Hidden Seoul Markets with Herbal Wellness, Food & Vintage
Description
Discover a personal side of Seoul on this small-group half-day food and market experience, created for travelers who want to go beyond tourist attractions. Led by a guide born and raised in this neighborhood, you’ll explore hidden local spots, hear real stories, and experience how locals eat, relax, and live. Step 1: Experience Korean Herbal Wellness Begin at a traditional herb market with a calming herbal foot bath and a nourishing lotus leaf rice meal while learning about Korean wellness culture. Step 2: Taste Seoul Through Local Markets Seoul’s most authentic traditional markets, visited by famous Korean chefs searching for fresh seasonal ingredients. Taste authentic Korean street foods, local fruits, and flavors! Step 3: Explore Dongmyo Flea Market Finish at Dongmyo Flea Market, filled with vintage treasures, hidden alleys, and true local atmosphere. By the end, you’ll understand Korean food, wellness traditions, and everyday local culture through a unique Seoul experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Soak your feet in a steaming Ginseng & Herb foot bath designed to boost your immunity. As you relax, breathe in the earthy, calming aroma of medicinal herbs it’s the perfect way to energize your body before our walking adventure.
Discover diverse Korean street food! We won’t just look; we will taste. From savory snacks to sweet treats, savor hot, freshly made street food & seasonal fruit!
Hunt for hidden gems in Dongmyo’s vintage piles where Seoul's history and modern hipster culture mix.
Finish at a one-stop street for Korean toys, kids’ gifts, and fun souvenirs. The shops carry only Korean souvenirs and Squid Game-style game props and traditional Korean game items like dalgona candy kits, marbles, spinning tops, slap-match tiles, and other classic playground game sets perfect if you want something familiar from Netflix without hunting all over the city.
Iconic late-night shopping hub, known for wholesale fashion, street food, and nonstop energy
Hilltop park offering panoramic city views, peaceful walking paths, and a glimpse of Seoul’s old city wall.
DDP is a cultural complex in Dongdaemun, Seoul, connecting design and culture through exhibitions and events.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(20)
Youla, our guide, was amazing!!! She was knowledgeable and easy to understand. She shared hidden gems and unique foods in the markets. We have done alot of tours - and this was seriously one of the best ever!!
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! It was truly my pleasure to share some of Seoul’s hidden gems and unique traditional Korean dishes with you. I also felt very lucky to have you on the tour, and I genuinely enjoyed hearing your stories throughout our time together! It is truly an honor to be considered one of the best tours in Seoul! Thank you again for joining the experience and for your kind support! :) Season and Sense Korea I Youla Jo
This was seriously one of the best tours we have ever done!! Our guide was knowledgeable, open and warm. She took us to see hidden gems and shared stories and unique foods. We learned alot - and enjoyed the entire process❤️
Thank you so much, Robin, for this wonderful review! I’m truly happy to hear this was one of the best tours you’ve had. I also really enjoyed learning from your stories and experiences with herbs and food ingredients. It was such a meaningful time sharing Korean wellness culture, local food, and hidden parts of Seoul with you. I would love to welcome you again on your next visit to Korea! :) Season & Sense Korea I Youla
The tour has been one of the best we have ever done. The herb market, the museum, the other markets, but mostly our guide, Youla. Thanks to it the experience has been very special, we have tried different types of delicious foods, some medicinal herbs and medicinal teas. He has explained in great detail customs and uses of herbs in Korean medicine, he has taken us to very authentic places that only locals know and that we would not have discovered on our own. It is an essential tour to delve into Korean culture and is also full of surprises. Youla has always been very nice and a splendid guide. We must definitely come and do the tour with her.
I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful review! I’m especially happy to hear that this tour was one of the best you’ve experienced. It was a real pleasure sharing the herbal market, local museums, and hidden spots with you, and I’m glad you enjoyed not only the food but also the deeper stories behind Korean herbal traditions and everyday life. Being able to introduce places that are truly local and meaningful to me, and seeing you experience them with curiosity and appreciation, made the time we spent together even more special. Thank you again for your warm words. I hope this experience stays with you for a long time, and I would love to welcome you back to discover even more of Korea together! Fue un honor compartir este tiempo contigo en Corea. Youla | Season & Sense Korea
I’ve done multiple market and food tours while visiting South Korea with several of those in Seoul. This tour stood out as different, not just because of the multiple markets that we visited, but the focus on the medicinal history and herbal medicine. It gave me the opportunity to have a different understanding and experience of South Korea. That wasn’t the limit of the tour however we shared a variety of foods from different restaurants and market stalls getting to experience a breadth of flavors. I highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in seeing more of soul outside the common tourist areas by a guide who grew up in and knows the neighborhoods.
Thank you for this thoughtful review. It truly means a lot!! I’m especially glad you felt this tour was different from other market and food tours in Seoul. It was a real pleasure walking through the markets with you, sharing places that are part of my everyday life, and exploring a variety of local flavors together. I hope this experience stays with you for a long time, and I’d love to share another side of Korea with you in the future. Youla | Season & Sense Korea
Such great tour! Youla was a great guide and gave me a lot of insights about korean culture. The food is already paid, just like the foot bath. If you want to look for something specific in Dongmyo market, you can ask so they can at least show how to get there later (if you are in a bigger group).
Thank you again for your kind review! It was a true pleasure to introduce Korean herbal wellness, well-being practices, and the flavors of Korean food with you. I’m especially glad we found something you were looking for at Dongmyo Market. :) Wishing you a wonderful rest of your time in Seoul, and I hope our paths cross again someday, perhaps in Brazil!! Youla Jo | Season & Sense Korea
Highly recommend! Delicious food, a wonderful guide, and an eye-opening experience! This incredible tour with Youla was the first thing we did during our trip to South Korea. Experiencing South Korean food with a local expert revealed how underrated it is globally in terms of flavour and range! Not only did we sample lots of amazing local dishes from the market and surrounding area but learning about local food, customs, and even some history during our walk set us up for the rest of our vacation. An essential tour when visiting Seoul!
Thank you so much for this amazing review!!! I am so happy that this tour became such a special start to your trip to South Korea. It really means a lot to hear that the food, local culture, and stories along the way gave you a deeper and more memorable introduction to Seoul! I loved sharing the market, neighborhood dishes, and the everyday customs that make Korean food culture so rich and unique. Hearing that it felt like an essential experience in Seoul is truly the biggest compliment!!! Always pleasure have you back in Seoul & Korea! Warm regards, Youla Jo | Season & Sense Korea
We had such a great experience with this tour in Seoul. Instead of the usual tourist attractions, the tour focused more on Korean culture and local places that you normally wouldn’t find on your own. We visited a beautiful traditional tea house, explored a really interesting retro collection space filled with vintage items, and even had a relaxing Korean-style foot bath experience. Each place felt authentic and unique. What we appreciated the most was how the guide explained the cultural background and stories behind each place. It made the experience much more meaningful than a typical city tour. It honestly felt like exploring the city with a local friend who loves sharing Korean culture. If you want to experience a different side of Seoul beyond the typical tourist spots, we definitely recommend this tour. It was one of the most memorable experiences during our trip to Seoul.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and beautiful review. It truly means a lot to hear that the tour felt meaningful and memorable for you. I am especially happy that you enjoyed experiencing a different side of Seoul through authentic local places, Korean culture, and the stories behind each stop. It was a real pleasure sharing these special places with you, from the traditional tea house to the vintage space and the relaxing Korean-style foot bath. I always hope my guests can experience Seoul not just as visitors, but with a deeper sense of connection to the local culture and atmosphere. Thank you again for joining the tour and for your kind recommendation. I would be so happy to welcome you again and show you another unique side of Korea in the future. Warm regards, Youla Jo | Season & Sense Korea
The tour was perfect even though we got a bit of rain Youla did great, explains everything in detail, we toured several markets and I could get amazing souvenirs, taste delicious food, drink traditional tea, ufff I recommend it, it is the best 👌👌👌
Thank you so much for your amazing review! I’m so happy you enjoyed the tour, even though we had a bit of rain. It was truly a pleasure to walk through the markets with you, share delicious food and traditional tea, and help you find such great souvenirs. Your kind words mean so much to me, and I’m very grateful for your recommendation. Thank you again for joining the tour, and I hope to see you again in Korea someday! Warmly, Youla Season & Sense Korea
If you’re visiting Seoul and want an authentic food experience, I highly recommend booking a tour with Youla. She was absolutely wonderful — knowledgeable, warm, and genuinely passionate about Korean food and culture. What made the experience special is that it didn’t feel like a typical tour at all. It felt like exploring the city with a friend who knows all the best local spots. She took us to must-try places and explained not just what to eat, but why each dish matters culturally. Everything was well organized, relaxed, and personalized. If you’re a foodie or just want a meaningful introduction to Seoul, this tour is 100% worth it. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your heartfelt feedback! It was an honor to share Korea with you and I'm genuinely happy the experience felt more like exploring with a local friend! If you come back to Korea again, I'd love to show you a completely different side of Seoul though new neighborhoods, new flavors, and a whole new set of local gems. Thank you again, and I hope we meet again!
From the very first seconds Youla takes you on a journey into the very heart of Korean history, passionately telling every little detail and anecdote as if you were there. At the bend of a street, you then catch yourself feeling the agony as if you were. But more than just a Youla guide, is really benevolent and warm, and does not conform to a conventional layout. You really discover local life, the real, far from tourist places. We were often the only strangers or almost so. The food was really delicious! 😍 And I really enjoyed being able to discover typical Korean food that I did not know. I did a lot of food tours in Asia and it's quite simple it was by far the best and most intoxicating! Thank you Youla! 🙏❤️
Thank you so much for this beautiful review. I’m truly happy to hear that the tour let you experience the real local side of Seoul beyond the usual tourist routes. I’m also glad you enjoyed the food and discovered new Korean dishes you hadn’t tried before. Hearing that this was the best and most unforgettable food tour you’ve had in Asia means a lot to me. Thank you again, and I hope to welcome you back in Seoul for another special day. Warm regards, Youla | Season & Sense Korea
