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Full Day Small-Group Royal Palace and Seoul Tour
1 day
Small Group
Full Day
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About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Gyeongbokgung Palace, 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul South Korea
From your hotel or subway station, you will start your travel in a comfortable vehicle.
You’ll arrive at the Jogyesa temple, a quiet and calm place, located in Jongno. The irony is that the temple located in a very crowded street, but inside the temple is serene and beautiful.
Next, you will have the chance to visit 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.
After seeing the Gyeongbokgung Palace, you will visit the Korean Ginseng Center to look around before having a lunch of local food and move on to the Changdeokgung Palace.
The Changdeokgung Palace is listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage since 1997 for its beautiful appearance. It is a residence for the kings and queens with rear garden pavilion.
After seeing how the royals lived, you will move onward to Insadong to see and experience the traditional culture of Korea like a Korean tea house and maybe try buying something in this famous antique alley.
For the last part of the tour, you will move to Namdaemun (also known as Soongryemun) which was built in 1396 by King Taejo’s reign. Now, Namdaemun is listed as Korea's most important National Treasure.
You will also visit Namdaemun Market near Namdaemun and look around this famous traditional market.
After your long day, the tour will conclude at your hotel where you were picked up in the morning.
Please note:
1. On Mondays, Changdeokgung Palace is closed, and you will go to Bukchon traditional Hanok Village instead.
2. 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.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Insadong, Insa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul South Korea
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.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Changdeokgung Palace, 99, Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03072 South Korea
It is famous for its beautiful feature. It is recorded as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1997 for having its beautiful appearance of that time.
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.
The palace grounds are comprised of a public palace area, a royal family residence building, and the rear garden.
Known as a place of rest for the kings, the rear garden boasts a gigantic tree that is over 300 years old, a small pond, and a pavilion.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Jogyesa Temple, 45 Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-170 South Korea
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.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Namdaemun Market, 21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul 04529 South Korea
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.
Duration: 1 minute
Read more
Show less
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Gyeongbokgung Palace, 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul South Korea
From your hotel or subway station, you will start your travel in a comfortable vehicle.
You’ll arrive at the Jogyesa temple, a quiet and calm place, located in Jongno. The irony is that the temple located in a very crowded street, but inside the temple is serene and beautiful.
Next, you will have the chance to visit 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.
After seeing the Gyeongbokgung Palace, you will visit the Korean Ginseng Center to look around before having a lunch of local food and move on to the Changdeokgung Palace.
The Changdeokgung Palace is listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage since 1997 for its beautiful appearance. It is a residence for the kings and queens with rear garden pavilion.
After seeing how the royals lived, you will move onward to Insadong to see and experience the traditional culture of Korea like a Korean tea house and maybe try buying something in this famous antique alley.
For the last part of the tour, you will move to Namdaemun (also known as Soongryemun) which was built in 1396 by King Taejo’s reign. Now, Namdaemun is listed as Korea's most important National Treasure.
You will also visit Namdaemun Market near Namdaemun and look around this famous traditional market.
After your long day, the tour will conclude at your hotel where you were picked up in the morning.
Please note:
1. On Mondays, Changdeokgung Palace is closed, and you will go to Bukchon traditional Hanok Village instead.
2. 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.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Insadong, Insa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul South Korea
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.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Changdeokgung Palace, 99, Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03072 South Korea
It is famous for its beautiful feature. It is recorded as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1997 for having its beautiful appearance of that time.
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.
The palace grounds are comprised of a public palace area, a royal family residence building, and the rear garden.
Known as a place of rest for the kings, the rear garden boasts a gigantic tree that is over 300 years old, a small pond, and a pavilion.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Jogyesa Temple, 45 Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-170 South Korea
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.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Namdaemun Market, 21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul 04529 South Korea
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.
Duration: 1 minute
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Seoul
- Local guide
- Lunch
- Driver/Guide
- Bottled water
- Entry/Admission - Gyeongbokgung Palace
- Entry/Admission - Insadong
- Entry/Admission - Changdeokgung Palace
- Entry/Admission - Jogyesa Temple
- Entry/Admission - Namdaemun Market
Not included
- Gratuities
Additional
- 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
- 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
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
85%
Reviews
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Erin is a wonderful tour guide. She was very informative and friendly with us. We lucked out as a family when we found out that it’d just be us on tour. It was already suppose to be a small tour, but this worked out even better. 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. This was the first tour we’ve done with our baby and it was a success! It’s all thanks to Erin making it plausible, comfortable, and fun. I’d recommend this for any family looking to see some must see sites in Seoul.
Erin our tour guide made our trip enjoyable with information about the places of interest. She was very helpful and sweet. It was lovely
Where to start? Excellent communication from the outset! Within an hour of booking we received an e-mail telling us what time we would be picked up from our hotel reception. A day before the trip, we received an e-mail reconfirming the pick up time and advising the name of our guide and the registration number and type of vehicle that would be picking us up. Our guide arrived at the hotel early and we soon discovered that we were the only two booked on the trip. So we had our own private driver and guide. The tour itself was well timed with a good cross-section of sites to see plus ideal timings for the changing of the guide ceremony. Peter, our guide was most accommodating and when he realised that we liked to spend much of our time photographing, he adjusted the pace of tour accordingly. The tour included a visit to a gingseng centre but as we had been there the day before (as part of the DMZ trip) he did not force us to make another visit and gave us extra time to tour. The included lunch was in a local Korean restaurant. We could choose from a number of different dishes and both my meal and my partners were delicious. This was an incredibly enjoyable experience, great value and excellently guided. It really maked us to make the most of our four days in Korea. A highly recommended tour.
We had a great time with our tour guide Erica Kim, the tour began early in the morning with our tour guide starting the tour off right by being really friendly. It was clear that Erica knew a ton about Korean culture and history as she answered all of our questions very easily. She also provided cool little facts about South Korea that stuck with us. This tour really encompasses it all by visiting both of the major palaces in South Korea Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung Palace and you learn about the history of royal families. It's worth pointing out the lunch in a small local restaurant in Insadong Alley was really delicious too!
Tour was informative and at the right pace. Guide was very good and personal.
The tour was ok.The ability of the English language of our guide was ok,too.As we have lived in Koreana Hotel, we could have visited all he sights on foot from our hotel and so saved a lot of money.Anyway, no complaints, everything was fine.
A relax and enjoyable tour! Thanks to Erika who was so patient and kind to my mother who was unable to walk fast. She knows where to bring us to shop and eat for the best. Highly recommended..
Our tour to the Royal Palaces and the DMZ tour were both great. Our tour guide, Erica Kim, did a great job. She has a lot of knowledge and is very nice! Erna from Holland Bertha P
Great experience to see many of the temples in Seoul. We were guided around and given the history of the temples. We were given a chance to wander Insadong and enjoy a traditional lunch...wonderful food!! We were also able to see the changing of the guard. Overall it was a wonderful day and we loved every part.