InsideAsia Tours is excited to unveil its newest culinary-focused journey, ‘Culinary Korea’, a 13-day adventure that takes travelers through the diverse regions of South Korea, offering a taste of the unique cuisine each destination has to offer.
Rebecca Barry, Senior South Korea Product Executive at InsideAsia Tours, remarked, “This itinerary is designed for both food enthusiasts and adventure seekers. It explores the diverse and delicious culinary traditions of South Korea through hands-on cooking workshops, market visits, and other culturally immersive experiences. Travelers will go beyond the popular KBBQ and craft beer to discover the intricate tastes and fresh flavors of Korea’s diverse dishes, sides, snacks, and beverages.”
Throughout the 13-day Culinary Korea itinerary, participants will experience the culinary diversity of South Korea. The journey includes visits to metropolitan Seoul, the port city of Yeosu, the coastal retreat of Busan, the historic and mountainous Jeonju, and the remote island culture of Jeju. Each location offers a distinct culinary experience, allowing travelers to engage in interactive activities with locals who share not only their food but also their culture.
Barry added, “Korean cuisine is best appreciated in its native context, where traditional preparation methods are still practiced, from fine dining establishments to street food stalls. These venues utilize fresh, locally sourced ingredients from both land and sea. Beyond the food, Korea’s communal dining culture fosters a deep sense of connection, known locally as jeong. This itinerary allows travelers to experience this concept, creating profound connections with fellow travelers, locals, and the rich culture of Korea, making each dining experience truly soul-nurturing.”
As with all InsideAsia Tours’ self-guided adventures, the Culinary Korea itinerary is flexible and can be customized to suit individual preferences regarding time, budget, and additional activities or sites of interest. For those with more time, the Culinary Korea itinerary can be combined with the Gastronomic Adventure from sister-brand InsideJapan Tours, extending the food-focused exploration of Asia with cultural experts.
Highlights of Korean Food Tour Itinerary
- Food in Seoul: With three days in Seoul, travelers have plenty of time to explore iconic sites like Gyeongbok Palace and Namsan Tower as they get their first taste of Korean cuisine. With every meal a chance to savor KBBQ or chimaek fried chicken dishes, the craft beers and unique brews in trendy Seongsu will satisfy the most discerning of beer aficionados. Coffee enthusiasts can indulge in Seoul’s innovative cafes and traditional teahouses, sampling world-class espresso, dalgona hand-beaten coffee, and gogooma sweet potato lattes.
- A Taste of Jeonju: Jeonju, South Korea’s culinary capital, is famed for its traditional dishes like bibimbap rice bowls and kongnamul-gukbap bean sprout soup. A city renowned for upholding traditional culture in all aspects, the Hanok Village features old-world cafes and food establishments serving traditional staples of Korean cuisine prepared using the time-tested methods that have been used by locals for hundreds of years. Clinking cups of fizzy rice wine in Makgeolli Alley will foster deep connections among travelers and locals, celebrating with the Korean cheers, “geonbae.”
- Unique Flavours of Yeosu: On the lesser visited west coast of Korea, Yeosu offers a taste of port city life with its lively fish market and maritime cable car. Most notable is the Nangman Night Market, whose street performers and food stalls attract nightly lines of hungry patrons looking to enjoy spicy seafood soup and deep-fried fish, freshly caught within a few days of eating. Nearby, Seonamsa Temple’s preserved walled town provides a tranquil escape for inner zen in the middle of this gastronomic adventure.
- Jeju Island Cuisine: Known for its balmy climate, juicy tangerines, and beautiful beaches, Jeju Island is South Korea’s top vacation spot thanks to its adventurous landscape, boasting Korea’s highest mountain, volcanic rock walls, lava caves, and more natural beauty to explore. This portion of the tour includes a chance to pick and taste the famous Jeju tangerines, as well as an experience with the unique haenyo community of female free divers who have harvested abalone, octopus, and sea urchins for decades with their traditional bitchang
- Famous Busan Seafood: At the culinary world’s forefront thanks to the city’s first-ever Michelin Guide published earlier this year, Busan is renowned for its modern seafront, crystal-clear beaches, and colorful Gamcheon alleyways. The iconic Jagalchi Fish Market offers Korea’s freshest seafood, like nakji octopus and spicy maeun-tang soup among other delicacies. Within the winding footpaths of Jagalchi Fish Market, travelers will partake in a cooking workshop led by a Busan local, who will teach how to prepare a traditional Korean dish travelers can recreate once home.
For more information about InsideAsia Tours and Culinary Korea, visit https://www.insideasiatours.com/us/south-korea/tailormade-trips/clk001/culinary-korea.