Essential Seoul Adventure

Once you have arrived in Seoul, you meet the Tour Leader and the rest of the group, and the tour gets going right away with a Taekwondo class. Trained instructors teach us the fundamentals of the national martial art of Korea.

Next, we head to Myeongdong, among Seoul’s best-known areas for food, for our first Korean meal together. Over dinner, the Tour Leader points out popular dishes and helps us find our way around the neighbourhood.

We round off the day on Namsan Mountain, looking out over Seoul. For an even higher view, you can choose to go up N Seoul Tower, or add a lock of your own to the ‘love locks’ fixed to the railings at the top.

Once the city is lit up, we return to Myeongdong. You then have the rest of the evening to explore the neighbourhood.

Our day starts at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the biggest royal palace in South Korea and the country’s best-known. First, we watch the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony, among Korea’s most celebrated cultural traditions, then explore the palace grounds. For the full experience, you can choose to hire a hanbok, Korea’s national dress, and walk the grounds dressed as royalty.

You then have free time in Seoul, with plenty of suggestions from the Tour Leader. You might visit Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong Art Street before a walk along Cheonggyecheon, a peaceful stream restored through urban renewal, shop in Gangnam District or hire a bike for an easy ride beside the Han River, past parks, riverside paths and skyline views. You can also opt to join others from the group at a personalised perfume-making class, learning about fragrance notes and blending a perfume of your own to take home.

This evening, we join a K-Pop dance class to pick up a routine from dance professionals, then head to Hongdae, among Seoul’s most energetic areas, to eat and enjoy the nightlife amid its live music, street performers, bars and cafes.

We travel north from Seoul today to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), among the world’s most tightly guarded borders and one of the tour’s most absorbing experiences. On the way, we stop at Imjingak, and there is a chance to hear first-hand from a North Korean defector, who offers an unusual insight into life in the North.

At Dora Observatory, we look out over North Korea, then go down into the Third Tunnel. Dug in secret by North Korea and found in the 1970s, it brings visitors very near the frontier and sheds light on the peninsula’s complicated past.

Back in Seoul, you are free for the remainder of the day and evening. You might squeeze in some final sightseeing, sit down to a Korean BBQ or explore another part of the city, and the Tour Leader is happy to recommend places.

Your tour comes to a close in Seoul this morning, after a long weekend of Taekwondo, royal palaces, Seoul’s best-loved neighbourhoods and the DMZ.

If you would like to stay on, you can add extra accommodation in Seoul or opt for an overnight stay at Geumsunsa Temple, on the side of Bukhansan Mountain, for an unusual window on Korean Buddhist culture and temple life. You spend the evening joining in temple activities, sharing a plain Buddhist meal and learning about meditation in calm surroundings away from the city. The next morning starts early with a Buddhist chanting ceremony before breakfast, after which a private transfer takes you back to Seoul to carry on travelling or head to the airport.