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 - Bukchon Hanok Village traditional-houses alleyway
Bukchon Hanok Village traditional-houses alleyway
Seoul Private Tour - Bukchon Hanok Village traditional-houses
Bukchon Hanok Village traditional-houses
Seoul Private Tour - Bukchon Hanok Village traditional-houses alleyway
Bukchon Hanok Village traditional-houses alleyway
Seoul Private Tour - Jogye-sa Buddhist Temple (national headquarters)
Jogye-sa Buddhist Temple (national headquarters)
Seoul Private Tour - Jogye-sa Buddhist Temple (national headquarters)
Jogye-sa Buddhist Temple (national headquarters)
Seoul Private Tour - an alley of Insa-dong traditional-culture street, with Cheondo-gyo Cathedral spire in back
an alley of Insa-dong traditional-culture street, with Cheondo-gyo Cathedral spire in back
Seoul Private Tour - Guiding a tour in Insa-dong traditional-culture street, 2002
Guiding a tour in Insa-dong traditional-culture street, 2002
Seoul Private Tour - Tapgol Gongwon / Pagoda Park Front Gate
Tapgol Gongwon / Pagoda Park Front Gate
Seoul Private Tour - Tapgol Gongwon / Pagoda Park Pavilion, with the famous medieval pagoda behind-left
Tapgol Gongwon / Pagoda Park Pavilion, with the famous medieval pagoda behind-left

Half-day Traditional Seoul Walking-Tour

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!4 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 15 people

This tour is a fascinating orientation & overview of the older, more traditional parts of central downtown Seoul, with further/deeper introduction to who the Koreans are, and the key points of their history and religions/customs. There is a standard itinerary for this tour, but it is completely flexible on the number and nature of the sites visited. It is essentially the 2nd-half of my Full-day Intro Tour. We can move faster or slower, as you wish. I will be telling colorful stories!

Itinerary

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

09:30 AM

Meeting Point

Anguk Metro-Subway Station, your Hotel lobby, or other. "your hotel" may involve extra cost for transport.

09:30 AM

Bukchon Hanok Village

A quick look through the traditional-houses alleyways, with many quirk cafes, artisanal workshops, teahouses and small museums, and visit inside one old mansion from 1900. I will explain all the function of this aristocratic neighborhood and the hanok architecture.

11:20 AM

Jogye-sa Buddhist Temple

Visiting the national headquarters temple of all Korean Buddhism, with fascinating artworks & tales, and a historic 630-year old unique tree. Jogye-sa also features a Arts Museum and the TempleStay Center, optional for us to visit.

12:10 PM

Insa-dong traditional-culture street

Very colorful historic neighborhood to walk through, check-out some twisting alleyways with great offerings -- perhaps a bit of souvenir-shopping or herbal/green-tea-drinking if desired. OPTIONAL visits to Unhyeong-gung Grand Prince's Palace and Cheondo-gyo Cathedral (native religion, very important 1880-1930), if there is time and you are interested.

01:00 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 stone pagoda!

01:30 PM

Old Jonggak Bell-Pavilion

Last stop, the Old City Bell in a traditional pavilion, with hyper-modern buildings all-around! We're finished here, at the busy Jongno-2-ga "Main Street" area -- I will get you transport to where you want to go next, or show you the many restaurant options there.

Ending Point

Your hotel, or any place downtown, as you wish. "your hotel" may involve extra cost for transport.

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 only. this tour has no expenses, except the transportation if we start at your hotel.

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 (taxi, subway), meal, snack, drinks

Tour Important Information

All by walking. I will be telling colorful stories from academic sources all along the way, about pre-modern kings & heroes, and recent presidents and activists, and socio-cultural issues. You will learn so much, and in context!!

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?

$395/ per group

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