Seoul: City Highlights and Historical Experience No Shopping
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Seoul, South Korea
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Jumpstart your Seoul adventure with a half-day small-group walking tour. This immersive experience is perfect for curious travelers who want to learn more about the culture of Seoul. The interesting itinerary takes you to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the National Palace Museum of Korea, Bukchon Hanok Village, and other historical attractions. You can also dress up in hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and wear the outfit throughout your palace visit.
- Enjoy a small tour group size of a maximum of 15 people
- Get complimentary admission to all the attractions you visit
- Go beyond the guidebook with an immersive experience
- Take a tour in Seoul that the whole family can enjoy
What's Included
- All entrance fees
- Professional English speaking guide
- Premium Hanbok rental experience ( optional )
- Bottled waterBottled water.
- SnacksLocal Snacks: Refreshing Break - Enjoy local snacks suited for the day's rest
- Private transportation
- Makeup service
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 플래시커피 경복궁점127-6 Sajik-ro, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Meet in front of the bench at exit 4 of Gyeongbokgung station. Your guide will be waiting for you, holding a TRIPPER SIGH.
End point
- Insa-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
The tour ends at Insadong, a street of culture and food! Enjoy a delicious lunch here after the tour!
Itinerary
1
스타한복
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Gyeongbokgung Palace
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Samcheongdong / Bukchon
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Bukchon Hanok Village
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Baek In-je's House
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Guide contact details will be sent at least 10 hours before the tour via platform message or email. Please check them before the meeting.
- This tour operates as scheduled even in case of rain or snow. We will only contact you separately if the weather makes it completely impossible to proceed.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 131 reviews
Marites_M, Apr 2026
It was a unique experience, walking around the palace wearing a hanbok. Sheen our guide gave a good historical background about the palace and how people lived during the era. Hanok village I only see on TV, I get to walk around and see it in person. I’m glad we took this tour, Thanks Sheen for being a wonderful guide!
Lynn_K, Oct 2025
This was a great tour of the largest Korean palace in Seoul. It has beautiful buildings and landscaping.
Our guide Sheen gave us an excellent overview of the history and architecture of Gyeongbokgung.
He also led us to Bokchon village with a nice break at a cafe.
We opted to do the traditional hanbok dress which was really great fir photos around the palace.
I highly highly recommend this tour to understand the history and culture of Korea.
Sheen was an excellent tour guide. His English is great and he answered all our questions.
Do it! You won’t regret it. It was the highlight of our visit to Seoul!
Aneisha_C, Oct 2025
The Hanbok experience was wonderful. Seeing the changing of the guard was also ba colorful experience. Our guide kept a brisk pace, but we were able to see all the main highlights as promised.
Janet_T, Oct 2025
We had a wonderful time. Our guide J was so well informed and it was an incredibly organized 4 hours.
Ridzwan_I, Dec 2024
Very organized tour and able to see all the main attractions in the Palace area. Our tour guide Jane was very energetic, positive and helpful. Only feedback is that her English was not great so was hard to understand especially when we wanted a history of the palace.
Virginia_K, Oct 2024
We had a wonderful experience. Wearing the hanbok and walking through the Palace grounds was so much fun. Our guide Pearl was very informative. We highlighly recommend her and this tour!
Mandeep_K, Aug 2024
Gina explained everything in detail and never showed a single sign of fatigue despite the inclement weather warning. The snack we tasted was really unique. She even guided us on different things to do around the city after our tour.
Melissa_A, Aug 2024
We took this tour in mid-January 2024 and this is a long overdue review. Our tour guide was Miss Jade and she was very knowledgeable of the history and culture. She has outstanding communication skills and was very patient and accommodating. Our tour sort of became a private tour as my husband and I were the only participants on that day. We were able to visit a tea house in Bukchon that was having a pop-up exhibit of Gyrongsong Creature. The bonus was the great pictures Miss Jade took of us because it was a mild and sunny January morning. Highly recommend this tour and ask for Miss Jade!!!
nazisha, Jul 2024
Great tour if you want to dress up but not much of the history was explained .
You could quite easily do this yourself .
The guide did not explain anything in the museum either .
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Dear valued customer,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We greatly appreciate your honest review as it helps us improve our services.
We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the opportunity to dress up in traditional Korean attire. This is often a highlight for many of our guests.
However, we sincerely apologize that the historical context and explanations during the tour did not meet your expectations. We understand how crucial this information is for a fully enriching experience, especially in a place with such rich history as Korea.
We take your feedback very seriously. I want to assure you that we have addressed this issue internally. The guide in question has undergone additional training to ensure they provide comprehensive historical information and museum explanations in the future. We've also implemented measures to maintain our high standards of tour quality across all our guides.
Our goal is to provide not just a visually appealing experience, but also an educational one that offers deep insights into Korean culture and history. We're sorry we fell short of this goal during your tour.
We appreciate your suggestion that this could be done independently. While that's certainly an option, our aim is to provide added value through our guided tours, and we're sorry if this wasn't your experience.
Thank you again for your valuable feedback. It helps us identify areas where we need to improve. We hope you'll give us another opportunity in the future to demonstrate the high-quality, informative tour experience we strive to provide for all our guests.
Best regards,
Tripper Customer Service Team
Barbara_A, Jul 2024
So much fun playing dress up in our traditional Korean outfits to tour the palace. Our guide, Helena, was great and very considerate especially given the temperatures. I would recommend seeing this palace.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Dear valued customer,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful experience with us. We're delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable time on our tour!
It's fantastic to know that you had fun trying on the traditional Korean outfits (hanbok) for your palace tour. This cultural immersion is one of the unique aspects of our tour that we're proud to offer, and we're glad it enhanced your experience.
We're pleased to hear that Helena, your guide, provided excellent service. Her consideration, especially given the weather conditions, is something we truly value in our team. We'll make sure to pass along your kind words to her.
Your recommendation of the palace is much appreciated. These historical sites are a significant part of Korea's rich cultural heritage, and we're happy that you found it worthwhile.
Once again, thank you for choosing our tour and for your positive feedback. We hope the rest of your time in Korea was equally enjoyable, and we'd be thrilled to welcome you back on another tour if you return in the future.
Best regards,
Tripper Customer Service Team
jacqueline_g, Jun 2024
Great tour!. Pearl is an amazing lady, knowledgeable, polite, intelligent, sweet, she made us love Korea even more!. We had so much value for what we paid, the hanbok, the typical food, the views, etc. I recommend this tour, keep in mind that you are going to walk a lot but is worth it.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Dear valued customer,
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a great experience on our tour.
It's fantastic to know that Pearl made such a positive impression on you. We're proud to have guides like her who are not only knowledgeable but also polite, intelligent, and sweet. It's especially rewarding to hear that she helped deepen your love for Korea - that's exactly what we aim for!
We're pleased that you felt you received great value for your money. From the hanbok experience to the typical Korean food and the beautiful views, we strive to offer a comprehensive and authentic Korean cultural experience.
Thank you for mentioning the amount of walking involved in the tour. We design our tours to cover many of Seoul's highlights efficiently, which does involve a fair bit of walking. We're glad you found it worthwhile despite the physical effort required.
Your recommendation means a lot to us. We're constantly working to provide the best possible experience for our guests, and feedback like yours helps us know we're on the right track.
Once again, thank you for choosing our tour and for taking the time to share your experience. We hope the rest of your time in Korea was equally enjoyable. If you find yourself back in Korea in the future, we would be delighted to welcome you on another tour with us.
Best regards,
Tripper Customer Service Team
Craig_P, Jun 2024
This was a really fun tour on our first day in Seoul. Pearl was a great tour guide. Would highly recommend - especially to those not wanting a long full-day tour.
Jennifer_S, May 2024
We enjoyed getting and overview of Seoul with this tour! We especially enjoyed seeing the changing of guards at palace! Gina our guide helped the tour go smoothly! She also took many pictures of us in our Hanbok that we rented! We cherish the pictures we have from the day!
jennifer_a, May 2024
We took this tour on our first day in Seoul. It was a great introduction to the city and some of the fascinating history of Korea. Our guide took us to see the major sites and was both informative and friendly. It was a full 1/2 day and the best way to start of our visit to this beautiful city. I’m sorry that I forgot our guides name, but she was so lovely. I remember that she has 3 children just like me!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Dear valued customer,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your tour of Seoul!
We're delighted that our tour provided you with a great introduction to the city and some of Korea's fascinating history on your first day in Seoul. It's wonderful to know that you found it to be the best way to start your visit to our beautiful city.
We're pleased that our guide was both informative and friendly, helping you see the major sites while providing valuable insights. It's heartwarming to hear that you found a personal connection with our guide, remembering that you both have three children. These kinds of connections can really enhance the tour experience, and we're glad you had that opportunity.
We appreciate your kind words about our guide, even if you couldn't recall her name. Rest assured, we'll pass along your compliments to our guiding team.
Thank you again for choosing our tour to begin your Seoul adventure. We're grateful that you enjoyed the experience and found it to be a full and rewarding half-day.
We hope the rest of your stay in Seoul was just as enjoyable, and we'd be delighted to welcome you back on another tour if you return to Korea in the future.
Best regards,
Tripper Customer Service Team
Frank_H, May 2024
Amazing experience and well thought out guide! She gave alot of help with getting the at the store as well! Its very useful to have someone that can speak Korean and english! Highly highly recommend the tour! Lots of fun,
LeahChristiaC_C, May 2024
Seoul City Highlights- this tour was very informative, I learned a lot about Korean history. The morning walk through Gyeongbokgung Palace was about 2 hours long with the Hanbok, then everyone goes back to change to their regular clothes. From the palace we walked through the historic Bukchon Hanok Village where you get to see traditional houses. These are residential homes so we were asked to keep the talking to a minimum. We then walked over to Insadong and the tour was done. We parted ways there but we explored the area, and ate delicious food. Our tour guide was wonderful and so sweet! She made sure to accommodate all of us. We were a group of 9. Happy Journeys ✌️
Jason_K, May 2024
Our guide Gina was great! She had a great knowledge of Gyoengbokgung Palace, Hanok Cultural Village and Baek In-Je house. I was a little hesitant about dressing up in hanbok at first but my girlfriend was insistent and I’m glad we did it as it turned out to be the highlight of the tour for us as our photos were just amazing. I highly recommend this tour with the hanbok option. Our tour guide Gina was great and I would recommend the tour to everyone visiting Seoul.
StellaMaleen_S, Apr 2024
This recent visit to Gyeongbukgung Palace and its surroundings left much to be desired, particularly due to the scorching heat. The experience was marred by uncomfortable walking under the blazing sun, especially while wearing hanbok. While the palace itself is impressive, the extensive renovations have diminished its historical charm. Moreover, the lack of in-depth historical insights during the tour, owing to the large group size and focus on photo opportunities, was disappointing. For those primarily interested in capturing hanbok-clad moments, renting outfits independently from the numerous nearby shops may be more efficient. However, for a deeper immersion into Korean culture and history, alternative tour options may be preferable.
Our guide Janice was nice and helpful.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Stella,
Thank you for sharing your feedback about your recent visit to Gyeongbukgung Palace. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused by the ongoing renovations at the palace. We understand that maintaining the historical integrity of such a significant site while upgrading it can affect the visitor experience, and we're sorry that this detracted from your enjoyment.
Regarding the discomfort from wearing hanbok in the heat, we appreciate your honesty. We recognize that traditional attire may not be suitable for everyone, especially under the scorching sun. We offer a ‘no-hanbok’ option for our visitors who prefer to enjoy the tour in more comfortable attire and we encourage guests to consider this alternative to enhance their experience.
We are also mindful of the challenges posed by the hot weather, and have recently incorporated more indoor breaks in our tours, along with providing water during rest periods to ensure our guests’ comfort and well-being.
We regret that we were unable to provide the depth of historical insight you expected due to the large group size and the tour's focus on photo opportunities. We are continuously working to balance the historical content with the interactive elements of our tours to cater to all interests.
We sincerely apologize for not meeting your expectations on this occasion and appreciate your suggestions for improvement. We are committed to enhancing our tours and services to offer a more fulfilling experience of Korean culture and history.
Thank you for your understanding
Dave_K, Apr 2024
Could have done this on my own. Tour started one hour after scheduled time to accommodate those wishing to rent Hanboks. We had to wait for one hour until these folks rented and got dressed. Complete waste of time. Viator should inform customers of the wait or have those wishing to rent hanboks arrive earlier.
Response from Host, May 2024
Hello !
First of all, we're really sorry for the inconvenience. Our tour consists of two options, hanbok and nohanbok, and usually the number of non-hanbok wearers is very small, so there may be some waiting time.
This is explained in detail on the product page and again before the tour starts.
Nevertheless, we have taken your good feedback into consideration and we promise to visit 2 hanbok rental shops and split the tour group to ensure a smooth tour.
Thank you again for your great feedback and we wish you a great trip for the rest of your stay.
EeLynn_C, Apr 2024
It wasn't that enjoyable due to heavy rain but our tour guide did try her best. It wasn't easy to walk in the rain wearing hanbok and we couldn't take many pictures or go anywhere. I wouldn't have mind if they cancel it because my clothes and shoes were all wet. She did recommend us where to eat samgyetang and that was really good.
Jennifer_R, Apr 2024
The weather was not the best but we had a fabulous time with Jade. She was full of information and was so proud of her heritage it was a pleasure to have learned from her. The hanbok was definitely an experience and would recommend.
Denis_H, Apr 2024
Our tour guide was awesome. She was very knowledgable and friendly. Had a lot of tips to all our questions.
A few people from our group fell behind and did not make it to the end of the trip, but plenty of time was given at each location for photos. We covered a lot of area and destinations in under 4 hours but tour guide very punctual and kept us all on track.
Very fun experience with the hanbok and amazing to see the old village as well!
al_c, Apr 2024
This was a great tour led by our exceptional guide - Gina, a Seoul native. We dressed up in our Hanbok attire and had many photo opportunities.
Gina took very good care of the members and tried to accomodate the various needs and requests of the group. I would highly recommend this tour and be sure to ask for Gina - she is the best guide in Korea!
David_M, Mar 2024
Completely disorganized. We started at the hanbok store and spent almost an hour waiting in line to get dressed. Then we are told they don’t have time to do my wife’s hair or make-up even though we already paid. They did refund the hair and makeup but you would think the group would have a reservation or something so we could actually get what we wanted in a reasonable time. Due to how long we waited we missed the changing of the guard ceremony at the palace. Again completely disorganized and waiting around for people led to us going about two hours over the time limit and the guide kept asking should we just end it here and skip the other sites. The guide seemed inexperienced and needs to control the groups more. There were 1-2 groups we were always standing around waiting for them to come back. she was so “nice” she made the whole group wait 5-10 minutes while she ordered 3 people a cab even though we were well over time and we still hadn’t gone to all the places we were supposed to go, and many had said they had plans after. She also had a habit of starting to talk about something and then looking at the object instead of the group which made it impossible to hear her most of the time.
We could have done this ourselves, we booked the tour to keep us on track, see what we wanted quicker and not get lost. This took way longer than it would have if we just did it ourselves. We missed some of the things we wanted to see and spent significantly more money than we would have just going ourselves.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Hello,
Firstly, we sincerely apologize for the confusion and inconvenience you experienced during our tour. Providing a satisfactory and comfortable travel experience is our goal, and we deeply regret not meeting those expectations on this occasion.
We understand the value of your time and experience, and we have taken appropriate measures in response to your concerns.
Regarding the waiting times at Gyeongbokgung Palace, we are currently adjusting the tour group sizes in response to the increased number of visitors. Additionally, to address this issue, we have contracted with more than two hanbok rental shops to reduce the time spent changing clothes. We anticipate that these actions will improve the efficiency and satisfaction of our future tours.
Our team is actively incorporating the lessons learned from this experience to enhance the quality of our tours. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us, and we are committed to using it to provide better services.
We apologize again for any inconvenience caused and promise to offer improved services moving forward.
Thank you.
Melanie_F, Mar 2024
Gina was fantastic at keeping people on track and so incredibly knowledgeable. It was raining the day we went, but still got all dressed up and enjoyed every minute.
Veronica_O, Mar 2024
The guide was very kind. and the hanbok in the palace was perfect. It was a beatiful trip.
You must do it.
Raymond_O, Mar 2024
We LOVED dressing in Hanbok and touring the palace!! We were able to take such amazing pictures!! The tour was very informative and worth the money.
Jewn_E, Mar 2024
The Hanbok experience was unforgettable. We took great photos & our tour guide, Gina, and her assistant, took beautiful photos of us wearing the traditional Korean costumes as well.The tour was wonderful & very educational. Our tour guide, was thorough & made it fun & interesting. Overall, it was a memorable day. We highly recommend this tour. The Hanbok is a must!
ivi_s, Mar 2024
Loved the dresses which made for beautiful period pictures in the palace. Guide was great she gave us fried rice with chile on a stick very nice.
Daniel_F, Mar 2024
Great tour! Jade was very knowledgeable and helpful. It’s nice to understand what your seeing when visiting other countries. Dressing up in the traditional clothes was a lot of fun.
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