Stories of kings and queens, beautiful greenery, walking trails at Joseon-era mausoleums

For travelers seeking weekend getaways, Korail and Gangwon Tourism Organization are jointly offering a set of tour packages. The Gangwon Province Byeolcheonji package consists of four main themes -- visits to areas hit by forest fires, stargazing spots, cultural heritage locations and nighttime walks. The nighttime walk package ends Oct. 31 while the others run through November. All packages depart Fridays and Saturdays, but schedule details are subject to change, according to Korail. The pa

Welcome to Joseon Festival The Welcome to Joseon Festival is set to run through June 26 at Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Visitors can enjoy concerts, theatrical performances and hands-on experiences, including making natural scented candles, key rings and more, at the spring event. In addition to the traditional programs, the serene hanok offers an amazing backdrop for Instagram photos. Tickets cost 32,000 won for adults, teenagers and 26,000 won those under 13. More inf

Nine major forest trails near Joseon royal tombs opened to the public Tuesday, and will stay open through June 30. In northern Seoul, there is a 1.8-kilometer path from Gangneung, the royal tombs of Joseon King Myeongjong and his Queen Consort Insun, that leads to Taereung. A 970-meter forest path from Uireung, the royal tomb of Joseon King Gyeongjong, starts at the foot of Cheonjangsan. In the eastern part of Gyeonggi Province, trails of Donggureung in Guri, Gwangneung and Sareung in Namya

Located in Seoul‘s historic Bukchon neighborhood, Binkwan offers serenity in heart of megapolis

Gokseong International Rose Festival The Gokseong International Rose Festival is scheduled to run from May 21 to June 6 at Seomjingang Train Village in Gokseong, South Jeolla Province. The annual event presents a total of 1,004 types of roses from around the world to delight flower-loving visitors, offering splendid photo opportunities. Visitors can enjoy the vibrant beauty of roses from a railbike or take part in a hands-on activity. Various programs have been prepared to entertain the visi

Hanok and flowers in full bloom captivate visitors, including BTS

Hampyeong Butterfly Festival The Hampyeong Butterfly Festival runs through May 8 in Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province, including Hampyeong Expo Park. The annual festival seeks to provide the opportunity to learn about the Korean nature, including flowers, insects and more. The event seeks to entertain the visitors and tourists with VR and hands-on experiences with butterflies, insects, local artists’ performance and other cultural exhibitions. The Hampyeong Expo Park is open from 9 a.m

Theme parks in South Korea are crammed with visitors as the country marks Children’s Day on Thursday, buoyed by relaxed COVID-19 containment measures. On this special holiday for kids, parents play a guessing game in picking places to go to entertain their children, as theme parks and other kid-friendly venues usually get massive crowds. Those who chose Everland as their destination this year seem to have failed on making the right decision, as postings on social networking sites compl

With barbed wire fences and stone walls, the Bugaksan trail presents its rich history to trekkers

Beartree Park’s Royal Azalea Festival The Beartree Park’s Royal Azalea Festival, which started from April 14, will run through May 8 at Beartree Park in Sejong. After the cherry blossoms and plum blossoms fell off, the azaleas are dressed in red, white and purple, creating some colorful sceneries across the park. The park welcomes the flower-loving visitors of all ages from 9 a.m. Tickets for children are 8,000 won. For teenagers and adults, it is 10,000 won and 12,000 won, respe

Although the pandemic brought the tourism industry worldwide to a virtual standstill starting in 2020, the years 2015 to 2017 saw the global wellness industry’s average growth rate reach 6.4 percent, according to the Global Wellness Institute in 2018. That was almost double the global economic growth rate during the same period. In 2020, the global wellness tourism market was estimated at 908 trillion won ($735.8 billion), according to the GWI’s Wellness Tourism-Global Market Trajec

South Korea’s Hangang Park, or Han River Park, has been named the world’s third most Instagram-worthy park. With the goal of helping to reduce metropolitan cities’ carbon emissions, green energy experts at the United Kingdom-based comparison website Uswitch analyzed Instagram data to find the most picturesque parks and gardens around the world in an article published earlier this month. Hangang Park, made up of 12 riverside parks along the Han River, is one of the beloved sp

Cheongnamdae Spring Flower Festival The Cheongnamdae Spring Flower Festival will run through May 8 at Cheongnamdae in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Once a private villa used by former presidents of South Korea, Cheongnamdae opened to the public in 2003. Surrounded by spring flowers, the festival welcomes visitors of all ages with various sculptures, art paintings and wild flowers. Cheongnamdae is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed every Monday. Admission fees range from 3,000

Lotus Lantern Festival The Lotus Lantern Festival, known as Yeon Deung Hoe, is set to start on April 29 and run through May 1 at various places in Seoul, including the streets of Jongno, along the stream Cheonggyecheon and at temples Bongeunsa and Jogyesa. The lighting of the lanterns conveys wishes for peace and happiness. Various programs are offered during the three-day festival free of charge. The lantern parade, which starts at Dongdaemun Gate in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, and proceeds t