Korean Heritage: Seoul, Suwon, Andong, Gyeongju and Busan in 8 Days

Your guide meets you at Incheon International Airport and takes you by private car to your hotel in central Seoul, about an hour away. After check-in, rest or take a short walk along Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs through the city center, with lights and stepping stones after dark. Your guide will go through the plan for the road trip ahead and suggest a nearby restaurant for Korean barbecue.Overnight: Seoul

Visit Gyeongbokgung, the grandest of Seoul's palaces, and watch the colorful changing of the guard ceremony at Gwanghwamun gate. Walk through the throne hall, the lotus pond pavilion and the National Folk Museum. Then climb into Bukchon Hanok Village, a hillside of traditional houses with tiled roofs. After lunch, visit Changdeokgung and its Secret Garden, then end the day among the tea houses and craft shops of Insadong.Overnight: Seoul · Meals: B, L

Drive about an hour south to Suwon to visit Hwaseong Fortress, built in the 1790s by King Jeongjo and listed by UNESCO. Walk part of the 5.7-kilometer wall, with its gates, watchtowers and pavilions, and visit Hwaseong Haenggung, the temporary royal palace inside. After lunch, explore the old market streets near the fortress, then return to Seoul. In the evening, ride the cable car up Namsan to N Seoul Tower for the view.Overnight: Seoul · Meals: B, L

Drive southeast into the countryside to Andong, about three hours with a rest stop. Visit Hahoe Folk Village, a UNESCO-listed village where the Ryu clan has lived for some 600 years in houses of tile and thatch, wrapped by a bend of the Nakdong River. Cross by small ferry, when it runs, to the cliff of Buyongdae for a view over the whole village. Late in the day, visit Byeongsan Seowon, a Confucian academy facing the river.Overnight: Andong · Meals: B, L

Drive about 90 minutes to Gyeongju, capital of the Silla kingdom for almost a thousand years. Walk through Daereungwon, a park of grassy royal burial mounds, and step inside Cheonmachong tomb. Visit Cheomseongdae, one of the oldest surviving observatories in Asia, and the Gyeongju National Museum with its gold crowns and great bronze bell. In the evening, see Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond beautifully lit and reflected in the water.Overnight: Gyeongju · Meals: B, L

Start at Bulguksa, an 8th-century temple of stone terraces and wooden halls, with the famous Dabotap and Seokgatap pagodas. Drive up the mountain to Seokguram Grotto, where a granite Buddha sits facing the sea. In the afternoon, visit Yangdong Folk Village, a UNESCO-listed clan village of yangban noble houses and thatched cottages spread across the hills, much quieter than Hahoe. Return to Gyeongju for a free evening in the Hwangnidan-gil area.Overnight: Gyeongju · Meals: B, L

Drive about an hour to Busan, stopping first at Haedong Yonggungsa, a temple set on rocks right above the waves. Continue to Gamcheon Culture Village, a hillside of pastel houses, murals and small galleries. Have lunch at Jagalchi Fish Market, where you choose fresh seafood downstairs and eat it upstairs. Check in near the waterfront and spend the evening along Haeundae Beach or under the lights of the Gwangan Bridge.Overnight: Busan · Meals: B, L

Enjoy a final breakfast and some free time by the sea. Your driver takes you to Gimhae International Airport for your flight home, or to Busan station for the KTX back to Seoul. Busan has direct flights to Da Nang, Hanoi and Jeju, so it is easy to add a few days in Vietnam or on Jeju Island before you head home.Meals: B