Seoul Royal History Tour: Gyeongbokgung & Jogyesa

Immerse yourself in Seoul’s rich history on a half-day tour. Visit Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jogyesa Temple, learn about the royal and religious heritage, and experience the cultural traditions of Korea. Hotel pickup included.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Jogyesa Temple - The Jogyesa Buddhist Temple stands as a significant landmark in Korean Buddhism, originally founded in 1935. Situated in the heart of Seoul, the temple is adorned by an ancient white pine tree. Visitors must follow a few key steps to enter the temple.
    First, pass through “Iljumun,” the one-pillar gate. “Iljumun” represents the…
What's Included
  • Professional guide (English or Chinese)
  • All taxes, fees, and handling charges
  • Hotel pickup
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Hotel drop-off (dropped off at City Hall or Myeongdong)
  • Gratuities
  • Gyeongbok Palace (& Changing of Guard Ceremony) & National Folk Museum are closed on every Tuesday.
  • Tuesday : Gyeongbok Palace - National Folk Museum -> Changdeok Palace & Bukchon Hanok Village
Additional Information

Discover Seoul’s royal and religious heritage with an expert local guide. Journey by coach to some of the capital’s most breathtaking sites, such as Jogyesa Temple and the pavilions of Gyeongbokgung Palace. On this 3.5-hour morning tour, marvel at the magnificent architecture from the Joseon Dynasty, witness a Changing of the Guard ceremony, and delve…

Location
City Hall Station
Exit 6
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(324 Ratings)
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Ty3681yg
Apr 26, 2025
Seoul in a nutshell - Crystal was an awesome guide!!! It was pouring rain the entire time but that didn't dampen our experience at all. The locations visited, the transportation, and communication were all top-notch! If you are short on time, I highly recommend this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
874jamiei
Apr 24, 2025
Great tour at good price - A great tour! Bus was comfortable. Guide was freindly and knowledgeable. Took us to all the best spots with enough time to take it all in. Would recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eduardoc1811
Apr 22, 2025
Quick One-Day Visit in Seoul - This is for you - This was exactly what I was looking for during a recent trip where I only had one day in Seoul. I opted for the 1/2 day tour and it gave me enough of a vibe of the tourist hotspots and still allowed me to explore on my own before taking a train later that early evening. The tour bus arrived promptly on time and I was greeted by Lynn who was our tour guide for the day. She was excellent. Great English, was organized, and a pleasure to have as our tour operator. You can only be so lucky if you get her as your guide. With stops at the Buddhist temple and later the palace (including a changing of the guards ceremony), it was a good amount of time for both. The walking is moderate, mainly at the palace and only because it is so big. Lynn was very good at keeping the group together and stopping periodically to allow the slower ones to keep up. I saw a few previous reviews about the hard sell at the ginseng museum. Yes, we stopped there too. It was very interesting to see its history and importance to Korean culture. There definitely is a sales pitch to buy at the end, but upon a polite declination, they are not hounding you. If you are interested in purchasing any of it, do some research to make sure you can carry it on the plane (checked luggage) and pricing. A few of the options they had were well over $100USD. There were more modest options in the gift shop with various teas that had ginseng. We started at 9am and finished right at 1pm where we broke for lunch and the full-day tour continued afterwards. If you are looking for a quick guided tour with comfortable transportation and are on a tight timeframe, then this tour is for you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
636swapnab
Apr 15, 2025
Seoul half day tour with K - We took the VIP half day city tour. The tour guide was on time and shared lots information about Seoul history and culture. The tour guide was K and she also shared lots of tidbits about K-Drama and drama shooting locations. I would highly recommend VIP city Tour and our guide K.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lesc3941
Apr 14, 2025
Seoul half day city tour - Diane was amazing!! She greeted us warmly and took us on a great tour of the palace, Korean Folk Museum, Buddhist temple, and Ginseng museum. I love architecture and history so Diane was a wealth of information in both areas. The tour consisted of my husband and I , and we enjoyed every moment. At the end of the tour, we felt like family!!! Thank you Diane!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Glenna722772
Apr 11, 2025
Fun Short Tour of Seoul Culture and History - I really enjoyed this tour with Crystal! We visited many sites in a short amount of time with my favorite being the Buddhist Jogyesa Temple and the changing of the guard ceremony at Gyeongbokung Palace. The palace was especially beautiful with the cherry blossoms in bloom and many visitors wearing traditional Hanbok clothes. Crystal explained the historical and cultural points well and answered our questions thoroughly. I also liked the cable car ride to the base of Namsa Tower for a free view of the city in all directions. A fun, informative tour that covered a lot of sites to give a solid overview of Seoul history and culture.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dokphilipp
Apr 9, 2025
A highly recommended tour! - Very friendly, very well informed, very attentive. A perfect tour that gave a nice impression of the history of Korea in a few hours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carlopw3713zz
Apr 9, 2025
Great tour, Diane was amazing! - Just finished the tour, Diane was lovely, spoke great English, and was very friendly and accommodating! Would definitely recommend looking for her especially with family groups with kids =)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rollav2025
Apr 7, 2025
Great experience and tour guide - K was amazing and very through and friendly. Very informative and fun tour guide. She is great and had a great time and would definitely do it again
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joy_r
Apr 4, 2025
Emily is a Great Tour Guide - If you only have a short time to spend in Seoul, this tour provides a good overview of the top 3 sites to see in the city. Emily is a wonderful guide. She is very knowledgeable and communicates well. I enjoyed hearing about Korea’s history. It was raining during the tour, and she remained pleasant and patient. She was helpful and gave us recommendations for food, other places to see, and so on. I recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
From $38
up to 9 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).