Seoul Deoksugung, Jungmyeongjeon, Cheonggyecheon and Euljiro Walking Tour - Meet at Daehanmun, Tea Included

Walk from Deoksugung to Euljiro
and meet Seoul's modern history

Meet your English-speaking guide at Daehanmun and walk a route of about 3 km for 3 hours through Deoksugung, Jeongdong, Cheonggyecheon, and Euljiro. Deoksugung admission is included, and the tour ends with a cup of warm herbal tea at Euljidabang. It is an easy route on flat ground.

Hear the story of the Korean Empire at Deoksugung and Jeongdong

Enter through Daehanmun and explore Deoksugung, where Emperor Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire. Above the throne in Junghwajeon, the official audience hall of the Korean Empire, are two dragons, a sign that an emperor rather than a king sat here. Nearby is Seokjojeon, a neoclassical stone palace with Ionic columns, and you will pass Jeonggwanheon, a pavilion where Emperor Gojong is said to have drunk coffee.

Follow the stone wall road out of the palace to Jeongdong, once Seoul's diplomatic district. At Jungmyeongjeon, a red brick building, hear how the Korean Empire lost its diplomatic rights through the 1905 Eulsa Treaty and how Gojong sent secret envoys to The Hague.

Walk along the restored Cheonggyecheon stream

Walk down from City Hall to Cheonggyecheon. Twenty years ago an elevated highway stood over this stream. The guide explains how the Seoul city government removed the highway and restored the stream. Head east along the stream and climb up to Euljiro, a maze of print shops, lighting stores, and hidden bars.

Finish with herbal tea at Euljidabang

The tour ends at Euljidabang, a tea house that has barely changed in decades. You can order ssanghwa-cha, a warm herbal tea topped with an egg yolk. Anything you wondered about but did not ask during the tour, you can ask your guide here.

One drink is included; additional drinks and food are not. Euljidabang is a small space, so larger groups may need to split across several tables.

※ The tour runs regardless of the weather. In heavy rain, the guide may shorten the Cheonggyecheon walking section.