Sixteen Day in South Korea
 

Hi All,

New poster, but a very long time reader of the forum. We have traveled extensively to all parts of Asia during these last several years, and are visiting South Korea for the first time in August. We will be on the ground for 16 days and seventeen nights. I already know that we will spend four of these days in Seoul, but somewhat unsure on the rest. We were really hoping to see a somewhat traditional Korea for the remainder of the time, and have started to look into Jeolla-do, Andong, Heinsa etc. We just ruled out Jeju-do and decided to spend a couple of days relaxing on the beach in Busan - this is all the beach we want.

Any advice on destinations within South Korea will be greatly appreciated. The itinerary is just now being created, so idea on how to fill it out will be golden for us. Many many thanks to anyone who chimes in.

If you haven't already seen it yet, you might check the thread that I've been using to plan my upcoming trip to South Korea -- I got some very helpful advice. And feel free to add your insights!

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...outh-korea.cfm

Thanks Kja. You're much farther along than we are. I think I'll start looking into some of your selections to see if they fit for us. Thanks for the lead. I look forward to hearing of your experiences. We leave two months after your trip ends (I think)

BTW, I've been working with several different guidebooks, each of which has some strengths. The two that seem most useful for my purposes are Seoul Selection (I have the one that covers the country; there is another just for Seoul) and the Moon guide.

Also -- I'm sure you realize that my selections might not suit you! AND I've tweaked some parts of my itinerary since last posting. But I do think that the comments I received might be helpful.

Totally understand. I bought the Michelin Guide a few days ago and have started to dig into it. We are somewhat keen on skipping Jeju and spending time around Jeolla-do. Was hoping to figure out a way to spend some time near the water around those islands for a couple of days, but have not had much success in finding information. Might call the Korea website people in the US to try and get some more info. Also trying to spend as little time traveling and more time at the destination, but Korea is the kind of country where places are too close to fly yet too far to get there in under 3-4 hours. Aside from Seoul, I'm trying to identify three to four places over 12 days that will give us a healthy glimpse of unique, traditional, and interesting. Andong province is up there with Jeolla, and Gyeongju. Still have some work to do, or we might just go to Seoul and catch a flight to Taiwan if all else does not seem cool :-).

I think there are various ferries through the islands around Jeolla-do from both Mokpo and Wando, but I'm not positive. As you note, getting to that part of the country isn't something you can do from either Seoul or Busan in a short time, unless I've completely missed some critical info.

I think there are also some ferries from Busan, which can (I believe) be reached from Seoul on the KTX in less than 3 hours. Too, I believe that Gyeongju and Andong are both relatively reachable from Busan and Seoul and should offer you some glimpses of traditional Korea. Focusing your attention on those areas makes sense to me.

Hi Kja,

Have you found any pleasure ferries (as opposed to commuter ones) from Busan to Mokpo, Wando, or a nearby island? We were thinking of heading straight to Busan or Ulsan upon arrival in Korea then either head north towards Andong and Heinsa before heading into Jeolla, or head straight to places in Jeolla before heading north and ending up in Seoul to finish off the trip.

My impressions are that the distances between Busan and Mokpo or Wando are too great for a pleasure cruise.

I'm pretty sure that I have read about several pleasure cruises from Busan to nearby islands. Or you might be able to go from Busan to Tongyeong or Suncheon, from which there are (I believe) ferry cruises.

I was actually trying to figure out if there were any Ha Long Bay(esque) small boats that you can spend a night on in between Islands etc. Does not seem like there is any such thing here. Just managed to locate the Jeolla official website and they seem to have some decent info as well.

http://english.jeonnam.go.kr/

I was actually trying to figure out if there were any Ha Long Bay(esque) small boats that you can spend a night on in between Islands etc. Does not seem like there is any such thing here. Just managed to locate the Jeolla official website and they seem to have some decent info as well.

http://english.jeonnam.go.kr/

By the way, did you hear of the tragic ferry sinking in the waters that we have been discussing. Awful.

The news about that ferry is so very sad. My heart goes out to all who were affected.

Yes the ferry news haunts my mind. My breaks for those families.

On a happier note, I hope you enjoy Korea. It's nice to see more people seem to be visiting. I have not been since 2008 but my son lives there and I was supposed to be there this Spring :(

We spent a week in the Gwangju area and it is known for it's food. We went to Boseong tea plantation and thought it was beautiful.

My son told us that Busan has a beach season that is very definite July 1 until August 31. He said during this time period there are swarms of people on the beach. He said if you go a few days before or after there are way fewer people even though the weather is the same. He said he has mentioned he is going to the beach at some other time and people always say "it's not beach season!"

@ SeeHag -- As I recall, you were planning to go to S. Korea for a celebratory event. I hope that you and your son (and other family members) are well.

I've been to Haeinsa. The temple complex is nice, but.... temples in Korea can be a bit disappointing. They have mostly been destroyed and/or looted in the past. Reconstructions are very simple. It is located with Gayasan National Park which is a gem, but if you are going just for Haeinsa, I am not sure that Korean temples are worth going out of your way.

Maisan Provincial Park is a highlight. Best appreciated by a short but strenuous walk. The highlight is a small temple surrounded by about 90 primitive stone pagodas erected by a hermit. Really a beautiful area. The pagodas can be reached by road if you want to avoid the walk, but the walk is beautiful.

Another highlight is the area around Boseong for the green tea plantations. Nearby is Nagan Stone Village which is also worth as much time as you'd like to devote to it. Namhae Island has a beautiful ring road, and we enjoyed the coastal path at Darangyi Village, which is terraced. We rented a car to get to some of these places.

Busan is a treasure, everything about it is exciting and beautiful.

Hi kja, plans changed so we have postponed our trip to Korea. My son was married at the end of December, just took the legal steps so a reception of some sort will be held but now it is looking like it will be in the US instead. When we do go I am hoping that all of you recent visitors will have reported back so I can get some ideas on different sights we missed the first time.

@ shelemm -

Thanks for sharing your take on Haeinsa! I will be spending a night there, and am looking forward to seeing the temple and some of its treasures, in addition to tasting the temple meals. I am aware that South Korea has lost much of its heritage to wars and fires and other untoward events. Maybe I will be disappointed, but I hope to find at least a few things at each temple (or shrine or whatever) that I will be glad to have seen, and I expect that I will find the scenery worth noting throughout much of the country.

Unfortunately, the days of strenuous hikes are long behind me :-( , so I'm glad to know that there is a way to see Tapsa (that is the temple with the stone pagodas, isn't it?) without the hike.

And I do now plan to visit Boseong, but didn't have Nagan Stone Village on my radar -- I'll look into it!

@ SeeHag -- I'm glad nothing interfered with your son's wedding and promise to write a trip report after I return. Note that I am not promising a TIMELY trip report -- that could take a while! But I will try to answer questions if you want to know something before I start posting my report. :-)

@kja - since you are staying at Haeinsa I think you will get a lot more out of it. I am sure it will be a wonderful experience, and you will probably get to see more than I did. Myabe they'll even take one of the plates of text out for you to see!

@kja, the road to Maisan from the north (Jinan) does not go all the way to Tapsa - yes, that's the name. But there is car access from the south - I'm not sure how to get there,though. There are liittle stalls and tent restaurants on site. Just a quick up hill from there (you will see a set of stone steps, a ramp and a railing) and you will get a great view of the sudden mountain looming over other small temples; superb scenery.

That sounds like an awesome trip! 16 days! Kyeongju, Gwangju, Paju are also beautiful places to visit! 16 days should be a long relaxing trip