Wonders of Korea & Japan — Self-Launched

Land at Incheon and take the AREX all-stop train to Hongik University (~£3.30, 55 min) or the Airport Limousine bus to Gangnam (~£10). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Hongdae or near Gangnam — both give you easy subway access to the Day 2 sights. Spend the afternoon wandering Hongdae's indie streets, grab a cheap Korean barbecue or gimbap dinner (~£7), and pick up a T-money card from any convenience store (£2.50 card + load £10). Book your KTX Busan ticket tonight for tomorrow.

🚌AREX all-stop train Incheon→Hongdae ~£3.30; T-money card £2.50

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Hongdae/Gangnam — dorm £16-22, private double £35-45

• →AREX airport train
• →Hongdae street wander
• →T-money card setup

Start early at Gyeongbokgung Palace (₩3,000 / ~£1.70; free if you wear a rented hanbok, ~£12 for 2hrs from a shop opposite the gate — and the Changing of the Royal Guard at 10:00 is worth timing). Walk 15 minutes into Bukchon Hanok Village for the traditional tiled-roof lanes (free, but keep quiet — residents live there). Then subway to the War Memorial of Korea (free entry, allow 1.5hrs). Skip the Lotte World Tower unless views are your thing (~£22). Grab lunch at Gwangjang Market (~£5) then collect your bags and take the KTX from Seoul Station to Busan (~2h40, book on Korail or the KTX app; ~£35-45 advance). Stay near Busan Station or Haeundae.

🚌Subway day pass ~£3.80; KTX Seoul→Busan ~£40

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel near Busan Station/Haeundae — dorm £15-20, private £38-48

• →Gyeongbokgung Palace ₩3,000
• →Bukchon Hanok Village (free)
• →War Memorial of Korea (free)
• →Hanbok rental ~£12
• →Gwangjang Market lunch

Take subway Line 1 to Jangsan then bus 181 to Haedong Yonggung Temple, a dramatic clifftop shrine over the sea (free entry, ~£2.50 round trip in bus fare). Back in the city, ride the Songdo Marine Cable Car (~£10 standard round trip) for harbour-and-hills views. Afternoon in Gamcheon Cultural Village — free to wander the pastel stairways; grab a coffee and stamp your map. If you're interested in the UN Memorial Cemetery it's free and a 20-minute bus from the centre. Evening at Nampo Fish Market and Jagalchi for raw fish or a cheap seafood stew (~£10), then walk up Yongdusan Park's free observation deck.

🚌Subway + local buses, day ticket ~£4

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Busan — dorm £15-20, private £38-48

• →Haedong Yonggung Temple (free)
• →Songdo Marine Cable Car ~£10
• →Gamcheon Cultural Village (free)
• →UN Memorial Cemetery (free)
• →Yongdusan Park (free)

Take the slow but scenic Mugunghwa or ITX train from Busan to Gyeongju (~1h30, ~£5). From Gyeongju station, bus 10/11 runs up to Bulguksa Temple (₩6,000 / ~£3.50) and on to Seokguram Grotto (₩6,000) — a 40-minute uphill walk between the two is the classic link. Back down, hit Tumuli Park's grass-covered Silla tombs (₩3,000) and, if time allows, the free Cheomseongdae observatory and Woljeonggyo Bridge. Late afternoon catch a bus or the train to Daegu (~1h, ~£4) and check in near Dongseong-ro for street food dinner (~£7).

🚌Busan→Gyeongju train ~£5; Gyeongju→Daegu ~£4; local buses ~£4

🛏Budget motel or guesthouse, Daegu — dorm £15-20, private £35-45

• →Bulguksa Temple ₩6,000
• →Seokguram Grotto ₩6,000
• →Tumuli Park ₩3,000
• →Cheomseongdae (free)

Early bus or train from Daegu to Andong (~1h20, ~£6). Local bus 46 runs to Hahoe Village every hour or so (~£1.30) — the walled clan village with its thatched and tiled houses is ₩5,000 (~£3) and genuinely deserves 2-3 hours. The World Mask Museum next door is a few pounds. If you're a Confucian-architecture nerd, Byeongsan Seowon academy is a 20-minute walk along the river. Eat Andong jjimdak (braised chicken) for lunch (~£8). Return to Seoul on the evening KTX or ITX (~2h, ~£30) and re-check into a Hongdae or Gangnam hostel.

🚌Daegu→Andong ~£6; local buses ~£3; Andong→Seoul ~£30

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Seoul — dorm £16-22, private £38-48

• →Hahoe Village ₩5,000
• →World Mask Museum ~£3
• →Byeongsan Seowon (free)
• →Andong jjimdak lunch

Fly Gimpo to Haneda on a low-cost carrier (Jeju Air, Air Seoul, Peach — book 6-8 weeks out for £50-90 one way; Incheon–Narita is often cheaper but the transfer into town adds ~£10 and an hour). From Haneda take the Keikyu Line or Tokyo Monorail into the city (~£3). Base yourself in Asakusa, Ueno or Shinjuku — hostels here run £20-30 a dorm bed. Afternoon is free: wander Asakusa's Nakamise Street and pick up a Suica/Pasmo card (£2 deposit) at the airport or any station. Cheap dinner at a standing soba bar or konbini (~£6).

🚌Gimpo→Haneda flight ~£70; airport train ~£3

🛏Hostel in Asakusa/Ueno/Shinjuku — dorm £22-30, private £55-75

• →Budget flight Seoul→Tokyo
• →Asakusa evening wander
• →Suica card setup

Do the guided-tour loop yourself on the Yamanote Line. Start at Meiji Shrine (free, 30 min from Harajuku), walk to Shibuya Crossing and the free Shibuya Sky street-level view, then ride to Zojoji Temple for the Tokyo Tower frame. Afternoon: Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck — book online in advance on Klook for ~£14-16 (the queue-only price is higher). Finish at Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Street in Asakusa (free), with a pass through Akihabara and Ginza on the way. Dinner in Omoide Yokocho or Golden Gai, Shinjuku — yakitori and a beer for ~£12. A 24-hour Tokyo subway pass is ~£5.

🚌24-hr subway pass ~£5 + Yamanote top-ups ~£4

🛏Hostel in Asakusa/Ueno/Shinjuku — dorm £22-30

• →Meiji Shrine (free)
• →Zojoji Temple (free)
• →Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck ~£15
• →Sensoji Temple & Nakamise (free)
• →Shinjuku evening walk
• →Shinjuku dinner ~£12

Take the Nozomi or Hikari shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Kyoto (~2h15-2h40; ~£85-95 with an unreserved or early-booked seat — or buy a JR Pass only if you're doing more long legs). Drop bags at your guesthouse near Kyoto Station, then take the JR Nara Line two stops to Inari for Fushimi Inari's 10,000 torii gates — free, and doing the full loop takes ~2.5hrs. Bus 101/205 to Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion (₩500 / ~£2.60). Kyoto Imperial Palace is free but needs an online reservation. Evening stroll through Gion's lantern-lit lanes (free; be respectful — no photos of geiko). Dinner at Nishiki Market-area izakaya ~£10.

🚌Shinkansen Tokyo→Kyoto ~£90; JR/local buses ~£6

🛏Guesthouse near Kyoto Station — dorm £20-28, private £50-70

• →Fushimi Inari (free)
• →Kinkakuji ~£2.60
• →Kyoto Imperial Palace (free, reserve online)
• →Gion evening walk

Kintetsu or JR train from Kyoto to Nara (~45 min, ~£5). Nara Park's free-roaming deer and Todaiji's Great Buddha Hall (₩800 / ~£4) are the headline, and the deer-cracker vendors are £1.20 a bundle. Horyu-ji — one of the world's oldest wooden buildings — is out in the suburbs; bus 52 takes ~25 min each way and entry is ~£7, so only do it if you're a temple purist. Late afternoon, train to Osaka Namba (~40 min, ~£5) and check into a hostel in Namba or Honmachi. Evening at Dotonbori: takoyaki, okonomiyaki and neon (~£10).

🚌Kyoto→Nara ~£5; Nara→Osaka ~£5; local buses ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Namba/Honmachi — dorm £18-26, private £45-60

• →Nara Park deer (free)
• →Todaiji Great Buddha ~£4
• →Horyu-ji optional ~£7
• →Dotonbori evening
• →Dotonbori street food ~£10

Last morning — hit Kuromon Ichiba Market for tamagoyaki, grilled scallops and fruit skewers (~£8), then either swing by Osaka Castle's free outer moat (the keep itself is ~£6 if you have the time) or simply pack up. Kansai Airport is 45 min from Namba on the Nankai Rapi:t (~£9) or the cheaper Nankai Airport Express (~£5.70). If you're flying from Itami instead, the Osaka Monorail is ~£3.50.

🚌Nankai Rapi:t to KIX ~£9, or airport express ~£5.70

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Kuromon Ichiba Market breakfast ~£8
• →Osaka Castle moat (free)