Small-Group Royal Palace and Seoul City Tour w/ Lunch

based on 687 reviews

Duration:8 hours (approx.)
Location: Seoul, South Korea

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Infant (Age : 0 to 3)

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This small group journey will start with Jogyesa, the center of Buddhism in Seoul where you can see locust trees and baeksong trees in front of Jogyesa temple. Afterward, you will move to the presidential blue house that symbol of Cheongwadae with blue tiles and the Gwanghwamun Gate to see royal guard changing ceremony. After watching the ceremony, you can explore Gyeongbokgung Palace. Then you will see the National Folk Museum where you can see how people lived a few centuries ago, the Changdeokgung Palace that listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and Insadong, a famous antique alley that is popular with antique shops, handmade crafts. Finally after a long day, you will see Namdaemun, the main gate of a Seoul. This is a full day packed with a lot of information on Seoul and the Korean traditions.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Jogyesa Temple
Jogyesa Buddhist Temple is the center of Zen Buddhism in Korea, and is famous for being located in the city. From the busy streets of Jongno, follow the road towards Anguk Subway Station, and you will see Jogyesa Temple. The first things you will notice at the temple are the lovely trees. These locust trees and baeksong trees in front of the Daeungjeon, the main temple building, are about 500 years old.
2. Gyeongbokgung Palace
After visiting Jogyesa temple, you will pass the presidential blue house is known by the symbolic blue tiles. The building shows the true beauty of Korea with Mt Bukak peeking behind it. Then, you will move onto the next place called Gwanghwamun to watch the royal guard changing ceremony. It is a ceremony to announce changing of the royal guards, as well as to clarify the guards' identities. Then, you will head toward Gyeongbokgung where was a main palace and the most beautiful palace during the Joseon dynasty. Please note: - On Tuesdays, the Gyeongbokgung Palace and National Folklore museum are closed, and you will go to Deoksugung Palace and The Presidential Blue House Museum instead.
3. Insadong
Insadong is a place of traditional culture near Gyeongbok palace. Insadong was famous since the Joseon dynasty for having lots of antique shops. Today Insadong is popular among tourists for having lots of traditional tea houses, antique shops, traditional handcraft shops, and lots of other shops. Insa-dong is especially popular with foreign tourists. This is where they can experience and see traditional Korean culture firsthand, and also purchase pieces of fine art. On the street you can see many foreigners lost in all the joyous festivities of the street. Insadong is a place of traditional culture.
4. Changdeokgung Palace
Changdeokgung Palace was the second royal villa built following the construction of Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1405. It was the principal palace for many of the Joseon kings and is the most well-preserved of the five remaining royal Joseon palaces. It is recorded as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1997 for having its beautiful appearance of that time. The palace grounds are comprised of a public palace area, a royal family residence building, and the rear garden.
5. Namdaemun Market
Soongryemun (Namdaemun) is a main gate of former Seoul fortress in Joseon dynasty. It is commonly called as Namdaemun. The gate was built in 1396, in King Taejo's reign. And it was reconstructed in 1447 by king Sejong and in 1479 by king Seongjong. In 2006 the Seoul city opened the passage to the gate to public. The gate is now listed as Korea's national treasure #1. But in February 10th 2008, the gate was all burnt away by arsonist and the wooden gate was all burnt away by that accident. The Cultural Heritage Administration has announced to rebuild the gate similarly to its original appearance. The rebuilding was done by early in 2013.

ADDITIONAL INFO

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
• Royal guard changing ceremony might be cancelled due to weather conditions
• On Mondays, Changdeokgung Palace is closed and you will go to Bukchon traditional Hanok Village instead
• This tour is proceeding with minimum 2 people
• On Tuesdays, Gyeongbokgung Palace is closed and you will go to Changdeokgung Palace & Changdeokgung Palace Rear Garden (Secret Garden) instead in the morning and Korean Folk Museum, Ginseng Museum and Namdaemun in the afternoon.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : Vivian_C
This tour was a great way to see some of the “must see” sights of Seoul. Honestly, there would have been no way we could have seen all these on our own given that the only time we could travel was in summer and my elderly parents were with me. We appreciated that there was hotel pick up and a limit of 15 passengers per group. Mr. Young shared Korean history in a very engaging way. His style made you want to listen to learn about the significance of each site. Lunch was delicious as well. There were three options: vegetarian (bibimbap), pork, and beef (bulgogi). Overall, Mr. Young did a great job. I would definitely recommend this tour to others.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-29 18:50:05

Posted By : Maria_K
Fun tour. Lots to see. Spectacular changing of the guard at the palace. Our guide was very personable and provided us with a good tour.
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Posted On : 2024-06-29 14:27:41

Posted By : Beverly_K
The guide, Junie was an excellent leader and guide. She had so much information to share about each site visited. I met many interesting wonderful people on this day trip. Thank you Viator!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-29 08:56:13

Posted By : Mary_R
Young Mi could not have worked harder to make my day memorable. She is so pleasant , funny and efficient.
I had read a review where one the palace visits was swapped for the Hanok village. This was the same on the tour I did. Why not just change the tour?
I was accompanied by a friend who is a Seoul resident. She enjoyed the day too!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-29 07:11:28

Posted By : DayTrip64025182399
Best tour ever. Mr Young was a great tour guide. He was knowledgeable and personable. Highly recommend!! We went a a couple of palaces, at ate Insadong, went to a market and museum. This tour hit 6 of the things I wanted to do in Seoul.
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Posted On : 2024-06-28 05:26:59

Posted By : Mark_H
Mr. Young was a great tour guide; he was fun , energetic, and full of great historical information. We learned a lot about South Korea on the tour as we traveled though out the city in an air conditioned van. The group was small (12 people) which was awesome because it allowed us a more intimate feeling and we we able to easily ask questions as we went along.
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Posted On : 2024-06-26 04:31:40

Posted By : Isaac_L
This was a very enjoyable tour. Veronica, our tour guide, was very insightful and knowledgeable. She took good care of our needs. I would highly recommend this tour to learn about the rich Korean history.
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Posted On : 2024-06-26 00:52:46

Posted By : Martha_A
Our tour guide Junie was so thoughtful and considerate. It was raining and she felt so sad we couldn't see changing of guard at palace, bit she told us all about it and did a great job restructuring tour around rain. She knows city and showed and told us so much interesting things, places, facts. So respectful to my teenager!!
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Posted On : 2024-06-22 20:51:36

Posted By : Terry_R
The sites were amazing. We unfortunately hit a lot of rain the day we went. But our tour guide did a fantastic job of changing up our schedule to keep the tour dry as she could. She was also very knowledgeable and a super friendly person.
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Posted On : 2024-06-22 12:18:31

Posted By : alanwC6240BP
This was a wonderful 1 day tour of the highlights of Seoul. We visited the Buddhist temple, both large palaces with chafing of guard, went to Ginseng World, had lunch and explored Insadong, went to the National Folk Museum and finished in Namdaemun Market. Lunch was so so and was bi bim bap but the tour was phenomenal. Mr Young was our tour guide and he was great! He kept us on target and got great standing room for the changing of the guards. We had 10 people in our group and was great to be nimble and move quickly. Mr Young gave a great history of every we visited and our family learned a great deal. We highly recommend the tour!
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Posted On : 2024-06-21 04:36:00