Located 7km northwest of Seoul City Hall, Grand Hilton Seoul is situated beside Mt. Baekryoen, offering fresh mountain air and a beautiful natural view. True to the Hilton name, the hotel offers sophisticated services and quality subsidiary facilities such as a convention center, a fitness club, and seven fine dining restaurants and bars.The hotel is the closest luxury, five-star hotel to the Incheon International Airport (only 45 minutes by car). For the convenience of guests, the hotel operates a free shuttle between the hotel and Itaewon, an area known for its international cuisine and exciting nightlife.
Situated on the southwest corner of Jirisan Mountain, Hwaeomsa Temple is one of the 10 most famous temples in Korea. It was constructed in the fifth year of King Jinheung’s reign (544) during the Silla Era, but was burnt down during Japanese Invasion, Jeongyujaeran in 1592. Including the main building Daeungjeon, the temple was rebuilt during the Joseon Period.The path to the temple lies along the valley named Hwaeomsa Temple Valley. It also takes you to Nogodan Plateau of Jirisan Mountain. With Korean traditional straw-roofed houses and a water mill, you can find a cozy place named Siuidongsan, which means the Hill of Poetry, to take a rest at your right on the way to the temple.Beyond this area is the main gate of Hwaeomsa Temple, Iljumun Gate, and a long stonewall. Entering the main gate, you can find Geumgangmun Gate and the stairs going up to Bojeru. At the top of the stairs, there are the main building Daeungjeon and Gakhwangjeon Pavilion.There are also Seo-ocheung Pagoda (west-five-story pagoda) and Dongocheung Pagoda (east-five-story pagoda) at each side of the front yard. In front of Gakhwangjeon Pavilion is the largest light made of stone in Korea. In addition, there are many national treasures here including the Sasaja Samcheung (3-story) Stone Pagoda, which is situated at the hill called Hyodae. The main building Daeungjeon and Bojeru is magnificent and graceful. Keeping its original beauty, Hwa-eomsa Temple makes beautiful scenery with the nature around it.[National Cultural Heritages]- Stone Lantern at Gakhwangjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa Temple- Four Lion Three-story Stone Pagoda of Hwaeomsa Temple- Gakhwangjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa Temple- Hanging Painting of Hwaeomsa Temple (The Vulture Peak Assembly)- Five-story Stone Pagoda in the east and west of Hwaeomsa Temple- Daeungjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa Temple- Lion Pagoda at Wontongjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa Temple- Stone Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Garland Sutra) of Hwaeomsa Temple- Higan Cherry of Hwaeomsa Temple- Bojeru Pavilion of Hwaeomsa Temple- Stone Lantern at Gucheungam hermitage of Hwaeomsa Temple
When the Gyeongchun Line, a double-tracked railway line connecting Seoul and Chuncheon, opened on December 20, 2010, it replaced the Mugunghwa train that traveled this route for 70 years. Built on the site where the train on the Gyeongchun Line stops, Gangchon Rail Park is a popular tourist attraction where visitors can pedal along old railroad tracks while taking in the lovely Bukhangang River scenery.Opened on August, 2012, the rail park operates from three stations: Gimyujeong Station, Gangchon Station, and Gyeonggang Station. The distance between Gimyujeong Station and Gangchon Station is approximately 8km and the round-trip distance to Gyeonggang Station is approximately 6km.
Sandglass Park is surrounded by the East Sea, mountains and Jeongdongjin 2-ri Village. Sandglass Park has pine trees, benches facing the sea, and access to Jeongdongjin Beach.
A sandglass doesn’t show the present time like a sundial and a water glass and it measures the time elapsed by sand volume descending through gravity. So, the sandglass was used for determining the velocity.
Jeongdongjin Sandglass Park was established in 1999 by Gangneung-si and Samsung Electronics Co. to commemorate the upcoming century. Part of this commemoration was the building of the giant sandglass at the park. The Sandglass has a diameter of 8.06m, its x_width is 3.2m, a weight of 40 tons and holds 8 tons of sand, making it one of the biggest sandglasses in the world. It takes a whole year for sand to trickle to the bottom and then the sandglass restarts again on New Year’s Day each year at midnight.
Hyeopjaegul Cave (협재굴) is one example of the lava tubes of Jeju Island, along with Hwanggeumgul, Socheongul, Ssangyonggul and Manjanggul Caves. The cave is approximately 200m in length, 10m in x_width and 5m in x_height. It is thought to have been created by the lava that erupted from Hallasan Mountain some 25 million years ago. This cave uniquely contains features of both lava and limestone caves. The entire area surrounding the cave is a huge stratum of seashells and sand, while the interior of the cave has a mystical ambience due to its various lava formations such as stalactites and stalagmites, which hang from the ceiling and sprout up from the bottom of the cave. Stalactite columns that are formed when stalactites and stalagmites meet each other are also located throughout the cave, so the scenery is very unusual. The cave walls are covered in lime, which at times looks like beautiful cave paintings. The temperature inside the cave stays at 17~18℃ throughout the year, making the cave a welcome escape from the summer heat and a great place to keep warm during winter.The Hyeopjaegul Cave has been designated Korea’s natural monument No. 236 and ranks among the world’s other major mysterious caves, such as the stone salt cave of Peru and the underwater limestone caves of Yugoslavia. As the Hyeopjaegul Cave is close to the Ssangyonggul Cave (meaning ‘Two Dragons’) the two can be visited together on the same day.
Gangjin Celadon Museum was established in 1997 to preserve and succeed Gangjin Celadon Kiln Site (National Historic Site No. 68) and Goryeo Celadon Cultural Heritage. Various exhibitions and educational programs are operated for Goryeo Celadon research at the museum. In addition, the museum opened an exhibition hall specially designed with a motive of color, pattern, and types of Goryeo Celadon and a Goryeo Celadon Digital Museum that aims to meet contemporary digital technology, allowing people to easily participate in the art of celadon with joy. This museum is considered to be an informative historic site to get knowledge of Goryeo Celadon through the past, present and future.
The Gimhae Bonghwangdong was designated a historic site, where it includes an important shell mound from the Gaya period, which is located in Hoehyeon-ri. In 1920, it was the first archeological site to be excavated in Korea. The site also contains the Bonghwangdae tomb (Former Data for Cultural Properties No. 87), which was the largest tomb of Geumgwan Gaya area. On top of the hill remain Yeoui Pavilion and Hwangse Rock, which are part of the legend about General Hwangse and Yeoui. This is also where the remains of raised houses and a residential site of the Gaya period were excavated.
The Gangam Calligraphy Museum (est. 1995) in Jeonju Hanok Village has on display over 1,000 works from famous artists such as Kim Jeong-hee (1786-1856, calligrapher, painter, & scholar), Lee Sam-man (1770-1847, calligrapher), Kim Hong-do (1745-?, artist), and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836, scholar). This museum also houses a seminar room for calligraphy-related events and educational programs.
The Jangsaengpo Whale Cultural District located in Nam-gu, Ulsan-si, is the nation's only facility that has a whale watching infrastructure in place. The whale cultural district is famous for the whale-themed tour program featuring a whale watching cruise, a whale museum and the whale ecology familiarization tour. The whale watching cruise was first launched in July 2009. In April 2013, the ship was upgraded to a 550-ton cruise liner with 399 crew members, therefore offering an even more enjoyable whale watching tour.
During the day, the cruise ship is mainly used for whale observation. After a minke whale sighting in May 2013, around 3000-4000 common dolphins were observed shortly after. At night, one can experience a glamorous night view of Ulsan Industrial Complex while enjoying diverse performances and buffet dining aboard the ship. The ship also accommodates various events and programs such as school trips, company workshops, seminars, parties, weddings, beer parties and anniversary events.
A trip aboard the whale watching cruise with friends, family, or loved ones will surely make for one memorable experience.