Seoul Tours and Trips

Fabulous trip overall I loved it, however I would refine the itinerary in the following ways if feasible : - DMZ on Day 1 as predominantly slower day on the bus (helps recovering from jet lag) - Seoul city exploring was ~ 20,000 steps so perhaps split some of these sights at start and end of tour (doing this on the current Day 1 itinerary with jet lag was a struggle for a lot of people). - drop seeing missionary houses - Buddha temple afternoon was too long (archery was fun, show was good, but several hours of meditation and slow training was very boring) - keep the paper making factory visit in itinerary (as this wasn’t in our original itinerary but added due to weather circumstances and it was excellent) - make this a 2 week trip - tour is very city heavy, consider having a rural visit to rice farmers or equivalent Tour guide JAMES JIN - absolutely fabulous, one of the best guides I’ve experienced on all my many trips with explore. - He went above and beyond to clearly explain the history, culture and flavours of South Korea - his dedication to ensuring the group were content, fulfilled and safe whilst dashing up to Seoul from Busan to attend the surprise early birth of his first child was truly commendable - his patience with the different levels of fitness of the group was caring and supportive - BOOK him again (as this was his 1st explore guiding trip I believe)

The cooking classes were fantastic and really enjoyed going to the Japanese shrines. Very well rounded tour. Korea DMZ was up close and personal tour that I will never forget. loves the Korean markets and subway systems.

I was stunned to learn, halfway through, that we were experiencing the maiden voyage of this tour. Everything was seamlessly smooth, as though the tour had run a hundred times. I've always enjoyed Trafalgar tours, but I have newfound respect for their expertise. Sung was an excellent guide, providing interesting background and ensuring comfortable travel for all. The sites visited were all wonderful. Rooms, meals, and travel accommodations were all great.

I’ve done over a dozen tours with Collette and this one was my favorite for many reasons: The hotels were super clean and modern; more included meals and right balance of free time. The tour manager was very informative and sent us helpful information two weeks prior to departure. Visits and stories from Hiroshima bomb survivor and North Korean defector will stay with forever. Finally, I feel Collette’s small group tour offers better experiences and value.

The tour was very good with a wide range of experiences across historic and modern South Korea. The visits to the War Memorial in Seoul and the UN War Cemetery in Busan were very moving. The tour director Sung was excellent, professional, diligent with an excellent command of English and knowledge of western customs and sense of humour. The driver, Mr Seo for the Andong to Busan sector was also excellent with exceptional driving skills and an engaging personality. We would recommend this tour to others. Suggested areas for improvement are as follows: •We did not receive the advance notification email from the tour director as we were on the move and the email went to our home email rather than our travel email. To cover all contingencies, it is suggested that a note from the tour director be left at the hotel to be passed on when Trafalgar guests check in. •It would have been preferably not to have two provided meals on the first day in Andong. The lunch spoilt our appetite for the exquisite Be My Guest dinner. •The hotels were above average for South Korea but the hot breakfast food was frequently cold and the practice of removing plates and placing the used cutlery on the table was considered to be unhygienic. •We had mixed feelings about the Novotel hotel in Seoul which seemed quite expensive and not good value for money. The breakfast sitting arrangements created intrusive monitoring. After a toilet blockage we were advised not to place toilet paper in the toilet. There were no signs to this effect nor something we would expect in a relatively new and expensive five- star hotel. •We were disappointed that the coaches used in Seoul had brown tinted side windows which distorted the colour of the scenery. •After leaving the tour we visited a number of areas in Seoul which could be included as options in future tours. oGangnam precinct around COEX Mall has a variety of sites to see oQuality craft souvenirs from Bukchon Hanok Village souvenir shop with an Observatory

Korea is an interesting country and the itinerary covers the main features. Fast paced, I think you need to be reasonably fit to cover the sometimes irregular terrain and changing weather conditions; take a raincoat if travelling in spring. Nikky, our Guide was enthusiastic and a 'speedy' walker. Accommodation was excellent.