Tour to Changdeokgung & Rear Garden, listed by UNESCO World Cutural Heritage, traditional Korean village, traditional food and whole view of Seoul. Tour feature highlight & essence of beautiful traditional culture and landscape at Changdeokgung, Bukchon Hanok Village, and traditional food at Gwangjang market, beautiful cityscape at Namsan Tower. Guide share information of Korean culture that help guest fully enjoy the beauty and value of traditional Korean culture as well as palace architecture.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
at your hotel
- Greetings and pick-up at your hotel. Moving to Changdeokgung
Changdeokgung and Rear Garden
Tour to Changdeokgung and Rear Garden
Bukchon Hanok Village
Bukchon Hanok Village
Gwangjang market
Traditional Korean street food at food stands.
Namsan & N-Seoul Tower
Panoramic view of whole Seoul at N-Seoul Tower and Fortress wall from N Seoul Tower to South Gate can be included as an option.
Namdaemun market
Tour to Namdaemun market
City hall
Tour ends.
Ending Point
Seoul City Hall
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee
meal, entrance for palace and N Seoul Tower, drinks, transportation.
* Entrance ticket for Rear Garden will be bought in advance by guide and later it need to be paid by guest to guide. Entrance fee for Rear Garden is 5,000Ko.Won/person.
* Entrance fee for palace is 3,000Kor.Won. It will be bought at palace.
Exploring of Korea’s unique cultural identity and beauty!
Architecture is the center of culture & tour. Architectural style represents spirit of times. Confucianism is spirit of Joseon Dynasty.
Confucianism culture of Joseon Dynasty is unique & differentiated characteristic of Korean culture, compared to Chinese and Japanese.
With knowledge of Confucianism, architectural feature & its historical significance, you can fully appreciate the beauty and value of not only Changdeokgung but entire Korea’s traditional culture. Without knowledge, we are just fascinated by their superficial beauty.
Changdeokgung and its Rear Garden is the only palace, registered as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. Changdeokgung is unique and attractive palace with huge beautiful garden and unusal arrangement of palace buildings. Rear Garden of Changdeokgung is a remarkable place, where a plain hillside is turned into a beautiful garden. Rear Garden was designed to embrace nature. The original topography of the area is preserved, and trees, hills, valleys and streams are preserved. Rear Garden of Changdeokgung is classic example of traditional Korean garden reflecting Confucian ideas.
Bukchon Hanok Village is a Korean traditional village in Seoul with a long history. Bukchon Hanok Village is unique and attractive destination that shows traditional landscape in the middle of highly urbanized metropolitan environment.
Gwangjang market is the oldest traditional Korean market, where we can experience traditional Korean food, and there we can experience marinated beef slice, live octopus, mung bean pancake and Ttokbokgi, glass noodles, etc.
Namsan mountain is situated in the center of Seoul, and N Seoul Tower, which seats on the top of Namsan mt., provides panoramic view of Seoul. Visitors can see the beautiful scenery of Seoul at the observation deck of N-Seoul Tower. N Seoul Tower was selected as one of the world's top 500 tourist destinations in Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List.
My primary tourist destination is Seoul and metropolitan area, consisting of 5 palaces, Royal Ancestral Shrine, Bukchon Hanok Village, National Museum of Korea, War Memorial of Korea and other museums & galleries and contemporary architectures, and Namsan Mt. with N-Seoul Tower, traditional & trendy market places such as Gwangjang market & Hondae street, and also Korean Folk Village & DMZ tour.
Hello, I am Paul, a professional tour guide-docent with proven record track of over 200 tours for international tourists.
I am the only tour guide in Seoul, who introduce Korean traditional culture, based on Confucianism. Confucianism is spirit of Joseon Dynasty that was last dynasty just before current Korea, and Confucianism is Korea's cultural identity.
Based on basic knowledge of Confucianism, you can fully appreciate the beauty of Korean traditional architecture and culture, and so your travel to Seoul will be unforgettable and memorable in your life.
My tour is to explore Korea’s unique cultural identity and beauty, based on simple-but-elegant beauty of Confucianism!
Center of tour is architecture. Architectural style represents spirit of times. We can see as much as we know. For example, without knowledge about Christianity, the spirit of medieval Europe, we cannot fully appreciate beauty and value of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, but are just fascinated by its superficial beauty.
My primary tourist destinations are focusing on Seoul and metropolitan area, consisting of Gyeongbokgung palace & Changdeokgung Rear Garden, Jongmyo Shrine, Bongeunsa Buddhist temple & Sunjeongneung Royal Tomb, Bukchon Hanok Village, National museum of Korea, War Memorial of Korea, other museums & galleries and contemporary architectures, and Namsan Mt. with N-Seoul Tower, traditional & trendy market places such as Gwangjang market & Hongdae street, and COEX-Starfield library in Gangnam area, and also Korean Folk Village & DMZ tour in neighboring cities.
Alongside, I am specialist for hiking to Bukhansan Mt. and Inwangsan Mt. that are located in downtown Seoul, where you can enjoy beautiful natural sceneries and stunning view of Seoul.
With my hands-on experiences and deep knowledge of Korea's culture & history, you can discover true insight and delight in Korea.
Thank you for your interest!
As your guide, I hope to see you soon in Seoul!
Warren L.
“Changdeokgung and the Rear Garden, Bukchon Hanok Village and N Seoul Tower.”
We had a wonderful time on this tour, visiting all three locations. The Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden were peaceful and relaxing, offering a more informal setting compared to the formality of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Seeing the well-preserved houses in Bukchon Hanok Village was a delightful experience. N Seoul Tower was also interesting, providing great views of Seoul and the surrounding mountains and rivers.
Paul K.
Seoul is a fascinating destination that seamlessly blends the traditional with the modern. Our tour to explore Korea’s unique cultural identity and beauty! Center of tour is architecture. Architectural style represents spirit of times. We can see as much as we know. For example, without knowledge about Christianity, the spirit of medieval Europe, we cannot fully appreciate beauty and value of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Confucianism is the spirit of Joseon Dynasty. Confucianism is Korea's cultural identity, that is reflected on palaces architecture and Korean traditional culture. Based on basic knowledge of Confucianisms, your tour will be unforgettable and memorable in life.
Warren L.
“Gyeongbokgung-Folk Museum, National Museum of Korea”
We were very impressed with Paul's knowledge and explanations of Gyeongbokgung, the former royal palace in Seoul. The palace's placement considered both practicality and various philosophical traditions. The main features are placed symmetrically and along a north-south axis, in accordance with Feng Shui and Confucian principles. We highly recommend Paul to anyone wishing to truly understand and enjoy Gyeongbokgung and the National Museum of Korea.
Paul K.
Seoul is a fascinating destination that seamlessly blends the traditional with the modern. Our tour to explore Korea’s unique cultural identity and beauty! Center of tour is architecture. Architectural style represents spirit of times. We can see as much as we know. For example, without knowledge about Christianity, the spirit of medieval Europe, we cannot fully appreciate beauty and value of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Confucianism is the spirit of Joseon Dynasty. Confucianism is Korea's cultural identity, that is reflected on palaces architecture and Korean traditional culture. Based on basic knowledge of Confucianisms, your tour will be unforgettable and memorable in life.
Albertus S.
“Full day tour with Paul”
Paul is very knowledgeable and passionate about the history and culture of his country and he gave us a profound introduction of Confucianism.
Paul K.
Appreciation of traditional architecture, works of art and crafts require background knowledge. Based on the background knowledge of Korean traditional culture, your appreciation can create an intense impression and long-lasting memory of tour. I introduced core ideas of Confucianism and the Confucian principles that are the basis of Gyeongbokgung architecture. I am only tour docent in Korea who introduce Korean history and culture based on Confucianism.
$250/ per group