From Seoul to Kyoto

Welcome to Korea! You’ll be transferred to your hotel and have some free time. In the afternoon, you’ll receive information about the start of your tour.

Total distance covered: 250 km.

Important note: Please remember to bring your passport, as it is required. The DMZ is a military zone and could be closed unexpectedly without prior notice. If this happens, an alternative route will be provided.

07:30 a.m. – Early departure to the Cheorwon region and its section of the DMZ, the Demilitarized Zone marking the separation between the two Koreas.
09:30 a.m. – Arrival in Cheorwon. We’ll explore the Second Tunnel, secretly dug by the North Korean army and discovered in 1975. Next, we’ll head to the Cheorwon Peace Observatory, which offers panoramic views of the DMZ and the first villages of North Korea. Inside, there is a small museum detailing the Korean War. Our route will continue with a visit to the disused Woljeong-ri train station. We’ll also visit the Baek Ma Battle Memorial, commemorating the intervention of a French UN battalion during the fighting. Lastly, we’ll visit a local distillery that produces Korea’s traditional rice liquor, Makgeolli.

02:00 p.m. – Departure from Cheorwon. Return to Seoul.
04:00 p.m. – Arrival at the hotel in Seoul and free time.

06:00 p.m. – With our guide, we’ll take the modern and efficient metro (which you’ll be taught how to use) to City Hall, to see this impressive tsunami-looking building. Across from City Hall, we’ll see Deoksugung Palace, beautifully lit at night, allowing us to appreciate the blend of tradition and modernity in this country. From there, we’ll walk to the Myeongdong district, South Korea’s largest shopping and entertainment area, whose name means “bright town.” Dinner will be included at a local restaurant. Overnight accommodation.

08:30 a.m. – Today, we’ll include a comprehensive five-hour tour of Seoul. We’ll explore Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a complex of palaces set within a large park. Afterward, we’ll stroll through Bukchon Hanok Village, a historic neighborhood with traditional small homes. Next, we’ll visit the War Memorial, an impressive museum that illustrates the conflicts experienced in Korea throughout its history, especially the Korean War, in which soldiers from numerous countries participated with the United Nations.

01:00 p.m. – Lunch will be included at a local restaurant.

02:00 p.m. – We’ll continue to the Gangnam District, one of the busiest areas in the city, home to numerous shopping and entertainment centers. Finally, we’ll stop at Lotte World Tower, an impressive 550-meter-tall building, where you’ll have free time to either go up the tower (ticket not included) or stroll through its park or luxury shopping malls.

04:30 p.m. – Return to the hotel and free time.

Total distance covered: 227 km.

Scenery: Pleasant landscapes, rolling hills, and vast cultivated areas.

08:00 a.m. – Today, we’ll visit Gyeongbokgung Palace, an impressive palace with 600 years of history, where we’ll witness the changing of the guard ceremony, if it takes place.
10:00 a.m. – We’ll depart from Seoul and head south through Korea.

11:00 a.m. – Arrival in Suwon, the former capital of Korea, known for its impressive UNESCO World Heritage walls.
12:15 p.m. – Before leaving the city, we’ll take a scenic drive along the city walls and their fortifications, and visit Hwaseong Haenggung, the summer palace.

01:30 p.m. – Lunch will be included.

02:30 p.m. – Departure for Jeonju.
04:30 p.m. – Arrival in Jeonju. With our guide, we’ll explore the fascinating historic center (Hanok Village), filled with little houses, traditional shops, and art galleries. After the tour, you’ll have free time.

Total distance covered: 415 km.

Scenery: We’ll travel through high mountains, with beautiful landscapes around Haeinsa in the National Park.

Note: We recommend wearing comfortable shoes for the walk to Haeinsa Temple.

08:30 a.m. - Departure from Seoul.
09:40 a.m. - Sunchang Gochujang Village. Nestled at the foot of Mount Amisan, where you’ll find traditional hanok houses and courtyards filled with clay jars called hang-a-ri, this town is home to master artisans who make gochujang (Korean chili paste) using traditional methods. We’ll get a chance to see how this iconic sauce is made.

10:20 a.m. - Departure from Sunchang Gochujang Village.
10:40 a.m. - Damyang. We’ll explore the Juknokwon Bamboo Forest, with scenic trails that are perfect for peaceful walks and meditation. You’ll also find various products made from bamboo, which are honored and studied in centers such as the Bamboo Museum. Lunch will be included, featuring a local dish of rice steamed inside a bamboo stalk.

01:50 p.m. - Departure from Damyang.
04:00 p.m. - Arrival at Haeinsa. Surrounded by breathtaking forested mountains, we’ll visit one of the country’s most important Buddhist temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in 802, it houses the Tripitaka, the most comprehensive collection of Buddhist scriptures, carved on 80,000 wooden blocks.

05:00 p.m. - Departure from Haeinsa.
07:45 p.m. - Busan. We’ll arrive in Korea’s second-largest city, famous for its lively atmosphere. Overnight stay.

Note: The journey from Busan to Shimonoseki is planned as an overnight ferry crossing, but due to high demand and limited cabin availability, the trip may be as follows:

1. High-speed ferry from Busan to Fukuoka (approximately three hours).
2. Flight from Busan to Fukuoka (approximately one hour).

08:30 a.m. - We’ll depart from Busan to visit Haedong Yonggung, a 14th-century Buddhist temple by the sea. After returning to Busan, we’ll include a city tour, starting with the United Nations Memorial, home to a cemetery where people from numerous countries are buried. Next, we’ll explore the Jagalchi Fish Market, the country’s largest fish market, located near Nampo Port. Lunch will be included. After, we’ll take a walk to Yongdusan Park, home to a towering 120-meter pagoda.

04:00/04:30 p.m. - Transfer to the port for check-in procedures (check-in deadline is 05:30 p.m.). Be sure to have your passport handy and remove all luggage from the bus. The ferry is scheduled to depart at 09:00 p.m. We’ll spend the night aboard the ferry, crossing the Sea of Japan. Accommodation will be in double cabins with private bathrooms. Some cabins may be in the traditional Japanese tatami style, offering a chance to experience local culture.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If one of the alternative routes is taken (high-speed ferry crossing or flight from Busan to Fukuoka), the visit to Haedong Yonggung Temple will take place the previous afternoon (Thursday).

For this day, the itinerary will be as follows:

08:30 a.m. - We’ll include a city tour, starting with the United Nations Memorial, where people from numerous countries are buried. Afterward, we’ll visit the Jagalchi Fish Market, the country’s largest fish market located near Nampo Port, and take a stroll to Yongdusan Park to see its towering 120-meter pagoda. Lunch will be included.

02:00 p.m. - Departure for the port to board the JR Beetle Ferry to Japan or transfer to the airport for a flight from Busan to Fukuoka.

06:30/07:00 p.m. - Welcome to Japan! After completing customs procedures, we’ll provide a transfer to the hotel. Enjoy some free time in Fukuoka, the largest city on Kyushu Island.

Total distance covered: 190 km.

07:45 a.m. – Arrival at Shimonoseki Port for the border crossing (breakfast not included). Welcome to Japan!
11:30 a.m. – Iwakuni. We’ll visit the beautiful and historic Kintai-Kyo Bridge.

12:15 p.m. – We’ll take a ferry to Miyajima, the island known as the place “where gods and humans coexist.” It is home to the Itsukushima Shrine, dedicated to the guardian of the seas and partially built over the water. There will be time to explore the temple, stroll through the charming town center, and enjoy lunch.

04:00 p.m. – Departure from Miyajima. We’ll embark and continue our route.
04:45 p.m. – Hiroshima - the city sadly known for the atomic bombing of 1945, which completely devastated the area. We’ll walk through the Peace Memorial, see the atomic bomb dome, and visit the impressive Peace Museum.
Dinner will be included.

Note: If the number of travelers is nine or fewer, the journey from Shimonoseki (or Fukuoka) to Hiroshima may be taken by high-speed train. In this case, the stop in Iwakuni will be skipped (you’ll be informed on your travel voucher), and the visit will start in Hiroshima before heading to Miyajima.

Distance travelled: Journey by boat. Crossing of about 50 km.
Scenery: Interesting scenery on board, passing close to many different islands.
Note: We recommend staying on deck to enjoy the crossing, but bring warm clothing.


Today we will take a boat to the island of Shikoku. The crossing is extremely pleasant and takes two and a half hours, and discover that Japan is formed by many small islands. If there are no changes in the ferry times, it will leave at 09.20hrs (we leave the hotel at 08.00 hrs).

12.00hrs. – MATSUYAMA. Arrival. We will take the cable car and ascend to its impressive castle. Then we will visit ISHITE JI, a beautiful Buddhist temple and place of pilgrimage. Lunch included.


In the late afternoon we will visit DOGO ONSEN (admission included), a traditional Japanese bath built in the 19th century.

Note: we highly recommend you to live the Onsen experience in Japan. There are rules that will be explained to you; The baths are separated by sex and a thorough cleaning must be carried out before entering the hot water naked. In Japanese Onsen they can prohibit the entry of people with tattoos.

Distance travelled: 345 km
Scenery: Pleasant mountain scenery in some places. We walk along huge suspension bridges over the sea. Wear comfortable walking shoes for the journey.


7.30 hrs- Matsuyama.- Departure-.
10.00 hrs.- KOTOHIRA, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the God of fishermen and a place of pilgrimage built on Mount Zozu. To access it, it is necessary to climb 785 steps. Those who do not want to climb the mountain can enjoy sightseeing and visit the small Sake Museum (the traditional Japanese liqueur).


12.00hrs.- Kotohira –Departure-.
13.00 hrs.- TAKAMATSU. Visit to RITSURIN, one of the prettiest gardens in Japan. Lunch included in a local restaurant.


15.00 hrs.- Takamatsu –Departure-.
16.15 hrs.- NARUTO, an impressive bridge that crosses the sea. We will stop to learn how it was built and walk along its glass floor with the impressive waves below us (depending on the times and tides) at a height of 45 metres.


17.15hrs.- Naruto –Departure-. Pretty scenery as we cross huge suspension bridges.
19.00hrs.- KOBE.- Arrival. Modern city by the sea, you can walk through its active center.

In Kobe we visited the Earthquake Memorial Museum, a place to remind the tragic seism that devastated the city in 1995 and its perfect reconstruction.

Note: Sometimes, the entrance to the Earthquake Museum may be modified by the Sake Museum or the climb to the Kobe Tower.


10.30hrs- We continue to Osaka.
11.15hrs- OSAKA, arrival to the second biggest city in Japan.


12.00hrs- We will depart Osaka to visit, MOUNT KOYA, one of Japan’s sacred mountains and Japan’s main centre of Shingon Buddhism. There are 120 shrines and monasteries on this mountain which is a magical place of pilgrimage. We will visit Okuno Mausoleum, a spiritual place and an immense cemetery in the wilderness that has more than 200,000 graves. We will visit Kongobuji temple, built in 1593.


Note: In winter, as it gets dark earlier, we will not have time to enter Kongobuji temple.


We will spend this night at a Buddhist monastery. The monks will offer us a Zen meditation session (Ajikan). Dinner included (vegetarian food). There is religious ceremony at the temple early in the morning if you wish to attend it.


Note:
-We consider the sojourn at the monastery as an experience of great existential value. The rooms at this place are modest, without bathrooms, in the traditional Japanese style with tatamis. Bathrooms are communal.
-We cannot guarantee meditation sessions during busy tourist periods. Accommodation in the temples on Mount Koya is limited, and in some cases, we may arrange for groups to stay in nearby hotels (half board provided).

Total distance: 130km.


Japanese breakfast at the temple.
07.30hrs- We leave early for Kyoto.


10.00hrs- KYOTO, we spend the whole day in the city, which was the capital of Japan between 794 and 1868 and home to the Imperial Court. During World War II the city was the only major Japanese to escape the bombardments, and so it still preserves its wealth of artistic heritage; the famous protocol restricting greenhouse gas emissions was signed in Kyoto in 1997.


The visit includes a trip to one of the most important parts of the city. We will see the marvellous Shinto Shrine of Fushimi Inari, the Imperial Palace and Kinkakuji temple, “the golden pavilion” and its wonderful gardens.


19.00hrs- At night, a transfer to GION will be included, a busy traditional quarter famous for its Geisha. Free time. The return to the hotel will be free, we suggest you take a taxi. The guide will explain how.


Note: If you already visited Kyoto on your circuit, our guide will offer you information and advice on visiting the other parts of the city unaccompanied.

After breakfast, end of our services.