Tour or Solo

Hi I am in the process of planning my first trip to South Korea with my family. It will be me, my brother and my Mom.

The trip is a birthday present for my mom who has always wanted to go go South Korea. We are looking to vist 2-3 cities (Seoul, Busan, Jeju) over 5-7 days or so.

Question is, is it easier to book a tour or is this something that we could do independently?

Tour or Solo

you could do it independently without any Korean language.

Why Busan? not, to my mind, a very exciting place! (sorry people from Busan!)

Tour or Solo

Well, if you go solo you%26#39;ll need at least a week for your itinerary. Five days would really be pushing it, rushed if you do it solo. A week would be better with two days in each place...

I don%26#39;t know your age, but it sounds like it is up to how you like to travel and really, your Mom%26#39;s condition. My parents were just here last summer and they are in their late 60s. Of course, we traveled around on our own since I%26#39;ve lived here for a while. Also, they enjoyed tooling around the different places, wandering on their own. A tour might restrict you somewhat in that aspect.

Still, with your limited amount of time, a tour might be the way to go. Everything will be planned out and you%26#39;ll see the major sites. I haven%26#39;t ever taken a tour here, so I cannot recommend one though I%26#39;m sure I could find a couple of options for you.

You also might try to narrow down what it is you want to see here exactly. Temples, nature, palaces, museums... Then, find a tour that more caters to those areas...

There are many Korean Travel agency in NYC where you can find cheaper airfares and perhaps help you book you hotels in Korea. They also offer escorted tours but I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s done in English. I am not related anyway to this agency, but I used them when I bought my own air line tickets, http://www.empiretravelny.com/contact.asp

Or you can google search them on your own.

I personally prefer traveling independently over group since it allows more freedom, and Korea has very good public transportation, — especially subways and KTX (bullet trains)have English signs and announcements. I found many Koreans do speak better English than I expected. Although I look like a Korean, many people spoke to me in English first cause I dressed like a American =) when I was there.

Why visit Busan? Why not visit Gyeongju which is about 1 hour from Busan? It is about 3000 years old city, ancient capital of one of old kiongdom. You can see ancient toms, historical sites and temples there.

Thanks for the info. The guide books recommend Busan. If you have other recommendations would love to hear them. Thanks

Thanks for the recommendations.I also prefer to go at these things by myself. My mom is in relatively good health. She does have some knee problems so I worry tours don%26#39;t give flexibility to accomodate fatigue etc.

Maybe there is a way to do a bit of both. Does anyone know of shorter 2-3 day tours can arrange when you arrive in Korea? I will definitely check out Gyeongju.

Gyeongju is do-able either by bus or better by train. It will take you about 4-5 hrs either way. It%26#39;s worth it.

I stay at Hilton on Bomum Lake (all the more decent hotels are there). City is 10,000 Won away by taxi- plenty to see.

Check out ';tumuli Park'; ';Chomseongdae'; ';Anapji Pond'; ';Kyongju National Museum';.

Better still grab an International Driving Permit, and rent a car for a day in Gyeongju. Visit Bulguk Temple, Seokkuram Grotto, Gampo town, Ming Mummu%26#39;s sea tomb.

Try xanadu.co.kr for local tours. That is where I would start. Again, if your mom has knee trouble, a coach tour might be the way to go. Do one in Seoul for a couple of days then KTX on your own to Kyongju or Busan and do another. Still, you will be doing a lot of walking. In Kyongju the tombs are right in the city center which is easy but Bulguksa and Sokkoram are outside of the city. And, those are the two other main ancient sites in Kyongju. Sokkoram is a trek up the mountain to get to. I%26#39;m not sure it can be accessed by car even. Perhaps so but still plan on some physical exertion whatever you do. If you do decide to do it on your own, i.e. subways, buses, trains -- please consider all the walking / stairs involved... well, for your mom%26#39;s sake.

Renting a car? I%26#39;m not so sure about that one. One reason is cost. Rental cars may be affordable but the fuel is another thing... $8 U.S. per gallon I believe. A second is finding your way around. Sure, most road signs are in English, but... count on getting lost at least twice and time is valuable with your itinerary... Third, you have to get the int. ID if you don%26#39;t already have one AND locate a rental car company. Again, time.

If you are intent on seeing the most with the least amount of headaches, especially in Kyongju, just set up a tour before you arrive or even once you get here...

Also, have you thought about touring the DMZ? Pretty fascinating in my opinion...

Enjoy.

We%26#39;ll agree to differ on car rental. The hotels all usually have them on hand, and I usually put in 10,000 Won (about 10 $US) of LPG for a day%26#39;s driving.

OTOH you can easily get a cab for the day at hotels in Gyeongju; they can drive the disabled to Bulguksa high level car park (I know because I had a damaged knee last year and was driven to the temple gate). Seokkuram IS a hike.

I personally hate tours, but it may be exactly what you need- so long as it%26#39;s a good one. I know of people who have had bad tour experiences, sitting in a bus for hours and driving past the sights they thought they were visiting. I%26#39;ve had one bad tour like that in Korea, where we did Suanbo, Hahoe, Andong, Gyongju and Kwangju all in one day from Seoul. BUT there are really good tours; others may have good recommendations- and I think it%26#39;s recommendations you need.

And DMZ can be excellent.

worldwide00, if you have time, try to visit one of those visit mega spas called Jjimjilbang or hot spring spas. In my opinion, you can definitely get rid of jet-leg or travel fatigues after you soak om various hot pools, sweat on multiple choice of saunas, or get water therapies. My mom loves that kind of stuffs. …visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_4_3_2.jsp