Seoul, the DMZ & Nami Island, 4 Nights

Most flights from India reach Incheon early in the morning, and the drive across the sea bridge into the city takes a little over an hour. Hotel rooms are normally ready from about two in the afternoon, so the day is deliberately light. A walk along the Cheonggyecheon, the stream restored through the centre of Seoul, leads to Gwanghwamun Square and the statue of King Sejong, who gave Korea its alphabet. Dinner is a first Korean barbecue, or the vegetarian temple food served around Insadong.

Gyeongbokgung first, built in 1395 as the principal palace of the Joseon dynasty and rebuilt after it was burned; the gatekeepers' changing ceremony takes place at the main gate several times a day. The palace is closed on Tuesdays, when the programme swaps in Deoksugung. Next door is Bukchon, a slope of tiled hanok houses where people still live, so voices stay low. After lunch the cable car climbs Namsan to N Seoul Tower and its padlock fences, and the evening ends among the street-food stalls and cosmetics shops of Myeongdong.

An early start with a packed breakfast, because the border sites run to a fixed security schedule and passports are checked on the way in. The Third Infiltration Tunnel, found in 1978, is walked in a hard hat down a steep incline to the concrete barrier. From Dora Observatory the North Korean countryside is visible across the valley on a clear day. Imjingak park holds the Freedom Bridge and a shell-scarred steam locomotive. The military can close sites without notice, and the tunnel and observatory are closed on Mondays and public holidays, so this day moves if it falls on one.

East out of the city to the Bukhan river valley. The Gangchon rail bike is a pedal cart on a retired railway line, through tunnels and along the water; it is gentle and children enjoy it. A short ferry crosses to Nami Island, a half-moon of chestnut and ginkgo avenues made famous by the television drama Winter Sonata and at its best in October. The last stop is the Garden of Morning Calm, terraced into a hillside, which in winter is lit with thousands of lights after dark.

Breakfast at the hotel and a final hour for anything missed: the Gwangjang market's mung-bean pancakes are a short ride away if the flight leaves in the evening. The transfer to Incheon takes a little over an hour in normal traffic, longer on weekday mornings, and the airport rewards arriving early — its duty-free halls and tax refund counters are among the busiest in Asia. Check-out is usually by noon; a later room can be requested.