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

based on 619 reviews

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

From $89

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Infant (Age : 0 to 3)

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Upto 24 hours in Advance.

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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 : ivanar818
Junie was an excellent guide, and we had a fantastic time touring Changdeokgung Palace and Secret Gardens. Loved the National Folk Museum of Korea as well where we learnt about the traditional Korean life cycle.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-16 21:30:43

Posted By : MinJung_K
I absolutely loved the tour of secret garden of Changduk palace and the Jogesa Temple. The last stop, Myungdong was such a vibrant place which I would love to visit again on my own for shopping and street foods. Our tour guide, Junie was knowledgeable and enthusiastic throughout the full day of tour. The transportation was provided and took us to all the spots. The lunch was delicious with diverse options which made everyone satisfied. What a nicely planned tour with no time wasted.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-15 19:38:15

Posted By : ROYA_Z
Royal Palace and changing of the guard was very intereting. The vehicle was clean and comfortable & Lunch was very fresh and delightful. However I expected more information from our guide!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-15 16:38:56

Posted By : Mely_M
great and very informative ... very much enjoy the tour and will probably will do the tour again.
Love the country and it's people ...
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-14 16:24:44

Posted By : 722warrens
Great tour of Seoul! Hit all the essential spots in one go, without having to plan more. Stress free experience with a knowledgeable guide!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-13 08:24:12

Posted By : Francis_K
Excellent Tour !!! Our tour guide Ms. Junie was very professional, courteous and friendly. The tour was also informative and entertaining. The tour bus (van) was comfortable and clean. We had to slightly change the program a bit due to the parade traffic and rain. But Ms. Junie would be able to fit everything in our time frame. TOTALLY RECOMMENDED. We won’t be able to do it all in one day on our own.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-11 20:18:09

Posted By : 404tonyj
Great tour, Young Mi was an amazing tour guide. Covered everything necessary, very punctual. Weather helped, lunch was good too !
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-09 03:45:30

Posted By : Andrew_L
Tour Guide Young Mi was excellent. Her manner was professional, informative with a touch of fun. She also took photos during the tour which she shared later! Tour itself was superb, Jogyesa Temple alive with colour, and the prayer session at the Temple was amazing. Gyeongbokgung Palace was crowded but still easy to enjoy and the changing of the guard ceremony at 10 was a must see. Changdeokgung Palace was similarly impressive and less crowded in the pm, and the differences between palaces interesting. The Lunch was actually very good, not sure why we thought it may not be? The Market stop and the Ginseng Centre weren’t highlights for us, but overall we the Guide, the ease of transfer between stops and the friendly group we shared the tour with made it a fabulous day.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-08 20:01:02

Posted By : Sandra_R
I was a bit nervous about going on this tour by my self but the driver was great, we picked up another 4 people and met up with another group of people on site. It was an awesome experience, our tour guide Chris was fantastic he is very knowledgeable and was very helpful in getting some of us a taxi back to our hotel!! Would 100% recommend to anyone ! Thank you :) had a great time
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-08 15:32:39

Posted By : W2573HDluciap
Unfortunately, we had to waste some time going to a ginseng "museum" - it was more like a coffee tour. 1/4 information about ginseng. 3/4 sales event. OK, if you know about it - but there was nothing about this "museum" in the description on Viator, where we booked. Very annoying, as the tour was not cheap in comparison.

I would have preferred to have spent more time in the Korean Folk Museum, which we unfortunately only rushed through...a real shame. Our guide did a good job, though.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-07 08:44:38