Best Walking Tour To Gyeongbok Palace Bukchon Hanok Village

Excellent - Jae Ho was so patient, kind, and knowledgeable. We are grateful to have learned so much about Korean History & Buddhism from him.

Our tour guide gave us a great history lessons on Korean culture both past and present. Guide was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed his insight to current issues in the country.

Our guide was very generous with his time and explained many things about Korean history and culture. This gave us valuable insights into Seoul and Korea.

We had such a wonderful time with our guide Stella - she was so knowledgeable, and showed us so many cool spots including many food recommendations! We would definitely recommend!

Stella was a fantastic guide! So sweet and personable, and full of fun facts to share. She was always aware of keeping us in the shade and finding the best spots to listen and learn throughout the tour. I loved learning about the history of the palace but especially appreciated her personal stories and insights as we walked through the folk museum. Thank you, Stella, you’re a star!

This was a great solo option, but group option would be equally as great! Stella took time to show and teach us lots of things from the local culture. Followed with patience and a very friendly attitude, it really made it a great first day.

Thanks to Stella, we covered a lot of ground and had a wonderful tour with much insight on ancient and current history, architecture, and culinary recommendations. Our other two tour members were interesting and charming, so I’d think this tour attracts a nice crowd. Thanks Stella for your work and especially for finding the shade for us to always stand in!

Wonderful tour for our family of 5. The palace and the two museums were excellent and our guide’s knowledge was fantastic.

Our guide, Joe, was friendly and knowledgeable. He answered all questions well. It was a small group and that made the experience better.

Our guide Joe was great and very knowledgeable. I feel like I got a good introduction to Korean history and culture. The palace was more bigger and more interesting that I thought it would be thanks to Joe's stories.

Joe was a fantastic tour guide and very knowledgeable and kind! The changing of the guard is a must see. Fantastic way to spend the morning.

We had a great day out with Jay Kim. He was able to provide us with some history of Korea dating back to the Joseon Dynasty and how this related to the palace we were visiting. His knowledge of the palace was fantastic. We then went to Bukchon and he took us through the many alleyways and pointed out some of the changes made recently so that owners could attract tourists, such as turning their houses into cafes. We finished the day at Insadong where he left us and we wandered the streets, checking out some of the shopping on offer.

We had a great day out with Jay Kim. He was able to provide us with some history of Korea dating back to the Joseon Dynasty and how this related to the palace we were visiting. His knowledge of the palace was fantastic. We then went to Bukchon and he took us through the many alleyways and pointed out some of the changes made recently so that owners could attract tourists, such as turning their houses into cafes. We finished the day at Insadong where he left us and we wandered the streets, checking out some of the shopping on offer.

This was an outstanding walking tour! I highly recommend! Wear comfortable shoes and attire! It’s worth the effort.

Stella is so informative with her excellent English. She take us to see a lot of signature must see and give us a indept historical knowledge. My kid is not bore in such an interesting tour. Thanks for the memorial afternoon

Excellent personalized tour. Stella, our guide, was so welcoming and enthusiastic. Got a good feel for the city of Seoul. Stella helped us feel her warmth and oozed pride for her country.

Stella was amazing. Her tour was informative, interesting, and a lot of fun. We saw so many sights and she was able to answer all of our questions. My 20 year old son was equally as impressed with the tour and Stella's knowledge. I highly recommend the tour and Stella!

A wonderful and very interesting tour. Would definitely recommend it. Our Korean english speaking guide was excellent and made you feel very at ease. She provided a lot of interesting historical facts and took lots of photos for us. Thank you Stella!

We were very lucky to find ourselves in the company of Joe, the wonderful tour guide of our tour. He was a great storyteller, very knowledgeable and ready to answer any questions we had. The tour was well timed and has a great pace and amount of information we got in 3hrs. Joe was incredibly hospitable and made sure we had a memorable experience in Seoul. I highly recommend this tour!

Stella was friendly and very knowledgeable. I enjoyed the walk. She knew great places to take photos. I highly recommend a walking tour but wear comfortable shoes.

Our tour guide, Stella, gave us a wonderfully informative, well-paced, and memorable tour. She gave each group member a clever set of earphones that amplified her voice, allowing us to hear her clearly while we walked at our own pace, as long as we stayed close to her. Without her tour guidance, it would have not been practical for us to understand the valuable historical, traditional, architectural and cultural significance of the places we visited. Midway through the tour, Stella was sweet enough to treat us to a refreshing afternoon coffee / ice-cream, as we were part of a large group. I believe Stella provides both group and individual tours. I'd definitely recommend Stella and her company for anyone who's looking for an engaging, organised, and passionate tour guide experience.

Joe was a fantastic guide, he picked us up as it was raining and drove us to a couple of places that were not on the tour. He was very knowledgeable and I learnt a lot about Korean history. My son loved all the 'heads chopped' stories. The sun did end up coming out for us so we were able to walk around and look at the palace and the village.

I loved the "Best Walking Tour to Gyeongbok Palace and Bukchon with Expert." The guide (Kang Hyun Soo (sorry for any misspelling) / Stella) was super knowledgeable and made the history of the palace and Bukchon Hanok Village really interesting. After the tour, we visited a local cosmetics brand, and the guide even bought some Korean snacks for us, which was very nice of her. Highly recommend it!

This was a great tour. Joe was very knowledgeable about not only the history of the palace but also how the palace’s story tells Korea’s story from its beginning until today. He was excellent at sharing this with both historical and personal stories.

Stella was a wonderful guide with great knowledge and so easy to talk to. She took me to some beautiful places where I was able to find the perfect gifts for loved ones. I am so glad I did this tour. It made me appreciate the history and the beauty of Seoul more.

None. The problem wasn't the sites as they were wonderful. It was the tour guide, Jack. He was too quick to refer us to Google or Youtube whenever we asked a question and the questions we asked were pretty generic--ones that a prepared guide could have answered.

Our guide, Jack was very personable and knowledgeable . The day was hectic and loud with the going’s on in Seoul, but Jack made us feel at ease as we navigated the city.

Our guide, Jay Kim, was waiting for us at the appointed time and place. He had even sent message of what he was wearing to find him easily. Very knowledgeable of the history and details of the city Seoul and the Palace. He was friendly and responsive to all our questions.

Great tour and very detailed. Excellent stories about the palace, the history of the country and day to day living facts. Mr. Cho (Joseph) provided details to our questions with pictures and facts. Great communication and very knowledgeable. We ended the trip in a great restaurant with typical Korean dishes. Highly recommended.

Jack was a great tour guide. I learned a lot and was grateful for his insights. Even with freezing rain and cold wind, it was worthwhile.

A wonderful city immersed in combination of traditional and modern architecture. Learned this from a very clear and concise tour information from the Seoul tour guide himself, Mr. Jay Kim. Thank You, Jay! Keep up the great work!

Jack Kwak took us through the Change of Guard ceremony and explained the details of the palace with minute details. He walked us through the village and Insadong area as well. He sang a couple of songs to add context. He is very knowledgeable

We hate to write a negative review because all of our other tours in Seoul were so incredible. We had a tour guide named Paul and we ended up being the only ones on the tour. Very surprised to see all the positive reviews because we can't say we left the tour with any additional knowledge of the palace or Seoul. He rambled on a lot about topics that weren't even relevant to where we were and, paired with his lack luster attitude and monotone speaking, we were counting down the minutes until the tour was over. We were at the point where we were getting distracted/jealous of other tours that seemed so fun. Maybe the other guides are better but we unfortunately would not recommend this to anyone.

Not just a tour, Paul shared great stories on korean history and culture. He even brought us to eat some yummy local snacks and the best ginseng chicken I had. Thanks for taking the extra mile to make our day.

I enjoyed Paul's explanation of the Korean language, outside the building where it was conceived! Also, the lunch recommendation was memorable. Very nice!

Guide quality is so important. Ours particular guide was low energy, only giving us the bare minimum. He did walk with us from place to place, but really didn’t do much else. I took a bike tour the following day and learned so much more.

The tour guide Paul was extremely experienced. English was fluent and very knowledgeable. The details about the history and the palace, architecture, and the north villages were amazing. The tour was so rewarding memorable.

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed this tour! Our tour guide Jack was very informative and knowledgeable. It was nice to walk around Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon Hanok Village while getting to know the background history. Jack also taught us more interesting Korean history while we walked around the surrounding area. Highly recommend for anyone visiting Seoul!!

Our tour guide was knowledgeable and explained Korean history and architecture. Would highly recommend.

Jack was a fantastic guide and a wonderful teacher of history. Going in, I knew very little about Korea and it’s history. Now I have so much to read about! Jack is truly a local who both knows and loves his country and hometown’s histories. He frequently makes connections between new sights and history referred to in previous ones, giving even laymen plenty of connections to form and see Korean history for the wonderful, interconnected tapestry it is. He also welcomes questions and comments with open arms, and was very willing to engage with any number of relevant topics. Overall, a fantastic experience, thanks to Jack!

Tour guide Jack was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I got so much more out of his guided tour than I would have if I had gone to the same places with no guide. I have a better understanding of Korea's long and impressive history and culture than I did before Jack's tour.

Paul did an amazing job of explaining the history of not just the sites we visited but also a lot about the culture. We all felt we knew so much more about the country

This is a must do if you like history! Our guide, Paul, was so informative, and even shared some of his own personal experiences growing up in South Korea. He also threw in details that most tour guides get wrong. If you want the true history of the Korean dynasty, I highly recommend this tour!

It was a walking tour so we moved around people that were doing their own daily life. It was wonderful to see the very spectacular palace on other historic places but at the same time see the daily life environment. And our tour guide explained all so well!!!

Great experience, learnt about the history and culture with some sights! Would recommend especially for those with limited time

I had THE BEST TIME EVER. I ended up booking this tour last minute and being the only person on the tour, and my tour guide Paul did an incredible job of making the experience fun and memorable. He taught me so much about Korean history and culture, and we even stopped to have a bite of street food together. I was able to see the changing of the guard, many palace buildings, the National folk museum, and a beautiful village. He also went out of his way to take me to a shopping area I wanted to see and a seafood restaurant he recommended for me. Paul is hands down what made this experience super special, so I highly recommend him!

Helpful guide with lots of knowledge of the landmarks we walked by, I would recommend this tour to others

Great experience with Paul! He had a lot of great knowledge! I would do again! I wish there was more time!

This is an excellent tour to take if you are new Korean history and looking to know more. My friend and I boked for our first full day in Seoul and it was perfect. Jack was an excellent tour guide; giving plenty of time to take pictures and explore the palace complex, but also providing great cultural and historical information. He even sang us a couple of traditional Korean songs! It is clear he loves what he does and take a lot of pride in his work. Fair warning there is a lot of walking and the Bukchon Hanock Village is uphill. The tour was amazing!