supplement is added to the twin-sharing fare; the single-occupancy total includes that supplement.
| Fare item | Standard season | High season |
|---|---|---|
| Twin-sharing tour fare | US$1,699 | US$1,799 |
| Single-room supplement | +US$610 | +US$680 |
| Single-occupancy total | US$2,309 | US$2,479 |
2027 Monday arrivals in Korea
These are Monday arrivals in Korea. Select a listed date to add it to your enquiry below.
March
April
May
June
September
October
November
* High-season price applies. All other listed starts use standard-season pricing.
All dates are local tour start / arrival dates in Korea, not flight departure dates from North America. Scheduled dates are subject to availability and confirmation; a minimum of 2 participants is required.
View all scheduled dates as a table
| Month | Scheduled dates |
|---|---|
| March | 15, 22*, 29* |
| April | 5, 12, 19, 26 |
| May | 3*, 10, 17, 24, 31 |
| June | 7, 14, 21, 28 |
| September | 6, 20, 27* |
| October | 4, 11, 18, 25 |
| November | 1, 8, 15 |
Tell us your preferred departure, number of travelers and room arrangements.
Enquire about availabilityJoining & finishing your journey
Start: Meet the representative at Incheon International Airport according to your confirmed arrival-transfer instructions. Supply your flight details when booking.
Finish: Transfer from your Seoul hotel to Incheon International Airport on Day 8. Scheduled pickup is 4 hours before flight departure, subject to final instructions.
Reservations & booking terms
Reservations are accepted up to 7 Korean working days before departure, subject to availability. Changes must be requested at least 14 Korean working days before departure. Deadlines use Korean Standard Time and exclude weekends and Korean public holidays.
Cancellation: 14–8 Korean working days: 20%; 7–4 working days: 50%; 3 working days through arrival: 100%. Earlier cancellation terms are available on request. Unused services for personal reasons are non-refundable. Please obtain the complete booking terms before payment.
A few details, thoughtfully answered.
Are international flights included?
No. This is a land-only package. Scheduled transfers from and to Incheon International Airport are included; international flights are arranged separately.
Which meals are included?
Seven hotel breakfasts on Days 2–8 are included. Lunches and dinners are at your own expense. Breakfast service on the final morning may depend on an early flight departure.
Is this a private English-only tour?
This is shared Sit-in-Coach (SIC) touring with an English-Korean bilingual guide and a minimum of 2 participants. Other language-speaking guides may accompany when available.
When is the departure airport transfer?
The Day 8 pickup is scheduled four hours before your flight departure. Follow the confirmed instructions for the precise meeting time and location.
Is the Day 3 morning meeting confirmed?
The operator’s confirmation of the morning meeting time and location is still pending. Follow the final confirmed joining instructions. The operator must also clarify the complete list of excluded admissions before booking.
Can I arrive on any Monday in 2027?
Only the Monday arrival dates listed in the table are scheduled. September 13 is a blackout date, and there are no departures in January, February, July, August or December. Availability and confirmation are required.
Your Korea journey begins here.
Choose your preferred date and tell us your party size and room preference. Gala Holidays will follow up with availability, a complete quotation and booking arrangements.
Submitting an inquiry does not confirm a booking. Availability, final joining instructions and applicable terms will be confirmed by Gala Holidays.
Questions? jason@galaholiday.com
Bill · bill@galaholiday.com
562 692 5000
Toll free · 1-888-666-1888