Beijing, Korea & Japan Unchained: A Self-Launched 16-Day Beijing–Seoul–Busan–Fukuoka–Hiroshima–Kyoto–Tokyo Adventure

Fly into Beijing Capital or Daxing and take the Airport Express train or the cheaper airport shuttle bus into the centre (~£3-6). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Dongsi or the Drum Tower — dorms run £10-15 and private doubles £25-35. Wander Wangfujing Street in the evening (skip the scorpion-skewer tourist stalls and eat in the side alleys), then grab jianbing or dumplings in a hutong restaurant for under £5. Get a Beijing Yikatong transit card or set up Alipay/WeChat Pay — almost nothing in China takes cash or foreign cards.

🚌Airport Express or shuttle bus into the city, metro thereafter (~£4)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Dongsi/Drum Tower (~£15)

• →Wangfujing Street evening wander
• →Hutong alley food crawl
• →Set up Alipay/WeChat Pay and buy a Yikatong transit card

Pre-book Forbidden City tickets online (they sell out days ahead, passport number required, ~£7) and arrive at opening via Tiananmen East metro — you pass through security on Tiananmen Square on the way in. Spend 3 hours inside, exit north into Jingshan Park (~£1) for the Coal Hill climb and the classic view back over the palace roofs. Lunch on zhajiangmian noodles nearby (~£4). In the afternoon metro to the Summer Palace (~£4 entry) and wander the Kunming Lake shore. If Forbidden City tickets are gone, swap in the Lama Temple (~£3) and Confucius Temple (~£4) instead. Optional: a rickshaw hutong tour runs ~£15-20 if you book direct rather than through a hotel.

🚌Metro all day (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Dongsi/Drum Tower (~£15)

• →Forbidden City entry (pre-book online)
• →Jingshan Park & Coal Hill viewpoint
• →Summer Palace grounds
• →Hutong walk (self-guided)

Book a shared minibus or join a small-group day trip to Mutianyu via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£30-40 including entry and cable car) — or do it independently: bus 916 Express from Dongzhimen to Huairou (~£1) then a local taxi to the wall (~£8 shared), entry ~£5, cable car ~£13. Walk the restored section for 2-3 hours. Back in Beijing late afternoon, head to the Temple of Heaven park (~£4) where locals do tai chi and ballroom dance in the evening — free tai chi watching, and you can join informal morning sessions for a small tip. Dinner: Peking duck at a mid-range local chain like Siji Minfu or Da Dong (~£18-22) — a fraction of the tour's restaurant version.

🚌Shared minibus to Mutianyu return (~£10); metro (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Dongsi/Drum Tower (~£15)

• →Mutianyu Great Wall hike with cable car
• →Temple of Heaven park
• →Evening tai chi / park life
• →Peking duck dinner

Morning flight Beijing to Seoul Incheon or Gimpo (book 2-3 weeks out on Air China, Korean Air or China Southern; budget £90-130 one way). Take the AREX express or all-stop train into Seoul (~£4-6, 45-60 min) and check into a guesthouse or hostel in Hongdae or near Seoul Station (£18-28 dorm, £40-55 private). Afternoon: Deoksugung Palace (~£1.50) and the City Hall area, then walk into Myeongdong for street food dinner — tteokbokki, hotteok and dumplings for ~£8. Buy a T-money card for the metro.

🚌Flight (~£110), AREX airport train (~£5), metro (~£2)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Hongdae or near Seoul Station (~£22)

• →Deoksugung Palace
• →Seoul City Hall area
• →Myeongdong street-food dinner

Start at Gyeongbokgung for the changing of the guard ceremony (free, roughly 10:00 and 14:00 daily, closed Tuesdays), then walk 10 minutes to Changdeokgung (~£2, plus ~£4 for the Secret Garden tour if slots are free) and on into Bukchon Hanok Village for the traditional rooftops — go early and keep your voice down, it's a residential area. Lunch in Insadong (~£7). Metro to the War Memorial of Korea (free entry, easily 2 hours) and finish with a wander through Gangnam and a look up at Lotte World Tower (observation deck ~£20 optional; or just admire from the mall below for free).

🚌Metro all day (~£3)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Hongdae or near Seoul Station (~£22)

• →Gyeongbokgung & guard ceremony
• →Changdeokgung Palace
• →Bukchon Hanok Village
• →War Memorial of Korea (free)
• →Gangnam walk
• →Optional Lotte World Tower deck

Take the KTX or ITX train Seoul to Suwon (~30 min, £3-5), store bags at the station and walk or bus to Hwaseong Fortress. The full 5.7km wall circuit is free to walk (~2 hours with the Hwaseong Haenggung palace stop, ~£1.50 entry). Lunch in Suwon for galbi or the famous Suwon wanggalbi. Then train Suwon → Jeonju (~1.5-2h, ~£12-16) and check into a hanok guesthouse in Jeonju Hanok Village (dorm £15-20, private hanok room £35-50). Evening: bibimbap (Jeonju is its birthplace, ~£7) and lantern-lit village lanes. Book trains on the Korail app.

🚌Trains Seoul–Suwon–Jeonju (~£18)

🛏Hanok guesthouse in Jeonju Hanok Village (~£22)

• →Hwaseong Fortress wall walk
• →Hwaseong Haenggung palace
• →Jeonju Hanok Village evening
• →Jeonju bibimbap dinner

This is the tour's big transfer day — do it independently by local bus and train. Morning bus from Jeonju to Sunchang Gochujang Village (~1h, ~£4) for a gochujang-making workshop (book direct via the village minbok or a Korean cooking class on Klook, ~£15-20). Then bus to Damyang for Juknokwon Bamboo Forest (~£2 entry) and the Bamboo Museum (free), lunch on daetongbap bamboo rice (~£8). Late afternoon bus to Haeinsa temple (~£6) — entry ~£3, a steep but short walk up from the bus stop, and the Tripitaka Koreana hall is the highlight. Final bus/train to Busan, arriving late evening (~£15). Stay near Busan Station.

🚌Local buses and one train leg (~£30)

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse near Busan Station (~£25)

• →Gochujang making workshop
• →Juknokwon Bamboo Forest
• →Bamboo Museum
• →Haeinsa Temple
• →Bamboo rice lunch

Early start: bus to Haedong Yonggungsa, the clifftop seaside temple (free entry, ~£1.50 bus each way, go before 9am for the light and quiet). Back in town, visit the UN Memorial Cemetery (free) and Jagalchi fish market for a raw-fish lunch (~£10). Take the subway to the ferry terminal and sail Busan → Fukuoka on the JR Beetle hydrofoil (~£55-70, 3h, book on Direct Ferries or at the terminal) — the tour flies, but the ferry drops you right in Hakata and is usually cheaper and more interesting. If you prefer to fly, Busan–Fukuoka low-cost fares run £40-70. Evening in Fukuoka: yatai street stalls along the Naka River for hakata ramen (~£8).

🚌Local buses/subway (~£4), Busan–Fukuoka ferry (~£62)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Hakata/Tenjin, Fukuoka (~£28)

• →Haedong Yonggungsa temple
• →UN Memorial Cemetery
• →Jagalchi fish market
• →Fukuoka yatai food stalls

Use a Japan Rail Pass or regional JR West pass — activate it today. Shinkansen Fukuoka → Iwakuni (~1h), then bus to the five-arched Kintai-kyo bridge (~£1.50; free to view, ~£1.50 to cross). Continue by JR to Miyajimaguchi, ferry across to Miyajima (~£2, JR ferry included with the pass), walk to Itsukushima Shrine (~£2 entry at the gate), and eat grilled oysters and momiji manju on the shopping street (~£10). Late afternoon ferry back and JR to Hiroshima. Walk the Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum (~£1.20) — allow 2 hours and go at a calm pace. Dinner: okonomiyaki at a local counter (~£8).

🚌JR trains with pass (~£0 with pass), local buses and ferries (~£5)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Hiroshima Station (~£28)

• →Kintai-kyo bridge
• →Miyajima ferry & Itsukushima Shrine
• →Peace Memorial Park & Atomic Bomb Dome
• →Peace Memorial Museum

Take the JR ferry or the Ishizuchi express ferry Hiroshima → Matsuyama (~2.5-3h, ~£20-25; the JR ferry from Hiroshima Port to Matsuyama is the cheapest). Check into a guesthouse near Dogo Onsen (~£28). Afternoon: tram to the ropeway and up to Matsuyama Castle (~£5 ropeway + ~£4 castle entry) for views over the Seto Inland Sea. Visit Ishite-ji, temple 51 on the Shikoku pilgrimage (free) and wander the temple path. Evening: bathe at Dogo Onsen Honkan (~£4-7, the historic bathhouse that inspired Spirited Away) and eat taimeshi sea bream rice (~£9).

🚌Ferry (~£22), trams (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse near Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama (~£28)

• →Ferry to Shikoku
• →Matsuyama Castle ropeway & keep
• →Ishite-ji temple
• →Dogo Onsen bathhouse
• →Taimeshi dinner

Long transit day — bank it with the rail pass. Morning express to Kotohira and climb the 785 steps to Kotohira-gu (free, ~1 hour up) past the sake and udon shops. Train to Takamatsu for Ritsurin Garden (~£3 entry), one of Japan's best landscape gardens, with sanuki udon lunch (~£5). Continue to Naruto for the Otsuka Museum or just the whirlpool-viewing bridge at Naruto Park (~£3 bridge walk; the glass-floor Uzushio observatory deck is the tour's version, ~£3-5) — whirlpools are strongest near the tide change so check timings. Final train to Kobe, arriving evening (~£45-55 of rail if bought separately; the pass covers it). Stay near Sannomiya and eat Kobe beef skewers from a street stall (~£8) if the full steak is out of budget.

🚌JR trains (covered by rail pass)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Sannomiya, Kobe (~£30)

• →Kotohira-gu 785-step climb
• →Ritsurin Garden
• →Naruto whirlpool viewing
• →Kobe harbour evening walk

Morning at the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution in Kobe (~£3, powerful and well done) and the waterfront. Then train Kobe → Hashimoto → Koyasan cable car (~2h, covered by pass/ ~£12). Book a temple lodging (shukubo) directly — Koyasan Shukubo Association or Booking.com — a night with two vegetarian meals runs £70-110 per person, which is the single biggest splurge of this trip but the standout experience. Afternoon: Okunoin cemetery walk among the cedars (free, go late for atmosphere), Kongobu-ji head temple (~£8), and the evening Ajikan meditation session offered by most lodgings (~£5-10). Vegetarian shojin ryori dinner included in your stay.

🚌Trains and cable car (~£12)

🛏Temple lodging (shukubo) on Mount Koya, dinner & breakfast included (~£90)

• →Kobe earthquake museum
• →Okunoin cemetery walk
• →Kongobu-ji temple
• →Ajikan meditation session
• →Shojin ryori vegetarian dinner

Wake for the monks' morning ceremony (most lodgings allow guests to attend, free) and a traditional Japanese breakfast. Descend to Kyoto (~2h). Check into a hostel or guesthouse near Kyoto Station or Gion (~£25-35). Afternoon: Fushimi Inari Shrine — free, and the best move is to walk past the crowded first gates up to Yotsutsuji for the city view (~1.5h round trip). Then Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion (~£12.50 entry — Kyoto's prices have risen, worth checking current rates). Evening: walk Gion's Shirakawa canal and Hanamikoji for lanterns and, if lucky, a glimpse of a geiko. Dinner at Nishiki Market stalls or a ramen shop (~£8).

🚌Trains to Kyoto (~£8), city buses (~£3)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Kyoto Station/Gion (~£30)

• →Temple morning ceremony
• →Fushimi Inari torii hike
• →Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion
• →Gion evening walk

Morning: pick one more Kyoto sight — the Imperial Palace gardens are free and require no booking for the park, or pay ~£5 for the Sento Imperial Palace tour if slots allow; alternatively Nijo Castle or a walk along the Philosopher's Path. Afternoon shinkansen Kyoto → Tokyo (~2h15, ~£85-95 one way, or covered by a JR Pass). Check into a hostel in Asakusa, Shibuya or near Shinjuku (~£30-40 dorm, £55-75 private). Evening: explore your neighbourhood — Asakusa's Senso-ji is magical after dark and free — and eat at a standing soba bar or izakaya (~£10).

🚌Kyoto city bus (~£2), shinkansen (~£90)

🛏Hostel in Asakusa/Shinjuku, Tokyo (~£35)

• →Kyoto morning sight (Imperial Palace gardens or Nijo Castle)
• →Shinkansen to Tokyo
• →Evening neighbourhood wander

Buy a Tokyo Metro 24-hour pass (~£4) and chain the loop yourself. Start at Meiji Shrine (free) through Yoyogi Park, walk to Shibuya Crossing and the free Shibuya Sky-adjacent street views (the deck costs ~£13 if you want it), then metro to Zojoji Temple with Tokyo Tower looming behind it (free to view; tower deck ~£7). Lunch in Tsukiji Outer Market (~£10 for sushi and tamagoyaki). Afternoon: Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Street in Asakusa (free), a pass through Akihabara's electronics and anime streets, and Ginza's department store food halls. Skip the paid Skytree deck (~£18) and instead take the free Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observatory in Shinjuku at sunset. Dinner in Omoide Yokocho's yakitori alleys (~£10).

🚌Tokyo Metro 24h pass and a couple of JR rides (~£7)

🛏Hostel in Asakusa/Shinjuku, Tokyo (~£35)

• →Meiji Shrine
• →Shibuya Crossing
• →Zojoji Temple & Tokyo Tower view
• →Tsukiji Outer Market lunch
• →Sensoji & Nakamise Street
• →Akihabara & Ginza pass-through
• →Free TMG observatory at sunset
• →Omoide Yokocho dinner

Last morning — grab a convenience-store breakfast (~£3), do a final wander or pick up souvenirs at a Don Quijote, and take the Narita Express (~£18) or the cheaper Keisei Skyliner / limousine bus to the airport. If you're flying from Haneda, the Keikyu line or monorail is ~£3-5. Factor in a Japan departure tax-free shopping stop if you've kept receipts.

🚌Airport train (~£5-18)

🛏—

• →Final souvenir shopping
• →Airport transfer