Experience Day Trips in Seoul with Withlocals

"We spent the day with Thomas yesterday from airport pickup to evening check-in at our downtown hotel. He had a comfortable van and saved us immediately from the cold with hand warmers! We visited the DMZ at the pace that we prefer which is to move past larger groups! Very interesting history! We then had a delicious and very Local lunch which included fern and river snails among the dishes! Actually excellent! ( there were less exotic options) After seeing a vista of the city which is so expansive, we concluded with a tour of the royal palace which is also a don't miss even if you think you have seen too many palaces! All along the way Thomas took memorable photos of us . We appreciated that he knew the best places ! A big thanks to Thomas for making our short stay in Seoul a great memory! A note here.. we had only a short time in Seoul so we were willing to pay a premium to maximum our experience. We appreciated being able to time this visit and what we saw!"

"We went on a DMZ tour with Ho Jin in hopes of getting to experience a bit of Korea's history close up. Ho Jin was great! We learned a lot, and more importantly, Ho Jin helped bring the history to life for us - giving us a deeper understanding of the lasting impacts the conflict. "

"First and most important, Kevin was an excellent guide, very understandable who all through our tour told us about ancient history, stories of old, traditions that still exit today and a picture of modern Korean life & culture. We had had a big travel snag that curtailed our stay in Seoul to just one day. Kevin was incredibly gracious and patiently waited for us and then fast-tracked without rushing. Our tour captured central city viewpoints, a famous palace (where many locals as well as visitors dress in traditional Hanok costumes for fun), ancient sites with original housing and statuary, and the famous Bukchon-Hanok Village. He knew all the bathroom stops, good places for coffee, and a truly wonderful arts and crafts area where shopkeepers make their goods to sell in small shops. High quality and lots of local color. We finished our trip with a stop at a traditional Korean restaurant where we tried shrimp pancakes, pickled radish, kimchi and a really delicious bibimbap with super crispy rice at the bottom of a hot pot. All in all, Kevin was easy going, mindful to keep us on track without disrupting our picture-taking and moments of contact with others. We wished we could have had a second day with him!"

"Having traveled the world and exposed to many guides, Ho Jin is by far the best we’ve ever had. His knowledge of Seoul & South Korea both today & historically helped us have a better perspective. His excellent commend of the English language was important for our understanding. We did two tours -DMZ & tour of Seoul. He took us to some site that I would have never thought about but they made our understanding of Seoul much better. If anyone wants the best tour & guide, you have to select Ho Jin"

"Rossi has great communication and lots of historical and cultural knowledge. We enjoyed our day and he accommodated our special requests. "

"With a visit to the DMZ being top of my list of things to do in Seoul, I thought it would be worth having a personalised tour for my husband and me. I'm glad I did. Ho Jin was great from start to finish, giving us his personal insights in addition to the stuff you can read in the history books. He picked us up from our hotel in Gangnam precisely on time and ensured we had a great day. Had their been more of us, it would have been even better value with just two of us it worked out at several hundreds pounds each. But it was worth it for Ho Jim's time and expertise."

"Chris was without a doubt the type of guide I needed and wanted. I enjoyed his company and all of the conversation. He shared some knowledge of Korea that was enlightening, fun, and amazing. He asked me was there anything I specifically wanted to see before we started and I really didn't know what being my 1st time Korea so I asked him to use his expertise, and WOW, he made my whole trip worth wild. I did make one request for Korean BBQ, Chris came through like a champ with the best food I had on my whole trip. I selected him because of his profile and just the look he had on his profile picture, thumbs up 👍 he delivered. I will never forget the experience I had. Thanks Chris and WithLocals 😁"

"The best way you can spend a day in Seoul if you only have one day is to roam around with Ho Jin. I felt like I not only had the best use of time in terms of sightseeing, but also got a glimpse into the life of modern Korean people, bridging the gap between the classical tour and real world topics. Ho Jin is a great guy knowledgeable and funny and he was so attentive and made adjustments as the day went on. See you next year, Ho Jin !!!"

"Ho Jin went above and beyond in so many ways. His English is perfect, which made our first day easier having him with us. He was very accommodating. We asked if he could pick us up from our apartment and he did, even though we were on the opposite side of the city. My mother is elderly and he offered to push her in the wheelchair. He gave great advice that would help in our remaining days in Seoul without him. He kept the tour interesting, while tailoring it the limited walking my mom was able to do. I don't think we could have asked for a better guide."

"Ho Jin was a fantastic guide and so knowledgeable when we did our tour in February 2025 . Definitely worth having a private guide to the DMZ. Also, go early to avoid the crowds. Very communicative and would definitely organise another tour with him when we return to Seoul. Thank you Linda & Geoff"