Korea is compact, rail-connected and 15–25 per cent cheaper than Japan on the ground. These are the six itinerary shapes we start from; every trip is then built around your dates and party.
Ways to travel South Korea
Classic Korea
Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan in eight to ten days: the palaces and the DMZ, the KTX south, the old capital and the coast.
- 8–10 days
- Spring or autumn
- One hanok night
- KTX throughout
Korea with Jeju
The classic loop plus three nights on the island by air from Busan: the volcano, the Olle trail, the haenyeo, a hire car.
- 12 days
- Apr–May, Sep–Nov
- Hire car on Jeju
- Fly home from Seoul
Seoul in depth
A week in the capital and its day trips: the palaces, Bukchon, the DMZ, Suwon’s fortress, Bukhansan, the markets and a jjimjilbang.
- 7 days
- Any season
- One base
- Older travellers
Korea and Japan
Seoul and Busan then the Fukuoka ferry or a two-hour flight, joining our Japan routes for the most popular two-country trip we build.
- 15 days
- Spring or autumn
- No visa for either
- Ferry option
Korea for teenagers
K-pop classes, the HYBE museum, Everland, the Dongdaemun markets, Busan’s beaches and Jeju’s lava tubes.
- 10–12 days
- School holidays
- Safe at any hour
- Fried chicken
Autumn Korea
Seoraksan’s peaks, Gyeongju’s temples and Seoul’s ginkgo gold in the best fortnight of the Korean year.
- 10–12 days
- Late Oct–early Nov
- Hiking optional
- Book by June
These are the shapes we build trips around, not fixed departures. Every itinerary is quoted individually in Australian dollars with international flights, internal flights, drivers, accommodation and guides on one booking. Tell us your dates and we will send a draft.
How a South Korea itinerary is built
Korea is compact, rail-connected and easy, and the itineraries are shaped by two facts: Seoul deserves four or five nights, and the KTX puts Gyeongju and Busan two hours south. Every route starts in the capital by the palaces, adds the DMZ by pre-booked tour, takes the high-speed train south for the old capital and the coast, and either flies home from Busan via a hub or adds Jeju by air. A hanok night in Bukchon or Gyeongju is on every route; the jjimjilbang is on most; and the guides are used where they change the day — the first Seoul morning and the border. Korea is 15–25 per cent cheaper than Japan on the ground and its hotels are larger for the money, which is why the family-room problem eases here. The South Korea travel guide has the practical layer and the things to do page has the regions.
When to go
April–May for cherry blossom (Jinhae near Busan in the first week of April is the largest festival in the world; Seoul’s Yeouido lines the river) and warm, dry days; late September to early November for the clearest skies of the year, the ginkgo gold in Seoul in late October and the maples in Seoraksan and the palace grounds in early November. Summer is the July monsoon then heat and humidity into August; winter is cold and dry, below zero in Seoul, with skiing at Pyeongchang and the cheapest flights and hotels. Avoid the Chuseok harvest holiday (September or October) and Seollal (Lunar New Year) for travel days. The Australian late-September holidays land in the best fortnight of the Korean year.
What every itinerary includes
- Return airfare from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, open-jaw where the route allows; other cities via those three
- Every internal flight, train, boat and transfer, ticketed
- Accommodation chosen by district and by what the night is for, bed configuration confirmed in writing
- A private driver where the country runs on drivers, and licensed guides where a guide changes the day
- Entry and visa checks for every traveller, a pre-departure pack and a day-by-day document
- A quote in Australian dollars, Australian consumer-law protection, and a Cooee contact in Brisbane
Pricing
Quoted per departure in Australian dollars with everything above included. We do not publish from-prices for international itineraries because the season and the accommodation tier move the total by thousands; the country guide and the South-East Asia guide set out the underlying daily numbers.
How to book
Choose a shape above or tell us what you want. Send your dates, departure city and the party through the enquiry form or on 0409 661 342; we check the season against the route, confirm the beds that matter, and send an itinerary and a quote within two working days. A deposit holds it under our booking conditions; travel insurance is required.
Still choosing?
Tours convert; things to do informs. The step before this one is the things-to-do page.