Selected: fully customisable

Luxury Korea

This is our most luxurious journey through South Korea. Meet the cultural custodians of traditional tea and ceramics, travel by first-class train, fly business-class, and stay in Korea’s best accommodation – 5* throughout.

Location
South Korea
Suggested Length
12 days /
11
nights
Activity Level
Fully customisable
Every trip is unique
Palace
Stone Statue
Lotter Tower
FIsh Market

Ratings

Light

Light mobility requirements as sightseeing activities are done predominantly by vehicle, with light walking

Steady

Ideal for most fitness levels. Sightseeing involves walking and being on your feet for a couple of hours at a time, with down-time included too

Active

Requires a moderate level of fitness. Activities and sightseeing will generally involve walking and being on your foot for much of the day. Often includes light activities such as cycling, kayaking, or hands-on experiences

Adventure

Demands higher fitness. Most days will include a substantial amount of walking and/or activity throughout the day.  

Energetic

For people who love being active. We reserve this rating for active itineraries with substantial movement and adventure activities almost every day.  

Stay in 5* luxury hotels throughout: from a private hanok in central Seoul, to an a elegant Jeju retreat

Travel in style: private cars, first-class rail travel and business-class flights to Jeju

Learn about Korean culture with those who know it best: from a private sommelier-led tea ceremony with private gayageum performance, to making your own pottery with a master ceramicist

Eat a meal inspired by Jeju’s famed haenyeo women – traditional free divers

An image of a hanok roof with cherry blossoms in front

Itinerary

All itineraries are fully customisable.

Our destination experts created this trip as an example of a cultural adventure: combining remarkable sights, guided experiences and a slice of everyday local life.

Choose us, and we’ll create you a custom holiday where every detail reflects your pace, passions and preferences. Take as much or as little from this trip idea as you want, talk to us when you’re ready.
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Luxury
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Day 1-3

Seoul

A man pouring tea with a delicate porcelin tea set
Highlights:

Learn about Seoul's royal heritage and its modern districts with your private expert guide

Explore Seongsu, an up-market fashion and creative neighbourhood

Join a traditional tea ritual and brew your own cup with a professional tea sommelier, accompanied by a live gayageum performance

From the airport, you’ll be escorted to your hotel by private transfer to settle into your luxury hanok stay.

On your first day your guide will show you Seoul through the eyes of a local.

Explore the grandeur of Gyeongbok Palace, the largest Seoul palace of the Joseon Dynasty. Pass through the narrow lanes of preserved hanok homes in Bukchon, and step inside one for a private tea ceremony. Your professional tea sommelier will take you through the traditional ceremony, with a private gayageum (traditional stringed instrument) performance included. Taste three different teas, brew your own and try Korean sweets and a tea mocktail.

The following day, you’ll explore Seongsu. Once a district of shoe factories and warehouses, today it’s more contemporary cool, with minimally designed cafés, galleries and experimental restaurants behind the traditional red-brick façades.

And for teatime with a difference, OMOT Tea House adds a modern spin to the traditional tea ceremony, serving flower teas and Korean desserts like black sesame gyeoltteok (traditional Korean rice cake). The theme changes seasonally, and could be anything from Sipjangsaeng (Ten Symbols of Longevity) to Korean banknotes.

Transport

Day 1:

Private car transfer from Incheon airport to Seoul (50 minutes) 

Day 4-6

Busan

Busan
Highlights:

Travel south in first-class comfort aboard Korea's high-speed KTX train

Cruise Busan's coastline on a private yacht

Meet master ceramicist, Ahn Hong-gwan, learn traditional techniques and create your own piece

Explore a seaside temple, busy fishing markets and creative districts with a Busan local guide

You’ll travel to Busan by KTX in first class, with more legroom and a quieter seating layout.

The following day, meet master ceramist Ahn Hong-gwan, who is helping to preserve Korea’s ceramic traditions by recreating Joseon-era tea bowls. He sources soil from the mountains and refines it into clay before shaping each piece by hand and firing it in a wood-fired kiln. With your guide translating, you’ll create your own piece under Master Ahn’s instruction.

Later, board a private yacht for a cruise along Busan’s coastline. From the water, you’ll pass the glass towers around The Bay 101, Gwangalli Beach and the 7.5km-long Gwangan Bridge.

There’s plenty to fit into your final day in Busan. Start at Beomeosa Temple, set among forested mountains on the edge of the city. It’s played an important role in modern Korean Buddhism – some of Korea’s most influential monks have studied here.

Back in central Busan, visit F1963, a former wire factory now used for exhibitions, performances and gardens. Then head out to Yeongdo Island and Huinnyeoul Culture Village. Once home to refugees during the Korean War, its steep lanes are now lined with painted houses and murals, with some of Busan’s best views out across the sea.

Accommodation
Transport

Day 4:

High-speed, first-class train transfer from Seoul to Busan (2 hours 40 minutes)

Private car transfer from Busan station to Hotel (50 minutes)

Day 7-9

Jeju

Seongsan
Highlights:

Explore volcanic landscapes, ancient forests and coast with your private island guide

Eat a meal inspired by the work of the “sea women” – hanyeo divers

Unwind at your own pace: perhaps a hot stone massage, yoga, or renting a bike from your hotel

Stay in a 5* hotel suite at a coastal Jeju retreat

A short business class flight brings you to Jeju Island, a destination shaped by volcanic landscapes, island traditions and a distinct cultural identity.

Accompanied by an expert local guide, explore the jungle-like Gotjawal Forest, where dense trees, vines and ferns grow across ancient lava fields.

Pause at Osulloc Tea Museum for a cup of tea overlooking the fields, then continue to the Bonte Museum. Designed by Tadao Ando, it combines traditional Korean crafts with contemporary art, including works by Yayoi Kusama.

At Haenyeo Kitchen, lunch comes with stories from Jeju’s haenyeo divers, who traditionally harvest seafood by free-diving without breathing equipment. Over four courses, video, artwork and other media bring their lives and traditions into the dining experience.

You can also visit Seongeup Folk Village, still home to residents today, with thatched houses, volcanic-stone walls and a local dialect that reflects Jeju’s distinct identity.

Transport

Day 7:

Private car transfer from Hotel to Gimhae airport (50 minutes) 

Business-class flight from Busan to Jeju (1 hour)

Day 10-12

Seoul

Starfield
Highlights:

Shop for designer and spa-brand goods at Starfield COEX mall

Take in the city from the tallest building in Korea

Learn to cook Korean style with a private cooking class

You’ll return to Seoul by business class flight, then head up to the 117th floor of Lotte World Tower for some of the city’s highest views, stretching across skyscrapers, shopping districts and hanok neighbourhoods.

Food is a big part of Seoul life, and this time you’ll get to cook some of it yourself. Meet a local chef, choose ingredients together at a market, then head to their studio. After trying a few Korean snacks, you’ll prepare classic dishes such as bulgogi beef, kimchi jeon pancakes or royal-style tteokbokki.

For some final shopping, head to Starfield COEX Mall, home to designer labels, spa brands and the Starfield Library, with 13m-high bookshelves. Or if you want a final dose of history, there’s Bongeunsa Temple: a 1,200-year-old Buddhist temple surrounded by modern Seoul. Or slow things down with a red ginseng spa treatment, drawing on an ingredient traditionally associated in Korea with vitality and healthy ageing.

Accommodation
Transport

Day 10:

Business-class flight from Jeju to Seoul (1 hour 15 minutes)

Private car transfer from Gimpo airport to Hotel (50 minutes) 

Day 12:

Private car transfer from Hotel to Incheon airport (50 minutes) 

Decorative collage showing women in colorful traditional Korean hanbok on pink patterned background with bubble tea and traditional hat illustrations

Is this trip for you?

What's great

  • Travel through South Korea in comfort with first-class trains, business-class flights and private car transfers
  • We’ve carefully selected the most luxury, 5* accommodation available in Korea
  • You’ll be with local guides throughout who are experts in their fields. They’ll tell the stories behind the sights.
  • This trip is a premium blend of Korea’s cultural sights, exploring contemporary cities and neighbourhoods.
  • There’s some really special experiences on this trip, from making your own pottery with a master ceramicist to a private yacht cruise along Busan's coastline

Things to consider

  • You’ll be on the move every couple of days, but you’ll travel in comfort and style
  • You'll need to feel reasonably fit, with some uneven paths, lots of walking and gentle inclines during sightseeing visits
  • Weather conditions can occasionally affect sightseeing on Jeju's coastal and volcanic landscapes
  • Luxury Korea has a balance of guided exploration and leisure time, although most experiences will last all day

What's included?

What's included

  • Breakfast every day 
  • 7 full days of guiding: 3 days in Seoul, 2 days in Busan and 2 days in Jeju
  • 2 private tea ceremonies showing different tea culture and 1 gayageum musical performance
  • 1 pottery experience in Busan
  • 1 lunch experience at Haenyeo Kitchen
  • Admission to Lotte World Tower
  • All entrance fees to sights included in guided experiences 
  • Private airport transfers
  • All internal transport and accommodation
  • Wi-Fi device  
  • Pre-loaded T-money transport card

Not included

  • International flights
  • Meals not mentioned
  • Entrance fees to any sites not included in guided experiences
  • Tips for guides and porters
  • Travel insurance
  • Visa requirements

Frequently asked questions

Yes. All sightseeing experiences included in the itinerary are operated on a private basis with expert local guides. So, you can ask as many questions as you like to really get beneath the surface of each place.

This is a luxury itinerary, featuring high-quality, 5* accommodation selected for its comfort, location and character in each destination.

Fairly. On the days you spend with city guides you’ll spend much of the day on your feet. However, there’s plenty of leisure time too, particularly in Jeju and Seoul, so if you want to sit back and relax at the spa or one of the newest cafés on your hotel block, you can take it a bit easier.