Private Half-Day Seoul Tour: Discover Tradition Amidst Modernity with a Local Host

Join a private half-day Seoul tour with a local host and explore the city’s traditional heart amidst modernity. Discover iconic sights, enjoy local drinks and snacks, and customize your itinerary.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Gyeongbokgung Palace - Discover the majestic Gyeongbokgung Palace, where you can dive into the history of the Joseon Dynasty and witness the grandeur of traditional Korean architecture.
  • Insadong - Wander through Insadong, a cultural hotspot where you can immerse yourself in traditional Korean arts, sample authentic street food, and explore quaint tea houses and antique shops with your local guide.
  • Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) - Experience the cutting-edge architecture and vibrant creative culture of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, a hub for fashion, design, and technology exhibitions.
  • Bukchon Hanok Village - Stroll through Bukchon Hanok Village to see beautifully preserved traditional Korean houses and learn about historical lifestyles in this picturesque neighborhood.
What's Included
  • Hotel meet-up for central locations available on request through our questionnaire after booking
  • Choose from 3 or 4 hours - Pick your preferred duration when you book
  • Private and personalized walking tour with a passionate local
What's Not Included
  • Food, drinks and tickets to any attractions
  • Transportation (primarily a walking experience, public transport may be used at an additional cost)
  • Gratuities (optional)
Additional Information

WHAT YOU’LL DO

With one of our hosts by your side, you’ll take to the streets for half a day, discovering this modern capital’s traditional heart. Take in iconic sights like the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, sip on soju (a vodka-like drink) with your host and nibble on a few snacks in a street tent bar, or get your pop-culture kicks in the neighborhood of Gangnam. Whatever you’d like from your day, your wish is our command.

Within 24 hours after booking you’ll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you’ll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.

Location
109
After booking, you can adjust the meeting point to fit your preferences with the help of our Experience Planners.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.5
(46 Ratings)
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Stephen_w
May 30, 2024
The perfect choice for a personalized and private tour! - Jihyun was the perfect guide! She completely customized the tour for our preferences and she was flexible to make adjustments and recommendations throughout the day based upon how it was going and what we were seeing. She was very kind and patient. She was knowledgeable and provided the information and history of the various places we visited. She even provided recommendations for the remainder of our trip based upon our interests. I'm so happy that Jihyun was our tour guide and I would highly recommend her to anyone!
Review provided by Viator
Dream532799
Apr 20, 2024
A great first time visit to Seoul thanks to our guide, Ruth! - Had a fantastic first ever visit to Seoul thanks to our guide, Ruth, who was very informative, conscientious, flexible with our interests and itinerary and fun. Went to some great spots we would not have discovered on our own and was very helpful with some great suggestions for future points of interest after our tour was over.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laura_m
Apr 10, 2024
Awesome & recommend - We had Ruth show us around the main sights as we only had 1 night I'm Korea. Ruth was so passionate about the city , the history and took us to so many places. We had street food ans Korean BBQ. We will definitely tour with Ruth when we are back in Seoul. It was a great end to our trip. Thank you so much :)
Review provided by Viator
Elaine_l
Mar 24, 2024
You can't to wrong with this tour! - Fabulous Day! - Step 1 - Book with Andrew, Step 2 - See educational and entertaining sites, Step 3 - Enjoy a very special cup of tea (unique to So. Korea and it's going to surprise you!), Step 4 - Have a delicious and unique lunch at a restaurant adjacent to the market, Step 5 - Enjoy your memories of a very special day! Don't miss this one!
Review provided by Viator
Cruiser08384819168
Mar 16, 2024
Amazing guide or an amazing city - Absolutely fantastic tour, we visited everywhere we wanted plus some. During the tour our amazing guide took our pictures, sent them via WhatsApp & wrote the destination on them. If you do any tour in Korea it should be this one ☺️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marilou_o
Mar 5, 2024
Happy guests!!! - From the booking process up to end of the tour the process was done without any hassle. The guide arrived on time and even sent us pictures he took of my Aunt and Uncle wearing the hanbok they requested. Overall I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the best of seoul. Guide was very professional, communicates every step of the way and made sure guest had a great experience.
Review provided by Viator
Bianca_b
Feb 27, 2024
Andrew was FANTASTIC! - I felt so lucky to get paired with Andrew. He is a former diplomat and a practicing attorney - he had wonderful stories about his life in the U.S., Korea, and China. His pre-tour communication was wonderful and the tour was very well organized. I really enjoyed our time together and he was so patient with all of my questions. I felt like I was spending the afternoon with a friend enjoying Seoul. I can't wait to visit Korea again and will definitely have Andrew as my guide.
Review provided by Viator
Mith_l
Jan 29, 2024
An awesome experience - Sujeon was the most knowledgeable and thoughtful guide I've had. She explained the little nuisances of the Grand Palace and answered all my questions. She even helped me understand the transportation ticketing system, making it easier for me to use them. She's very prompt and we went at a pace I was comfortable with. Thanks again
Review provided by Viator
F397mmjohnt
Jan 19, 2024
Great tour, Great Guide! - Great tour. It was cold and rainy the day we went, but theres nothing you can do about that on a walking tour! Paul was a great guide. He did the best he could given the weather so we had to hustle a few times to get to places. Saw a lot and had a wonderful time for the amount of time we had between flights. Def a must do if you have a long layover in Seoul or are staying there and just want to get to know the city better.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robin_s
Mar 29, 2024
Just a Forewarning - We had a 9 am private tour booked. We confirmed with City Scripted one week before and a second time the day before. We were told “ rest assured “ the tour was paid and confirmed. We waited in our lobby until 9:15. Called City Scripted when no one showed up. Left a message. Shortly thereafter, they called and stated our guide had another obligation and could not take us. We were furious. It was our only day to do this. City Scripted was very apologetic but it was no help to us. We are uncertain where the breakdown occurred. When they assigned the guide we were given his direct email address should we need to contact him. Sent two emails ( to confirm guide was all set) and he never gave us the courtesy of a reply. Unacceptable. City Inspired extended a 60% discount on a tour in the future. We willl not be using it. We are starting to see a pattern with private guards. If a bigger and better request comes in ( full or multiple day tour) you get dropped. We get it. It’s their livelihood. However, have some consideration and at least let your customer know. Going forward we will handle our tours differently.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 8 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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