Cherry petal
The seaside town of Jinhae is considered amongKoreans one of the best places for admiring the cherry blossoms. At the time of flowering the whole town is sweapt with white and pink petals. Every year in early April, the town hosts a festival dedicated to the cherry blossom. The city is connected with the history of the Navy of Korea, the oldest Naval Academy of the country is situated here, and the festival boasts many events dedicated to the Korean Navy. A very special event during the festival is a special War Orchestras competition which usually attracts military bands from all around the world!
Busan has long been one of the main ports of Korea. Currently, it is its largest port and the second largest city in the country. The rich history of this picturesque and dynamic metropolis has left its traces in its appearance: here you will also find artifacts related to the Korean War of 1950-1953 - the UN Memorial Cemetery, etc. "International market"; and Buddhist monasteries, ancient and modern, but surprisingly colorful; and landscaped seaside parks; and beautiful beaches.
This sightseeing tour includes the following objects:
The picturesque beaches of Haeundae and Gwanalli
The famous Chagalchi fish market
Haedongyonggungsa Buddhist Temple, located right on the rocky shore of the East Sea
External inspection of the world's largest department store (listed in the Guinness Book of Records)
the world's largest cantilever roof Busan Cinema Center
Camellius Island, a picturesque meeting place of APEC presidents in 2005 with a magnificent view of the Diamond Bridge (Gwanan Daegyo)
Unforgettable impressions of fresh, forever young Busan - the largest port of Korea and the second largest city in the country.
Options (depending on the route, the agreement of the entire group may be required):
- For an additional fee ($20 per person), you can visit the observation deck located in the tallest building in Busan (2nd tallest in Korea) - Busan X the Sky.
- Cable car over the sea Songdo Cable Car: $20/person
- Yacht trip (50 minutes) by sea: $35 per person (price may vary depending on the season)
The name of the temple literally translates to "Dragon Palace Temple of the Country East of the Sea", 해동용궁사 海東龍宮寺.
The construction of the temple was completed in the 2nd year of Wu-wang's reign in 1376.
The temple was built by the sea thanks to the prophetic dream of the founder of the temple, the teacher [king - van] Hegyn. In a dream, a Dragon appeared to him (whose responsibility includes the seas and oceans) and "advised" to build a temple on the seashore, devote himself entirely to prayers - and then the great drought that Korea suffered from would pass ... Initially, the temple was called Pomunsa.
The current name of the temple was given in the 1970s. The abbot responsible for the restoration of the temple named it so after the Bodhisattva of Mercy appeared to him in a dream.
Most popular beach in Busan and a vivid resort district.
A picturesque 2-storey bridge over the sea in Busan is one of its most exquiste landmarks.
The largest seafood market in Korea, where you can see all kinds of marine creatures, both from the plant and animal worlds (and from the border worlds too!).
You can also eat deliciously at the market: fried or raw fish, as well as seafood, is served at the table in numerous restaurants in the market.
If you prefer something less exotic, we recommend the food court at the Lotte department store next door. The observation deck at the department store offers a magnificent view of Busan from a bird's eye view.
The city of Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Korean state of Silla, is famous for its monuments included in the UNESCO world heritage: burial mounds, ancient Buddhist monasteries, and the artificial grotto Seokguram.
Gyeongju is also a unique national park. Korea's only historical national park!
Attention! If the tour ends before dusk, we visit the National Museum of Gyungju instead of the Eastern Palace.
The Buddha statue in this small temple in an artificial grotto is considered the most elegant in All of Korea! The grotto is located on the slope of Mount Tkhohamsan, where the winding serpentine of the mountain road leads.
The walk to the temple through the mountain forest from the parking lot takes about 15-20 minutes; depending on the weather, either a mysterious foggy landscape awaits us (fogs are not uncommon on this mountain), or breathtaking bird's-eye views of the thousand-year-old Gyeongju.
In the grotto, which is formally the hermitage of the Bulguksa temple, located below the slope, the dominant position is occupied by the above-mentioned statue of Buddha, sitting in a lotus position on a pedestal in the shape of a lotus. Around it at different heights are bas-reliefs and statues of bodhisattvas, arhats, Indra and Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings.
If the group agrees, we can go down the mountainside to the temple of Bulguksa.
The main Buddhist temple of United Silla, it is now a place of pilgrimage for many guests of Korea.
The temple was built in 774 under the leadership of the premier of the state of Silla, Kim Taesong. Legend has it that Bulguksa was dedicated to the parents of the current, so to speak, Kim Taesong. While Seokguram, the temple-hermitage under Bulguksa, was intended for Kim Taesung's parents from his previous incarnations.
In 1995, Bulguksa and Seokguram were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Cheomseongdae is one of the oldest observatories in the world (7th century). The tower of the observatory is full of symbolism: the total number of hewn stones from which it is built; the number of rows of these stones before and above the small window, the shape of the stones... Reasonable Silakians paid attention to everything.
Cheomseongdae was built under the reigning Queen Seondok - one of three in the history of Silla. The queen ended up in a drama that, of course, was filmed in Gyeongju.
The only mound which inner parts are open to the public (though filled with replicas, it shows the inner construction of a Shilla mound)
The main state Gyeongju temple from the Silla period, the "Temple of the Yellow Dragon", Hwanyeongsa, has not survived; however, we still have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the pagoda of a hermitage temple of Hwanyeongsa. The hermitage temple is called Punghwansa.
The peculiarity of the pagoda of Punghwansa is that it is built of stones, hewn in such a way that they resemble bricks in shape. What can you not do if you are not familiar with the technology (brick production, in this case)!
Though made anew, it is a nice and quite picturesque place, especially at night.
High speed train Gyeongju - Seoul (more than 300 km / h) will take you to Seoul in about 3 hours