Flavours of South Korea

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. Some road construction &/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €324.50pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

You do not need a visa to visit South Korea as a tourist for up to 90 days. You will need to fill in an arrival card at Seoul airport. However, from 2025 this arrival card will need to be done online at least 72 hours in advance at https://www.k-eta.go.kr/portal/guide/viewetaapplication.do. The fee for the arrival card will be USD 10 per person. We strongly advise you to check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.

Flights are with Asiana from London Heathrow. Each passenger is entitled to 23kg of hold luggage. There is also an allowance of one cabin bag not exceeding 25cm x 45cm x 56cm in size and one personal bag not exceeding 45 cm x 36 cm x 20 cm that you can take on the aircraft as hand luggage. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documents. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay an additional fee for this at check-in. Heathrow Airport advises that you should arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to your flight time for international departures. IMPORTANT: Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

This tour is accessible to most people with a good level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves climbing of steep stairs and getting on and off coaches, trains and metro trams. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

The currency in South Korea is the South Korean won, known as KRW. We recommend that you exchange your currency before you leave the UK. . Credit, debit and prepaid cards from international brands are accepted at a wide variety of places in the major cities within South Korea. Outside of these, cards may not be widely accepted, although you will be able to withdraw cash in the local currency across the country at ATMs. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour in order to withdraw money in local currency.

As normal practice you may be asked for your card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay.

You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks. We recommend you bring along a minimum of GBP £350 per person to change to local currency. It is a good idea to try and maintain a supply of small notes and change in the local currency for tipping or small purchases. It is customary to tip your guides and drivers approximately £1-£2 per person per day. This is a total of £20 per person to budget for tips on your trip. Tips are collected in the local currency South Korean won.

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 10 and the maximum will be 35. If in the unlikely event there are less than 10 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival by your Tour Guide who will remain with you for the duration of your trip. Your guide will be on hand for the duration of your tour and will be able to provide you with some general information on each of the destinations/ attractions that you visit

Trains

During this tour you will travel on various trains. All train carriages are booked with comfortable seats and air conditioning.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and China. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. If you have booked a triple share please note that your room will be a twin room with a rollaway bed or sofa bed added. This may limit the floor space in the room.

Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch and dinner will be taken in local South Korean restaurants. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way. 1 bottle of water is supplied per day.

During the official holidays, offices and banks are closed but palaces, museums, most restaurants, department stores, and amusement facilities are open. Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day) and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) are the most important traditional holidays for Koreans, so millions of people visit their hometown to celebrate with their families.

On your arrival in Seoul you will be met by a representative from our local agent in South Korea, Holidaylink, holding a sign displaying ‘Mercury Holidays’. The Mercury Holidays/Holidaylink representative will transfer you to your hotel on arrival where you will spend your first night. Your guide will be able to answer any queries you may have.

If you need to contact Holidaylink during your stay the details are: Holidaylink. Seoul office address: RM705, Jindo Bldg., 44 Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 04174, South Korea.Telephone 09.00am-18.00pm: 0082-2-755-2955. Emergency contact information: Please find below the emergency contact details for Holidaylink’s 24-hour hotline (during office hours and after working hours): Mobile: 0082 10 4935 1253 or 0082 10 9267 6530.