Splendours of South Korea & Japan 16 Days (2021)

• Day 1: Australia Seoul

  Take an international flight from Australia to Seoul via a connecting city.

  Note: Depending on the city of departure, some flights may depart one day later. Flights will be via connecting cities and may involve more than one transit.

• Day 2: Seoul

  On arrival in Seoul, you will be warmly greeted at the airport by a tour representative and transferred to your hotel.

  Note: Standard hotel check-in time is 2-3pm. You may leave your luggage at the hotel until check-in, allowing you to start exploring this amazing city straight away.

• Day 3: Seoul Andong Daegu

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

  Visit the traditional village, Andong, which features traditional houses of the Joseon Dynasty period (1392-1897). In Daegu, take a stroll in Dongseongno Shopping District, a major fashion retail district. The streets are packed with hundreds of stores full of personality that reflect the city’s fast-paced fashion trends. Enjoy magnificent views by taking a cable car to Palgongsan Natural Park.

• Day 4: Daegu Gyeongju

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

  Today we explore the many archaeological sites and temples, royal tombs, and monuments of Gyeongju, the capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 BC – 935 AD). Visit Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory, Royal Tumuli Park, Gyeongju National Museum, Bulguksa Temple, and Seokguram Grotto Temple.

• Day 5: Gyeongju Busan

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  In Busan, we visit Haedong Yonggungsa (East Sea Dragon Palace Temple), situated on the coast of the north-eastern portion of the city and overlooking the ocean. Afterwards, you will have an opportunity to view the waves while looking down through the transparent floor of the 15 metre high Oryukdo Skywalk, which is set over a 35 meter-high coastal cliff. Travel to Gamcheon Culture Village situated on the foothills of a coastal mountain and nicknamed ‘Machu Picchu of Busan’. You will be thrilled by the many alleys cutting through this village, vibrantly decorated with murals and sculptures created by the local residents. Stop at one of Korea’s largest markets, Nampo Dong Gukje Market for a wide variety of goods at affordable prices. Then visit Nurimaru APEC House, a memorial hall and prestigious international conference hall located near Haeundae Beach, offering visitors spectacular views of the nearby natural landscape.

• Day 6: Busan Seoul

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

  This morning, visit Changdeokgung Palace, one of the ‘Five Grand Palaces’ built by the Kings of the Jeoson Dynasty, and Insadong, a street full of traditional Korean antique and art shops, restaurants and tea houses. Continue to Cheonggyecheon Stream and admire this urban oasis before visiting Myeongdong, one of Seoul’s main commercial districts.

• Day 7: Seoul DMZ Seoul

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Visit North Korea’s 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, located within the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), a 44 km drive northwest of Seoul. In the event of an invasion from the North, an entire infantry division could have move through the tunnel in an hour. View North Korean territory, including the Propaganda Village, People’s School, and Gaeseong City – the old capital city of the Goryeo Kingdom – from the Dora Observation Platform. Also visit Freedom Park, dedicated to the 5 million people who left their families and homes in North Korea. North Hall contains displays of North Korean lifestyle. Later, try on a hanbok, the traditional attire of the Korean people at Namsan Hanbok Culture Experience Centre before experiencing the city’s best night view at Namsan Tower.

• Day 8: Seoul Osaka

  Meals: Breakfast

  Board a direct flight operated by a local carrier from Seoul to Osaka. Your friendly tour representative will be waiting at the airport to greet you.

  Note: Baggage allowance for this sector is 1 piece max weight 15kg per person
  Standard hotel check-in time is 2-3pm. You may leave your luggage at the hotel until check-in, allowing you to start exploring this amazing city straight away.

• Day 9: Osaka Nara Kyoto Osaka

  Meals: Breakfast

  After breakfast, travel to Nara. Visit Todaiji (Great Eastern Temple), with its Great Buddha Hall – the world’s largest wooden building. This impressive building houses the world’s largest (15m) bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana. Then visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was built in 701. In the afternoon, spend some time wandering through Nara Deer Park, where over 1,200 wild sika deer roam free. Later you will be transferred to Kyoto and visit Kinkakuji Temple before travelling back to Osaka.

• Day 10: Osaka

  Meals: Breakfast

  Optional Activity:

  • Hiroshima Day Tour with lunch; or
  • World Heritage Himeji Castle Day Tour with lunch; or
  • Universal Studios Japan Day Pass

  Spend today free at your own leisure. You may join one of the following optional activities: Hiroshima Day Tour with lunch or World Heritage Himeji Castle Day Tour with lunch or Universal Studios Japan Day Pass.

• Day 11: Osaka Kyoto Arashiyama Toyohashi

  Meals: Breakfast

  This morning, head to Kyoto and visit Nijo Castle. Then, continue to Arashiyama and enjoy some time strolling in the Bamboo Groove and see the Togetsu Bridge. In the afternoon, transfer to Toyohashi and check in to your hotel.

• Day 12: Toyohashi Mt. Fuji Tokyo

  Meals: Breakfast

  Today, visit Mt. Fuji 5th Station, a place on the hillside and at an altitude of 2305 metres, where you can enjoy the best scenery of the mountain. Then visit Oshino Hakkai. known as the springs of Mt. Fuji, the eight ponds are fed by melting snow filtering down from the slopes of nearby Mt. Fuji, through porous layers of lava, resulting in very clear spring water that is revered by locals. Later, head to Tokyo.

  Note: In case of bad weather, Mt. Fuji 5th Station may be closed, you will instead visit Fuji Visitor Centre.

• Day 13: Tokyo

  Meals: Breakfast

  Japan’s capital, Tokyo, is packed with so much to see and do. After breakfast, you will visit Hamarikyu Garden, a large and attractive landscape garden in central Tokyo. It was the earliest hunting grounds of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It retains the layout of courtyard in Edo Era, where you can learn about Japanese courtyard art. Then take the Sumida River cruise to Asakusa. Upon arrival, visit Sensoji (Asakusa Kannon Temple), the oldest temple in Tokyo and Nakamise Shopping Street in front of the Sensoji. Nowadays, this Edo-style temple complex is a place for leisure and entertainment. Later, visit Shinjuku Municipal Observation Deck to see the panoramic view of Tokyo before transferring back to hotel.

• Day 14: Tokyo

  Meals: Breakfast

  Optional Activity:

  • World Heritage Nikko Day Tour; or
  • Tokyo Disneyland Day Pass; or
  • Tokyo DisneySea Day Pass

  Free day at your own leisure, or you may join one of the following optional activities (at your own expense): World Heritage Nikko Day Tour or Tokyo Disneyland Day Pass or Tokyo DisneySea Day Pass

• Day 15: Tokyo Australia

  Meals: Breakfast

  Spend today free at leisure if time permits before boarding the airport limousine bus to the airport for your flight home.

  Note: Some flights may be a same day flight. Flights will be via connecting cities and may involve more than one transit.

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• Day 16: Australia

  Arrive home today.

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