South Korea: Pagodas, Palaces & Temples | March 2026

South Korea offers the cultural traveller a rich landscape of historical, artistic and architectural points of interest. Seoul, where our tour begins and ends, was the capital of the Joseon dynasty from 1392 until 1910. The ancient city’s royal palaces and sacred sites are better preserved than anything of their type in China, with 15th century Changdeokgung sheltering a particularly beautiful secret garden.
 

From Seoul, we will journey to Busan, Korea’s largest port, for an excursion north of the city to the temples of Tongdosa and Beomeosa. Hallyeo Maritime National Park, meanwhile, will be the setting for a boat trip to the naval headquarters of Admiral Yi Sun Shin, famed for his victories over the Japanese in the 16th century. Further highlights of our tour taking in South Korea’s scenery will include visits to Jogyesan Provincial Park, Mount Jirisan National Park, folk villages and a tea plantation.
 
South Korea is home to a wealth of historical and artistic treasures. The secluded Temple of Haeinsa on the slopes of Mount Kaya safeguards the Tripitaka Koreana, the world’s most complete corpus of Buddhist texts, engraved in the mid 13th century on 80,000 wooden blocks. We also look forward to visiting the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul, located in the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung Palace.
 
Gyeongju, once the capital of the Silla Empire, is heralded as one of Korea’s most traditional – and most striking – cities, akin to a bustle-free Kyoto. Dotted with dozens of royal tombs from the Silla era, Gyeongju parades a memorable array of historical attractions: not just the 8th century grotto of Seokguram with its monumental Buddha, but also Bulguksa Temple, where the remarkable twin pagodas were designed by the legendary 8th century master craftsman Asadal.
 
Before returning to Seoul at the end of the tour, we will enjoy visits in the Andong area – including Beongjeongsa Temple, South Korea’s oldest wooden structure, and Byeongsan Seowon and Dosan Seowon Confucian academies – and in Kongju, the National Museum and Beopjusa Temple, the country’s largest timber pagoda.

A special feature of our tour will be the opportunity to partake in a traditional overnight temple stay programme at Hwaeomsa Temple, providing an immersive and authentic experience for participants, with opportunities to attend chanted ceremonies, witness drumming, speak to the monks, and attend an optional early morning service and a countryside walk led by a monk. For more information on this aspect of the tour, please see the ‘Accommodation & Overnight Temple Stay’ section.

This tour has been scheduled for a time of year that ACE has found to be particularly favourable for visiting South Korea. Ideal conditions were experienced by the ACE group on the March 2024 departure, with sunshine and comfortable temperatures throughout much of the tour, as is to be expected at this time of year. Moreover, March is generally a quieter month for tourism, with the result that sites are usually less busy and crowded.

This tour will be led by Alex Koller, PhD, an art historian who studied in Vienna, Salzburg and Cambridge. Alex has been leading tours since 1998 and is an accomplished linguist. His experience ranges from Eastern Europe, Russia and the Himalayas to Japan and Southeast Asia. His travels to the Far East have engendered a keen interest in Buddhist art and architecture.