GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
GoWithGuide
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
Seoul Private Tour - Seoul City Halls, old & new
Seoul City Halls, old & new
Seoul Private Tour - Downtown view, where we're going!
Downtown view, where we're going!
Seoul Private Tour - Cheonggye-cheon Stream
Cheonggye-cheon Stream
Seoul Private Tour - Seoul Square with Great King Sejong statue and Gwanghwa-mun Gate
Seoul Square with Great King Sejong statue and Gwanghwa-mun Gate
Seoul Private Tour - Gyeongbok-gung Palace rear-pond
Gyeongbok-gung Palace rear-pond
Seoul Private Tour - Gyeongbok-gung Palace
Gyeongbok-gung Palace
Seoul Private Tour - Bukchon Hanok Alleys
Bukchon Hanok Alleys
Seoul Private Tour - Carved Doors in Jogye-sa Temple
Carved Doors in Jogye-sa Temple
Seoul Private Tour - Insa-dong Mural with 2022 tour-group
Insa-dong Mural with 2022 tour-group
Seoul Private Tour - Tap-gol Historic Park
Tap-gol Historic Park

Full-day Intro to Seoul and Korean History

Art, Culture, & Historical
Seoul Tour Guide - David a. M.

Joined 2022

David a. M.
5.00 / 5
(12 reviews)
Identity Verified
Interview-Based Quality Checks
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!Seoul
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!English (Native), Korean
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!8 hours
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!Private tour (only you and David a. M.)
GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!Up to 10 people

This is my standard and very popular Itinerary for this ~8 hour tour: it can be adjusted for individual preferences. Its intention is to be a fascinating orientation & overview of Seoul "old & new", with introduction to who the Koreans are, and the key points of their history and customs. We can move faster and see more, or take our time and see a bit fewer sites; it's all up to your personal style. I will be telling colorful stories all along the way. You will learn so much, and in context!!

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

09:30 AM

Meeting Point

Meeting Point Options: City Hall Metro-Subway Station, your Hotel, or other.

09:30 AM

Old & New City Halls and nearby sights

Introduction to the scale, design, functions and feng-shui (geomancy) of old "Hanyang" (historic central downtown); Japanese Colonial period vs. 21st-cen hypermodern Seoul.

10:00 AM

Restored Cheonggye-cheon Stream

Very scenic central waterway, with 600 years of dramatic stories.

10:30 AM

Seoul Square Plaza historical monument sights

Statues of two of the greatest national heroes, with context stories about why they're there and what they still mean to Koreans; views of the nation's "Power Center" buildings all around; tales of the massive pro-democracy event that happened on this vast plaza.

11:00 AM

Gyeongbok-gung Main Royal Palace

The most important and scenic of the remaining seven Royal compounds. Detailed explanations of the architecture, kings & queens, lifestyle & politics with be told in an academically insightful and amusing way. It could be possible to see the 'Changing of the Guard Ceremony' if our timing is right and you want to take the time.

12:30 PM

Folklore & Shamanism artifacts at palace rear-exit

We exit via the grounds of the spectacular National Folklore Museum Building, viewing its outdoor displays -- a great contrast to the formal palace, to really understand common Korean's lives & beliefs.

01:00 PM

Great Korean Lunch

Several great restaurants are near our exit-gate. Extra cost for you, depending on what you want to get... could be simple or fancy -- or just a snack with coffee/tea..?

02:00 PM

Bukchon Hanok Village intro

A quick look at the historic traditional-houses alleyways, and visit inside one old mansion

03:00 PM

Jogye-sa Buddhist Temple

Visiting the national headquarters temple, with fascinating tales -- and it has a museum and the TempleStay Center.

04:00 PM

Insa-dong traditional-culture street

Very colorful historic neighborhood to walk through, check-out some alleyways -- perhaps a bit of souvenir-shopping or herbal/green-tea-drinking if desired.

04:50 PM

Tap-gol Park

Korea's first "public park", a really interesting place with shrines for the early-20th-century Independence Movement, very important to Koreans until today, and a big medieval pagoda!

05:20 PM

Old Jonggak Bell-Pavilion

Last stop, the Old City Bell in a traditional pavilion, with hyper-modern buildings all-around!

05:30 PM

Jongno-2-ga Area

Finished! I'll get you a subway ride or taxi back to your hotel, or show you the colorful dinner / beer options around there....

Ending Point

As said above.

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
What‘s included

Guiding Fee and entrance ticket to the palace

GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
What‘s not included

Transport if-needed (it's all on-foot, as each site is next to the other), lunch cost, any drinks or snacks...

Tour Important Information

This is a walking-only tour in a big loop, though use of a short (&cheap) taxi-ride is possible at the end. Metro subway or taxi might be used if we start at your hotel.

Starting time can be any between 8:30am to 3:00pm... 09:30 is just recommended, to be after rush-hour.

Main Palace is closed on Mondays; in that case another palace will be used

Important message from the supplier

GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!

I do this full-time now, any day -- but only in Spring & Autumn.

Cancellation Policy

  • GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
    Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
  • GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
    50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
  • GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
    No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Seoul Tour Guide - David a. M.

Joined 2022

David a. M.
5.00 / 5
(12 reviews)
Identity Verified
Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide David a. M.

I have been a Professor of Korean Cultural Tourism in Seoul, and a Tour-guide, Lecturer and Author on Traditional Cultural Sites, especially religious ones, on the high-end, for 25 years. Wrote the 1996-7 edition of Lonely Planet's KOREA guidebook!

Reviews

Perfect day in Seoul with David

David's knowledge and charisma is extraordinary, we all had amazing time, learned a lot. On a separate note, special thanks for effective communication prior to the tour. Highly recommended!

A Full Day and Then Some...

Dave is a wealth of knowledge about Korea and its history. Also about modern day Seoul. This introduction was well worth the time and money. The day was well organized and even during a difficult weather day, David got us through the city and provided good links between current day and historical.

Jeanine B.

David a. M.

Thanks Jeanine; I really enjoyed doing this with you! We had a fascinating day, despite the weather... I hope you return someday! David

Want to Personalize?

$455/ per group

More tours by David a. M.

Other Popular Art, Culture, & Historical Tours in Seoul