Seoul, Jeju Island & Busan, 8 Nights

Incheon to the city takes a little over an hour. After check-in, from about two, the day is free. Myeongdong is the easy first outing: rows of skincare shops, street food carts that start setting up around five, and Myeongdong Cathedral, the Gothic brick church at the top of the hill. Indian restaurants are found here and in Itaewon for those who want something familiar on the first night.

Gyeongbokgung in the morning for the palace buildings and the gate guard ceremony; on Tuesdays, when it closes, Deoksugung stands in. Bukchon's hanok lanes rise behind it. The Namsan cable car to N Seoul Tower gives the city from above, and the afternoon winds down through Jogyesa temple and Insadong, with tea in a traditional house and shops selling hanji paper, celadon and calligraphy brushes.

A packed breakfast and an early drive north with passports ready. The Third Infiltration Tunnel is walked in a hard hat down a long slope; Dora Observatory looks across the fields into North Korea; Imjingak has the Freedom Bridge and the old locomotive left where it was shot. On the return the Hyundai Motor Studio at Goyang is a modern contrast for anyone interested in cars. Sites can close at short notice for military reasons, and the tunnel and observatory are shut on Mondays and public holidays, when the day is moved.

A countryside day an hour and a half east of Seoul. The Gangchon rail bike pedals along an old line beside the river; a five-minute ferry crosses to Nami Island's tree-lined avenues; and the Garden of Morning Calm spreads across a mountain slope with a Korean garden, a bonsai section and seasonal flowers. It is an easy day, and the last in Seoul before the island leg, so pack tonight with the domestic baggage allowance in mind.

The Seoul to Jeju route is one of the busiest air corridors in the world, and the flight from Gimpo takes just over an hour. A driver meets you on arrival for the west side of the island: Hyeopjae beach, with its white sand and shallow turquoise water facing the islet of Biyangdo, and Hallim Park next door, where palm gardens lead into two lava tube caves. The Arte Museum's digital art halls are an indoor option if it rains.

East across the island to Seongsan Ilchulbong, a tuff cone that rose from the sea about five thousand years ago and is climbed by a stepped path to its rim. Below it the haenyeo divers, whose tradition is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, come ashore with their catch. Seopjikoji headland is a short walk along the cliffs with a lighthouse. Seongeup folk village, with lava-stone walls and dol hareubang statues, finishes the day; Dongmun market in Jeju city is good for dinner.

A morning flight of about an hour across the strait to Gimhae. The afternoon is for Busan's old port district: Gamcheon Culture Village's pastel houses climbing the hill, first built by refugees in the Korean War; Jagalchi fish market on the water; and BIFF Square and Gukje market, where street stalls sell seed-filled hotteok pancakes. Evening at leisure, perhaps by Gwangalli beach with the bridge lit across the bay.

Haedong Yonggungsa, on the rocks north of the city, is best early before the coach parties. Then Haeundae beach and the Dongbaek Island coastal path to the Nuri Maru APEC House. Time permitting, the glass Oryukdo Skywalk stands out over the cliffs. For a family, the Sea Life aquarium at Haeundae is an easy add-on. The afternoon is free for Centum City, one of the largest department stores in the world.

Breakfast, check-out and the KTX north to Seoul, included, then the transfer to Incheon for the international flight; allow about four and a half hours door to door. For flights that connect from Busan's Gimhae airport, we switch to a short airport transfer instead. Seoul Station has food halls for a last Korean meal on the way through, and the airport railway to Incheon leaves from the same building.