This KGAY Exclusive is a small-group journey through South Korea, planned for Steven Krumholz’s group in October 2027. Start in Seoul with royal palaces, hanok lanes, a Michelin-starred lunch and an evening at the Nanta cooking show. Head south through the fortress walls of Suwon to Gyeongju, Korea’s “museum without walls”, then on to Busan for fish markets, a seaside temple, a makgeolli workshop and a seafood banquet. Ride the KTX bullet train back to Seoul for a final day at the DMZ. You can choose not to join this day and have a day on your own in Seoul. Five-star hotels throughout, a private coach and English-speaking guide, every breakfast and eight group lunches and dinners.
Nine days across South Korea with KGAY Travel: Seoul’s palaces and night markets, Gyeongju’s ancient temples, Busan’s beaches and the DMZ, in five-star hotels.
Steven Krumholz is the guy who actually picks up the phone — and the one who knows which cabin, which resort, and which party is worth your time. Decades of access, zero booking fees, all heart.
This KGAY Exclusive is a small-group journey through South Korea, planned for Steven Krumholz’s group in October 2027. Start in Seoul with royal palaces, hanok lanes, a Michelin-starred lunch and an evening at the Nanta cooking show. Head south through the fortress walls of Suwon to Gyeongju, Korea’s “museum without walls”, then on to Busan for fish markets, a seaside temple, a makgeolli workshop and a seafood banquet. Ride the KTX bullet train back to Seoul for a final day at the DMZ. You can choose not to join this day and have a day on your own in Seoul. Five-star hotels throughout, a private coach and English-speaking guide, every breakfast and eight group lunches and dinners.
Nine days across South Korea with KGAY Travel: Seoul’s palaces and night markets, Gyeongju’s ancient temples, Busan’s beaches and the DMZ, in five-star hotels.
Steven Krumholz is the guy who actually picks up the phone — and the one who knows which cabin, which resort, and which party is worth your time. Decades of access, zero booking fees, all heart.
Land at Incheon, where your English-speaking guide meets you for the private coach transfer into central Seoul (about an hour). Check in to the five-star Grand Lotte Hotel in Myeongdong; the evening is free to explore the neighborhood’s shops and street food. Overnight: Grand Lotte Hotel, Seoul.
A full day in royal and traditional Seoul. Start at Gyeongbokgung Palace, with the option to wear hanbok (rental included), and catch the 10am changing of the guard. See the Blue House, Jogyesa Temple and the hanok lanes of Bukchon, then sit down to a Michelin-starred samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) lunch. Walk Cheonggyecheon Stream, Insadong’s antique alleys and the cafés of Ikseon-dong, and make your own gochujang chili paste to take home. Welcome dinner of Korean barbecue near the hotel. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Grand Lotte Hotel, Seoul.
Modern Seoul. Ride up Lotte World Tower, Korea’s tallest building, to its observation deck, then on to Gangnam, the COEX mall and Starfield Library, and K-Pop row. Group lunch at a Seoul restaurant, a stroll along the Han River to Banpo Bridge, and Gwangjang Market, one of the city’s oldest. In the evening, dinner and the Nanta cooking show: 90 minutes of non-verbal comedy and kitchen percussion. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Grand Lotte Hotel, Seoul.
Check out and drive an hour south to Suwon to walk the walls of Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then cross the peninsula through forested hills to Gyeongju (about 4.5 hours), stopping for lunch at one of Korea’s famous highway rest areas (own expense). Dinner is hanjeongsik, a traditional multi-course Korean meal, at the Choi Clan Yangban hanok restaurant. Meals: breakfast, dinner. Overnight: Lahan Select Hotel, Gyeongju.
Gyeongju, Korea’s “museum without walls” and a UNESCO World Heritage city. See Cheomseongdae Observatory, the royal tombs of Tumuli Park, Anapji Pond and the Gyeongju National Museum, then lunch on southeastern Korean cooking. On the way to Busan, visit Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto. Check in at Haeundae Beach in time for sunset; the evening is free. Meals: breakfast, lunch. Overnight: Paradise Hotel Busan.
A full day in Busan: Jagalchi Fish Market, Korea’s largest seafood market; Haedong Yonggungsa, a seaside temple from the 1300s; and the UN Memorial Cemetery. Lunch is a makgeolli workshop at a rice-wine distillery, with Korean pancakes. Spend the afternoon among the painted hillside houses of Gamcheon Culture Village and the street food of BIFF Square, then a seafood banquet at a seaside restaurant. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Paradise Hotel Busan.
A free morning in Busan; Kukje Market is worth a look. Check out at noon and ride the KTX bullet train to Seoul (about 2.5 hours at up to 180 mph). Your guide meets you on the platform for the transfer to the Novotel Suites Ambassador Yongsan, and the evening is free in nearby Itaewon. Meals: breakfast. Overnight: Novotel Suites Ambassador Yongsan, Seoul.
A full day at the Demilitarized Zone on the North Korean border. From Imjingak, a group tour visits the JSA Training Field and Camp Bonifas for a briefing, then, depending on security conditions on the day, sites such as Freedom Bridge, Dorasan Observatory, Dorasan Station and the DMZ Theater & Exhibition Hall. On the way back to Seoul, stop at Gwangjang Market; the evening is free. Meals: breakfast. Overnight: Novotel Suites Ambassador Yongsan, Seoul.
Breakfast, then a private transfer to Incheon Airport about three hours before your flight home (separate transfers can be arranged for different flight times). You land in the US the same day. Meals: breakfast.
