Korean History & Heritage Tour





Description
Explore the Culture & Heritage side of Seoul, visiting the beautiful Gangbuk area were most of the traditional tourists sites are located. By the end, you will be an expert on Korean traditional architecture and the history of the Korean people. Book now to get a feel for Koreans lived during the Joseon Dynasty period (1392AD - 1919AD)
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will see the Changing of the Guard Ceremony and venture deep into the palace to get an appreciation for the architecture and life of the king.
We will talk about the life of a Korean, starting with the birth, the life, the death. We will even go so far as seeing the afterlife of a Korean.
We will see a traditional Korean village in which people still live there!
We will walk through the King's guild where he commissioned great artists and designers to create beautiful pieces of artwork for him. It's now the antique alleyway where you can get many Korean souvenirs.
We will see a Buddhist temple in which case used to be the national religion of the country.
A walk through a beautiful stream and talk about the stories behind it.
Walk through a 600 year young, vibrant traditional market that started out selling linens for special occasions but has reinvented itself over the years as the go to place for Korean comfort street food carts.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We can pick up or meet you anywhere in Seoul. A $50USD surcharge may apply for any distance outside of the 10KM radius, but within the Gyeonggi Province.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(52)
We had a family of six ranging from 11 to 68. We also added a one day trip to Gyeongju. Both our tour guides were thoughtful and considerate of each person’s needs in our group. Our Gyeongju trip was amazing and our guide Dongmin was able to educate us on the history, understanding Buddhism and architecture which was very helpful when we toured Seoul later. He took us to a delicious Ssambap lunch which was very filling. He actually spent more time with our group in order to give a ride personally back to the train station despite us telling him we had planned to catch a taxi as our train left well after our scheduled tour. There’s no way we could have seen everything we wanted without taking this tour. Gyeonju is so spread out but so beautiful! For our Korean Culture & Heritage Tour it was a little hot so we’re thankful that we didn’t have to do all that walking and exploring on our own! Our guide Sean took us to a Michelin star restaurant for their delicious Samgye-tang (Ginseng Chicken soup) and provided much appreciated dinner suggestions and timeframes to be aware of for our dinner out. Changdeokgung Palace was beautiful and we were able to explore the Secret Garden. Sean was also very kind and thoughtful in guiding us to some delicious treats and best shopping areas without overpaying as we explored multiple markets. I am not sure if we would have been able to find some of the spots in Ikseondong without him! Just wish we had more time to try so many of the places recommended but it only means we need to come back to Korea.
Wonderful day tour of Seoul. From palaces, temples to the Market. Our tour guide, Michael gave such a good view into the life of South Koreans and their history and culture. He took us to his favorite restaurant for Ginseng Black Chicken and it was wonderful. From directing us to the best shopping places to the crazy items sold in the market this trip met all of our expectations. My wife and I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Seoul.
🌟 Thank you so much for your wonderful 5-star review! 🌟 We’re delighted to hear that you and your wife had such a memorable day exploring Seoul with Michael. From discovering palaces and temples to enjoying the flavors of Ginseng Black Chicken, it sounds like you truly embraced the best of Korea’s history, culture, and daily life. Michael will be thrilled to know his insights and recommendations made your experience even more special. Your kind words and recommendation mean a lot to us, and we’re so glad the tour exceeded your expectations. We hope to welcome you back to Seoul for more adventures in the future!
From booking experience to the day of the tour the communication was great and seamless. Our guide came on time and helped us navigate Seoul with ease. Some of the shopping districts would have been tough to find on our own. Whole day was as efficient as possible
Rob and Ruth helped us arrange multiple aspects of our two week trip. They did a great job helping us set upp tours and rides all over the country, and answering about a million questions. They also were flexible with our schedule alterations. Really appreciate the help they gave us yo make a great trip. I strongly recommend them to anyone wanting to plan and customise a trip to Korea. Also, Kory took us on two days of sightseeing around Seoul. He was an excellent and fun guide and a good driver! We learned a lot and enjoyed spending time with him. Also a strong recommendation!
YT Kim was unprofessional and a real cheat! . He made this private car tour into a walking tour and charged us the private car tour fee.. He parked his car so far away on purpose after the first stop. By following him, we have realized how far he had parked on purpose. We didn’t even had time to enjoy our tour because he kept rushing and walking ahead. . Most of the time he just walk in front and left us in the dust and doesn’t really know where we were. We had to look for him all the time. He doesn’t talk much at all and doesn’t listen to our needs The worst tour guide I had ever book on Viotor so far He took us to the palace but only walk the entrance us into the main entrance and immediately took us out to the back entrance to folk museum in less than 45 min we spent inside the the palace. He told us the hanbok rental was only for two hours?! After he dropped us off at the hanbok store, he purposely parked his car at the Bukchon village so we can walk all the way. We only enter the palace and immediately he took us straight to the folk museum entrance in less than 45 min. He didnt take us to the king’s and queens quarters.mt, didn’t do the walk around the pond of the palace he made us walk from the palace straight to the restaurant in Insadong for lunch and straight to Bulcheon village by 3pm. he just kept walking ahead until without stopping much anywhere else. The worst and laziest tour guide. It’s supposed to be a private car tour instead he turned it into a private walking tour where the price is very different.. Also, he doesn’t even give you any background or history or facts. He simply wants to walk the course and leave quickly. We were done with his schedule by 3pm!! We didn’t want to go to bukcheon but he still walk us there because he parked his car there. If you want to do walking tour then. advertise as so, Don’t advertise as private car tour and cheat your way out as a walking tour because we paid for a private car tour not a walking tour. Felt like he scam our money and thinking he can get away with it! We wanted to go to Namsan, he made us walk all the way done back to his car??? Even my previous waking tour guide had us taking the bus down. Very disappointed on this tour. Our tour started at 10am. We were at the hanbok store for about an hour, walk the palace and folk museum and left and changed out our clothes and got to the restuabrt about 12:30? We went to wait in line for the famous dumping at insadong had lunch and got our about 2, the. At Bukcheon next to his car by 3pm. We didn’t want to go to Bukcheon , we went took Abby’s to Namsab and walked back down to his car by 4:30 back to our hotel before 5pm???
Judy was knowledgeable and super friendly. She was patience and kind walking me around. The car ride was comfortable. Thank you Judy. ❤️
Our tour guide, Judy, handled our day with efficiency ensuring we visited all the sites on the itinerary without ever feeling rushed. She was pleasant, friendly and joyful. We were going to be in Seoul for three more days and even gave us tips on things to do the other days! We really enjoyed her and when we return, we will surely look her up!
I had the honor of meeting Pam yesterday June 15, 2022. I was picked up and dropped back off to my hotel which was relieving. Pam helped me understand the public transit system as I will be here for a couple of months and really explained how to read the maps and pay attention to where the buses/subways are going. Although it was raining, we still were able to visit a lot of spots such as Gyeongbokgong Palace, Hanok Village, Insadong, and many more places. I was able to learn a lot of the history behind each of the places. I also was able to see some of the filming locations from Goblin. I really enjoyed having Pam as my tour guide as she was extremely friendly and easy to talk to.
This was my first overseas trip out of the US ever. I wanted a guide to help me with questions I had that only a local would know the answer to. I booked a tour with Pam Kim under the "Seoul in a Day: Private Van + Guide". The sign up process was very straightforward on their website. I was contacted later in the day by Albert to confirm the booking. Pam and the driver Mr. Il arrived earlier so they could find the residence I was staying at. She actually revealed to me that this was her first tourist since covid and first tour given in a year (the other tours were given to business people). She also said she had tears in her eyes at the train station because of this. I'm glad to be the first out of what I hope to be many as covid subsides. She and the driver were both very friendly and professional. She was knowledgeable not only in the historical facts but she also answered questions I had about how modern Koreans live and the issues they face today. I had the recommended iterinary and we had time to squeeze in the Noryangjin fish market. All in all it was a fun, memorable day. I had told her I planned to stay in Korea for another week and a half. At the end of the tour she was kind enough to offer to answer any questions I had while I was still here. I have asked her multiple questions afterwards on Kakaotalk about food so far.
We had a 12 hour layover on our return to Canada and decided to find someone to show us around the city. Rob met us at the airport and drove us around to the king's palace to see the changing of the guard, went to lunch at a chicken/kimchi restaurant, toured old town, went to a market, did some shopping and ate more food, and then went to the Seoul World Cup stadium. English is excellent. He told us of the history, customs of Korea. How Korea was influenced by other nations. All in all, a great guide. He is a wealth of information. You will not be disappointed.



