Korea and Japan: Seoul, Busan, the Night Ferry, Kyoto and Tokyo

1. Jour 1 : Arrive in Seoul

   Incheon International Airport to your hotel in central Seoul

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Welcome dinner
   • Nuit : Seoul
   Détail du jour 1

   Fly into Incheon International Airport (ICN), on an island about 55 km west of central Seoul. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the drive in, about an hour and a quarter depending on traffic, to a central hotel within walking distance of the old palaces. Plan to land by about 3 pm to make the evening meeting; the exact time comes with your final itinerary. At 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide, who stays with you all the way to Tokyo, meets the group for a short briefing on the two countries ahead, hands out transit cards for the metro and explains how the train days and the sea crossing work. Then we walk along Cheonggyecheon, a stream restored in 2005 that runs below street level through downtown, to a welcome dinner of Korean barbecue, grilled at the table and served with banchan, the small side dishes that come with every Korean meal.

   Compris

   • Pick-up at Incheon International Airport (ICN)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide and a Seoul transit card
   • Evening walk along Cheonggyecheon stream
   • Welcome dinner of Korean barbecue

   Temps libre : Free until the 6 pm meeting

   Activité : If you land late, the driver still meets you and your guide catches up with you at breakfast.

2. Jour 2 : Changdeokgung, the Secret Garden and Bukchon

   Changdeokgung to Bukchon, then Gwangjang Market

   • Environ 30 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Seoul
   Détail du jour 2

   We are at the gate of Changdeokgung when it opens at 9 am. Built in 1405 as a secondary palace of the Joseon kings and listed by UNESCO in 1997, it follows the slope of the hill rather than a straight axis, and at this hour you can stand almost alone in front of Injeongjeon, the throne hall. Next is Huwon, the Secret Garden behind the palace, seen only on a guided tour with timed tickets; we book an early one. Its paths lead past pavilions and old trees to the lotus pond of Buyongji. From the palace we walk up into Bukchon, a hillside of lived-in hanok houses, keeping voices low for the residents. Lunch is at Gwangjang Market, sitting at the stall counters over bindaetteok, a crisp mung bean pancake, and small rolls of gimbap. The afternoon and evening are yours, with ideas from your guide.

   Compris

   • Changdeokgung at opening with your guide
   • Guided tour of Huwon, the Secret Garden
   • Walk through Bukchon's hanok lanes
   • Street-food lunch at Gwangjang Market

   Activités en option

   • National Museum of Korea
   • N Seoul Tower on Namsan

   Option plus facile : Go back to the hotel after lunch, or take a short taxi ride instead of walking Bukchon's hill lanes.

   Option plus active : In the late afternoon, walk the Seoul city wall trail from Heunginjimun gate up to Naksan Park for the city at sunset; your guide shows you where to start.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free

   Activité : Changdeokgung is closed on Mondays, so departures are set so this day never falls on one. About 6 km on foot, with hill lanes in Bukchon.

3. Jour 3 : The DMZ, then Gyeongbokgung

   Seoul to Imjingak, the Third Tunnel and Dora Observatory, then back to Gyeongbokgung

   • Environ 3 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Seoul
   Détail du jour 3

   We leave at about 8 am for the Demilitarized Zone, the strip about 4 km wide that has divided the peninsula since the 1953 armistice. Sites here are visited on registered tours, so a licensed DMZ guide joins us and passports are checked on the way in. At Imjingak we see the Freedom Bridge and the ribbons tied to the fences by families divided by the war. Then we walk down the steep access slope into the Third Tunnel, dug from the North and found in 1978, and stand at Dora Observatory, where on a clear day you look across into North Korea. After a sit-down lunch near the border we drive back to Seoul by about 3 pm and walk through Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon dynasty, as the day-trippers thin, from the throne hall to Gyeonghoeru, the banquet pavilion standing in its pond. The evening is free.

   Compris

   • DMZ tour with a licensed DMZ guide: Imjingak and the Freedom Bridge, the Third Tunnel and Dora Observatory
   • Sit-down lunch near the border
   • Gyeongbokgung in the afternoon with your guide

   Activités en option

   • The War Memorial of Korea

   Option plus facile : Skip the walk down into the Third Tunnel and wait at the visitor centre at the top; skip Gyeongbokgung and go back to the hotel.

   Temps libre : Evening free

   Activité : Bring your passport. DMZ tours do not run on Mondays and can be cancelled at short notice for military reasons; if that happens we visit the War Memorial of Korea instead. Gyeongbokgung is closed on Tuesdays and closes at 5 pm from November, so on November departures the DMZ leaves earlier or the palace moves to 9 am on day 4 before a later train.

4. Jour 4 : KTX to Gyeongju, the Silla capital

   Seoul to Gyeongju by KTX, then Daereungwon, Cheomseongdae and Wolji Pond

   • Environ 30 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Gyeongju
   Détail du jour 4

   After breakfast our vehicle heads south by road with the luggage, and we ride the KTX high-speed train from Seoul Station to Gyeongju, about two hours, with just a day bag. Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom for close to a thousand years, and much of it is listed by UNESCO as the Gyeongju Historic Areas. The vehicle meets us at the station and lunch is ssambap, rice wrapped in fresh leaves with a spread of small dishes. In the afternoon we walk among the grass-covered royal tomb mounds of Daereungwon and step inside Cheonmachong, where a painted saddle flap of a flying horse was found. Then we pass Cheomseongdae, the 7th-century stone observatory, and end at dusk at Wolji Pond, when the reconstructed pavilions of Donggung Palace are lit on the water. Dinner is free among the cafés and small restaurants of Hwangnidan-gil, a few minutes from the hotel.

   Compris

   • KTX from Seoul to Gyeongju, with your luggage sent ahead by road
   • Ssambap lunch
   • Daereungwon tomb park and the Cheonmachong tomb
   • Cheomseongdae observatory
   • Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond at dusk

   Activités en option

   • Gyeongju National Museum

   Option plus facile : Ride between the tomb park and Wolji Pond instead of walking, about 2 km.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon and dinner free

   Activité : About 5 km on foot on flat paths. One night only in Gyeongju: we start the next day at Bulguksa's opening, so nothing is lost by moving on.

   

5. Jour 5 : Bulguksa, Seokguram and down to Busan

   Gyeongju to Bulguksa and Seokguram, then to Busan: Haeundae and Dongbaekseom

   • Environ 2 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Busan
   Détail du jour 5

   We reach Bulguksa close to opening, before the school groups. Rebuilt in the 8th century and listed by UNESCO in 1995 with Seokguram, it rises on stone terraces reached by two double stairways, with the stone pagodas Dabotap and Seokgatap in its main courtyard. Higher on Tohamsan, Seokguram is a granite Buddha in a man-made grotto, seen through a glass screen. We drive up through the forest, and anyone who likes can walk the trail between the two instead. From Bulguksa it is about an hour and a quarter to Busan, Korea's second city and biggest port, for a late lunch of milmyeon, cold wheat noodles, a Busan dish. We check in near Haeundae beach, and in the late afternoon your guide walks you round Dongbaekseom, a small wooded headland at the end of the beach, on a path above the rocks. The evening is free among the seafood restaurants on the beach streets.

   Compris

   • Bulguksa close to opening with your guide
   • Seokguram grotto
   • Milmyeon lunch in Busan
   • Walk around Dongbaekseom and along Haeundae beach

   Activités en option

   • A jjimjilbang, a Korean bathhouse and sauna

   Option plus facile : Ride both ways between Bulguksa and Seokguram, and skip the Dongbaekseom walk for a seat on the beach.

   Option plus active : Walk the forest trail from Bulguksa up to Seokguram, about 3 km and an hour's steady climb, and meet the group at the top.

   Temps libre : Evening free

   Activité : About 6 km on foot with steps at Bulguksa. No photos inside the Seokguram grotto.

   

6. Jour 6 : Haedong Yonggungsa and a free afternoon

   Haeundae to Haedong Yonggungsa, then back to Haeundae and Gwangalli at dusk

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Busan
   Détail du jour 6

   We are at Haedong Yonggungsa by about 8 am, before the tour coaches. First founded in the 14th century and rebuilt in the 20th, it is one of the few Korean temples built on the sea rather than in the mountains, and the steps lead down to halls on the rocks with the waves breaking below. Your guide explains the zodiac statues along the path and the custom of tossing coins for luck. We are back at the hotel by late morning, and the rest of the day is yours: the first fully free stretch of the trip, placed here so that the evening ferry tomorrow comes after a rested day. Your guide suggests the Haeundae Blueline Park beach train along the old coastal railway, the Busan Museum of Art or simply the beach. At dusk we meet and drive about 15 minutes to Gwangalli, the next beach west, to see the Gwangan Bridge lit over the bay.

   Compris

   • Haedong Yonggungsa early, before the coaches
   • Gwangalli beach and the Gwangan Bridge lit at dusk

   Activités en option

   • Haeundae Blueline Park beach train or sky capsule
   • An evening cruise past the Gwangan Bridge

   Option plus facile : At Yonggungsa, the view from the top of the steps takes in the whole temple; you need not walk down.

   Option plus active : Walk the coastal path from Mipo to Cheongsapo, about 2 km above the sea, with your guide's directions.

   Temps libre : Late morning, afternoon and dinner free

   Activité : About 108 steps down to Yonggungsa and back up.

7. Jour 7 : Gamcheon, Jagalchi and the night ferry to Japan

   Haeundae to Gamcheon Culture Village and Jagalchi, then Busan Port by overnight ferry to Hakata, Fukuoka

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Overnight ferry to Fukuoka
   Détail du jour 7

   After breakfast we check out and cross the city to Gamcheon Culture Village, a hillside of small houses built by refugees during the Korean War and painted in bright colours, and walk its lanes and stairways with your guide. A short hop down the hill brings us to lunch at Jagalchi, Korea's best-known fish market: choose fish, octopus or shellfish from the tanks downstairs and have it cooked upstairs. Then we walk through Gukje Market's covered lanes and stop for ssiat hotteok, a pancake filled with seeds and syrup. In the late afternoon our vehicle takes us and the luggage to the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal, a few minutes away, for dinner and the evening sailing across the Korea Strait to Hakata port in Fukuoka. This is our preferred crossing: you sleep in a cabin and wake up in Japan. If the sailing is cancelled or does not fit the dates, we fly from Gimhae to Fukuoka, about an hour, and stay in a Fukuoka hotel.

   Compris

   • Gamcheon Culture Village with your guide
   • Seafood lunch at Jagalchi fish market
   • Walk through Gukje Market and a ssiat hotteok
   • Dinner before or after boarding, timed to the sailing
   • Overnight ferry from Busan to Hakata, Fukuoka, in cabins shared as your hotel rooms are

   Activités en option

   • Busan Tower in Yongdusan Park

   Option plus facile : At Gamcheon, stay on the main lane along the top of the hill instead of the stairways down into the village.

   Temps libre : Free hour before boarding

   Activité : Bring your passport for departure checks at the terminal. Cabins are compact; pack what you need for the night in your day bag. The ferry depends on the weather, and the flight fallback is booked by us at no extra cost if a sailing is cancelled.

   

8. Jour 8 : Hakata to Hiroshima and the Peace Park

   Hakata port to Hakata Station, then shinkansen to Hiroshima: Peace Memorial Park and Museum

   • Environ 15 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Hiroshima
   Détail du jour 8

   The ferry docks at Hakata port in the early morning and we clear Japanese immigration and customs. After breakfast at Hakata Station we take the shinkansen to Hiroshima, about an hour and five minutes, in reserved seats with room for our bags. We leave the luggage at the hotel and walk to Peace Memorial Park, laid out where the city centre stood before the atomic bomb of 6 August 1945. Your guide takes you from the Atomic Bomb Dome, listed by UNESCO in 1996, past the Children's Peace Monument and the cenotaph to the Peace Memorial Museum, where we spend about two hours. Where one can be arranged, we hear a testimony from a survivor or one of the trained successors who now tell their stories. Lunch is Hiroshima okonomiyaki, layered with noodles and cabbage and cooked on the griddle in front of you. The afternoon is free to rest after the night at sea.

   Compris

   • Transfer from Hakata port to Hakata Station
   • Shinkansen from Hakata to Hiroshima
   • Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome with your guide
   • Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
   • A testimony talk, where one can be arranged
   • Okonomiyaki lunch

   Activités en option

   • Shukkeien garden
   • The grounds of Hiroshima Castle

   Option plus facile : Sit out part of the museum in the park outside; it is a heavy visit and you can take it at your own pace.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free

   Activité : On the flight fallback you wake in a Fukuoka hotel and take the same train. About 4 km on foot, all flat. Japan's arrival forms can be filled in ahead on Visit Japan Web.

   

9. Jour 9 : Miyajima early, then the shinkansen to Kyoto

   Hiroshima to Miyajima by train and ferry, then shinkansen to Kyoto

   • En train
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Kyoto
   Détail du jour 9

   We leave early by train to Miyajimaguchi and take the ten-minute ferry across to Miyajima, so that we are on the island before the day-trippers. Itsukushima Shrine, listed by UNESCO in 1996, is built on piers over the tidal flats, and its great vermilion torii stands in the water at high tide; at low tide you can walk out to it on the sand. We see the shrine as it opens, then climb the lanes to Daisho-in, a temple on the slope of Mount Misen with rows of small stone figures and a path lined with prayer wheels. The island's deer wander the streets, so keep snacks out of sight. Lunch is anago-meshi, grilled conger eel on rice, a local dish. We are back in Hiroshima by about 1:30 to collect the bags and take the shinkansen to Kyoto, about an hour and three quarters, arriving at about 4:30 pm. The evening is free.

   Compris

   • Train and ferry to Miyajima
   • Itsukushima Shrine with your guide
   • Daisho-in temple
   • Anago-meshi lunch on the island
   • Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Kyoto

   Activités en option

   • The Mount Misen ropeway

   Option plus facile : Stay on the flat seafront by the shrine and the shopping street instead of climbing to Daisho-in.

   Option plus active : Climb a short way up the Daisho-in trail on Mount Misen for the view over the shrine and the sea before lunch.

   Temps libre : Evening free in Kyoto

   Activité : Tide times change the look of the torii; your guide checks them for the day. Miyajima charges a small visitor tax, included. About 5 km on foot with steps at Daisho-in.

10. Jour 10 : Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera and Gion

    Kyoto: Fushimi Inari, then Higashiyama, Kiyomizu-dera and an evening walk in Gion

    • En train
    • Petit-déjeuner
    • Nuit : Kyoto
    Détail du jour 10

    We start at Fushimi Inari Taisha at about 7:30 am, when the tunnels of vermilion torii gates on the hill behind the shrine are still quiet and the light comes in low through the trees. The path is open day and night; most visitors turn back at the first viewpoint, and we go a little further, to where the gates thin out and the city opens below. From there we cross to Higashiyama and walk up to Kiyomizu-dera, a temple listed by UNESCO in 1994 whose wooden stage stands on tall pillars above the trees. We walk down the stepped lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, past old wooden shopfronts, to lunch. The afternoon is free. In the early evening your guide leads a walk through Gion and along Hanamikoji and the Shirakawa canal, the old teahouse district, explaining the rules that now protect its private lanes and how to behave if you meet a geiko or maiko.

    Compris

    • Fushimi Inari Taisha early with your guide
    • Kiyomizu-dera
    • Walk down Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka
    • Evening walk through Gion and the Shirakawa canal

    Activités en option

    • A tea ceremony
    • A bike tour along the Kamo river

    Option plus facile : Turn back at the first viewpoint at Fushimi Inari, about 30 minutes up, and take a taxi between Fushimi and Kiyomizu-dera.

    Option plus active : Carry on to the summit of Inari-yama, about 2 to 3 hours up and down with many steps, and meet the group at lunch.

    Temps libre : Afternoon free; dinner free

    Activité : About 8 km on foot with many steps at Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera; both have shorter ways round.

11. Jour 11 : Nara: Todai-ji, the deer park and Kasuga Taisha

    Kyoto to Nara by train and back

    • En train
    • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
    • Nuit : Kyoto
    Détail du jour 11

    Nara was Japan's capital in the 8th century, before Kyoto, and its temples and shrines are listed by UNESCO as the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara. The train takes about 45 minutes, and we start at Todai-ji soon after it opens, when the Great Buddha Hall, one of the largest wooden buildings in the world, is still calm inside. The bronze Buddha sits about 15 metres high. From there we walk through Nara Park, where more than a thousand deer roam free and bow for the special crackers sold by the paths. A forest path lined with stone lanterns leads to Kasuga Taisha, the shrine of the Fujiwara clan, with hundreds of bronze lanterns hanging from its vermilion corridors. Lunch is in Naramachi, the old merchant quarter, then we take the train back to Kyoto by mid-afternoon. The rest of the day is free, perhaps for Nishiki Market or a temple of your choice.

    Compris

    • Train from Kyoto to Nara and back
    • Todai-ji and the Great Buddha Hall with your guide
    • Nara Park and its deer
    • Kasuga Taisha
    • Lunch in Naramachi

    Activités en option

    • Nishiki Market food walk in Kyoto

    Option plus facile : Take a taxi between Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha, about 2 km, and wait in Naramachi for lunch.

    Temps libre : Mid-afternoon and evening free

    Activité : About 7 km on foot on gravel and forest paths. The deer can nip if you hold crackers too long; your guide shows you how to feed them.

12. Jour 12 : Arashiyama, then to Hakone and a ryokan night

    Kyoto: Arashiyama and Tenryu-ji, then shinkansen to Odawara and on to Hakone

    • Environ 1 h de route
    • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
    • Nuit : Hakone
    Détail du jour 12

    We are in the Arashiyama bamboo grove by about 8 am, before the crowds that fill it later in the morning, then walk to Tenryu-ji, a Zen temple listed by UNESCO in 1994, whose 14th-century garden of a pond and rocks borrows the hills behind it as scenery. Your main suitcase goes ahead to Tokyo by luggage delivery this morning, so you travel with only an overnight bag. Late in the morning we take the shinkansen east from Kyoto to Odawara, about two hours, with a bento lunch on board, and on clear days Mount Fuji appears on the left side of the train. At Odawara our vehicle takes us up into Hakone, about 45 minutes, to a ryokan, a traditional inn with its own hot-spring baths. Change into a yukata, try the onsen before dinner, and sit down to a kaiseki dinner, a sequence of small seasonal courses served in your room or a private dining room.

    Compris

    • Arashiyama bamboo grove early
    • Tenryu-ji and its garden
    • Shinkansen from Kyoto to Odawara with a bento lunch
    • Luggage delivery of your main suitcase from Kyoto to Tokyo
    • Ryokan night in Hakone with its onsen
    • Kaiseki dinner

    Option plus facile : Skip Tenryu-ji's garden and wait at a café by the bamboo grove.

    Temps libre : Late afternoon free at the ryokan

    Activité : Onsen bathing is usually separate for men and women and without swimwear; private baths can be requested at booking where the ryokan has them. Some onsen do not admit guests with large tattoos; tell us when you book. About 4 km on foot.

13. Jour 13 : Lake Ashi, Owakudani and on to Tokyo

    Hakone: Owakudani and Lake Ashi, then Odawara to Tokyo by shinkansen

    • Environ 1.5 h de route
    • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
    • Nuit : Tokyo
    Détail du jour 13

    After a Japanese breakfast at the ryokan, our vehicle takes us round the Hakone loop. We ride the Hakone Ropeway over Owakudani, a volcanic valley where steam and sulphur vents rise from the hillside, and stop to try a kuro-tamago, an egg boiled black in the hot springs. Then we cross Lake Ashi by sightseeing boat, with Mount Fuji visible across the water on clear mornings, often in the cooler months. At Moto-Hakone we walk through Onshi Hakone Park, a small hill park on a point of the lake with a view of the water and, on clear days, Fuji. Lunch is in Moto-Hakone, then the vehicle takes us down to Odawara for the shinkansen to Tokyo, about 35 minutes. We reach the hotel by about 4 pm, where your suitcase is waiting. In the early evening your guide takes you to Shibuya to cross the famous scramble at dusk.

    Compris

    • Hakone Ropeway over Owakudani
    • Lake Ashi sightseeing boat
    • Onshi Hakone Park
    • Lunch in Moto-Hakone
    • Shinkansen from Odawara to Tokyo
    • Shibuya crossing at dusk with your guide

    Activités en option

    • Hakone Open-Air Museum on request, instead of the ropeway

    Option plus facile : Stay on the boat and in the park, and skip the evening in Shibuya.

    Temps libre : Evening free after Shibuya

    Activité : The ropeway closes in high winds or when volcanic activity at Owakudani rises; then we take the road round the lake instead. Fuji is often hidden by cloud; it is never a promise.

    

14. Jour 14 : Asakusa, Tsukiji and a farewell dinner

    Tokyo: Senso-ji in Asakusa, Tsukiji Outer Market, then Meiji Jingu

    • En train
    • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
    • Nuit : Tokyo
    Détail du jour 14

    We are at Senso-ji in Asakusa by about 7:30 am, when the Thunder Gate and Nakamise street are quiet and locals stop to pray before work. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, founded in the 7th century, and the main hall is open from early morning. Then we ride the metro to the Tsukiji Outer Market, the lanes of food stalls and knife shops that stayed when the wholesale fish market moved to Toyosu in 2018, and eat our way through lunch: tamagoyaki, grilled scallops, a bowl of fresh fish on rice. In the early afternoon we walk the gravel paths through the forest to Meiji Jingu, the shrine to the Meiji emperor, then the rest of the afternoon is free for Harajuku, the Imperial Palace East Gardens or the museums of Ueno. In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner at an izakaya, sharing small plates around one table.

    Compris

    • Senso-ji early with your guide
    • Tsukiji Outer Market food walk and lunch
    • Meiji Jingu
    • Farewell dinner at an izakaya

    Activités en option

    • Imperial Palace East Gardens
    • Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum
    • A sumo morning practice, when one can be booked

    Option plus facile : Ride the metro and taxis between stops; skip Meiji Jingu and go back to the hotel after lunch.

    Option plus active : Walk from Asakusa along the Sumida river to the Tokyo Skytree area, about 2 km, before the metro.

    Temps libre : Afternoon free

    Activité : Many Tsukiji Outer Market shops close on Sundays and some Wednesdays, so we set the day around them. About 8 km on foot.

15. Jour 15 : Depart from Tokyo

    Tokyo hotel to Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) airport

    • Environ 45 min de route
    • Petit-déjeuner
    Détail du jour 15

    Your trip ends after breakfast. Your guide says goodbye at the hotel, and a transfer takes you to the airport at a time set by your flight: Haneda (HND) is about 30 to 45 minutes away, Narita (NRT) about 75 to 90 minutes, depending on traffic. If your flight leaves late, the hotel holds your bags after check-out, and your guide will have suggestions for a last morning in the city, such as the Imperial Palace East Gardens or a walk through Ginza. If you would like to stay on in Tokyo, or add a few days in Osaka or elsewhere in Japan, ask us for extra hotel nights and a plan when you book. Leftover yen can be used on your transit card for snacks and drinks before you fly; Japan charges a departure tax that is added to your airline ticket, not paid at the airport.

    Compris

    • Transfer to Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) airport

    Activité : Flying from Haneda: book a flight after about 11 am. Flying from Narita: book a flight after about 1 pm.

Faune et météo : Spring brings cherry blossom from late March in Japan and early April in Korea, with the biggest crowds of the year in Kyoto, and mild days through May. Autumn is clear and dry, with maple colour in Korea's mountains from mid October and in Kyoto from mid November; Mount Fuji shows most often on cool, clear autumn mornings. From November Seoul's palaces close an hour earlier, at 5 pm. June to mid July is the rainy season in both countries, summer is hot and humid, and typhoons can disrupt the ferry from August to October.

• Seoul3 nuits
• Gyeongju1 nuit
• Busan2 nuits
• Overnight ferry to Fukuoka1 nuit
• Hiroshima1 nuit
• Kyoto3 nuits
• Hakone1 nuit
• Tokyo2 nuits