South Korea · SHOPPING TOURS
Myeongdong for skincare, Dongdaemun after midnight, Gwangjang for fabric by the metre. The 15 below are compared on what they cover, how long they run and whether a guide does the haggling.
Taste Seoul market favorites, drinks, culture, and Korean drinking games on a small-group Gwangjang Market tour for $73.
“Our tourguide Juno was the very very best. We took several foodtours, but this was by far the best. We tasted a lot of great food an Juno told us about Korean culture. You should definitely book this tour!”
Review of Seoul’s local home Korean cooking class, with a Mangwon Market tour, hands-on dishes, and a traditional Hanjeongsik meal.
“Junghee was hilarious and made the class so much fun. We learned to cook delicious food, picked up some language tips, and got to know her and everyone in the group. Super engaging and perfect for our girls trip. Highly recommend!”
Sample 10 Korean market favorites, meet local vendors, learn food customs, and play drinking games on a lively two-hour Seoul night tour.
“Yoon was a great guide through the markets, taking care of every member and their different requirements. All the food was enjoyable, even the octopus!”
Review of Seoul’s 14-hour no-shopping tour to Seoraksan, Nami Island, and Garden of Morning Calm, with tips on timing, hiking, cost, and value.
“We had an incredible day exploring with SB, our amazing guide! The Seoraksan National Park hike was breathtaking — surrounded by majestic mountains, clear streams, and autumn leaves glowing in shades of red and gold. SB shared stories and made the experience both fun and meaningful. Afterward, we enjoyed a delicious local lunch that SB recommended before taking the ferry to Nami Island, where we walked among the trees and enjoyed a sweet ice cream. We ended the day in the enchanting Garden of Morning Calm, the perfect peaceful finale. But what truly made the day special was SB himself — warm, funny, and genuinely caring. He went above and…”
Review of Seoul’s private DMZ tour with the Third Tunnel, Dora Observatory, Imjingak, and a choice of suspension bridges.
“This is a wonderful tour of the DMZ and surrounding areas. Marie was our guide and she was excellent! She met us at our hotel and drove around in her pristine SUV. To get to the DMZ we had to join a larger groom up but Marie was by our side the entire time. We got personalized attention and she made sure to explain everything we were seeing. After the DMZ, due to the heat and humidity we decided to skip the mountain bridge destination and instead went to Odusan Observatory where we were able to get a closer look of North Korea. Unfortunately we weren’t able to see the…”
Taste Seoul’s market foods, palace districts, kimbap, mandu, tea, and sweets on a small-group tour with local stories and lunch.
“Taesong was very nice, but after doing > 10 food tours in cities around the world, this was by far the most expensive (by a factor of 2-3x) while also giving us the least amount of variety. I did another non-food tour while in Seoul, and got exposure to a similar variety of food. We didn’t get to eat Mandu, as it mentioned, and it felt like the focus was far too heavy on sweets. Would love to have tried noodles, maybe some BBQ, chicken, and all the pickled foods.”
Cook four Korean dishes, shop Mangwon Market, taste street food, and share a traditional Hanjeongsik meal in a Seoul home.
“It was engaging, fun and delicious. Our guide was perfect--enthusiastic and engaging without being overwhelming. I would recommend this to anyone visiting Seoul.”
Explore Seoul by night with palace lights, market foods, Buddhist culture, vehicle transfers, and practical tips for this four-hour tour.
“This a relatively inexpensive to see some of the more interesting places on this part of the country .”
Tour Mangwon Market and cook three Korean dishes with Jomin in a small Seoul class, with local ingredients, a cookbook, and lunch or dinner options.
“I highly recommend this cooking class! Jomin, who leads and teaches the class, is absolutely wonderful. She explained everything clearly—from our visit to the market to guiding us step by step through each dish. The class was approachable and enjoyable for everyone, whether you’re an experienced cook or just starting out. Jomin also provides a beautifully curated recipe book that includes not only the dishes we made together, but also other favorites she recommends. If you’re looking for a cooking class during your time in Seoul, this is truly a fantastic choice!”
Explore Seoul’s grand palaces, Buddhist temple, Insadong, and Namdaemun Market with lunch, transport, and a guide in one full day.
“What a great introduction to the History and Culture that Seoul has to offer! Bonnie, our guide, was excellent as she kept us moving along the tour of the palaces and the markets. Throughout the trip, Bonnie encouraged us to take photos or have her take photos of us and had a great level of energy and enthusiasm. This was a full day of sightseeing and she kept us on time and gave us historical comments throughout entire trip. I was so impressed with the palaces and the markets and was able to do a bit of shopping as well. Excellent itinerary for a full day of touring with an…”
Explore Seoul after dark with palace lights, Gwangjang Market food, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and Naksan Park views for $43.
“The tour was great! our guide was Lucy, she is a super sweet and helpful guide. She taught us a lot of different things we would otherwise not know about Korean history and Seoul. I recommend this tour to get an overall introduction to the city!”
Hike Seoul’s ancient fortress at sunset, sample market snacks, and enjoy optional local dinner with city views for $47.53.
“excellent tour. magnificent hiking with great views of the city. Koa is very friendly. Snack in the local market and the dinner in the end were both very enjoying and tasty. highly recommended. very good Vegetarian options.”
Shop Mangwon Market and cook bulgogi, steamed egg, and kimbap in a small Seoul class led by host Phoebe.
“I had much fun! The shopping experience in the market was great, busy enough to have a wide variety of items and stalls but not so busy it was congested. After shopping, we went to the kitchen and started cooking. The variety of food Read more”
Make four kinds of kimchi, tour Seoul’s Mangwon Market, eat with your chef, and take your homemade batch home in this hands-on class.
“This was mine and my dad’s first cooking class together but also was our first time trying other kimchi outside of the staple Napa cabbage kimchi. Our guide was amazing at explaining everything throughout the making process of all of these kimchi’s alongside the backgrounds to the ingredients. The market tour was also amazing and provided us a side to Seoul outside of the lights and city life to a rather more chiller side to the city. I would highly recommend!”
Review of Seoul’s five-hour night tour, with Gwangjang Market food, Changgyeonggung Palace, Naksan Park, and Cheonggyecheon Stream.
“Excellent tour and unique from other tours as it takes you to some truly beautiful night scenes. Moon Young was wonderful and took care of our needs. She even helped me to book a taxi using Kakao T app to go back to my hotel rather than spending time figuring my way through the subway.”
Pick a border, a palace, a market or a mountain.
