Experiences in South Korea

A fantasy world created by sparkling white snow!
Enjoy the speed and freedom of skiing. Take skiing and snowboarding lessons offered in various languages and enjoy exciting performances and cultural experiences. In Korea, visitors can discover a whole new world of skiing through the Fun Ski Festival, Go-Go Ski Festival and Viva Ski Festival.

Fun Ski Festival
This ski festival is held from mid-December to early March at Yongpyong Resort, Korea’s first ski resort and a well-known host of international competitions. It offers a fun and exciting winter experience with skiing and snowboarding lessons taught by expert instructors, skiing competitions and award ceremonies, and a wide range of hands on programs and performances.

Tourist Trains
The Korea Railroad Co., better known as Korail, provides a multitude of special tourist train to facilitate regional travel. Some of these include the East Sea & Santa Village Train, Baekdudaegan Mountain Range Canyon Train (V-Train), and the Sea Train traveling along the eastern coast.

East Sea & Santa Village Train
East Sea & Santa Village Train offers visitors an amazing view of the sea and the mountains. From Gangneung Station in Gangwon-do, the train rides along the beautiful landscape of the East Sea, passes through Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, and finally arrives at the Santa Village at Buncheon Station in Gyeongsangbuk-do. The train is decorated with a logo that combines the East Sea with the Santa character from Buncheon Santa Village for a fun and welcoming atmosphere.

Baekdudaegan Mountain Range Canyon Train (V-Train)
The ‘V’ in V-Train stands for “valley,” as it travels through the beautiful valley of Cheoram in Gangwon-do as well as Buncheon and Yangwon in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Riding on the V-Train is especially refreshing as the windows can be opened to feel the breeze. Traveling at a leisurely speed slower than regular trains, passengers can easily enjoy the changing views of the mountains and valley. The V-Train consists of three cabins made up of two observatory cabins and an observatory cabin with a mini café. This train was designed as an eco-friendly train and has no restrooms installed.

Sea Train
The Sea Train is composed of four cars: two first-class cars, one economy car, and one family car. The first and the second cars make up the two first-class cars, one with individual seats and the other equipped with couple seats facing the window. The third car has table seats designed for families and a cafeteria. The last car is mainly for accommodating group travelers with seats for two or three people. The train ride takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes for a one-way trip and 3 hours for a round trip.

In addition to the refreshing ocean views through the wide windows, Sea Train offers much more. The first and second cars include Proposal Rooms for couples where they can enjoy a glass of wine during their romantic ride along the ocean shore. The third car is equipped with Sea Train Café, where passengers can purchase a cup of coffee, light snacks, and even local products from the eastern coast region. The interior of the train is decorated in an undersea motif with images of diverse marine animals, serving as a perfect backdrop for memorable photos.

NIGHTLIFE IN KOREA
Korea has many night time activities to offer, as even after midnight, throngs of people wander the streets in major shopping districts and popular downtown areas. While Seoul is considered to be the most representative city in the nation for its nightlife, one may also find stores or restaurants that open throughout the night in most other cities. For a head start, check out the following list of popular night time activities that Korea has to offer!

Romantic Evening Out at Lighting Festivals around Seoul
Here are some great lighting festivals with fabulous decorations such as light tunnels and many more!

Enjoy the Autumn Night with Rooftop Bars in Seoul
Rooftop bars are also excellent for relishing the Seoul nightscape!

Delicious Late Night Excursion in Seoul
Discover more fun and great eats by riding on a night bus!

A must-see landmark of Seoul, N Seoul Tower on Namsan…
To make the most of the trip, stroll around Namsan Park and observatory post to …

Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace
When visiting Seoul, one thing that’s not to be missed is a walk around one of the …

Performing Arts Tourism
DAEHAKRO
Daehakro is a major “arts & culture street” of Korea with some 150 theaters clustered in the area. Stretching for about 1.6km from Jongno 5-ga in Jongno-gu to the Hyehwa-dong Rotary, Daehakro was designated a “cultural zone” operated as a “no cars zone” on weekends. You can visit many historically and culturally popular sites such as Marronnier Park and Naksan Park, or see and taste the latest trends at the various eateries and shopping facilities.

LOCAL FESTIVALS
Distinctively Korean yet widely global festivals are held throughout Korea. From festivals featuring traditional Korean cultures such as gugak (traditional Korean music), talchum (traditional Korean masked dance) and the Arirang (Korean folk song) to musicals, contemporary music and rock, a great assortment of performances and festivities are waiting for people of the world. Many local delicacies and activities will also be available to make your travels more unique and memorable.

BEAUTY & WELLNESS
SPAS & HOT SPRINGS
Bathing in hot springs, or oncheon, and partaking in spa activities have long been loved by Koreans. This unique culture is often seen as medical treatment due to the proven effectiveness in improving metabolism, as well as help recover from fatigue, muscular pain and many others ailments. In addition to these benefits, spas have also become increasingly popular due to various amenities and services. They serve as a place for families and friends to enjoy some downtime together as they relax.

Hot springs (oncheon)
Korea offers a wide variety of hot spring facilities: Health-centered rejuvenation oncheon, open-air oncheon with views of tranquil natural surroundings, and even water park-integrated hot springs that have a variety of fun water rides. Overall, these diverse themed oncheon facilities provide healing getaways effective in treating dermatitis, assuaging symptoms related to sleep deprivation, high blood pressure, neuralgia and more. Hot springs can be found throughout different areas of the country, allowing travelers to soak in and relieve stress away from home.

Spas
Fatigue can easily sneak up on travelers with busy itineraries. For those travelers, we recommend setting aside time to relax at one of Korea’s spas. Visitors can choose from luxury spas in high-end hotels and resorts, or medical treatment spas with trained professionals.

Luxury spas
Hotel spas are the ultimate experience in health-oriented indulgence and offer customers an array of luxury spa products and services. Initially offered as a subsidiary service for hotel guests, hotels have introduced their own spa services and now cater to an ever increasing number of outside guests.

Resort spas are usually found away from the city in quieter, more natural settings that help emphasize the overall spirit of relaxation and rejuvenation. Although it takes more time to travel to one of these locations, resort spas usually offer the benefit of lower prices when compared to hotel spas. Many resort spas are equipped with a water park, outdoor hot springs, and indoor spa facilities, attracting family visitors.

Medical spas
Medical spas include a variety of spa treatments but usually examine each visitor’s physical conditions in depth, combing spa treatments with a doctor’s diagnosis and possibly a prescription. The number of medical spa facilities in Korea is increasing, offering dermatology, plastic surgery, and traditional Korean medicine. Treatments are designed to prevent aging, fight obesity and stress, and bring the body in balance through a combination of healthy diet, exercise, and natural remedies.

JJIMJILBANG
Visitors who are exhausted from a long day of sightseeing are recommended to visit a traditional Korean sauna called jjimjilbang. Most jimjilbang establishments in Korea are equipped with all kinds of great entertainment along with their main sauna facilities, allowing visitors to spend leisure time as they relax. With the growing popularity, jjimjilbang facilities have captured not only the hearts of Koreans but also visitors from abroad, giving the opportunity for jjimjilbang businesses to spread outside of Korea.

What is jjimjilbang?
The term “jjimjil” refers to the treatment of illness through perspiration from the old belief that sweating helps release toxins. Hence, jimjilbang was initially built to offer a sauna experience through bathing in hot pools and relaxing in sauna rooms. Jimjilbang is usually equipped with multiple sauna rooms built from different materials, such as mud, charcoal, and salt, and set to temperatures ranging from 40℃ to 80℃.

Jimjilbang is now considered a leisure facility where one can bathe, rest, and enjoy entertainment all in one place with an admission.