Explore the highlights of Seoul on a full-day tour with an informative guide. Highlights include Jogyesa Temple, the Blue House, the royal guard changing ceremony at Gwanghwamun Gate, and tours of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take in traditional culture at the National Folk Museum, Insadong Antique Street, and at Namdaemun Gate and Namdaemun Market. Includes lunch, entrance fees, and hotel pickup.

Full-day Seoul tour with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace
View traditional shops and goods at Insadong Antique Street and Namdaemun Market
Learn about Korean dynasties when visiting two royal palaces
Includes lunch, all entrance fees, guide, and hotel pickup

What's Included

Hotel pickup in Central Seoul
Local guide
Lunch
Driver/Guide
Bottled water

Gratuities
Hotel drop-off (drop-off at the City Hall or Myeongdong)

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

55
55 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
If you don't want us to pick you up, you can meet us at 9 am at the front gate of Jogyesa temple where is the first attractive to visit.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

09:00 am

End points

This activity ends in a different location. See details below:

Type to search

Pickup details

Pick-up is provided at most hotels in Central Seoul and subway stations. Please provide us with the name & full address of your accommodation in Seoul. Then we will inform you where & when you can meet us.

What To Expect

After morning pickup at your Seoul hotel, travel in a comfortable vehicle to Jogyesa Temple. Despite its location on a crowded street in Jongno district, the Zen Buddhist temple is serene and picturesque with colorful decorations and large golden Buddha statues.

Continue to the Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae), home to the President of the Republic of Korea. From the outside, view the Blue House along with Mt. Bukak in the background.

Head to Gwanghwamun Gate in time to watch the changing of the royal guards ceremony. Then tour the northern palace, Gyeongbokgung, the main palace during the Joseon dynasty.

Stop at the Korean Ginseng Center before sitting down for a lunch of Korean fare. In the afternoon, tour the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Changdeokgung Palace and explore Insadong Antique Street. Experience traditional culture in Insadong by entering a Korean tea house or browsing in the antique shops.

The final stop on your tour takes you to Namdaemun (aka Soongryemun), which was built in 1396 and is listed as Korea's most important National Treasure. Have time to check out the traditional Namdaemun Market before your tour ends.

Jogyesa Temple

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Gyeongbokgung Palace

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Insadong

50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Changdeokgung Palace

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Namdaemun Market

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
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
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travellers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

This is a great way to see and learn about key historical sites in Seoul if you don’t have a lot of days to fully explore Seoul.

They had lots of room in the van, it had great climate control to deal with the weather and they had room for our packable stroller and baby bag.

We only had two days in the city and this tour was worth it!

Reviews

5.0

212 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 212 reviews

Highly recommend.

Tina_P, June 2023

Sadie was our guide and she was great. This tour was very organized and we got to see alot of places in a short amount of time. highly recommend for anyone visiting Seoul. Definitely worth the money.

Great city day tour

Carol_G, June 2023

Great full day tour of Seoul. Mr Young, the English speaking guide, was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the palaces, temple & markets. Very interesting history provided about the sites. A fabulous way to do city sightseeing of you don’t have much time. Lots of walking so recommend taking extra water & maybe an umbrella for shade. Bring cash for the markets.

Sadie was an amazing tour...

William_G, June 2023

Sadie was an amazing tour guide. The lunch in between the two palace was the perfect break needed. The tour even customized a hotel dropped off for us so that we didn’t have to walk.

Temple and palaces of Seoul

Deirdre_M, June 2023

We were picked up right on time by Mr. Gilbert, which is not easy with the busy morning traffic in Seoul. Mr Gilbert told us where we were going and what we would be seeing as we picked up the other couple. Much appreciated. We had a fantastic guide Miss Sadie, who made the tour such an awesome experience. She shared so much history and knowledge of the Temple, palaces, museum and markets. We learned so much in the one day, we were not overwhelmed with all the info, she made it very interesting and easy to understand the at times complex history of S. Korea. My husband and I enjoyed the tour very much and would take a tour with Miss Sadie again. She was so kind and welcoming and took excellent care of us all on the tour. Thank you Miss Sadie!

Response from Host, June 2023

Thank you for your time for sharing this review~ We're very pleased to know that you had enjoyed all the moments even for the pick up with Gilbert & Sadie :) Full day tour, you can visit Korean temple, Royal palace, Folk museum and Insadong, Namdaemum. And you also can get the lots of interesting history & stories about Korea. Thank you for joining us and hope you can visit Korea one more time and be with us !

Team Lloyd was a fantastic day out!

Julie_L, June 2023

The tour guide Lloyd was excellent - lunch lovely, great experience all round and very informative - comfortable bus and great commentary about the history etc Highly recommend

Response from Host, June 2023

Thank you for your review and recommendation~ Very pleased to know that you had spent a fantastic full day with Lloyd at the Palace. Hope Korean lunch after visit of national folk museum was memorable. Thank you for joining us !

Excellent!!

Graciela_B, June 2023

Our guide Yung was excellent. Very good explanations, he was kind with all the group as well. We visited incredible Palaces, food also was very good!

Response from Host, June 2023

Thank you for the review~ Pleased to know you had enjoyed all the palaces and Korean food at Insadong. We're happy to see your 5star review and thank you for joining us !

Great tour especially if this is your first time in Korea

Nina_D, June 2023

This tour was a really great overview of Korean culture and history. Sadie, our tour guide, was amazing. I highly recommend

Response from Host, June 2023

Royal palace is really good place to know about history of Joseon Dynasty. Glad to know that you had great time with Sadie at the Palace. Thank you for the review & recommendation~!

Enriching experience

MariaEloisa_G, May 2023

Tidbits about korean culture and history were really enlightening and made the tour more enjoyable and enriching. Sadie spoke very good English. And the tour was well-coordinated.

Response from Host, June 2023

Royal Palace and Korean Folk Museum is really good place you can enjoy & experience Korean culture. Glad to hear that you had enjoyed our tour. Thank you for joining us !

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL TOUR

VERONICA_B, May 2023

Sadie was very nice and very knowledgeable! We had such a great time visiting the temples and learning about their history. Highly recommend this tour! (This tour is really only about visiting the main temples + Korean Ginseng Center + Insadong + Namdaemun Market) Expect a lot of walking! Also Happy birthday to Buddha (2023/05/27)

Response from Host, June 2023

During the period, Jogyesa is full with lanterns and you can enjoy unique atmosphere. And you sent your congrats to Buddah ! Hope you also liked our Royal Palace with Sadie. Thanks for joining us ~

Great tour of the city!

Chris_H, May 2023

Sadie was an amazing tour guide! She gave us so much information that was easy to understand and showed us how the previous dynasty had shaped Korea to be the way that it is. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the palaces, museum, and temple. It gave me a small insight to what Korean life was and is. 10/10 would recommend!

Response from Host, June 2023

Thank you for your review and recommendation. You can get a glimpse of royal family's life of Joseon Dynasty through this palace tour. Even in the temple and Korean folk museum, we can feel culture of Joseon. Thanks for joining us and happy to hear that you had great time with Sadie !

I would avoid this one.

Nitin_T, May 2023

Not the best. Not informative. The guide was not fluent in English, didn’t have any history or information to share apart from the basic that is available on Google

Royal Palace Tour fantastic

Karina_g, May 2023

The palace tour was fantastic. We saw the changing of the guard at Gyeongbokchung Palace. Our guide Yoong knew exact what to do to get the best photos. Yoong was very knowledgeable about the cultural history of Seoul and the royal family. Lunch was fantastic. Highly recommend

Response from Host, May 2023

Royal guard changing ceremony is magnificent moment, right ? Palace tour is very authentic experience which can feel the history of Korea. Thank you for joining us and your time for the review & recommendation !

Full Day Seoul tour

Randy_S, May 2023

Wonderful experience with Mr. Young. He is an excellent informative guide. He provided us with a rich and detailed history of the palaces, as well as the country.

Response from Host, May 2023

Royal Palace is really beautiful place and with history? It's more than icing on the cake. It delivers its mysterious atmosphere. Really pleased to hear that you had great day with Young. Thank you for the review !

Perfectly organised

Katrin_I, May 2023

The tour was so well organised, and also very informative! We had a great time with our guide Sadie - she kindly answered all of our questions and made sure that lunch was according to our diet restrictions. We learned so much during our day tour and would love to recommend it to any traveler visiting Seoul!

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you for sharing your review and recommendation ! Hope you enjoyed our full day tour with Sadie and new experience including Korean lunch. Thank you for joining us~

Excellent tour

Kuan_W, May 2023

Changing of the guards at the palace, the tour of the two palaces and the folklore museum. Our tour guide, Mr. Young was excellent! Highly recommend this pleasant tour.

Response from Host, May 2023

Royal guard changing ceremony is really fascinating and folk museum is also exciting place to know Josun dynasty. Thank you for your time for this review & recommendation ! glad to know you had great time with Young~

Royal Treatment

Linda_B, May 2023

Mr. Young spoke excellent English. The tour was excellent as well. We enjoyed the royal palaces. He brought us to a wonderful restaurant for lunch and provided some free time to enjoy a little shopping after lunch.

Response from Host, May 2023

Free time after lunch is really exciting, for shopping or adventure to dessert ! Insadong & Royal palace is cool place you can enjoy atmosphere of Josun dynasty. Thank you for your review~~~

Excellent tour

Irene_F, May 2023

Young was a great guide, full of information and stories. He was very organized and we enjoyed a great day. Highly recommend.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you for your glowing review & recommendation. We're really glad to know that you had a greay day with Young~ Thanks for joining us !

Palace

Maria_Y, May 2023

We saw an impressive palace complex It was run right on time and efficiently the guides were helpful and knowledgeable

Response from Host, May 2023

It sounds like you enjoyed our Royal Palace. Glad to hear that our guide was helpful and tried to give historical information regarding Josun dinasty. Thank you for the review~

Highly recommend it

EZEQUIEL_C, May 2023

Highly recommend this tour! We got VIP service really. Excellent driver and guide. Thank you Brian for very interesting explanations and even teaching us about Korean gastronomy! A perfect introduction to the city life and culture.

Response from Host, May 2023

You are the lucky one who spent a fantastic day with Brian~~~! can't imagine you were talking in Korean and sharing an opinions and expressions for the Korean dish ! Really pleased to hear you enjoyed our tour. Thank you so much for your review !

Good overview tour could be improved. Guide excellent

Marc_P, May 2023

This was a great way to see Seoul highlights and set up for subsequent touring on your own . The tour guide Young was excellent- well informed. The lunch was very good. I would have only one recommendation- do away with the time on your own in shopping areas as well as the Ginseng shopping disguised as a learning session. And add the secret garden to the tour itinerary since we were already there and told to come back and buy ticket on our own if we wanted to see it.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thanks for your precious comments. We will consider your recommendation to make better tour going forward. But for the secret garden, we are group tour and especially, on peak season, we can't secure entry tickets to secret garden. As you can imagine, there are so many tourists coming and only limited people can visit Secret garden. Therefore, for the consistency of our tour, it is difficult for us to add secret garden. Hope your kind understanding. Thank you!

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