Half day Morning Seoul City Tour

I booked the tour as a means of getting around in comfort and also having someone time the changing of the guard for me. It hit up the two major sites I wanted to see, and I was really excited that we'd get to drive by Gwanghwamun Square. Unfortunately, the drive by never happened, and if it did, we weren't told of it.

To start, the driver who came to pick us up didn't give a good description of who he was supposed to pick up, and due to the language barrier, ended up picking up someone from my hotel that wasn't a part of the group. That was solved rather quickly at the meeting location of the temple. Then, we learned that we were sharing a guide with folks from other hotels, logistically it was fine, just an odd concept. We had two shuttles, one from around our area, and one from a different neighborhood; we would travel separately, but shared the same guide at each of the stops. Language was something that made it a little challenging, but the guide did their best, and had pre-printed pictures and stuff to help with the tour which I thought was nice. At the temple, we were provided some details by the guide, but I wasn't sure if we were allowed to enter the temple (which I would have loved) so I didn't get a chance to go inside. There wasn't much else on site, but we were give more than enough time to take pictures. We ran a bit behind, so we missed a part of the changing of the guard at Gyeongbokgung Palace, and I'm not sure if they were trying to compensate or if the tour was intended to be short and sweet, but I felt a bit rushed around the palace grounds. I know that I'm a weirdo and LOVE to explore temples and gardens, so I felt rushed, not sure if others felt the same.

FYI- they will bring you to a ginseng center to shop. It wasn't a part of the itinerary and would have loved A. being notified of it in advance or B. missing it altogether. I know it's their job at these centers to sell products, but it's weird feeling pressured to buy things that I don't need/ want.

To end, we had lunch as a group and parted ways. If you book for the half day tour, although the tour says that it'll bring you back to hotel, it wasn't the case for me. Personally, I was glad to have been dropped off in the Insadong area though as it was an area I wanted to explore. Overall, the tour wasn't bad, I felt like $60 may be a little expensive for the experience I had though. If you're comfortable with a quit stop at the locations listed, I'd recommend it, but wouldn't if you want to spend a lot of time at any one location.

Great informative tour of the palaces. Our guide went in depth and was accommodating. The palace grounds are beautiful and a great way to be acquainted with the traditions and history of Korea.

Very good, YouGilSohn the Tour Guide very helpful, attentive n thorough with details. Pick-up at the hotel n Korean Lunch break, after long walk inside Gyeongbokgung Palace, is a bonus. My Half Day Hello Seoul Tour combine with Traditional Korean House, have tea break in Korean Tea House in Insandong Market is a highlight of the day for my Korean Trip for me. I recommend this tour to everyone.