Excursions can be booked in combination with hotel reservations or package tours. Please note that standard City Tours in Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan are usually included in the package tour. English, German, French, Spanish or Japanese speaking guides are available. Also excursions into North Korea are possible today.
Besides the City Tours in Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan, hereby the list of recommended optional excursions:
Kaesong (North Korea)
SE-1 Departure Seoul
Duration: 06:00-18:00
Hotel – Panmunjom – Kaesong City - Hotel
A unique chance to experience North Korea from close range: Kaesong. After crossing the world’s heaviest guarded border the tour will continue into towards the North Korean city Kaesong. The ancient city has 500 years of history and was the capital of the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392). Due to its proximity to South Korea, both countries have opened a jointly managed industrial complex, where South Korean companies can establish their factory in the Kaesong area. As of 2008 South Korean tourists can visit this city, marking a historical event since it allowed South Korean citizens to visit an urban area in North Korea.
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Diamond Mountains (North Korea)
SE-2 Departure Seoul or Gangwon Province
Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
Hotel – CIQ – Diamond Mountains - Hotel
“If I were to die after seeing the Diamond Mountains, I would have no regrets”, said an eminent Chinese poet centuries ago. In 1998 the Diamond Mountains in North Korea were opened for South Korean tourists, the first opening between both countries in 50 years. With its highest peak at 1,638 meters, the nature and view from these mountains is just magnificent. North Korean singers, the spectacular circus of Pyongyang and the special food give this trip a small glimpse into the reclusive country of North Korea.
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DMZ & North Korean Tunnel
SE-3 Departure Seoul
Duration: 13:00-17:00
Hotel – Imjingak Park – 3rd Tunnel – Dorasan Observatory – Dorasan Station – Lunch – Hotel
Korea is the only divided country in the world. After the Korean War (June 25, 1950), South Korea and North Korea negotiated and then designated the DMZ [demilitarized zone] 2km away from the truce line on each side of the border. As one of the last relics of the Cold War, the DMZ attracts a great deal of public interest. Korea DMZ tourist sites have been created to quench peoples’ curiosity on this unique area where tension and peace coincide. These sites are especially popular among foreign tourists.
DMZ tour is closed on Monday
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Panmunjom
SE-4 Departure Seoul
Duration: 08:00-15:00
Hotel – DMZ – Bridge of No Return - Panmunjom – Hotel
Only 60 km North of Seoul is Panmunjom, a small farming village where Armistice was signed that ended the traumatic Korean War (1950-1953). It is the only place on the peninsula where both South- as North Korean armies meet so close with each other. The famous blue barracks are build on the border, and divide both countries in the middle of the building. Today both sides continue to meet here. On the Bridge of No Return and the Freedom Bridge Korean War Prisoners could choose between living in South- or North Korea.
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Suwon Korean Folk Village
SE-5 Departure Seoul
Duration: 13:00-17:00
Hotel – Korean Folk Village – Hotel
In the Korean Folk Village, where the customs and lifestyles of past generations have been carefully preserved, visitors gain insight into the ways of life prevalent during the Joseon Dynasty. The Folk Village is a venue where visitors can easily explore Korean culture through the collection, preservation, research, exhibition, education and exchange of Korean cultural materials. It also includes an outdoor folk museum, already renowned as a world-class tourist attraction, so that visitors can experience the lifestyle of the Korean people.
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Ulsan Shipyard
GY-1 Departure from Gyeongju (or Busan)
Duration: 5 hours
Gyeongju Hotel – Ulsan shipyard – hotel
Out of poverty and the rubbles of a devastating war that ended in 1953 South Korea managed to overcome their hardships and build up an economy that today belongs to the 11th economy of the world. The speed of development was so amazing and unprecedented the world spoke of the Economic Miracle at the Han River. One of the symbols for this Miracle is the Ulsan shipyard, run by Hyundai. The shipyard has transformed the small city of Ulsan in 40 years in a bustling town. Today the Koreans are ranked number 1 shipmaker and in the gigantic shipyard colossal ships are made in a row, ships that are the biggest and considered the best in the world. Although not always possible, there are opportunities to get a tour through the enormous shipyard and visit the small museum.
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Pohang Steel factory
GY-2 Departure from Gyeongju
Duration: 5 hours
Gyeongju Hotel – Pohang Steel Factory – hotel
Another symbol for the Economic Miracle on the Han River is the Pohang Steel Factory. Out of nothing the Koreans managed to build up a steel factory which belongs to the second biggest factory in the world. Pohang no longer is a small fishing village, but hosts state of the art research and development centre along the enormous steel assemblage. Pohang steel has contributed and contributes tremendously to the ship- and car industry, which has made Korea today one of the strongest and most vibrant economy in the world.
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Haeinsa Tripitake Koreana
GY-3 Departure from Gyeongju (or Busan)
Duration: 9 hours
Gyeongju Hotel – Haeinsa Temple – hotel
Haein-sa, the First Dharma Jewel Monastery, is the foundation temple of Avatamsaka School of Korea and the temple that the Tripitaka Koreana is enshrined. The Tripitaka Koreana is integration of Korean people's faith. Haein-sa is the spiritual shelter of Koreans, the lantern of wisdom brightening this land, and a sacred place of Korean Buddhism. Thus the woodblocks have been kept in impeccable condition, which enabled the depositories to be registered on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in December of 1995.
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CULTURAL EVENINGS
KR Travel highly recommends the following performances! Please note these evening events usually are not included in a tour package, unless otherwise stated. Some shows are purely entertainment, easy to understand and with a humorous touch, other shows reflect more the traditional culture and soul of Korea.
Chongdong Theater
ST-1 Seoul: Traditional Korean performance
Duration: 90 min.
Opening hours: Apr. – Sep. : 8:00pm / Oct. – Mar. 4:00pm
Price: € 35 p/p
Chongdong Theater’s Traditional Arts Stage presents the four representative genres of dance, instrumental music, musical performances of sori, and pungmul, offering an interesting and exciting repertoire for spectators. The show is also featured in Japanese and American travel guide books as a must-see among Korean traditional performances, offering a cultural experience of dances, instrumental performances, sori (sounds of Korea), and pungmul (percussion band).
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Nanta Cooking
ST-2 Seoul: Non verbal Korean rhythmical performance
Duration: 90 min.
Opening hours: Mon - Fri 16:00, 20:00 / Sat 13:00, 16:00, 20:00 Sun & Public Holiday 15:00, 18:00
Price: € 30 p/p
'NANTA' is a non-verbal performance of free rhythmical movements that dramatize customary Korean percussions in a strikingly comedic stage show. Integrating unique Korean traditional drumbeats in a western performance style, NANTA storms into a huge kitchen where four capricious cooks are preparing a wedding banquet. While cooking, they turn all kinds of kitchen items - pots, pans, dishes, knives, chopping boards, water bottles, brooms and even each other- into percussion instruments.
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Jump Show
ST-3 Seoul: Korean comic martial arts performance
Duration: 90 minutes
Opening hours: Tue – Fri 20:00 / Sat 16:00, 20:00 / Sun & Public Holiday 15:00, 18:00
Price: € 35 p/p
With the preparatory period of 3 years and 7 months, the musical JUMP is a non –verbal performance based on Taekwondo, a traditional Korean martial art, JUMP that will make the audience laugh and applaud throughout the show. This performance was given a favorable reception as it earned the top box office award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005.
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Break Out
ST-4 Seoul: Korean break dance and comic arts performance
Duration: 90 minutes
Opening hours: Tue – Fri 20:00 / Sat 16:00, 20:00 / Sun & Public Holiday 15:00, 18:00
Price: € 35 p/p
A dynamic and hilarious story by 5 prison breakers. A non-verbal show full of humor, break dance, acrobatics and dance. Backed by pulsating oriental rock music and incredibly catchy beat-boxing, the audience is treated to breath-taking bouts of break dancing by surely some of the most talented dancers. This is both physical theater and comedy at its best.
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Korea House
ST-5 Seoul: Korean Style Dinner, Korean Folk Performance
Duration: 3 hours
Opening hours: daily, with dinners starting at 19:30
Price: € 90 p/p
The Korea House is a cultural center to promote Korean culture and tradition. It is located in the old city center of Seoul. Traditional Korean music, dance and drama are provided around the year. It offers an excellent opportunity to touch the feeling of Korean culture and glimpse a slice of Korean tradition of old Korea. The performance included fan dance, Pansori, drum dance and local folk songs.
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