EXODUS DMC

tour

DAY

Seoul Full Day (A) / 7 hours



Tour Highlights

  • Gyeongbokgung Palace
  • The National Folk Museum of Korea
  • Bukchon Hanok Village
  • Insadong
  • Jogyesa temple
  • Namdaemun Market
  • N Seoul Tower
  • Gangnam tour



Seoul (- - -)

Your exploration this morning begins with a driving tour of Seoul, featuring sites such as Seoul Plaza, City Hall, Cheonggye Square and pedestrian-friendly Gwanghwamun Plaza that is hemmed in on three sides by rushing traffic. The plaza is lined on each side with 365m long streamlets, two centimeters deep and one meter across, the stone bed of the plaza's east side waterway engraved with important events in chronological order from 1392 to 2008.

Standing high on a stone pillar is
a statue of Yi Sunsin who had engaged in twenty-three naval battles and emerged victorious in all of them during the Hideyoshi invasion (1592-1598). King Sejong who propagated the Korean alphabet in the 15th century is also honored with prominent statue
. On August 16, 2014, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in this plaza to beatify 124 Korean martyrs. Near the southwest corner of the plaza is Korea's Kilometer Zero, marking the distances to 64 cities around the world, including Seoul's antipode, Montevideo, Uruguay, 19,606km.


Step back in time to when life was gracefully slow and discover Gyeongbokgung Palace, a particularly charming spot that represents a colorful and turbulent side of the capital's 500-year history. Depending on timing, you may witness the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony featuring parade, password verification, duty shift and patrolling the gate. Accompanied by a court band with its colorful costumes and royal flags, the ceremony is performed daily basis at 10:00 and 14:00 except Tuesdays, although it is cancelled in case of rain or extremely hot or cold weather.

Up from the gates is a spacious stone-paved courtyard that is fully enclosed by wooden cloisters, and at the center of which runs three footpaths through two rows of rank stones, indicating the positions of the officials with the highest rank being closer to the hall.

Standing majestically on top of a two-tiered stone platform that is lined with detailed balustrades is Geunjeongjeon Hall, where the king formally granted audiences to his officials, gave declarations of national importance, presided over large official functions, and greeted foreign envoys and ambassadors. Check out the royal throne and a large painting, depicting sun, moon, five peaks, streams and pine trees, which was the crucial signifier of the king. And up in the center of the ceiling, the bright golden dragons in bold relief indicate the presence of the king.


At the back of the throne hall is a group of court offices. Displayed in front of the King's official quarters is sundial, conceived in order to catch the shadow of the sun, which tells time and 24 periods of seasonal change from the winter solstice to the summer solstice.

Sitting on the island in the rectangular lake is Gyeonghoeru. Supported by 48 square and cylindrical massive stone pillars representing the idea of Yin and Yang, this magnificent pavilion was used for many purposes ranging from receptions to national examinations.

Gangnyeongjeon is the king's sleeping and living quarters while Gyotaejeon is the queen's domain containing a number of halls. The noted feature of these main buildings is an absence of a top roof ridge.


Amisan Garden, landscaped with four hexagonal chimneys in orange bricks, is seldom noticed by the hurried visitors. Jagyeongjeon is the queen dowager's residence. Although less colorful, it is worth noting the wall, adorned with floral designs and the chimneys with ten longevity symbols.

Hyangwonjeong features a small pond with a manmade islet that supports a beautiful two-story pavilion. Behind this serene garden is Geoncheonggung, where the king and queen could relax in peace and quiet. It was here that the first electric lights in the country were installed in 1887 after 8 years of Thomas Edison's invention and a tragic chapter in Korea's history was recorded when empress Myeongseong was assassinated by the sword-bearing Japanese assassins in the early morning of 8 October 1895, allegedly under orders from Miura Goro.

Your visit to the National Folk Museum of Korea will familiarize you with wealthy culture of this friendly and picturesque nation. It is an excellent facility to illustrate the history of traditional life of the Korean people from the prehistoric age to the Joseon dynasty. The permanent exhibition features life and work, costumes and ornaments, handicrafts and technology, educations, living quarters, dietary life, oriental medicine, performing arts and games, beliefs and rituals, and socio cultural life.

With time to visit,
stroll the Bukchon Hanok village to experience a unique view of Korean traditional houses. As you wander through the maze of alleys that wind and twist between houses, making you eager to see what you will find next. The quaint neighborhood hangs on tenaciously to its traditional past. The sight of a number of houses built next to each other, sharing a wall and touching each other's eaves is a fascinating glimpse into the friendly and open-hearted lifestyle of Koreans.

Insadong, at one time the center of traditional Korean art and antiques, features a mixture of historical and modern atmosphere representing the cultural glimpse of the nation. Clustered along the main street and alleys are lined with street vendors, wooden tea houses, restaurants and numerous galleries and shops dealing in antiques, oriental art supplies, and modern Korean art of all types and styles. Soak in the paintings, upscale artworks, antiques and potteries while you can. Get lucky and you just might meet the artist themselves. It can be plenty of fun walking on the main street, but you venture into the hidden alleys that do spring some unexpected surprises. While here, you may want to buy some souvenirs or simply wander and browse at leisure admiring cultural ambience.

Next up is Jogyesa, the head temple of Jogyejong the principal sect of Korean Buddhism. It emphasizes the Zen orthodox, meditation tradition and maintains the purity of monastic celibacy. The temple does not give off the solemn and traditional air of the other temples located deep in the mountains, but when you enter the temple the frenzy of the city start disappearing letting you explore the main worship hall, pagodas and bell tower. The Main Worship Hall holds triad Buddhas, Sakyamuni, Amitabha and Bhaisajyaraja. While here it is worth noting the 500 year old lacebark pine and 400 year old locust tree that still grace the property.

Drive past Cheonggyecheon Stream. After the Korean War (1950-1953), more people migrated into Seoul to make their living and settled down along the stream in shabby makeshift houses. The accompanying trash and waste, and deteriorating conditions resulted in an eyesore for the city. The stream was covered with layers of concrete in the mid 1950s and roadway until the massive urban renewal project freed it in 2005. Today, a 5.8km creek tumbles gently through downtown Seoul, providing a much needed source of peace and relaxation for the citizens of this fast-paced city. You may have a chance to view the sculpture standing tall at the head of the stream on a small plaza. Created by Dutch artist Coosje Van Bruggen and Swedish artist Claes Oldenburg, a shell rising upward like pagoda symbolizes new life.

You will tour the centuries-old Namdaemun Market brimming with well over 11,000 shops selling anything you can imagine. One of the most colorful aspects of the market is an endless sprawl of street-vendor stalls that setup in the alleys and walkways between the buildings. The market is seriously crowded, so be prepared to get bumped around. A fantastic place to haggle over the price to get the best deal on something you want or simply admire the vibrancy of this massive market.


At the western entrance of the market in the middle of a traffic circle stands Sungnyemun. It is a formidable and iconic construct that served as the southern gate of the wall that surrounded Seoul during the period of the Joseon Dynasty.

You can admire a unique panorama of Seoul over at N Seoul Tower observatory. Perched on top of Namsan Mountain, the tower tops out at 479.7m above sea level. It was constructed in 1975 as Korea's first integrated communication tower, transmitting TV and FM radio signals to the city and has now become a symbolic landmark of the capital. It is the absolute best place to enjoy the most enthralling vistas of Seoul. Near the tower base, you cannot possibly miss time capsule. Buried in 1985 under 15m of the ground, it holds 466 relics representing contemporary Korean lifestyle and culture. The capsule is scheduled to open five hundred years later in 2485. You will also witness thousands of Love Padlocks hanging from all sides, overwhelming the wire fence, without their keys to symbolize that their love for each other is forever. And Love Trees made of hundreds of locks are quite a sight to behold.

Enjoy a driving tour of Gangnam to view a number of modern buildings. Urban Hive with 105cm-diameter holes on the white concrete walls, the building looks like a hive and exposes its concrete structure inside which resemble a sponge.
Kyobo Tower majestically rising in Gangnam's busy intersection is a typical of the works of Mario Botta.
Boutique Monaco is an office building designed to have more exterior surface and corners for more natural light and better views. The spaces created by the missing matrixes are landscaped with trees that are visible from the inside and outside of the building.

While in Gangnam, you cannot miss the metal sculpture of PSY¡¯s Gangnam Style that is erected outside the COEX Mall, where part of the video was filmed. It shows two fists overlapped in the style of the song's "horse-riding" dance move.
And enjoy the tour of COEX Mall where you get everything you need, all in one place. Shopaholics and fashionistas will appreciate the hundreds of clothing and accessories stores carrying both domestic brands and international brands, as well as designer and luxury brands. There is a Starfield Library, a unique creation in design. With thousands of books that stack up like mountains and spires that can seemingly reach the cosmos, you will feel like the biggest intellectual around after you come into its magnificent area of knowledge.