Classic Private Tour of Seoul, Suwon, Mt. Seoraksan Park & Sokcho

Hotel Pickup in Seoul at 09:00 and Hanbok Rental(optional)

We will first visit a Hanbok Rental shop to try the Korean traditional dress(Optional). You can stroll inside Gyeongbukgung palace wearing Hanbok. Wearing the dress will leave you both a special memory and dreamy pictures.

Situated at the top of Gwanghwamun Square, the presence of Gyeongbukgung palace gleams brightly in the central spine of the nation. As the first and largest palace built by Joseon Dynasty in 1395, the grand villa consisted of 330 buildings and had up to 3,000 staffs.

Before entering to explore the palace, we will also watch the changing ceremony of royal guards. This enactment is an excellent opportunity to experience a rare tradition, performed exactly as it used to be held. Guards appear wearing royal uniforms, carrying traditional weapons and playing traditional instruments.
Insadong is a district well-known for hosting generations-old antique and traditional craft stores of all kinds, ranging from ceramics, caligraphy, and theater masks to embroidery. The hidden joy of this wide art street is enjoying a cup of traditional jujube tea in an old cafe secluded in small streets! Visit Ssamziegil Plaza to be amused by all kinds of creative home-goods and decorative-pieces. Visit Ssamziegil Plaza to be amused by all kinds of creative home-goods and decorative-pieces.

Lunch(Local Food)/Insadong art & Antique street
with Included Drinking tea at a traditional Korean Tea House
Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of traditional houses called hanok, that date back to the Joseon Dynasty. We will go stroll in this labyrinth of traditional homes cramped together, even sharing walls. Created by the first city-planner of Korea, these intimate structures will delight you as you discover your way around the hillside village. If you are a fan of K-dramas like me, then you would definitely see some familiar sights.
Take in the breathtaking 360-degree view of the Seoul Metropolis!
The top of the tower is at almost 480m above sea level, including Namsan Mountain(243m) and the tower’s own height(236.7m).

The tower was first established as a broadcast tower to send out TV and radio signals in 1969. As of now, it has become one of the representative landmarks and multi-cultural venues in Seoul. At the tower, you can check out other highlights including the famous Locks of Love and ancient beacon mounds.
Myeong-dong is Seoul's shopping mecca with a mixture of street stalls and retail outlets selling everything from high fashion to Korean cosmetics. The luminous streets are filled with abundance of street food vendors. Enjoy your first evening in this town, which seems to have forgotten the night.

Dinner(Local Food)/Hotel drop off in Seoul
Lunch is Local Food
And Included Drinking tea at a traditional Korean Tea House
Local Food
hotel in Seoul :
- 5star: Intercontinental Hotel or similar
- 4 star: Best Western Arirang Hill or similar

Hotel Pickup in Seoul at 09:00 and Head to Yongin Korean Folk Village

Korean Folk Village introduces traditional culture from the late Joseon period to both local and international visitors through cultural classes, experiences, reenactments of shamanic faith, seasonal customs and others.

Explore the village to watch traditional performances

1. Farmers’ Music and Dance
2. Acrobatic on tight rope
3. Martial arts on running horse

Lunch(Local Food)
Hwaseong Fortress is an impressive structure from the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty, and the official fortress of Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. Constructed from 1794 to 1796, it was built as a display of King Jeongjo’s filial piety towards his father and to build a new pioneer city with its own economic power.

The fortress wall hosts a great variety of military facilities that are hard to be found anywhere else. During the construction, scholar Jeong Yak-Yong invented ‘Geojunggi,’ which uses a lever to lift up heavy stones, greatly reducing time.
Lunch and Drinking tea at a traditional Korean Tea House at Insadong
Local Food
hotel in Seoul :
- 5star: Intercontinental Hotel or similar
- 4 star: Best Western Arirang Hill or similar

Hotel Pickup in Seoul at 09:00 and Head to Paju for DMZ Tour

The Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) is a weapons-free buffer zone between North and South Korea. The area was established on July 27, 1953 when the Armistice Agreement was signed during the Korean War. It includes the 2km-wide stretch of land on both north and south of the line.
Dorasan Station is the northernmost railway station in South Korea. At a time it connected South and North Korea, and trains with industrial supplies were allowed to use the station temporarily. The now closed station is a symbol of peace in the divided country.
From Dora observatory, visitors can overlook North Korea through a vernacular. Various locations and structures of the last secluded country on earth including Gaeseong, Songaksan, Kim Il-Sung Statue and Cooperation Farm(Geumamgol) are seen from the deck.
The Third Infiltration Tunnel is one of four known tunnels under the border between North and South Korea. Discovered in 1978, the tunnel is 1mile long. It penetrates 435 meters south from the military demarcation line, and can coordinate 30,000 men in a single hour. Convincingly built to perform a rapid raid action to the South, North Korea was blamed for threatening the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement by United Nations upon its discovery.

Lunch(Local Food)/Head to Seoul
Unification bridge is most notably remembered by a travelling of 1001 cows led by Chung-Ju-Yung, the founder of Hyundai Industry. At the historic moment of first South-North summit taking place, Chung crossed the border with the cattle in an wishful act to stabilize the relation between two Koreas. During his young days, Chung had stolen a cow from his parents in North Korea to pay for his move to the city.

Unification Bridge Check Point (Passport and ID Examination) - Both foreigners and Koreans are required to present their ID card in order to pass the Tongil bridge
The Joint Security Area (JSA), also known as the Panmunjom truce area, remains the most iconic image of the DMZ. Its hawk-eyed guards and barbed wire fences make us realize that we just arrived at one end of a world.
House of Peace is a venue for peace talks between North and South Korea. The building is located in the Joint Security Area on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line bisecting the area. Many inter-Korean summits too place in Freedom House, the conference room of the pavilion. And visit to The 3rd observatory and No return bridge is mean that you cannot go back once you cross it
Local Food
Local Food
hotel in Seoul :
- 5star: Intercontinental Hotel or similar
- 4 star: Best Western Arirang Hill or similar

Head to Mt Sorak National Park for 2 and half hours and first visit to Gwongeumseong Fortress is the site of a castle ruins located on Seoraksan Mountain, and it is also known as Mt. Onggeumsan Castle, or Toto Castle. It is located on the steep Dolsan Mountain of Seoraksan Sogongwon area. It is believed to have been built by the 23rd King of the Goryeo Period (918-1392), Gojong (r. 1213-1259). It is also called Gwon-Kim Castle, as there is a legend that two generals named Gwon and Kim, built the castle to avoid war.
At the left side of Sogongwon, past the Biryonggyo Bridge over the ravine, there is a path which leads to Gwongeumseong Castle, but it takes over an hour of travel through a steep, rocky path (2.5km), so cable car is used.
Sinheungsa (신흥사) is a short 10min walk away from the entrance to Sogongwon. In fact, many visit because of its close proximity to Sogongwon. Sinheungsa is a temple which used to be called Hyangseongsa, built by Jajangyulsa (590~658), who traveled to famous mountains all over the nation, in Queen Jindeok’s (?~654) 6th year of reign. It was destroyed and rebuilt many times since.

On the path to Sinheungsa, there is a great bronze statue called Bronze Jwabul Statue, which is well over 10 meters high.
Yeonggeumjeong, a pavilion built on the shores of Sokcho, is popular for its magnificent views of the sunrise
Abai Ferry is a special way to get across Sokcho Harbor, separating downtown Sokcho from Abai Village. The distance is quite small, only reaching about 50 meters across, but riding one of the two ferries is much quicker than going around by land. The ferry must be pulled across by rope by all passengers, excluding the elderly. This unique experience can only be found in Sokcho.
Having recently changed its name to Tourist & Fishery Market (formerly Jungang Market), this market was opened in 1982

Fishery items and hoetjip (raw fish restaurants) are located on the basement level, and general whole sales and retail sales, such as food and clothes, are available on the first and second floors. In addition, many of Sokcho's famous snacks like dak-gangjeong (sweet and sour chicken) are found at many of the stalls inside the market.

Back to Seoul