Three nights in a city of ten million that runs like clockwork, two on the beach at the other end of the country, and a 300km/h train between them. Palaces, night markets, and the best public transport in Asia.
FromUS$645per person, twin share — five nights across Seoul and Busan, plus two guided days — the DMZ and the Busan coast. Budget separately for flights, the KTX, meals and the handful of palaces that charge. See what's included
Fly into Incheon (ICN) — consistently rated the best airport in the world, and 60 minutes from the centre on the AREX train. Depart from Gimhae (PUS) in Busan, or return to Seoul by KTX. Tell us your departure city and we will price the flights with the tour.
Confirmation
Tell us your dates and a hotel tier → we confirm both hotels within 24 hours → a deposit holds them → vouchers and your written city plan by email before you fly. Departs any day.
Two days are guided and the rest are not, deliberately. The DMZ is escorted-only by law. Seoul is left alone on purpose — its subway is bilingual, relentless and about a dollar a ride, so a guide there would mostly be someone to follow.
The trip at a glance
Seoul
Days 1–3
01
Seoul
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Arrive Seoul AT LEISURE
Into Incheon, then the AREX train to Seoul Station — about an hour, and far cheaper than a taxi. Transfers are not included.
Settle in Myeongdong, the most useful address in Seoul: two subway lines, and street food until midnight.
Get a T-money card at any convenience store on day one. It works on every subway, bus and taxi in the country, Busan included.
Overnight in Seoul.
02
Seoul
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Gyeongbokgung & Bukchon AT LEISURE
Gyeongbokgung, the main Joseon palace, founded 1395. The changing of the guard runs twice daily.
Wear hanbok and you get in free. Rental shops ring the palace and it is the single best-value thing in Seoul — the photographs are the point.
North into Bukchon Hanok Village, six hundred years of tiled roofs on a hill. People live here; the signs asking for quiet are not decorative.
Down into Insadong for tea, paper and galleries.
Overnight in Seoul.
Add to this day — approximate gate prices
Hanbok rental₩15,000–40,000Two to four hours, hair styling and accessories usually included. Wearing one gets you into all five royal palaces free, so the dress often costs less than the tickets it replaces. Shops ring the palace; no booking needed.
Bukchon Hanok VillageFreeFree to walk. Residents live behind those gates, so keep your voice down and stay off the doorsteps.
We can book any of these with your tour. Tell us which you want when you confirm and the tickets travel with your documents.
03
Seoul
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The DMZ GUIDED
Collected from your hotel and driven an hour north to the DMZ — the last border of its kind anywhere, and the one thing in Korea you cannot do independently. Escorted tours only, by law.
The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, the Dora Observatory looking into the North, and Imjingak Park — licensed guide throughout, all admissions included.
Bring your passport. It is checked at the control point and you will not be allowed through without it.
Back in Seoul by late afternoon. Evening in Hongdae — buskers, live music and the best late food in the city.
Or up Namsan to N Seoul Tower if you still have legs; the walk through the park is free and beats the cable car.
Overnight in Seoul.
In your price today — with your guide
Guided DMZ day from Seoul
Busan
Days 4–6
04
Busan
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Seoul → Busan by KTX AT LEISURE
The KTX covers 400km in about 2 hours 40 minutes. Not included — we quote it with your booking and reserve your seats.
Into Busan, Korea's second city and its biggest port — warmer than Seoul, and noticeably slower.
Haeundae Beach in the late afternoon. In January you will have a mile and a half of sand almost to yourself.
Overnight in Busan.
Add to this day — approximate gate prices
Haeundae BeachFreeA mile and a half of sand. In January you will have it almost to yourself.
Haeundae Blueline Park beach trainBeach train ₩8,000–10,000One way along the old coastal line to Songjeong, priced by how far you ride. The sky capsule is charged per capsule, not per person — from about ₩40,000 for two, which is why it looks expensive alone and reasonable shared.
We can book any of these with your tour. Tell us which you want when you confirm and the tickets travel with your documents.
05
Busan
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Yonggungsa & Gamcheon GUIDED
A guided day along the coast, 08:00 to 16:00. Haedong Yonggungsa first — a temple built on the rocks with the sea breaking below it, and one of the few in Korea not up a mountain.
Then Gamcheon Culture Village, a hillside of houses painted every colour, built by refugees in the 1950s.
This one is a meet-up, not a hotel pick-up — the coach leaves Busan Port at 08:00, about 30 minutes from Haeundae on the subway. We send directions with your voucher. These two sights sit on opposite sides of the city and the buses between them are the one genuinely awkward journey on this trip, which is why we book it.
Afternoon free: Jagalchi Fish Market is near the port — Korea's largest, and they cook upstairs what you buy downstairs.
Overnight in Busan.
In your price today — with your guide
Busan coast day — Haedong Yonggungsa & Gamcheon
Add to this day — approximate gate prices
Gamcheon Culture VillageFreeFree to wander. The stamp-trail map from the info centre is a few hundred won and worth it.
Jagalchi Fish MarketFree to enterYou pay for what you eat, not to walk in. Point at something alive and they will cook it.
We can book any of these with your tour. Tell us which you want when you confirm and the tickets travel with your documents.
06
Departure
Show route
Busan → onward AT LEISURE
A slow morning on the beach, or the Haedong Yonggungsa temple on the cliffs if you have time.
Gimhae International is 40 minutes away on the light rail and subway — small, calm, and hard to get wrong.
Your Hotels
Three nights in Seoul and two in Busan, twin share, both beside a subway station — which in Korea matters more than any other feature of a hotel. Every property is independently rated 8.0 or better by recent guests. These stays are room-only. Korean hotels rarely include breakfast, and we would rather be straight about that than quietly imply otherwise.
Comfort · 3–4★ beside the subway
Myeongdong and Haeundae, minutes from a stationA well-reviewed 4-star in Myeongdong and a 3-star at Haeundae, a block or two from the beach. Rooms are compact and immaculate, which is the Korean standard.
Deluxe · the larger city hotels
More space, a restaurant, and a view worth havingThe bigger Korean and international chain hotels — more room, a proper lobby, and in Busan an ocean view. A 5-star tier is available on request; we quote it live rather than list a rate here.
You will know exactly where you are staying before you pay a balance. We name the property in your confirmation, in writing, as soon as the room is held — and if it is ever unavailable for your dates we substitute at the same tier or better, never below it.
Restaurants worth trying
No meals are in the price on this trip, so all of them are yours to choose. Here is where we would eat. We do not arrange any of these and you would pay for them yourself. They are simply places we rate, near where the trip goes. Tick any you like and they appear on the map.
Suggested, not included. Opening hours and prices are theirs, not ours — and a place that is busy at eight will be busy whether or not you booked through us.
Tour Price
All prices are per person, twin share, in US dollars — the figure below is what you pay us. It covers five nights across Seoul and Busan, room-only, and both guided days. The tiers differ by hotel only. These are website estimates, confirmed against live availability for your actual dates. Two tiers, not our usual three — a 5-star tier is quoted live rather than listed.
Hotel tier
Per person, twin share
Single supplement
Comfort — 3–4★ beside the subway, twin share
from US$645
+US$365
Deluxe — larger city hotels, twin share
from US$765
+US$455
5★ — quoted live
on request
on request
Included
3 nights in Seoul and 2 nights in Busan, twin share · the full-day guided DMZ tour — hotel pick-up, licensed guide, the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory and Imjingak, all admissions included · the guided Busan coast day — Haedong Yonggungsa and Gamcheon Culture Village with an English-speaking guide · a day-by-day self-guided plan for the other days, naming the exact subway lines, stations and fares
Not included
International flights · the KTX between Seoul and Busan — excluded, and quoted for you at booking · breakfast, which Korean hotels rarely bundle · airport transfers · meals · palace admissions, which are a few thousand won each · travel insurance
How the flexi tour works. Choose any departure date and a hotel tier → we confirm availability and the exact price within 24 hours → pay a deposit to hold it → your final documents and vouchers arrive by email a week before you fly. There is no group to join and no fixed departure day.
Seasonal pricing.January is the cheapest month in Korea and these rates come from it — cold, dry and bright, with the beaches empty and the palaces quiet. Avoid Seollal, the lunar new year, when the whole country travels at once. The two peaks are cherry blossom in early April and autumn colour through late October and November; both cost meaningfully more and Seoul books out early.
Budget separately for:the KTX Seoul to Busan, excluded and quoted with your booking · breakfast, since the room rates are room-only — a convenience-store gimbap is a couple of dollars and genuinely good · airport transfers at both ends · palace admissions, a few thousand won each — and free if you wear hanbok · international flights and travel insurance.
Start your booking
Tell us who you are and when you want to go.
We’ll reply within a business day with the price and what’s available.
A deposit holds it, and comes back in full if we can’t get your dates.
✓
That is with us
If you do not hear from us, email
info@dltravel.net and we will pick it up.