Seoul Royal History Tour: Gyeongbokgung & Jogyesa

Immerse yourself in Seoul’s rich history on a half-day tour. Visit Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jogyesa Temple, learn about the royal and religious heritage, and experience the cultural traditions of Korea. Hotel pickup included.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • 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.
  • Gyeongbokgung Palace - Gyeongbok Palace is arguably the most beautiful and remains the grandest of all the five palaces.
  • The Blue House - (Photo Time) The Blue House is the residence of the Korean President and the most beautiful government building in the Jongno District of Seoul. In fact, the Blue House is a collection of buildings that are designed according to a traditional Korean fashion with some modern elements added.
    The mountain background is simply stunning, as the structure sits upon the royal garden of the Joseon Dynasty! On our Seoul City Tour, you will have the opportunity to walk around its perimeter and take beautiful iconic photos. (We will have photo time in front of The Blue House, We will not go inside.)
  • 청하고려인삼 - Shopping Center
What's Included
  • Expert English-speaking guide
  • Inclusive of all taxes and fees
  • Convenient hotel pickup
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Hotel drop-off (dropped off at City Hall or Myeongdong)
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Discover Seoul’s royal and religious heritage with an expert local guide. Journey by coach to some of the capital’s most breathtaking sites, such as Jogyesa Temple and the pavilions of Gyeongbokgung Palace. On this 3.5-hour morning tour, marvel at the magnificent architecture from the Joseon Dynasty, witness a Changing of the Guard ceremony, and delve into Korean cultural traditions at Cheongwadae Sarangchae. The tour includes hotel pickup and concludes at City Hall, giving you the afternoon to continue exploring independently.

Location
City Hall Station
Exit 6
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(293 Ratings)
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Maps287417
Sep 22, 2024
Half day Seoul tour - Excellent tour of the Palace and temple. Kelly was a great guide, explaining everything in detail. Charlie was always on time for pick up. Would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bianca
Sep 22, 2024
So interesting! - Our tour guide, Yuna, was wonderful. It was like seeing the sights with a friend. She was very knowledgeable and explained so many interesting facts about the palace and temple to us. We enjoyed every minute.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B5377rjthomasp
Sep 21, 2024
Good overview - Very impressive overview of the city's attractions, especially the palace. Professional tour guide. Thank you very much
Review provided by Tripadvisor
428captainm
Sep 21, 2024
Great Tour - We saw many great sights on the tour, including the palace guard changing ceremony which was amazing -- a true highlight of our trip to Seoul. The entire palace complex was fantastic to tour. Also the bus we traveled on was quite comfortable. Very glad we decided to purchase this tour & highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
681yingl
Sep 9, 2024
Half day tour - Amazing half day tour! Very well organized and convenient. Our guide Emily was very nice and took good care of the group.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
316audral
Sep 4, 2024
Fantastic tour. Best guide ever. - Emily was fantastic. She gave us tons of local recommendations and was a complete joy to hang out with and took the best pictures. 100/10 would book again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dream66815655413
Sep 4, 2024
100% recommend!! Best tour guide! - Our tour guide was amazing. She was very friendly, informative, and helpful. I Would recommend anyone traveling and interested in this tour to choose her. She became apart of the family!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adventure49861810277
Jul 7, 2024
Half-Day Historical Tour - Kelly is a real professional guide. Very knowledgeable and very personable. She keeps things organized and moving. Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniel
Sep 4, 2024
Beautiful tour through Seouls history with an unfortunate sales pitch at the end - I am sad to only give 3 / 5 because I enjoyed the tour very much and it is not because of our tour guide Gabby. Gabby was a very nice tour guide. She was funny, knowledgeable and you can tell that she has a passion for this. She could also answer all the questions I had. But at the end you are put through what I can only describe as a bad sales pitch for ginseng at the ginseng center. You first go through a hallway where the history of ginseng is explained and then you get more or less locked into a small room with 6 people staring at you waiting to sell you ginseng while one person is explaing more about it. The person there will literally tell you that it cures cancer, impotency, diseases, increases fertility, enhances your skin / immune system, everything in the book to sell you the stuff. The only thing the sales person forgot to mention was, that it also causes world peace if you buy the ginseng for 200€ or more. The tour was really nice and I loved seeing the temple, the palace and hearing from Gabby about the history. I would have preferred to spend more time in the palace rather than 45 minutes on a sales pitch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bronagh_m
Aug 11, 2024
Average tour, group too large, Sales pitch to finish the tour - Friendly tour guide, great transfer bus. Quality of history and ability to answer questions very very limited. Third part of tour takes you to a sales pitch on Ginseng which wasn’t needed (similar to a time share seminar)
Review provided by Viator
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October 2024
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