King Danjong Itinerary – Seoul and Yeongwol

Your guide will pick up in the morning from your hotel in Seoul, and you will start the trip with a drive to Changdeokgung Palace, the most-preserved palace of all the royal palace from the Joseon Dynasty - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is from here that, on June 21st 1457, King Danjong and Queen Jeongsun left from Donhwamun Gate at Changdeokgung when King Sejo exiled him to Yeongwol. We continue to Youngdogyo Bridge. This is the last place where King Danjong and Queen Jeongsun, who is abandoned, separated. They never met again after that moment, so people call this bridge ‘Yeongbyeolgo Bridge’ which translates into ‘a bridge that makes people separate for forever’. We then move to another bridge, Salgoji Bridge, which used to be an important passage connecting to Hanyang (Seoul). King Danjong had to cross also that bridge during his exile, going to Gwangnaru. After lunch, we move to Gwangnaru, located in the middle of the Hangang River: it was a strategic transportation hub. King Danjong arrived by boat to Gwangnaru. Finaly we drive to Yeongwol and check-in at hanok hotel for the night. Dinner served at the hanok.

After breakfast, we start the day with the Jangneung Royal Tomb and Danjong History Museum, the place where King Danjong is buried. The land of Yeongwol was the last ground tred by King Danjong. A large century-old pine tree bends in front of the residence where King Danjong had stayed, as if making a final bow in memory of the late king.
We then drive to Changjeolsa, a shrine that kept the memorial tablets of six martyred ministers, who remained loyal to King Danjong until the end. This shrine is located nearby with Jangneung. We continue to Cheongnyeongpo, which is surrounded on three sides by the river and naturally an isolated area, where King Danjong stayed after being deprived of the throne and exiled to Yeongwol. This is a place with a dense and beautiful pine tree forest,only accessible by crossing the river. The legend also says that among the pines of Danhongeoso, King Danjong would have stretched out on a hammock between the two forks of a pine. After lunch, we will finish the trip with a visit to the village of Seonam, famous for its land formation that is shaped like the Korean Peninsula. The plave is often called: ”The Topography of The Korean Peninsula”– in this village, the peninsula is surrounded by the river on three sides, while the Korean Peninsula is surrounded by the sea on three sides.

We drive back to Seoul and drop you in town/airport to continue your trip.