Join this privately led tour of Seoul and discover some of South Korea's renowned cultural gems. See the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony and tour Gyeongbokgung Palace; stroll around Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong; and visit Jogyesa Temple and N Seoul Tower. The full-day itinerary will lead you through the ages, from ancient city to modern-day capital.

Sightseeing tour of Seoul attractions
Visit highlights such as Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village
Lunch at a local restaurant
Hotel pickup and drop-off included
Private tour is operated with just your party and a guide/driver

What's Included

Private transport with hotel pick up & drop off
English speaking driver guide
Lunch (Korean food)

Fee for observatory of N Seoul tower (optional)
Cable car for N Seoul tower (optional)
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

09:30 am

Pickup details

We pick up from any hotel/Airbnb in Seoul. If you request pick up from Incheon airport, there will be an additional cost.

What To Expect

Following hotel pickup in the morning by private vehicle, your personal guide accompanies you to Gyeongbokgung Palace. At the palace entrance you'll see an impressive reenactment of the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony, performed at Gwanghwamun Gate during the Joseon Dynasty.

Gain admission to Gyeongbokgung, considered the most beautiful of the Five Grand Palaces in Seoul. Wander the pavilions and ponds with your guide and learn about its architectural features. (When the palace is closed on Tuesdays, you will visit Changdeokgung Palace instead.)

Next up is Bukchon Hanok Village, a traditional Korean village built nearby. Stroll among hundreds of homes called hanok, most dating to the Joseon Dynasty. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue into the heart of the capital and browse among the alleys of Insadong. You'll find antique items on display amid the galleries, eateries, traditional teahouses, and cafes.

Then pay a visit to Jogyesa, the main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Located within the city, the stately complex is a religious site for practitioners of Seon (Zen) Buddhism.

N Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower) is the final stop on your full-day itinerary. After a cable car ride or walk to the top of Namsan Mountain, you'll have unobstructed views of the city from this prominent landmark (entrance fees and cable car ride are your own expense). Afterward, you’re dropped off at your hotel.

Gwanghwamun Gate (Pass By)

Gyeongbokgung Palace

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Bukchon Hanok Village

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Insadong

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Jogyesa Temple

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

N Seoul Tower

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
A minimum of 2 people is required for this tour
Infants and children must be accompanied by 2 adults
Gyeongbokgung Palace and Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is closed on every Tuesday. Instead, you will visit Changdeokgung Palace
Royal Guard Changing Ceremony may not available during rainy days or typhoons (Bad weather)
A maximum of 7 people per booking
This tour provide hotel pick up and drop off; please let us know the hotel name and address during reservation

Tour duration can be adjust depends on weather, traffic or personal reasons
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Infants must sit on laps
Most travellers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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

Plus having lunch with a local makes it much easier if you want to try local food.

Having the private tour was worth every penny because of the attention, flexibility, and ease of getting around.

Highly recommend this tour especially if you get Rosi as your guide.

Reviews

5.0

195 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 195 reviews

Great experience

Trien_D, June 2023

We had a great time and learned a lot about Korean history. Taylor, our tour guide, was very patient, nice, and informative. He was very flexible and went above and beyond to make us happy.

Awesome day tour in Seoul

Johannes_v, May 2023

Excellent tour with a fantastic tour guide Mary. She showed us awesome places and gave great insights on Korea.

Amazing experience!

Lachaunda_B, May 2023

Great tour! Don was very knowledgeable on Korean history about the palace. We’ve learned so much from him. It was convenient, and we didn’t have to worry about finding each location. All places are a must see: the palace, museum, village, tower and market!

Put the soul in Seoul

Jamie_N, May 2023

Our guide, Brian, was extraordinarily effective. He was professional, knowledgeable, efficient and great fun to be with. We learned a great deal while enjoying ourselves, not to mention that his driving skills are awesome. Highly recommend.

Super happy to have Hun

Yvonne_Y, May 2023

We are lucky to have Hun to be our tour guide. Caring. Patient. Smart. Helpful. Fun. Traveling with family (with 2 seniors) is not easy so decided to ask for the support of a tour guide. Hun texted me the night before and let me know he had water, umbrellas and chargers prepared. Due to the weather and the demand of the elderly, Hun would think about alternatives to cater our needs. When my mom asked for dried persimmons, he would help us search and call the store. He is friendly with the whole family and very fun to talk with. When we asked for advice, he would always share his thoughts and be cool about it. It's like hanging out with a good and cool friend for a day, who is willing to go that extra mile to make things easy for you. Oh he is a very safe driver. Highly recommend Hun.

Nice Hun experience

Daniel_Y, May 2023

Hun is a personable, super fun tour guide. We love his roomy van. He amazingly squeezed in 2 days worth on my Seoul list. We didn't feel rushed and pleasantly surprised at how much he covered and also showed us his hidden local gems. You have to try the ginseng chicken soup place on the Michelin bib Hun recommended for lunch.. We even had time to eat at Gwangjang Market's famous Auntie's knife cut noodle (kalguksu) and mandu place documented on Netflix. He gave us a seamless, memorable experience.

Fantastic city tour with Han!! 10/10

Daniel_R, Apr 2023

fantastic tour, perfect for an introduction of Seoul, our guide Han was just amazing, he made the whole day fun and interesting, i would definitely suggest you ask for him if you want to have a wonderful day. also, the car was very comfortable, the lunch was delicious and the whole experience was superb. 10/10 Han the best of the best.

Seoul City Tour

Richard_G, Apr 2023

Visiting the Gyeongbokgung Palace with the changing of the guard ceremony was very interesting. We also enjoyed walking through the Bukchon Hanok Village, Insadong and the Kwang Jang Market (substituted for the N Seoul Tower since we experienced it the night before)! Also, our guide Brian did an excellent job explaining each location we visited as well as Korean history which was invaluable to our understanding of all things Korean!

Great experience

Nadia_D, Apr 2023

We enjoyed visiting the palace and the Village, great site seeing. Our driver was very , polite , flexible and accommodating to what we wanted to see and Visit.

Amazing!

Alejandro_A, Apr 2023

Great tour guide! Hun our guide was exceptional and very knowledgeable! Loved it! Explored lots. Perfect!

Great trip!

Aaron_G, Apr 2023

We had a great time with Taylor. He was friendly and informative and very flexible. Please note that the tour company provides 10,000 KRW per head for lunch which is usually not enough for a Korean meal unless eating veg (according to our guide). We ended up using the amount at Burger King where it was plenty enough. Overall a great time.

A great culturally immersive experience in Seoul.

Sisir_A, Apr 2023

We had a great time exploring Seoul. Brian was our guide. He even taught us the Korean Hangul script in our short time in Seoul. It was also a great culturally immersive experience. We highly recommend the private tour option as it allows you to customize your day.

Terrific day tour of Seoul

Timothy_Y, Mar 2023

Janet my wonderful guide for the day was punctual and as it was a private tour took the time to show me all the sights as advertised at a comfortable leisurely pace. We finished on time and her vehicle was immaculately clean. Highly recommend Janet snd this tour for a great snapshot of Seoul.

Just walk it yourself... it'll be quicker

Stephen_B, Mar 2023

The places are all within walking distance of each other, it's quicker to walk then drive.... the tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. However for the price you are better of just walking, all signs are in English anyway.

Thanks to Taylor

Sherry_F, Mar 2023

Taylor did a wonderful job showing us the highlights of Seoul! His English was great and he was very knowledgeable! We both enjoyed the day immensely! .

Super fun Seoul City experience

Sonia_A, Mar 2023

The best tour guide showed us the soul of Seoul with his fun and friendly personality and warm welcome!

Whole day tour of Seoul

Bart_P, Mar 2023

The market we went to was great. We had lunch there and our guide ordered for us which gave us a good mix of foods.

Great customized tour

Michael_L, Jan 2023

Taylor did a great job taking us around to both historic and local spots. We had already gone to one of the places he had planned so he quickly adapted to fit our needs. Great tour!

Thanks Taylor!!

Charlene_R, Dec 2022

Taylor was a fantastic guide. Very knowledgeable and passionate about Korean history, and packed so much into our 8 hour tour. From an amazing lunch to very descriptive explanations of the sites and answering our many random questions, we had an amazing time. It was more than we expected and we will definitely try to book with him again when we visit for longer!

Great all day tour

Jenny_N, Dec 2022

Guide was well informed and an excellent all rounded tour. A bit of history, art, food and scenery...

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