Home > Seoul > Korean Palace and Market Tour in Seoul Including Insadong and Gyeongbokgung Palace
USD $76.00
Korean Palace and Market Tour in Seoul Including Insadong and Gyeongbokgung Palace
Seoul, South Korea
Spend a full day discovering the beautiful architecture and landscape of Seoul while learning about its history, culture and traditions. With your guide, visit two grand palaces, including UNESCO World Heritage-listed Changdeokgung Palace; learn about traditional lifestyles at a museum; and explore bustling local markets by foot.
After pickup from your Seoul hotel in the morning, travel by air-conditioned coach past the Blue House, the residence of the South Korean head of state and the President of the Republic of Korea.
Your first stop is Gyeongbokgung Palace, constructed in 1395. Because much of this royal palace was destroyed during the Japanese occupation, there are many restoration projects underway. With your guide, marvel at the grandeur of the original and new portions.
Inside, visit the National Folklore Museum, whose historical replicas illustrate traditional Korea. Browse the extensive artifacts to learn what life has been like for Koreans from ancient times to the 20th century. You’ll also learn about the deep roots of Confucianism in Korean culture.
(Please note that Gyeongbokgung Palace is closed on Tuesdays, in which case you’ll visit Deoksugung Palace instead. This walled compound of traditional palace buildings, forested gardens and a statue of King Sejong the Great is home to the Seoul Museum of History, where you’ll discover Seoul's traditional culture as you browse the exhibits with your guide.)
Next up is Jogyesa Buddhist Temple, the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Admire the lovely locust and baeksong trees lining the entrance and enter the main temple, dating back 500 years, to see the statue of Seokgamoni, the historic Buddha at the moment of enlightenment before stopping by a Ginseng Center.
At midday, you'll enjoy a tasty Korean lunch at a local restaurant before driving to Changdeokgung palace, a perfectly preserved palace from the Joseon Dynasty. As you explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site, discover the grand pavilions, massive gate, several halls and the Geumcheongyo Bridge – the oldest bridge in Seoul. At the Huwon (Rear Garden), marvel at the beautiful landscape of lotus ponds, lush lawns, trees and flowers.
(Please note that on Mondays, you’ll visit Changgyeonggung Palace instead. It is another one of the ‘Five Grand Palaces’ of the Joseon Dynasty, featuring incredible ancient structures.)
Head next to the Insadong Antique Alley in central Seoul . With your guide, wander down alleys to browse traditional Korean restaurants, teahouses and galleries full of antique artifacts and local artwork. Afterward, stop by the Duty Free Shop before heading to Namdaemun.
Finish your tour at Namdaemun Market, the largest traditional market in Korea, opened in 1964. with various goods in store. You can find great bargains here and snatch up the perfect souvenir to remind you of your trip to Korea! You’ll then be taken back to your hotel.
A good tour, well paced and covers a nice diversity of sites. Enough time to see things without being rushed but not so much that it feels like you are lingering when you could be moving on. The chance to wander the street markets was good too. Our guide spoke well and was informative.
Review by: HH, March 2018
Average experience only ...
Review by: Terri F, December 2017
good basic overview but the afternoon markets are a waste so I would find a different tour
Review by: Chai Ling T, December 2017
My husband and I are not fans of museums and places so we chose this tour for the obligatory been-there-done-that experience. It was surprisingly fun and interesting. Tour guide Sonia from Holiday Tours and Travel was fantastic.
Review by: ajay.trivedi, December 2017
Great tour. Value for money. Excellent guides.
Review by: jvmilic, September 2017
This was a very pleasant tour with a friendly and knowledgeable guide... most appreciated!
Review by: EngNawal06, August 2017
loved it :
Review by: Samuel M, June 2017
This was an excellent experience and our tour guide Leslie was fantastic. This is a tour that moves along quickly so prepare to look and move on. I think the best thing about this tour was that it was a small group so we all go to know each other. This was one of the highlights of our trip to Seoul.
Review by: Mo, May 2017
This was a jam packed tour which covered alot of the major highlights of Seoul including palaces, shopping areas and temples. The highlight was Changdekong palace - this was less busy than the more famous Gyeongbokung Palace and was more serene. The Visit to Gyeonbokung palace is fun to do however - you will see many people dressed up in traditional costume and there's also the changing of the guard to watch as well. Just before Gyeongbokung palace, there is the national museum of Korea - that's very interesting. The tour seemed to be a bit rushed and we were in a big group, in too small a bus. Although you are not in the bus for alot of the time - its still nice as a tourist to be able to look out of the window and take photos and this was not always possible. The guide was good - she was informative for the most part and willing to answer questions. The tour includes two shopping stops - one at the Ginseng place and one at an amethyst store. The ginseng place Ginwells I think was quite interesting and if you are inclined to buy some then this is the place to do it - during other tours they take you to another shop which is almost twice the price, and there is no real chance to buy at the airport surprisingly. The amethyst store is just a pure sales job, no information, and the items for sale are not even nice - they really should drop this. The two shopping street stops Insadong and one cheaper area were disappointing . I was hoping to see some traditional arts and crafts for purchase but this was limited , there was instead alot of tourist tat . This time could have been spent going to another historical site or spending more time at one of the palaces. Overall the tour was good but in retrospect I would have preferred to take a smaller private tour where we could have taken our own time and had more influence over the itinerary
Review by: Gabriela G, March 2017
Sonia was amazing! Such a fun a worthwhile tour! Highly recommended. .
Review by: Mihai D, January 2017
This is a good choice if you only have one day and want to see the most important things in Seoul. We were lucky to have a very nice guide, very knowledgeable and open to all our questions and requests. Although Seoul was destroyed by WWII and KW, they tried to rebuild the old important palaces. One can see it is some kind of scenery, but is... nice. The Market part of the tour is so and so. Nothing special.
Review by: LIEZEL S, December 2016
worth the price! the tour guides are superb
Review by: Frances B, December 2016
Great one-day, overall tour of the palaces and markets of Seoul. Perfect way to start our trip and help us determine where we needed to return and what more we needed to see. We loved our tour guide Heejin Shuh. She was knowledgeable, fun, and easy to understand. She spoke slowly and clearly about the sites we were seeing.
Review by: Maria Theresa r, November 2016
First of all, pick up time was on the dot. The tour was very educational, thru the tour guide who was very knowledgeable of the country. I was really pleased with the tour, well planned and everything went so smooth.
Review by: Ed D, October 2016
EXCELLENT TOUR ! YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF PHOTO OPS WITH THIS. THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD IS FABULOUS ! JUST DO IT !
Review by: Alicia, October 2016
Our tour guide was helpful, friendly, and informative. There is a lot to see on this tour, so be prepared for a busy day. Lunch was delicious. I wish there had been more time to look around the markets, and less time at the palaces. Overall though, a good tour and would definitely recommend.
Review by: S R, October 2016
An overall good tour, though the time spent at the Ginseng centre or Amethyst factory could be reduced to add more cultural bits which the city has to offer.
Review by: SunitaR, October 2016
An overall good tour, though the time spent at the Ginseng centre or Amethyst factory could be reduced to add more cultural bits which the city has to offer.
Review by: Ryan W, September 2016
The morning part of the tour was okay, things were a bit rushed and the guide was late because of traffic. The afternoon part was great and our guide was amazing. The tour company is great and they responded to our comments graciously and made things right for our long wait in the morning. We would use this tour company again.
Review by: kaisa.jaarva, September 2016
Well organized, except once they didn't tell that we change bus, but I got my coat and scarf back to the hotel. Some people don't keep timetable. A flag for the guide would be needed, to show where he/she is. Some are slow and get out from the group. I was the last one left, but guide took me back to the hotel by taxi thanks for that!
Review by: Joanna I K, September 2016
Hana was an excellent guide. The sites visited were interesting, the lunch was good, the minibus -comfortable. The only waste of time was a visit to the duty free store. It took too much of the time we could have spent roaming the market.
Review by: Joanna I K, September 2016
Hana was an excellent guide. The sites visited were interesting, the lunch was good, the minibus -comfortable. The only waste of time was a visit to the duty free store. It took too much of the time we could have spent roaming the market.
Review by: Jennifer H, August 2016
fantastic tour guides. lovely lunch. really good value
Review by: Louise C, August 2016
Fantastic day seeing the sights in Seoul.
Review by: Hampton, August 2016
This full day tour was execelent, and I would recommend it to anyone. We saw the changeing of the guard at Gyeonbokgung Palace, went to Insadong market place, had a great lunch in a small out of the way restauarant. The only downside was the side trip to the Ginsing Center, which was a captive market to force us to buy a product we did not really want. But overall I liked the tour and would recommend it.
Review by: Fiona F, July 2016
This was a good way to see some of Seoul's palaces, get a feel for the city and culture but without the hassle of navigating around a new city. Our guide, Sonia, was very helpful and took care of the group. _br/_ The ginseng tour was pretty useless and I'd suggest for the future that the company drops it. We also stopped at a duty free store - again, worthless stop, in my opinion. _br/_ I was picked up at my hotel and joined the rest of the group at the Buddhist temple and we then spent the rest of the day seeing the sights. Lunch was included, four choices of typical Korean foods at a restaurant close to the markets. Hotel drop off included.
Review by: Justine A, July 2016
I was picked up at my hotel on time by the rep in a taxi to join the rest of the tour picking up a couple of passengers on the way. Once we arrived at the Buddhist temple we met a few other passengers but was told we had to wait for even more passengers as there would be over 20 people in the group. Once they arrived the rep went back to her office and we were left with Winnie our tour guide who quite frankly was poor and that's being kind. Not everyone could hear her and it was clear she couldn't handle such a large group, her assistant pretty much did all the work gathering everyone. We were then put on 2 mini buses to go to the 1st Palace where we arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard, we weren't given any instructions from when we exited the bus so the assistant had gather everyone while we waited for 2 late comers to the tour, this was only made clear after I asked. What followed was a rush through the palace we had to ask for brochures to know what we were looking at because Winnie gave us minimal info. We were given 8 minutes to see the folk museum and people had to choose between that or using the toilet. This tour also included a hard sell at a ginseng factory which i would have rather the time elsewhere. One of the passengers left her belongings on the bus after she was told we would be using the same bus but after lunch our guide changed and so did the transport, the 2nd guide had to arrange for her things to be sent to her hotel. We went to the 2nd palace in 3 vehicles and then was marched quickly though the market to the transport to take us back to our hotels so we were unable to shop. It was all very haphazard. This tour could have been so much better if they could have been more organised with 1 mode of transport and perhaps a central meeting point if hotel pickups are not timely.
Review by: Antonio N, July 2016
Excelent. Perfect.
Review by: Lara, June 2016
Enjoyed the trip, guides very informative and all well organized. Looking forward to our Viator trip in Tokyo on Monday
Review by: RajinderPal G, June 2016
Too much time spent on taking to markets.
Review by: Arkadiy Volynskiy, June 2016
A good tour guide is a good tour even in bad place._br/_ Unprofessionalizm of guide spoiled the tour.
Review by: Julie C, June 2016
Was definitely a packed day. Perfect for our travel schedule as we had limited time. Our guide was very helpful in teaching us about the palaces. We found it extremely interesting to learn about Korean Ginseng--we had no idea. Very, Very informative. We will always consider Insadong our favorite market that we will definitely visit again if we come to Korea again.
Review by: Irene, June 2016
it was great !
Review by: Frank H, June 2016
they picked me up on time, the tour guide was very informative. I enjoyed the day and the food was very good at lunch
Review by: Judith H, June 2016
I really enjoyed the content of the tour but the guide seemed preoccupied a lot of the time on her phone. It seemed a bit chaotic with people joining and leaving the tour but in general I am glad I went on this tour.
Review by: Pamela H, June 2016
Our guide was very knowledgeable.
Review by: Europe, May 2016
The historical and cultural parts of this tour were interesting but be prepared for the hard sell at the ginseng and duty-free stops. Loved the traditional lunch.
Review by: Alfred T, May 2016
The guide is friendly. The tour is interesting. The only thing I didn't like was going to the ginseng place.
Review by: Katarzyna M, May 2016
Hi!_br/_ Trip was interesting, we have good guides who told us many interesting things about palaces and temples. Even show good place to buy some stuff! :
Review by: FERNANDO F, May 2016
N/A
Review by: Meng Kui H, May 2016
Nicely maintained palaces with beautiful architectural. The excellent explanation by the local tour guide added colors to the tour. Worth spending time and energy on this tour.
Review by: AiLi L, April 2016
We got to see many places and market shoppings in a day. Angie was our tour guide. Her stories about the palace was funny and entertaining. She gave us sufficient free time to walk around the market. No push to buy any ginseng or amethyst. No rush. Very good. I would recommend the tour.
Review by: Wendy L, March 2016
This was a comprehensive tour of the main palaces and temples of Seoul. Our guide, Jay Song, gave a good history of all the places and paced the tour as to not miss the changing of the guards. We stopped for a Korean lunch in the Insadong district which was very pleasant. This was a good briefing of the city so that we were able to return to a couple districts to explore further on our own,
Review by: david, March 2016
Picked up from hotel,the market tour was just a quick walk around which you could easily do without a guide, the rest of the day was interesting with a good Korean lunch provided,At the end of the day dropped off outside Hotel Lotte which was only a short walk to my hotel. Recommend
Review by: Sai Ming W, February 2016
Overall, I recommend the tour but beware of lots of walking and rushing to see everything listed in the itinerary. Our guide was a bit inexperience and so worried that he would lose the 20 tourists in his group. He was not having a good day...very stressed. He did try his best to make sure the tour was on scheduled! I saw everything I was expecting to see and at the end of the tour, I was exhausted too. Therefore, kudos to our tour guide!
Review by: Stephen G, January 2016
I enjoyed it, Genie is a great guide!
Review by: lquiko, December 2015
This tour is more worth for the price...
Review by: Ely, September 2015
The guide didn't handle a visible sign like an umbrella, stick etc to follow her. In our opinión the tour could be better if the guide give more time for visiting the important places, such as palaces and temples and skip places like amatysthe factor and street markets, etc.
Review by: Brandolin P, September 2015
This was an amazing day, and tour guide Sunny was fantastic. Intellegent, informative, funny, and diligent about communicating with every guest, even though there were eleven of us from five countries! This is a super packed 8-9 hour day, be sure you're up to it or consider a half day tour. Several folks faded after lunch and opted to stay on the bus. Bummer. As other reviewers have noted, the ginseng and amethyst stops are clear money grabs, but you don't stay long and I assume they pay the tour company for stops, which may help keep the price of the tour extremely reasonable? Anyway, incredible day, try to get Sunny as your guide!
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