Tour the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with a knowledgeable guide who shares the history and highlights of this important strip of land that separates North and South Korea. Established in 1953 after the Korean War, the DMZ includes key sites such as the Freedom Bridge, 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Imjingak Park, DMZ Museum and Dora Observatory. Visit the DMZ from Seoul on a morning or afternoon half-day tour, with optional upgrades to include lunch or a full-day tour that also visits Insadong Antique Street, a mecca of antique shops, boutiques and tea houses.

Full- or Half-day tour to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from Seoul
Hear expert commentary from a knowledgeable guide as you visit historical sites at the DMZ
See artillery and war artifacts at Imjingak Park and explore the Freedom Bridge on foot
Visit the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel and view war photos at the DMZ exhibition hall
Get a glimpse of North Korean village life from the Dora Observatory
Choose a morning or afternoon tour to suit your schedule
Upgrade to include lunch with shopping for unique souvenirs at Insadong Antique Market

What's Included

Knowledgeable guide
Transport by comfortable, air-conditioned coach
Hotel pickup
Admission Fee

Gratuities
Tram
Hotel Drop Off
Breakfast
Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

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

Meeting point

Hongik Univ. Station
Seoul, South Korea
Last Departure place : Hongik Univ. Subway Station exit no 3

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

City Hall
Seoul, South Korea
The tour will finish at the city hall

Pickup details

We only pick up all travelers from the central Seoul area located hotels. Depending on your hotel location, meeting time is all different. So, you MUST confirm the exact meeting place and meeting time with the local tour operator. If you stay in Airbnb or a local residential area, please let us know your accommodation name (with address). Then, we will arrange a meeting place for you. ** last departure place will be Hongik Univ. Subway Station exit no 3 ** For the last-minute booking (12 hours prior to the tour start), please also meet up at Hongik Univ. Subway Station exit no 3 directly as we are not able to make hotel pick up arrangements for you. Please call us to get the exact meeting time.

What To Expect

After pickup from your Seoul hotel, travel about one hour north to reach the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 2.5-mile (4km) wide piece of land that divides North and South Korea.

Stop first in Imjingak, a park with war artifacts and artillery from the Korean conflict. Continue to the Freedom Bridge, where nearly 13,000 Korean POWs were exchanged at the end of the war.

Next up, see the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, believed to have been built by North Korea for a military invasion. Discovered in 1978, the tunnel was blocked by the South Koreans at the border’s military demarcation line. Afterward, check out artifacts and photographs from the Korean War at the DMZ Museum.

Continue by coach to the Dora Observatory, where you can use provided binoculars to scope out North Korea. Observe a North Korean model village called Kijongdong as your guide explains the backstory of this surreal border region.

Your final destination is Dorasan Station, a train station that once connected North and South Korea and today carries symbolic significance, which your guide details as you take in the site. Wrap up your visit to the DMZ by passing the Unification Village, a small farming community that models the daily life of a typical South Korean farm community.

If you choose the half-day tour only, you are dropped off at City Hall in Seoul after a brief stop at a ginseng center en route. If you choose the morning half-day tour with lunch upgrade, your guide takes you to lunch at a restaurant in Seoul after visiting the DMZ. The full-day tour visits the DMZ in the morning, returns to Seoul for lunch, then hits Insadong Antique Street—which contains a magnificent variety of boutiques, antique stores, tea houses, and art galleries—before a return to your hotel in the afternoon.

Seoul

50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Imjingak Park

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
A current valid passport is required the day of travel.
You do not need to send a copy of your passport
If a part of the tour itinerary is cancelled by unexpected military conditions or local circumstances, there will be no refund
A moderate amount of walking through a steep and narrow tunnel involved - Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended

Please contact the local operator for exact pickup time
Stroller accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 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.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

Take some snacks/ water with you as the most stops will have crowded shops.

The jinseng factory is not worth at all but it is in the program schedule,

Reviews

5.0

1,937 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 1,937 reviews

Great experience in DMZ

Jaroslav_K, Mar 2023

I would like to thank Grace as she was a great guide during our DMZ tour. Her very professional approach during the whole trip was amazing. Whole trip is very interesting and also emotional if you realize how the "real life" on the north looks like. Trip helped me to better understand history of the Korean conflict as well.

Well worth it

crystal_m, Mar 2023

Our tour guide Julie Park was great. Very knowledgeable and personable. She kept us informed and on track throughout the tour.

Excellent Tour and Guide

A_N, Mar 2023

An excellent tour with a superb guide. Grace provided great insight North and South Korean history. We completed many activities during the day at a great pace. My 7 and 10 year old boys stayed engaged the entire day.

I knew very little about...

Mary_S, Mar 2023

I knew very little about what I would see but mostly disappointed. It was promoted as an English speaking tour but I could not understand anything the guide said. Transport was good standard, pre trip accommodation was excellent.

1/2 day DMZ tour

Alyson_M, Mar 2023

A fascinating day with a wonderful guide. Grace was lovely and so knowledgeable and personally emotional about the history of South Korea and its relationship with the North. We saw and experienced a lot, the third tunnel was amazing and bizarre, getting us 170m to the border of N. Korea underground. You have to be flexible with timing as DMZ tickets are limited and ‘first come first serve’ so pick up was 6:30am instead of 7:30am but the tour operator handled it all very well, good communication (thank you Amy). The bus was very comfortable and it was all well organized! Thank you for the great experience!

Great tour!

Glenn_B, Mar 2023

Julie is a great tour guide! Very knowledgeable and helpful. Highly recommend this tour. Interesting history of South and North Korea. Tragic division due to bad political greediness.

Terrific experience

Katherine_K, Mar 2023

The tour guide Yoon was terrific in storytelling which made the experience even more interesting and fun even for my teenager. It’s such an unique tour!

Great Tour

Kevin_H, Mar 2023

We really enjoyed our tour. The guide Amy was kind and knowledgeable. She went out her way to answer our questions and took our picture at sites. The observatory and third tunnel were excellent. It was actually nerve wracking to go underground, but we were glad we did it. The last stop was a bit uninteresting. I feel that a different site could have been chosen. It was a great tour overall. You get a range of experiences.

Excellent Experience

Michelle_B, Mar 2023

We had a great experience on this tour and felt like we learned a lot about Korean history. We went with the tour guide Jin and she was really informative and helpful. Would definitely recommend!!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hello, this is Stella from Seoul City Tour. Thank you very much for recommending us, we love to know that we have fulfilled our mission of taking you to live the best experiences. Best, Stella

Highly recommend

Annie_L, Mar 2023

I saw so many sights with Spring on our tour. She did a wonderful job providing historical facts and stories, and was so kind, friendly, and communicative. I'm really happy with the transportation, time allotted for each site, and itinerary. Highly recommend to learn more about the history of the DMZ!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hello, this is Stella from Seoul City Tour. Thank you for leaving such a nice review! It's great to hear that you found the tour so informative. Our priority is to give the most memorable experience, so we are very satisfied to see that you appreciated our efforts :) Hope to see you again in Seoul City Tour Best, Stella

Amazing

Gabriel_V, Mar 2023

Bibi was the best guide I have ever had! She was really kind, knew a lot of things about history and the places and the program was amazing!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hello, this is Brie from Seoul City Tour. We truly appreciate your reviews, it helps us to improve our services and to offer a better experience to our customers, We hope to see you soon again with Seoul city tour. Best, Brie

Amazing Experience, helpful guide

Sheri_C, Mar 2023

Our guide, Julie Park, was very well versed in English. Highly recommend. We could fully immerse ourselves into the journey from the history of the war, till the expectations of the locals today. Fulfilling trip.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hello, this is Brie from Seoul City Tour. We are glad to hear that you had an overall great experience, we are looking forward to seeing you once again! Best, Brie

Tunnel walk, historical...

Florida_R, Mar 2023

Tunnel walk, historical story very informative , the view of the border & entering the DMZ area, military check point & soldiers are nice

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hello, this is Brie from Seoul City Tour. Thank you very much for recommending us, we love to know that we have fulfilled our mission of taking you to live the best experiences. we are looking forward to seeing you once again! Best, Brie

Enjoyed thoroughly and...

Luqman_O, Mar 2023

Enjoyed thoroughly and perfect experience. Well managed itinerary. Historically rich journey and an educated guide to inform about the relevance.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Observatorion post. To...

Antti_K, Feb 2023

Observatorion post. To really see North-Korean side of the country and the building and even the people there.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hello, this is Jennie from Seoul City Tour. Thank you very much let us know your comments, encouraging us to continue providing extraordinary experiences. Best, Jennie

South Korea Adventure

Yolanda_M, Feb 2023

Walking in Third Tunnel, Going to Dora observatory and see how close is NK. Spring is a nice guide!🤗

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hello, this is Jennie from Seoul City Tour. Thank you very much let us know your comments, encouraging us to continue providing extraordinary experiences. Best, Jennie

Good bus driver and guide spring 👍

Lin_D, Feb 2023

The way to the DMZ border is beautiful, the hi-way as we are guided by Spring our tour guide who is very good in what she does. Informative and fun, I recommend this tour. The tunnel experience, the Dora observatory..and I did a leisure walk during free time at the DMZ area and it's enjoyable. The driver of our bus is a good driver and always smiling. Khamusahamida 🤞

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hello, this is Brie from Seoul City Tour. Thank you very much for your comments. It is great for us to know you enjoyed the visit to Seoul with our team in Seoul City Tour. We are looking forward to have you again soon:) Best, Brie

Powerful and moving, highly recommended.

Michele_K, Feb 2023

This was a fantastic full day tour, with a fantastic tour guide, Ms Julie Park. 박현주 Julie was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Korea, and all the sites we visited, some of which were powerful and very moving. I highly recommend this tour, especially if you want to understand the history of how South Korea came into being and the challenges all Koreans have had to face and overcome in order to grow as a nation.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hello, this is Stella from Seoul City Tour. Thank you very much let us know your comments, encouraging us to continue providing extraordinary experiences. we are looking forward to seeing you once again! Best, Stella

Good DMZ Trip

TeckBoon_L, Feb 2023

The entire trip was good. I was picked up from my hotel on time to join a bigger group. The tour guide Dora was a good guide to share the history of DMZ. Timely moving out from point to point for the few locations we visited.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hello, this is Jennie from Seoul City Tour. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and let us know how we are doing. It is good to know that our team matched your expectations, and made your experience memorable. It was a pleasure to serve you. Please come back again soon! Best, Jennie

Great DMV tour

Andrew_K, Feb 2023

Amazing, it was as good as I had hoped. Grace is the best and most helpful guide I have ever seen on a tour. She also helped me solve a really dumb passport mistake I made. She made the trip so memorable.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hello, this is Jennie from Seoul City Tour. Thank you very much for your comments. We're glad that you were with 'Seoul City Tour' and it became a good memory. We are looking forward to have you again soon:) Best, Jennie

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