Full Day Small-Group Royal Palace and Seoul Tour
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From $97.44
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Full Day Small-Group Royal Palace and Seoul Tour
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance. Learn more
Safety measures
8 hours (approx.)
Hotel pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Good for avoiding crowds
Overview
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 and drop-off.
- 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 and drop-off
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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 with hotel drop-off.
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 with hotel drop-off.
Itinerary
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: 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
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.
Duration: 2 hours
Admission Ticket Included
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: 50 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
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.
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
Admission Ticket Included
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: 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
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Traveler 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." See review
- "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." See review
- "We only had two days in the city and this tour was worth it!" See review
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Full Day Small-Group Royal Palace and Seoul Tour
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