Best Things to Do - Half Day Seoul Trip (Seoul Palace & Temple)

Overview

Available languages

Chinese

English

3 hours

Mobile ticket

Our Seoul City Half Day Tour is a complete and effortless experience. Just be sure to have your camera charged because you’re about to go on an unforgettable journey! You will be in the capable hands of our licensed tour guide who is available to answer any questions at any point, so feel free to ask away!

Are you looking to dive into Korea’s history and culture? Then our Gyeongbok Palace tour is the perfect choice for you! Don’t miss the chance to follow in the footsteps of royal history, see the President’s home, and witness an iconic ceremony!

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges

Hotel pickup in downtown

Professional guide(English or Chinese)

Fuel surcharge

Lunch

Gratuities

Hotel Drop off Service

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

Jogyesa Temple

The Jogyesa Buddhist Temple is one of the most important landmarks of Korean Buddhism, first established all the way back in 1935. The temple is located in downtown Seoul and is graced by an ancient white pine tree. There are a few important steps to entering the temple. First, you must go through “Iljum”, which is the one pillar gate. The “Iljumun” symbolizes the division between the world of the living and that of the holy Buddha world. You will have a beautiful spiritual experience and be able to admire the splendid, golden statues.

40 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Gyeongbokgung Palace

* Please note that Gyeongbok Palace is closed on Tuesdays, so it will be substituted for pretty Changdeok Palace. You will see the meticulously choreographed ceremony that takes place in front of Gwanghwamun Gate. This tradition originated during the Joseon Dynasty and the city decided to bring it back for reenactment in 1996. The soldiers wear colorful blue and red uniforms and gracefully patrol the gates of the palace in protection of the king. The tradition is very elegant and simply beautiful to watch! Gyeongbok Palace (Except Tuesdays) It was first destroyed during the Imjin War between 1592 and 1598. Then, Imperial Japan destroyed a large portion of Gyeongbokgung Palace in the 20th century. The palace, however, has been restored time and again, and is now close to its former splendor! Some of the highlights here are Gangnyeongjeon, the king’s main quarters, Geunjeongjeon where the king accepted formal visits, Gyeonghoeru – the special banquet hall, and more!

1 hour • Admission Included

Options

Half Day Seoul Trip-Afternoon

Pickup included

Half Day Seoul Trip-Morning

Pickup included

Reviews

4.81

181 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

157

South Korea
veronikag584,
Oct 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Great experience. A lot of interesting culture details. Alice was very knowledgeable, respectful, friendly, mindful of all participants of the tour. Thank you very much
Making a rainy afternoon in Seoul Great!!
Cabraal,
Oct 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Eva our guide gave us an excellent afternoon in Seoul, visiting the Jogyesa Temple, Royal Palace, The National Folk Museum and topped it off with a short visit to the Ginseng museum. Eva was very friendly and knowledgeable and patiently guided us on a very wet and rainy afternoon in Seoul. Thanks Eva, we enjoyed our time and best wishes. Shan and Hiran Oct 2025
Exceeded expectations
William L,
Sep 22, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Very friendly and provided great info. An excellent tour that I highly recommend. Best tour of our vacation
Very worthwhile tour with Felipe as our guide.
499lorriel,
Sep 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We secured a small group, half-day tour to Fontainebleau Palace and Barbizon in August 2025. We were lucky to have Felipe as our guide. He was professional, knowledgeable and friendly. Felipe efficiently secured our tickets for the Fontainebleau Palace tour and passed on good tips for the palace tour. The trip and our experience with Felipe as our guide was excellent.
Best spent hours
H4227XBmarianl,
Jul 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a very professional guide, Crystal, full of energy and providing many details. We enjoyed the hours spent togther despite the very hot weather. Definetely recomend the tour!
So much for that
Donald M,
Jun 12, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00
Reluctance to pick us up at our hotel as per ticket agreement was more than annoying but finally was resolved the day of our tour. Wife enjoyed the temple but the ginseng marketing and sales pitch forced us to exit while the final pitch was being delivered. Thank god we only booked half a day. Our tour guide stated that Koreans had hot tempers and were impatient. That describes today best.
Seoul Palace and Temple Tour 2025
Voyager52275837661,
Jun 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This by far one of the best group tour we did this 2025, Sunny Yang , our Tour Director is so great, excellent and so acommodating , I wish all our tour this year will be same. We have exciting and great memories that we’ll treasure forever
This tour was a waste of...
Lauren R,
Jun 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00
This tour was a waste of time. The guide was great but the company needs to redo this tour. You go into a ginseng museum that’s treated like Fort Knox, only to be given a sales pitch to buy ‘real’ ginseng.
Great tour guide
Adam A,
May 19, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
K was a great tour guide. Her generosity and kindness was amazing. Her detailed information about each place we visited was thorough and detailed. Highly recommend her
Soulful Seoul
181jiteshp,
May 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Am glad we did this short but amazingly informative trip.. Judy our guide not just has great knowledge about the history of Korea and the culture and modern day Korea.. she is an amazing person with lot of enthusiasm and positivity strongly recommend this tour - if you have only couple of hours to spare and want to know maximum:)