Soul of South Korea — Self-Launched: Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan & Jeju Island

Land at Incheon (ICN) and take the AREX Airport Express train or all-stop line straight into the city (about ₩4,150–9,600 / £2.50–5.50) rather than a private transfer. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Myeongdong, Hongdae or Insadong — dorms from £15, private budget rooms from £35. In the evening, do your own orientation loop: walk the Cheonggyecheon stream, cross into Myeongdong for street food (gimbap, tteokbokki, hotteok), and orient yourself around the subway map. Buy a T-money transit card at any convenience store and top it up (₩30,000 lasts several days).

🚌AREX Airport Express train from Incheon to Seoul Station, £2.50–5.50

🛏Hostel / budget guesthouse in Myeongdong, Hongdae or Insadong (dorm £15–25, private room £35–55)

• →AREX train into central Seoul
• →Self-guided night orientation walk along Cheonggyecheon and Myeongdong
• →Street food dinner
• →Buy & top up T-money transit card

Follow the original itinerary's day two on your own. Get to Gyeongbokgung Palace for the 10:00 royal guard changing ceremony; entry is ₩3,000 and it's free if you wear a rented hanbok (rentals from ~£12–18/hr around Bukchon, which also unlocks free entry). The National Folk Museum of Korea, inside the palace grounds, is free. Walk to Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong for tea houses and calligraphy shops. In the afternoon book a one-off taekwondo taster class directly with a local dojang (many Seoul gyms offer drop-in sessions for ₩30,000–50,000 / £18–28) — book by email or Klook a few days ahead.

🚌Seoul metro (₩1,400 per ride, ~£0.80) — no private vehicle needed

🛏Hostel / budget guesthouse in Seoul

• →Gyeongbokgung Palace & royal guard changing ceremony (₩3,000)
• →National Folk Museum of Korea (free)
• →Bukchon Hanok Village + hanbok rental
• →Insadong tea houses and craft streets
• →Drop-in taekwondo class with a local master (₩30,000–50,000)

Now your own call, exactly as the group tour offers. Option A: half-day DMZ tour (book on GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£45–60 including transport; note the JSA portion often needs separate booking and Korean ID/passport checks 48hrs ahead). Option B: Gangnam and K-Pop culture — COEX Mall's Starfield Library and the K-Star Road. Or stay local: a jjimjilbang (Korean spa, ₩12,000–18,000) for soaking, plus Namsan Tower at sunset. Optional add: a K-pop dance class or a Gwangjang Market food crawl.

🚌Metro and buses; DMZ tour includes coach

🛏Hostel / budget guesthouse in Seoul

• →Optional DMZ half-day tour (~£45–60)
• →Optional Gangnam & K-Pop district walk
• →Optional jjimjilbang spa session (₩12,000–18,000)
• →Optional Gwangjang Market food crawl
• →Namsan Tower / N Seoul Tower sunset

Take the KTX from Seoul Station to Singyeongju, then a local bus or short taxi to the centre — KTX fares around ₩47,000 (£27–30) and the ride is about 2hrs 15. Drop bags, then see Yangdong Folk Village (UNESCO; combined heritage ticket with other sites ~₩6,000, bus 203 from the terminal), Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory — the oldest in Asia — and the Silla royal tombs in Tumuli Park. Book a traditional hanok guesthouse for tonight (private hanok rooms from ~£45–70, including bedding on the floor). In the evening, many hanok guesthouses run short hanbok-wearing sessions or arrange traditional dinner; otherwise the Hwangnidan-gil area has hanok cafés and family restaurants.

🚌KTX Seoul–Singyeongju ~£27–30; local bus 203 to Yangdong ~£1

🛏Traditional hanok guesthouse in Gyeongju (~£45–70 for a private room)

• →KTX train Seoul → Singyeongju
• →Yangdong Folk Village (UNESCO, ~₩6,000 heritage ticket)
• →Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory
• →Silla royal tombs at Tumuli Park
• →Hanok stay + hanbok experience

Morning bus or taxi to Bulguksa Temple (UNESCO, ~₩6,000 entry, buses 10/11 from Gyeongju station). Then take an intercity or SRT train toward Busan (about 40–60 mins, from ₩11,000 / £6-8) — or a slower bus if you want to stop en route at the coast as the group tour does. In Busan check into a hostel near Haeundae Beach or Seomyeon. Spend the late afternoon between Gamcheon Culture Village (the candy-coloured hillside sprawl) and Jagalchi Fish Market, Korea's biggest seafood market, for a raw-fish dinner you point to yourself.

🚌Local bus to Bulguksa ~£1; intercity train to Busan ~£6–8

🛏Hostel / budget hotel in Busan (£15–30 dorm, £40–60 private)

• →Bulguksa Temple (UNESCO)
• →Train/bus Gyeongju → Busan
• →Gamcheon Culture Village
• →Jagalchi Fish Market & seafood dinner
• →Haeundae Beach evening stroll

Build your own Busan day. Hit Haedong Yonggungsa, the clifftop temple overlooking the ocean (free, bus 181 from Haeundae). Then walk the Haeundae to Gwangalli coastal trail, or ride the Songdo Marine Cable Car (₩15,000–20,000 / £9–12). Try a Busan specialty — dwaeji gukbap (pork soup rice) at a market stall — and finish at Gwangalli Beach looking at the illuminated Gwangan Bridge at night. If you're into hiking, the Geumjeongsanseong mountain loop is a strong free option.

🚌Local buses and metro, ~£4–6 total

🛏Hostel / budget hotel in Busan

• →Haedong Yonggungsa seaside temple
• →Haeundae–Gwangalli coastal walk
• →Optional Songdo Marine Cable Car (₩15,000–20,000)
• →Busan street food — dwaeji gukbap, ssiat hotteok
• →Gwangalli Beach & Gwangan Bridge night view

Fly Gimhae (Busan) to Jeju with a low-cost carrier — book two to six weeks out and fares are commonly ₩40,000–90,000 (£23–52) for the 55-minute hop; Korean budget carriers (Jin Air, Air Busan, Jeju Air) run direct. Arrive and pick up a scooter or hire car if you can (an international permit is required, and it makes Jeju vastly easier). Otherwise use Jeju's intercity bus network from the bus terminal. Afternoon: Manjanggul Lava Tube (one of the world's longest lava tubes, ₩4,000) and the black volcanic coastline around Gimnyeong/Seongsan. Base yourself in Jeju City or Seongsan for a couple of nights in a guesthouse or pension.

🚌Domestic flight £23–52; local buses on Jeju ~£1–2 per hop

🛏Jeju guesthouse or pension (£20–35 dorm/budget room, £45–70 private)

• →Cheap domestic flight Busan (Gimhae) → Jeju
• →Manjanggul Lava Tube (UNESCO Geopark, ₩4,000)
• →Gimnyeong black-sand / volcanic coast walk
• →Orientation in Jeju-si old town

Head to Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak, ₩5,000) — a UNESCO tuff cone you can climb in under an hour for the classic Jeju view. Nearby, on the Seongsan or Gwideok coast, is where you'll find the haenyeo: Jeju's elder women free divers who harvest shellfish and sea urchin with no oxygen tanks — exactly the encounter the group tour highlights. Watch from the harbour, eat what they bring up at a coastal restaurant, and visit the Haenyeo Museum if you want context (small entry fee). If time allows, hike Hallasan — Korea's highest peak — via the short Seongpanak or Eorimok trail (free, no permit needed for day hikes), or catch the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall.

🚌Island buses + occasional taxi; car/scooter strongly recommended, ~£20–30/day if hired

🛏Jeju guesthouse or pension

• →Climb Seongsan Ilchulbong / Sunrise Peak (₩5,000)
• →Watch the haenyeo women divers at work
• →Haenyeo Museum
• →Optional Hallasan day hike (free)
• →Optional Cheonjiyeon Waterfall

Use the morning for anything you've missed: a kimchi-making class (many Jeju and Seoul food studios offer these for ₩30,000–45,000 / £18–26 — book on Klook or direct — matching the tour's kimchi experience), the Jeju Folk Village Museum if you want a folk-village day, or the Jeju Olle Trail coastal path for an easy walk. Then fly out of Jeju International Airport, or connect back through Seoul.

🚌Local bus to Jeju airport; onward flight from £23–52 or connect via Seoul

🛏—

• →Optional kimchi-making class (₩30,000–45,000)
• →Optional Jeju Folk Village Museum
• →Optional Jeju Olle Trail coastal walk
• →Flight out of Jeju International Airport