Tour of 6 hours to explore essence and highlight of traditional Korean culture from best of best palace, traditional Korean house village, traditional Korean food. Tour features Gyeongbokgung - main palace of Joseon Dynasty & the most beautiful place and architecture in Korea, Bukchon Hanok Village, Gwangjang market. Guide share information of Korean culture that help guest fully enjoy and appreciate the authentic 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
Gwanghwamun Square
- In front of admiral Lee Sun Sin statue
Context about culture and history of Joseon Dynasty
Sharing of cultural context about history, culture and Confucianism, that Gyeongbokgung reflects.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Tour to Gyeongbokgung Palace.
National Folk Museum
Tour to National Folk Museum.
Bukchon Hanok Village
Tour to Bukchong Hanok Village.
Arrival at Gwangjang market by bus
Transportation is one of best tour to experience local culture and people.
Gwangjang market
Guest experience marinated beef slice, live octopus, mung bean pancake and Ttokbokgi, glass noodles, etc
End of tour
Moving to Insadong and visit Jogyesa Buddhist temple
Tour ends at Insadong street
Ending Point
Insadong street
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee
meal
drink
transportation cost
* Entrance fee for palace is 3,000Kor.Won. Ticket can be bought at palace.
Exploring for Korea’s unique cultural identity.
Architecture is center of 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.
The beauty and value of traditional architecture consists of architectural feature & its historical significance and spirit of times.
With the basic information offered by guide, you can fully appreciate the beauty and value of not only Gyeongbokgung but entire Korea’s traditional culture. Without knowledge of Confucianism, we are just fascinated by their superficial beauty.
The information helps tourists can fully enjoy not only this tour but also entire tour in Korea.
Gyeongbokgung is 1st must-see architectures in Korea, because Gyeongbokgung represents Korea's cultural identity, and Gyeongbokgung is the most beautiful place in Korea. Gyeongbokgung is 1st palace of Joseon, built as main palace in 1395, and it is largest palace and the only palace built on flat land and according to traditional palace architecture.
National Folk Museum of Gyeongbokgung shows the inside life of people, living customs & activities and major ceremonies & conventions for general people of Joseon Dynasty. Bukchon and Folk Museum is one pair to appreciate folk culture of Joseon Dynasty.
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 at food stands, such as marinated beef slice, live octopus, mung bean pancake and Ttokbokgi, glass noodles, etc.
Insadong is attractive touristy with the mixture of traditional and modern atmosphere, traditional tea house & restaurant, etc.
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 everyone, I am Paul, a tour guide in Seoul. I am English tour guide certified by Ministry of Culture & Sports & Tourism with indepth experiences over 200 tours for international tourists.
I am a docent for Korea's traditional culture and history based on Confucianism that is Korea's cultural identity.
Seoul is a fascinating destination that seamlessly blends the traditional with the modern.
Our tour will explore Korea’s unique cultural identity and beauty!
Center of tour is architecture. Architectural style represents spirit of times. Confucianism is the spirit of Joseon Dynasty. Confucianism is Korea's unique cultural identity, that is reflected on palaces and traditional architecture.
I have been studying Confucianism over 10 years. I am the only guide in Korea who introduce Korea’s traditional culture based on Confucianism.
Cultural docent tour with my professional information will help you fully enjoy your entire tour in Korea and will bring a fresh perspective, insight & new eyes to your horizon.
My primary tourist destinations are focusing on 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 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 discoveries in Korea.
Thank you for your interest!
As your guide, I hope to see you soon in Seoul!
Stan V.
“Helaas niet door gegaan”
Vanwege plotselinge ziekte van ons kon de tour met Paul niet doorgaan. Jammer. We hadden ons er écht op verheugd. Paul heeft ons in de aanloop van de excursie steeds prima op de hoogte gehouden en geïnformeerd hoe we het beste kunnen reizen. Weet zeker dat onze excursie met Paul top zou zijn geweest, maar helaas: we waren er té ziek voor.
Paul K.
Dear Stan, I much appreciate your review with 5 star rating, though you did not tour. Anyway it is written in Dutch. Again, I am so sorry that you got sick in S.Korea and lost your tour. Hope you recover your health and enjoy your whole tour. Paul
Jennifer R.
“Fantastic experience! ”
I had the pleasure of having Paul as my guide for my first visit to Korea. The tour met all my expectations and more, thank you Paul! Paul is very responsive and went out of his way to travel to my hotel for an hour to pick me up as I wasn’t familiar with travelling in Seoul. His knowledge of Confucianism, Joseon Dynasty history & architecture was exceptional. This really provided insight to Korean culture both historically and as it is now, which enabled me to truly perceive the beauty and fully appreciate the sites and scenes we visited together. He’s such a fun and considerate guide, and we had such great conversations about various different cultures, life, and personal experiences. Paul also has insider knowledge of great spots and hidden places for the best photos (changing of guard, Hanok Bukchon), 1000won coffee (delicious!), food to aim for (at Kwangjang market). Thank you Paul for such a great experience, I hope we will meet again and appreciate your motivation to share the true beauty of Seoul!
Paul K.
Guest’s good review is the best reward and encouragement for my commitment to tour! Our tour is exploring of Korea’s unique cultural identity and beauty! Architecture is the center of culture and center of 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. Eventually, we can understand the beauty and value of traditional architecture consist of architectural feature, its historical significance and spirit of times. But without the basic information, tourists are just fascinated by superficial beauty of the buildings and places. Through tour, we explored Korea's unique cultural identity, focusing on architectural feature, historical significance and Confucianism, the spirit of Joseon Dynasty.
Pamela D.
“Historical Seoul - 2 day itinerary ”
Very good two-day tour of major Seoul sites to illuminate Korean history and culture, also with enjoyable stops for Korean food. A knowledgeable guide and well prepared Al &Pam
Paul K.
Thank you for your good review! Guest’s good review is the best reward and encouragement for my commitment to tour! Exploring of Korea’s unique cultural identity and beauty! Architecture is the center of culture and center of 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. Eventually, we can understand the beauty and value of traditional architecture consist of architectural feature, its historical significance and spirit of times. But without the basic information, tourists are just fascinated by superficial beauty of the buildings and places. Through tour, we explored Korea's unique cultural identity, focusing on architectural feature, historical significance and Confucianism, the spirit of Joseon Dynasty.
$210/ per group