Medicine in South Korea in association with the Royal Society of Medicine

Itinerary at a glance

• Day 1 (Tues, 28 March) Seoul Arrive in Seoul, the captivating capital of South Korea and a UNESCO City of Design. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner with night city views at Namsan Tower.
• Day 2 (Wed, 29 March) Seoul Visit UNESCO-listed Changdeokgung Palace, the most favoured of the ‘Five Grand Palaces’ of the Joseon dynasty. Explore its Secret Garden, kept as natural as possible.Walk through Bukchon Hanok Village with its hundreds of traditional hanok houses. Continue to the Gahoe Museum, a Korean folk-art museum, and take a break in a traditional Korean tea house. At leisure in lively Insadong with its back alleys and many eclectic shops. Korean BBQ welcome dinner.
• Day 3 (Thurs, 30 March) Seoul Visit the city teaching hospital for a background on Korean healthcare and its history. Take a walking tour through Gangnam with its juxtaposing traditional and modern architecture, ending at Bongeunsa, a 1,200-year-old Buddhist temple.Explore Garosu-gil, the ginkgo tree-lined street, known as ‘artists' street’ for its eccentric flair and charming cafes and shops. Continue to Seolleung Royal Tomb, a peaceful city park in the middle of bustling Seoul.
• Day 4 (Fri, 31 March) Seoul Visit the DMZ, the Korean Demilitarised Zone, established in 1953 after the Korean War. Walk inside The Third Tunnel of Aggression, an infiltration tunnel built by North Korea in the 1970s. Visit the Dora Observatory, where you can overlook North Korea. Visit Imjingak Park and the Freedom Bridge. Visit the military hospital.
• Day 5 (Sat, 1 April) Seoul/Busan Take the KTX train to Busan.Take Songdo cable car for panoramic views of the city by the sea and have a walking tour of Busan.
• Day 6 (Sun, 2 April) Busan Visit Haedong Yonggungsa Temple and the Jagalachi Fish Market, the biggest seafood market in South Korea, where you'll have lunch. Continue to Gamcheon Cultural Village, nestled into the side of a mountain. This former slum is a mishmash of pastel-coloured, Lego-like houses; it was transformed by by painters and sculptors in 2009.
• Day 7 (Mon, 3 April) Busan/Gyeongju/Busan Take the train to Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Silla, which ruled the Korean peninsula for almost 1,000 years. Visit Cheomseongdae Observatory; the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia dating back to the 7th century. Continue on to Donggung Palac. Visit UNESCO Heritage listedBulguksa Buddhist temple complex and Seokguram Grotto, containing some of the most important Buddhist sculptures in the world. Return to Busan.
• Day 8 (Tues, 4 April) Busan/Jeonju Travel to Jeonju, a UNESCO-designated City of Gastronomy. Take part in a culinary tour with traditional 'makgeolli towns' – bar strips that specialise in locally produced versions of the local tipple, which comes in huge copper kettles. Join a Korean cooking class.
• Day 9 (Wed, 5 April) Jeonju Visit a local GP practice. Explore Jeonju Hanok Village, which contains over 800 traditional houses, and see Jeondong Cathedral, the oldest Western style structure in Jeollado. Walk up to Omokdae, a hillside pavilion that offers panoramic views, and Jaman Art Village - a 'moon village', which is a euphemistic term for hillside shantytowns that sprung up after the Korean War – has been given new life with colourful murals and sculptures. Enjoy Jeonju’s signature meal, bibimbap.
• Day 10 (Thur, 6 April) Jeonju/Andong Travel to Andong and visit a community health clinic. Walk along the Woryeonggyo Bridge, the longest wooden bridge in Korea, under full moon. The bridge is famous for its scenic views under moonlight. Eat at a traditional Andong restaurant, serving Andong mackerel.
• Day 11 (Fri, 7 April) Andong Visit the beautifully preserved 6th century Andong Hahoe village, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Nakdonggang River. Continue on to Bongjeongsa Temple, dating back to the 7^th century. Sample Andong Soju, the local firewater, which dates back to the 13th century when Mongol invaders brought arak’s distillation methods to the Andong region. Enjoy traditional Andong Jjimdak in the evening.
• Day 12 (Sat, 8 April) Andong/Seoul Travel back to Seoul. Learn about hanyak, traditional Korean medicine, from a specialist at Yangnyeongsi Hanyak Market, one of the largest herbal medicine markets in the country. Continue to Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum on the grounds of Bojewon, a medical institution for the poor that was in operation during the Joseon dynasty. Enjoy a farewell dinner fit for royalty with Korean Royal Court Cuisine.
• Day 13 (Sun, 9 April) Seoul Depart for the airport after breakfast.