Perhaps the most convenient way of getting around Seoul is by Seoul City Tour both in terms of convenience and cost. A one-day ticket costs only W10000 per passenger. Once you hop on the bus, the tour guide provides you with a brochure which indicates all destination/ tourist spots.
SCT goes to:
(Gwanghwamun - Deoksugung Palace – Namdaemun Market – Seoul Station – USO – Yongsan Station – National Museum of Korea – War Memorial of Korea – US Army Yongsan Base – Itaewon – Crown Hotel – Myeongdong – Namsangol Traditional Korean Village – Sofitel Ambassador Hotel – National Theater – N Seoul Tower – Hyatt Hotel – Shilla Hotel – Dongdaemun Market – Daehangno – Changgyeonggung Palace – Changdeokgung Palace – Insadong – Cheongwadae – National Folk Museum – Gyeongbokgung Palace – Gwanghwamun)
Unlike some tour programs, Seoul City Tour does not require you to make advance reservation. You can just wait at any tour stops (which are separate from the regular bus stops), pay as you get in and enjoy the many tourist attractions around the city.
The bus comes in every 20-30 minutes so you can just choose the spots you want to visit and stay there for as quick or as long as you want. If you wanted to go to your next destination, all you need to do is go back to where you got off and wait for the next one to come.
This tour is recommended for backpack as well as free & easy travelers (those not belonging to any tour groups). For one, you don’t have to follow your group (and your stubborn tour leader, lol^^) to where they drag you. You can customize your own trip (i.e. palaces, museums or traditional markets) and enjoy them as much as you want without feeling pressured of the time.
In our case, we took SCT twice during our sojourn. First on May 17 (focusing on Palaces, Museums, etc.) and on May 20 (Markets).
Entrance fee to these places varies. i.e. Markets are free^^ while Palaces charge W1000 per visitor, with no time limit. Tickets to some venues like the National museum of Korea are also free of charge (depends on the day of visit, we’re just bound to be lucky that day, kk^^)
So for anyone who is visiting Seoul, you might want to try it (highly recommended^^). Separate Night Tour and Palace Tour are also available at different rates. Please note that SCT runs from 9am to 7pm only and does not operate on Mondays.
