Home > Seoul > Seoul History and Culture Small-Group Tour
USD $52.00
Seoul History and Culture Small-Group Tour
Seoul, South Korea
Uncover the fascinating history and culture of Seoul on this half-day walking tour of the city. See charming Korean houses in a historic village, learn about Korea’s culinary history at a food museum, visit a royal Korean palace and shop at a local market. Capture the exuberant spirit and dynamic history of Seoul on this small-group tour!
Experience both the urban modernity and historic traces of Seoul on a three-hour walking tour. Meet your local guide and head to Bukchon Hanok village, a residential area dating back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). The village is lined with hundreds of hanoks (traditional Korean houses). Walk along the quiet alleys and admire the latticed windows and patterned brick walls. Today, many of these hanoks operate as cultural centers, restaurants and tea houses, providing an opportunity to become immersed in traditional Korean culture.
Next, visit the Tteok Museum, a unique museum detailing the history, culture and preparation of tteok, the ubiquitous Korean rice cake. Gain insight into the tteok-making process through hands-on programs. Learn about the use of rice cakes in Korean rites of passage, and see displays of the 180 varieties of tteok. Be sure to sample this beloved Korean treat on the first-floor café.
Continue on to Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The royal palace is renowned for its traditional Korean architecture and garden design. Changdeokgung is one of the famous Five Grand Palaces and a favored palace of many princes of the Joseon Dynasty. (Please note: Due to opening times, tours that fall on a Monday will visit Kyungbokgung Palace instead.)
Visit the Gwangjang Market and browse through a wide selection of high-quality silk, satin and linen bed sheets and apparel. Inside the market, find more than 200 food stalls selling a wide variety of snacks, from spicy Korean rice cakes to bibimbap (mixed rice). Try the gyung dan, sweet Korean rice balls, and hobaak jook, a delicious pumpkin porridge.
Your tour concludes with a visit to Gwangjang Market. You can then use your newfound knowledge of Seoul to continue exploring or return to your favorite spots for another look.
This tour was great and really fun. Our guide was informative!
Review by: Carol A, October 2017
Get ready to walk! We lucked out, VIP tour due to other people canceled so just my husband, me and Shane, our guide. Waited 30 min for local bus to Bokchon Hanok Village, beautiful houses. Informative tour of Changdeokgung Palace. Gwangjang Market was an experience! Thx Shane for the personal tour!
Review by: Cristina T, September 2017
A lot of walking. If you're not fit to walk for long time, this trip is not suitable for you.
Review by: Mark F, July 2017
Sook was an incredible guide. She kept the pace of the tour, while taking ample time for questions. She's a high school English teacher. The tour hit several breathtaking spots. Sook was very knowledgeable. Great tour.
Review by: Juanette O, March 2017
A good tour of Korean history and culture.
Review by: Mark F, March 2017
Sook was an incredible guide. She kept the pace of the tour, while taking ample time for questions. She and #39;s a high school English teacher. The tour hit several breathtaking spots. Sook was very knowledgeable. Great tour.
Review by: aqua.40, February 2017
small walking tour with lots of information and impressive guide
Review by: T, February 2017
small walking tour with lots of information and impressive guide
Review by: mrtnrmsy, November 2016
Very informative. Certainly worth taking.
Review by: Chinthaka I, October 2016
We me and wife took the tour on the first day we landed in Seoul. We went by the recommendations by previous travelers to select this particular tour. We generally consider the walking tours to be more interactive and enjoyable than the driven ones. We took the Metro to the meeting place to meet our guide Sook who took us to the historic village on a shuttle bus 5 minute ride and we walked among the old houses and visited the Changdeokgung Palace before visiting the market. It was fascinating to see people walking in traditional costumes. The palace was in very good shape though without any furniture. We had a nice meal of local food in the market before returning to the hotel by Metro. The entire tour was about 3.5 hours. The guide was very friendly and informed. And, she pointed us the photo-ops on the way. However, the tour fee was too much compared with other tour we had the following day DMZ 6.5 hour tour, which cost us less than the much shorter walking tour.
Review by: Kea P, September 2016
Great tour!
Review by: jrs320, June 2016
This walking tour is an absolute must for those visiting Seoul! Junie was a wonderful guide, not only introducing us to the history of Seoul and Korea but also letting us in on present-day Seoul and answering any and all questions we had.
Review by: samantha p, May 2016
This was a perfect introduction to historical Seoul. I only had an afternoon and June was a perfect guide - interesting and knowledgeable, and able to take me to see textiles - which is my area of interest. I cannot recommend this highly enough - I would never have found these places on my own
Review by: Dawn G, May 2016
This tour was fascinating! Ella Song is a natural when it comes to making history interesting and memorable. During the palace tour, she shared stories about the royal families through the years and facts about the palace, it's buildings, and what life been like. The old town and its architecture was amazing! As we were there for the festival, we were lucky enough to see people in traditional dress dancing to traditional music. It was truly lovely. While we expected a small group tour, we ended up being the only participants and we had a fabulous time. Thank you, Ella, for an unforgettable tour. We highly recommend this tour and Ella Song!
Review by: Alice C, March 2016
I would highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in Korean culture and history. Our Korean and English speaking tour guide was Junie. She lived in the US for a long time so it was great to have an English speaking guide who was enthusiastic, warm, and personable. The tour itself gives you a close-up look at Korean culture through the ages which was a nice change from the modern city life that surrounds you around Seoul. You will get to tour an old Korean Village with many opportunities to experience street food you must try the fried dokboogi stand and the chewy pumpkin candy cart, arts and crafts if that is what you want, dress and take photos in Korean clothes, and quaint little shops. Junie is very knowledgeable about the history of the palace you will visit and explain with great detail everything about the Korean dynasties which used to live there which you would not appreciate as much if you went and visited on your time. Her knowledge helps the palace come to life with a greater understanding of how people used to live. Before the tour we had visited the National Korean Museum free which was gorgeous and a must visit place. I recommend taking a day to visit the museum first then do this tour on a separate day afterwards. It will help you to understand the history with greater detail and understanding. But if you can't do the museum first, this tour is a must. I'm Korean American born in the USA and this was the first time I visited Korea. The cultural tour was very helpful and fascinating. I found the rest of my trip of modern Korean cities and neighborhoods to be very much the same one after another. This tour explorers the history of Korean up close and personal. Highly recommend this tour and Junie as a guide. She is fantastic!
Review by: lharlson, January 2016
A wonderful tour showcasing a market, palace, and the Hanok village. A wonderful introduction to Korea.
Review by: Catherine S, October 2015
Excellent. OUr tour guide excellent. Would definitely recommend this tour.
Review by: traceyc, October 2015
This was a small group walking tour, however we did take a local mini bus to our first destination. I found our tour guide Junie to be informative, caring and enthusiastic. She seemed more like a good friend that was taking us around her city than a tour guide. It was fun and I would recommend this to anyone who wants a more personal experience touring around Seoul. Make sure you wear good comfortable walking shoes as there can be a lot of walking and climbing of stairs, but Junie stopped often informing us of the surrounding history and interesting facts making the climbing and walking less strenuous. If you're lucky and you book this tour, you might get Junie to show you her home town!
Review by: Michelle R, September 2015
The first part of the tour was conducted via city bus and I had no idea what the guide was pointing to or what we were meant to be seeing. The entire tour should have been conducted on foot for exercise and photo taking opportunities. The highlight of this tour was the traditional Korean village where we walked around and took many pictures. I enjoyed the other sights as well, however, I found the guide difficult to understand. She was completely fluent in English but she spoke very quickly and I often didn't understand her. I would have liked more context and history on what we were seeing.
Review by: Christopher M, April 2015
decent, but the guide has trouble going off script to answer questions
Review by: kadavidson92, January 2015
Our guide Ben was very informative and let us take the tour at our own pace (my mother is a slower walker but Ben didn't rush us at all!). One of the things Ben did was take us through the Bukchon Hanok village the opposite way to many larger tour groups so we didn't have to walk with another large group but instead could pass by them in the opposite direction. It was great hearing and seeing so much history and culture. Our guide even walked us back to the train station so we didn't get lost on our way back to our hotel.
Review by: kadavidson92, January 2015
Our guide Ben was very informative and let us take the tour at our own pace (my mother is a slower walker but Ben didn't rush us at all!). One of the things Ben did was take us through the Bukchon Hanok village the opposite way to many larger tour groups so we didn't have to walk with another large group but instead could pass by them in the opposite direction. It was great hearing and seeing so much history and culture. Our guide even walked us back to the train station so we didn't get lost on our way back to our hotel.
Review by: kadavidson92, January 2015
Our guide Ben was very informative and let us take the tour at our own pace (my mother is a slower walker but Ben didn't rush us at all!). One of the things Ben did was take us through the Bukchon Hanok village the opposite way to many larger tour groups so we didn't have to walk with another large group but instead could pass by them in the opposite direction. It was great hearing and seeing so much history and culture. Our guide even walked us back to the train station so we didn't get lost on our way back to our hotel.
Review by: kadavidson92, January 2015
Our guide Ben was very informative and let us take the tour at our own pace (my mother is a slower walker but Ben didn't rush us at all!). One of the things Ben did was take us through the Bukchon Hanok village the opposite way to many larger tour groups so we didn't have to walk with another large group but instead could pass by them in the opposite direction. It was great hearing and seeing so much history and culture. Our guide even walked us back to the train station so we didn't get lost on our way back to our hotel.
Review by: kadavidson92, January 2015
Our guide Ben was very informative and let us take the tour at our own pace (my mother is a slower walker but Ben didn't rush us at all!). One of the things Ben did was take us through the Bukchon Hanok village the opposite way to many larger tour groups so we didn't have to walk with another large group but instead could pass by them in the opposite direction. It was great hearing and seeing so much history and culture. Our guide even walked us back to the train station so we didn't get lost on our way back to our hotel.
Review by: michael p m, December 2014
Mostly positive with only downside finding meeting place and guide at McDonalds as I asked several people until our guide Ben showed up. My wife and us waited 10 minutes for the other client to show up and he didn't so we had a private tour. Ben spoke English well and gave us but an historical as well as modern perspective on Seoul. We took a local bus to the historical district. Then we took a taxi to the palace and he gave us so many details. At the local market he did not try and push any merchandise and even offed to find a dinner place for us. Very good tour and I highly recommend
Review by: Rebecca G, September 2014
Excellent tour and extraordinarily great guide
Review by: Nicole A, August 2014
Sunny was awesome! She picked me up on time and took me where I wanted to go. Very knowledgeable and had strong English! She even shared a local snack with me at the market. Very kind- highly recommend :)
Review by: Karen N, July 2014
It was a fun and enjoyable walkabout. Grace our host was ever so gracious. My daughters and I had a goodtime. Learnt some Korean culture and savored local food treats. Will definitely do a Viator walk tour again if all the hosts are like Grace!
Review by: Lyds C, June 2014
Walking tour - not too bad, it was at a slow pace. The sights covered in this tour is adequate and our tour guide Sunny was fantastic :)
Review by: Jenn K, June 2014
Our tour guide was really nice but her English proficiency level was only average and she was unable to explain too many things to us. Some of the basic questions we had about the locations visited she was unable to answer because it seemed like she did not comprehend the questions being asked
Review by: Phillip R, June 2014
We really enjoyed this walking tour headed up by our guide Grace. She was very knowledgeable, articulate and had a pleasant personality. We never would have seen the old part of Seoul, the homes were interesting, the Palace was beautiful, and the market exciting. Overall a great experience and well worth the $44!
Review by: Matthew M, June 2014
If at all possible, request Ms. YeonJu Lee for your tour leader - she was fantastic.
Review by: waferworld, April 2014
Incredible, walking through the city and its culture, its well work taking
Review by: Albert A, April 2014
My friend and I would like to sincerely convey our utmost appreciation to our personal tour guide, Ms. Jessie. She had done a fantastic job in captivating us with so much vivid info during our time-limited mini tour. Her knowledge, friendliness and professionalism made our visit to Seoul more enjoyable. Through her narration and visiting specified areas of the tour, it enhanced our education and made us appreciate more this unique Asian culture. Both my friend and I will recommend this tour to our relatives, friends and others who plan to visit Korea in the future. Please be certain to bring both a bottle of water and camera plus wear good walking shoes. We also hope to have her as our guide again whenever we return especially with our families.
Review by: Joyce W, April 2014
This is a great tour option to start off with for first time visitors to Seoul. My tour guide, Sunny, spoke fluent English and provided a lot of useful information. You get to move at your own walking pace so there was ample opportunity for photo stops and exploring. The tour ends at Gwangjang Market, which is a must visit for all foodies. Highly recommended!
Review by: Alan C, March 2014
I had a little bit of trouble reconfirming my reservation via email since I didn't get a response from the company, but I had my hotel do that for me when I arrived in Seoul and so it was not a huge problem.
Review by: vlevin13, December 2013
I would only recommend this tour if you have not visited any other palaces. Walking through Korean village was an interesting experience. Thats about it.
Review by: Rachel Cha Hwa W, December 2013
Our guide was not used to handling a big group and we were a group of 8 ladies and as such, he was not very communicative with us. We did not learn much on our walk and we had to ask questions as the information was not forthcoming. Perhaps the size of our group did intimidate our guide somewhat :) _br/_
Otherwise, the walk was interesting and fascinating, seeing a juxtaposition of the old with new. I would still recommend this walk and perhaps a smaller group would be more ideal for interaction.
Review by: Suzanne G, December 2013
My husband and I were fortunate to have Kim, our tour guide all by ourselves that day. We had a great time knowing cultural history and the place we went were beautiful. We did lots of walking but the interesting information shared by Kim kept the tour fun!
Review by: Lindsay L, December 2013
My guide, Jeungeun, was welcoming and friendly. I'm a very inquisitive person, and Jeungeun took the time to answer all of my questions.
Review by: Buntnip, December 2013
This tour is a great way to experience the cultural and historical aspects of Seoul. The tour guide Jane is a lovely person with good local knowledge and this insight is invaluable. We were fortunate enough to experience a traditional tea ceremony about half way through the tour which was truly memorable. A word of advice to those who have not been to Seoul before. The meeting place for the commencement of the tour was at McDonalds in Seoul Station. This is in a separate building to the Seoul Station subway stop. I did not realise this and could not find the McDonalds anywhere. Fortunately, I managed to contact the company and Jane rescued me - hence the happy ending! The walk through the market at the end of the tour was fascinating and it would have been nice to stop and experience some of the food there. I highly recommend this tour.
Review by: keven f, June 2013
The tour instructor was extremely knowledgeable of the subject matter, history and obscure details. The tour exceeded my expectations. It set the tone for the rest of my stay in Seoul. I highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Stephen D, June 2013
I was treated to a special experience, as I was lucky enough to be on the tour myself. My guide was amazing and had an incredible knowledge of Seoul and on top of that made sure that I had a great time on my trip. The personalised thank you at the end was totally unexpected and will be a great momento of my trip to Seoul.. Thank you!
Review by: Noha K, April 2013
This tour was a great way to kick off our trip! our guide Jiny met me and my friend at Seoul station on time. it was just the three of us, so it was easy to ask about anything we needed to know about the city. _br/_
It was a rainy cold day, but it was still worth the walk. We checked out the Palace, the folk village, and a local market. And Jiny even sat down with us in the palace and explained the history and culture of Korea. It was wonderful!!
Review by: Marie-Grace H, April 2013
I wish I can give a more detailed review, but quick summary.. our tour guide, Jane was amazing! She was VERY knowledgable on the history of Seoul and really spent the time letting us walk around and take pictures and answered all questions we had. Learned a lot on a short trip. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Review by: Ross S, April 2013
Excellent guide and very knowledgeable about the Korean culture and history. Would highly recommend this tour.
Review by: FELICIA L, March 2013
Absolutely fantastic. Our tour guide Jane was very knowledgeable and interactive. She ensured that everyone in our group knew what was going on at any time of the tour. Very professional and amicable. Will highly recommend this tour
Review by: Kiwi Wanderer, June 2012
Very interesting tour of Seoul with visits to local market and rice-cakes info/history real highlights.
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