2025 SPRINGTIME IN KOREA

(Including Jeju Island)

April 4 - 14, 2025     (11 Days & 9 Nights)

All Meals Included - Incheon (1 Night), Fly Gimpo to Jeju Island, Jeju Island (2 Nights), Yongduam Rock, Hanwha Aqua Planet Jeju (Aquarium), Trick EyeMuseum, Jeju Glass Castle, Bunjae Artpia, Busan (2 Nights), Gamcheon Culture Village, Jagalchi Fish Market, BIFF Plaza, Jeonju, Jeonju Hanok Village, Gyeongju, Jeonju Hanok Village, Daejeon (1 night), Korean Folk Village, Suwon KBS Drama Production Center, Seoul (3 Nights), Lotte World Tower, COEX Mall & Starfield Library, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namdaemun, Blue House, Insadong , Myeong-dong Market, The Painters:  Hero, Seoul

$100 EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT
(deposit of $100 per person received by 9/30/2024)

Friday, April 4  (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO SEOUL
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the airport for baggage check-in procedures.  We’ll depart Honolulu on a direct flight to Seoul, the capital of South Korea.  A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight.

Saturday, April 5  (Day 02)
ARRIVE SEOUL  (D)
We’ll arrive at the Incheon International Airport in the late afternoon.  After completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll proceed to a local restaurant to enjoy a welcome dinner before checking-in to our hotel for the night. 

Accommodations at Nest Hotel Incheon or similar

Sunday, April 6  (Day 03)
INCHEON TO JEJU  (B)(L)(D)
This morning, we’ll transfer to the Gimpo Airport to check-in for our domestic flight to Jeju Island, Korea’s largest island off the south coast.  On arrival, we’ll embark on a sightseeing tour of this semi-tropical paradise, noted for its three abundances: rocks, wind, and women.  One of the island’s famous symbols is a ‘dol hareubang’ (stone grandfather) - a statue of a kindly old man carved from porous volcanic rock and considered as a god, offering both protection and fertility.  We’ll make a photo stop at Yongduam Rock - an unusual lava formation shaped like a dragon’s head with its mouth wide-open - a famous Jeju Island landmark.  We’ll visit the Hanwha Aqua Planet Jeju, now known as Asia’s largest aquarium - surpassing Okinawa’s Churaumi Aquarium. Five tanks of marine life from the five oceans around the globe are featured at its World Oceans exhibit.  There will be a special performance of the haenyeo (Jeju women divers) within a large exhibit tank containing sharks, stingrays, and an abundance of fish found in the Jeju eco-system.  We’ll check into our resort hotel on Jeju Island to spend two nights.

Accommodations at Grand Hyatt Jeju or similar

Monday, April 7  (Day 04)
JEJU ISLAND (B)(L)(D)
We’ll visit the Trick Eye Museum with many unusual optical illusion art.  You can enjoy immersing yourselves with the art pictures to create some funny and memorable photos.  We’ll continue on to enjoy a stroll through Bunjae Artpia, also known as ‘The Spirited Garden’ - one of the world’s largest botanical garden.  Hundreds of bonsai plants are elegantly laid-out along the paths of the garden together with pine trees, wisteria, wild flowers, and interesting rock formations.  We will continue our drive to west Jeju and visit Jeju Glass Castle, an indoor and outdoor theme park with a variety of glass artwork, displaying hundreds of sculptures by artists from around the world.  The highlights of this glass-themed, indoor-outdoor park include the Magic Forest walking trail and a stunning mirrored room.

Accommodations at Grand Hyatt Jeju or similar

Tuesday, April 8 (Day 05)
JEJU ISLAND - BUSAN  (B)(L)(D)
This morning, we’ll transfer to the airport to check-in for our flight to Busan, a beautiful port city and gateway to the Halleyo Maritime National Park.  Busan is blessed with great geographical advantages: the sea to its south and east, the river to its west and the mountains soaring in the city like beautiful twin towers.  Located on a hillside overlooking the sea, Gamcheon Culture Village, underwent a transformation and turned into a cultural art community.  One of the most distinctive features of the village is its colorful houses.  Buildings are painted in bright and cheerful colors, often adorned with murals and sculptures.  Oiso! Boiso! Saiso! (Come! See! Buy!)  Hear this continuous chanting at the exciting Jagalchi Fish Market, Southeast Asia’s largest fish market located along the Busan Harbor as we continue our journey.  Here, you can shop for some of the many kinds of local specialties of Busan and the Gyeongnam region and we will stop at a vendor with a variety of dried seafood specialties that will be available for snacks and gifts to take home.  Situated in the heart of Busan’s bustling Nampo-dong district, the BIFF (Busan International Film Festival) Plaza is a must-see place to visit.  It is renowned for its vibrant atmosphere and is a popular spot for shopping and street food. The street is lined with numerous shops, stalls, and vendors selling a wide array of goods, including clothing, accessories, souvenirs, and traditional Korean snacks.   We’ll spend the night in Busan and perhaps try your luck at one of the local casinos this evening.

Accommodations at Grand Josun Busan or similar

Wednesday, April 9  (Day 06)
BUSAN (B)(L)(D)
We will drive to the southeastern coastline of Busan where Haeundae Beach, one of the most famous and popular beaches in South Korea, offers beautiful views of the East Sea (Sea of Japan).  The beach itself is a wide stretch of fine golden sand, making a picturesque destination for both locals and tourists. Throughout the year, Haeundae Beach hosts various cultural events and festivals, including the Haeundae Sand Festival where artists create intricate sand sculptures along the shoreline.  We will continue our drive past to view Gwangan Bridge or Diamond Bridge, a striking landmark in Busan.  It is a cable-stayed bridge, characterized by its elegant diamond-shaped towers and suspension cables.  The bridge connects Haeundae District and Suyeong District, enhancing transportation between these areas and it is one of the longest bridges in South Korea.

Accommodations at Grand Josun Busan or similar

Thursday, April 10  (Day 7)
BUSAN - JEONJU - DAEJEON  (B)(L)(D)
We’ll drive west to the cultural city of Jeonju.  Enjoy a stroll through the Jeonju Hanok Village, a preserved area consisting of many original and restored residences with the style of hanok (tile roofed houses).  These were the affluent houses built in the early 1900’s, but expensive to build as compared to the normal houses with rice straw roofs. Enjoy the many tea shops, restaurants, and souvenir stores in this shopping area. Many of the visitors here enjoy renting traditional Korean wear to enjoy browsing through this town.  Jeonju is also well-known for its culinary dish – bibimbap (a rice bowl topped with vegetables and meat).  There is an old saying, “don’t leave Jeonju without tasting it”.  We’ll continue on to spend the night in the city of Daejeon.

Accommodations at Daejeon Lotte City Hotel or similar

Friday, April 11  (Day 08)
DAEJEON – YONGIN – SUWON - SEOUL  (B)(L)(D)
Our journey continues on back to the cosmopolitan city of Seoul to stay for three more exciting nights.  En route, we’ll visit the Korean Folk Village, an open-air folk museum with settings of traditional houses of an ancient village. Enjoy folk music, acrobatic and traditional dance performances in this outdoor park setting.  At the marketplace, experience some of the exotic flavors of Korean food from the various vendors offering their specialties.  In the afternoon, we’ll visit the Suwon KBS Drama Center, a famous television and movie filming center in Korea.  Many scenes of popular soap operas and historical drama series are filmed in the indoor and outdoor sets at this production center. 

Accommodations at Royal Hotel Seoul or similar

Saturday, April 12  (Day 9)
SEOUL  (B)(L)(D)
Enjoy another day of sightseeing, visiting some of the major attractions in this exciting city.  We’ll visit Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest and grandest of the five royal palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty.  Located on the palace grounds is the National Folk Museum, featuring items and exhibits displaying the traditional way of life in Korea and providing an insight into Korean culture.  We’ll drive by to view Cheongwadae (The Blue House), the executive and official residence of the President of the Republic of Korea.  We will visit Insadong Cultural Street which offers a wide variety of craft work and souvenirs known in Korea.  Hanbok (traditional clothing), hanji (traditional paper), pottery, and arts and crafts are some of the goods that you can purchase in the shops on Insadong Street.  We will make our way to Myeongdong, Korea’s trendiest shopping district with many fashion stores and cosmetic outlets, as well as fashion accessories for the young at heart.  The streets will also be lined with many interesting food vendors. This shopping area is busy until the late evening and is located nearby to our hotel.

Accommodations at Royal Hotel Seoul or similar

Sunday, April 13  (Day 10)
SEOUL  (B)(L)(D)
Today we will enjoy more sightseeing and shopping around Seoul city.  We will make a visit to the modern side of Seoul as we visit the Gangnam area to enjoy a visit to the Lotte World Tower, a 123-story skyscraper which opened in 2017.  It is the sixth tallest building in the world, and we’ll experience a superfast elevator ride to enjoy the view from the Seoul Sky observation terrace floor, measured at 555 meters high.  Located in the Gangnam District, we will do some shopping at COEX Mall, one of the largest underground shopping malls in Asia.  The mall boasts stores offering a wide range of products, from fashion and accessories to electronics, cosmetics, and gourmet food. It is also a hub of entertainment and cultural activities.  You will find a variety of restaurants and cafes.  We will continue on for more shopping time at the Namdaemun (South Gate Market), best known as a shopper’s paradise and one of the largest traditional marketplaces.  The main and side streets are lined with shops and sidewalk stalls offering a wide selection of merchandise and housewares at a fraction of the normal price.  We will enjoy a theatre performance of The Painters: Hero, an innovative performance that stages the process of painting with visual effects along with dance and comedy.

Accommodations at Royal Hotel Seoul or similar

Monday, April 14  (Day 11)
SEOUL - HONOLULU  (B)
After enjoying breakfast, the morning is at your leisure to relax or do some last-minute shopping in the area around the hotel until our departure to the airport.  We’ll transfer to the Incheon International Airport for our evening flight home, arriving Honolulu in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line.  A late meal will be provided for you on board the flight. 

The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 20 passengers.  Fare adjustment may apply for groups of under 20 passengers.  The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 6/30/2024.  Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase, additional fuel surcharges, tax increases and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency.  In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.  We reserve the right to revise content of the itinerary if necessary due to unforeseen issues, weather and safety concerns.

2025 General Conditions
Tour Registration Form