Aiming to take tourists “from Seoul to Korea,” the K-shuttle is the nation’s only foreigner-only tour bus designed to encourage visitors to venture beyond the city limits of Seoul and experience all the splendors that Korea has to offer.

It is estimated that 60 percent of tourists who visit Korea remain in Seoul without ever traveling outside the city limits. Supported in part by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by the local offices of U.S. Travel, the K-shuttle tour bus was established last year. The shuttle services, however, took a brief break this year in order to add more stops to their itineraries and have now restarted, offering visitors more convenient transportation to various historical and cultural hotspots around the peninsula.

Departing from Seoul, the K-shuttle ventures around the country for five days, allowing visitors to experience the Chungcheong provinces to Jeolla to Gyeongsang by visiting Gongju, Buyeo, Jeonju, Gwangju, Suncheon, Yeosu, Jinju, Busan, Gyeongju, Andong, Wonju, Pyeongchang, Gangneung and Mount Soraksan before finally making its return to Seoul. Travelers who wish not to participate in the full-circle five-day itinerary can simply pick and choose the routes they wish to join. 

“What makes this tour different from others is that we give you the freedom to explore an area on your own,” said K-shuttle tour guide Kim Hyun-kyung.

Day one of the itinerary is jam-packed with visits to four places: Gongju, Buyeo, Jeonju and Gwangju. The bus ride from Seoul to Gongju takes roughly an hour and a half. There, travelers will be taken to the Royal Tombs of Songsan-ri where one can view large, grass covered burial mounds and step inside a replica of the underground dimly lit tomb of King Muryeong (reign 501-523). Visitors can also take a walk along the Gongsanseong Fortress, a 2.5 km-long structure, which was originally built during the later Baekje Kingdom (234-678). The large stone fortress includes within it small, yet vididly painted temples and is the most iconic symbol of the region. 

After sightseeing in Gongju, the bus then heads to Buyeo, approximately 30 minutes away, where passengers are given free time to wonder around Baekje Cultural Land. Here one can marvel at the wonders of its large palace grounds, castle and traditional Korean houses and experience the ways of old Korea. The bus then whisks passengers to a site just below Buyeo’s Nakhwa-am Rock, where travelers can go on a 30-minute light hike through a bright green forested area to the ancient temple of Goran-sa and drink water from Buyeo’s very own fountain of youth ― legend has it that drinking water from the spring will make you younger.

Next stop on the first day’s itinerary is a visit to the tourist hotspot of Jeonju about an hour away. Jeonju’s claim to fame is its hanok village, features a cluster of 700 traditional Korean houses. Here visitors can get a glimpse into what many Korean neighborhoods looked like in the past. After a walk around the quaint village, the bus then transfers passengers to their hotel in the heart of Gwangju ― the focal point of the democratic movement in Korea ― concluding travel on day one.

The shuttle then stops by some of the nation’s most noteworthy destinations, including Busan, Gyeongju, Andong and others.

However, one of the downsides of the K-shuttle is that time conflicts can result in skipping certain destinations without prior warning. Another downside is that travelers who do not wish to participate in the full tour must organize their own transportation to and from the shuttle bus stops.

For example, day two of the K-shuttle schedule departs from Gwangju and concludes the day’s travels in Yeosu. So those who wish to skip the first day’s itinerary and only participate in day two must meet the K-shuttle at the departure site in Gwangju and arrange their own transportation back to Seoul.

The 35-seat K-shuttle departs Seoul every day from the Donghwa Duty Free Shop Building at the Gwanghwamun Intersection at 8 a.m. Prices range from $239 to $549 per person, and include hotel accommodation, breakfast and some admission fees, but exclude lunch, dinner and other optional tour activities. For information, visit k-shuttle.com.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)