Seoul Private Van Tour Downtown Temple Walk Jogyesa · Insadong · Gilsangsa · Seongbuk-dong
Seoul Private Van Tour
Downtown
Temple Walk
Jogyesa · Insadong · Gilsangsa · Seongbuk-dong
The quietest side of
one of Asia's greatest cities
Hidden between Seoul's glass towers are temples that have stood for centuries — still active, still incense-filled, still alive. This private half-day van tour connects the city's finest Buddhist sites with its most beloved traditional streets and a café finish in Seoul's most quietly cultured neighbourhood. Minimal walking, maximum atmosphere. Ideal for all ages.
Hour by Hour
Your private van collects you from hotels in the Myeong-dong, Jongno, or Euljiro areas. En route, your guide provides a full briefing on the day's itinerary along with a practical introduction to temple etiquette — appropriate dress, bowing customs, photography guidelines, and what to expect inside a working Korean Buddhist temple. Bottled water and traditional Korean snacks are provided on board.
The headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism — the most influential Buddhist denomination in Korea — sits improbably in the heart of downtown Seoul. Lotus lanterns hang year-round from every eave, and centuries-old trees stand guard over a surprisingly serene courtyard. Your guide explains the architecture of the main hall, the significance of the three Buddha statues within, the Buddhist calendar of ceremonies, and the symbolism woven into every carved detail of the building.
A stroll through two of Seoul's most beloved traditional neighbourhoods. Insadong's main street has been an arts-and-crafts district since the Joseon era — today it's lined with galleries, antique shops, celadon studios, and hanji paper craftsmen alongside contemporary indie boutiques. Depending on the group's pace and interests, the route may include Ssamziegil, a spiral art mall tucked inside a courtyard, or a detour to Ikseon-dong, Seoul's hidden gem of 1930s hanok alleyways repurposed as cafés and vintage shops. A stop at a traditional tea house for Korean herbal tea is included.
The most extraordinary temple in Seoul — not because of its age or grandeur, but because of the remarkable human story behind it. In a previous life, this hilltop property was Seoul's most legendary gisaeng house (a high-end traditional entertainment venue). The owner eventually donated the entire estate, then worth hundreds of millions of dollars, to be transformed into a Buddhist temple. Forest-wrapped, hushed, and deeply contemplative, Gilsangsa feels like a world removed from the city below. Your guide shares the full story of the donation, the life of the Buddhist monk Beopjeong, and the philosophy of non-attachment that defines the temple's spirit.
The tour concludes in Seongbuk-dong, one of Seoul's oldest and most quietly cultured residential neighbourhoods. Literary figures, painters, and scholars have lived here for decades, and the neighbourhood still carries that unhurried, intellectual atmosphere — a world apart from the glam of Gangnam. Your guide recommends a café or restaurant suited to the group's preferences, from traditional Korean lunch spots to relaxed brunch cafés with mountain views. After the meal, your van returns you to your hotel or any preferred drop-off point.
The Stories Behind
the Two Temples
Jogyesa is not a museum piece — it is a fully active temple, beginning each day with a pre-dawn bell ceremony and ending with an evening service. As the head temple of the Jogye Order, it oversees 25 regional Buddhist districts across the country.
The Daeungjeon (Main Hall), designated a National Treasure, is a masterwork of traditional Korean wooden architecture. Five bays wide and four bays deep, its exterior eaves are supported by elaborate multi-tiered bracket sets (dapo style). Inside, a triad of Buddhas — Sakyamuni, Amitabha, and the Medicine Buddha — are enshrined beneath a ceiling of intricate lotus carvings and vivid dancheong paintwork.
In the courtyard, a white pine tree (baeksong) of over 500 years watches over the temple grounds. Its bark peels away in pale silver sheets — legend holds the seeds were brought from China by a Joseon-era envoy.
What makes Gilsangsa extraordinary is its previous life. In the 1970s, this hilltop property in Seongbuk-dong was Daewongak — Seoul's most exclusive gisaeng house, where Korea's most powerful men dined, drank, and struck deals in private rooms.
The owner, Kim Yeong-han, read a slim book called Non-Possession by the Buddhist monk Beopjeong Sunim and was so moved that she wrote him a letter in 1987 offering the entire property — worth over 100 billion Korean won at the time — as a gift to Buddhism. The monk refused for ten years before finally accepting in 1997. The temple opened in 1998.
Beopjeong Sunim's cremated remains are interred in a small stupa on the grounds. A stone beside it is engraved with his most famous words: "Pure and Fragrant." After he passed away in 2010, mourners arrived from across the country.
Each Stop in Detail
55 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Jogyesa occupies a surprising patch of calm between the bustle of Insadong and the commercial energy of Jongno. It is the administrative and spiritual headquarters of the Jogye Order, Korea's largest Buddhist denomination. Entry is free and the grounds are open to all visitors daily.
The temple precinct covers roughly 12,000 square metres. Centred on the Daeungjeon main hall, it also includes the Gwaneumjeon (Avalokitesvara Hall), Jijangjeon (Ksitigarbha Hall), and the Beomjongnuru belfry. The moment you step through the temple gate, the noise of the street simply stops. Festivals on the Buddhist calendar — particularly the Lotus Lantern Festival in April and Buddha's Birthday in May — fill the entire precinct with colour and ceremony.
A Templestay information office inside the grounds provides free English-language materials on Korean Buddhism. Guests are welcome to observe inside the main hall, though during active prayer services it is customary to stand quietly at the side.
Insadong has been Seoul's arts district since the Joseon dynasty, when painters and scholars gathered here to trade works and ideas. Today, roughly a hundred traditional craft shops, galleries, and antiquarian bookstores line the main pedestrian street. Uniquely, all signage must be in Korean — an official regulation to protect the street's cultural identity against global brand encroachment.
Ssamziegil is an ingeniously designed spiral courtyard mall tucked off the main street, filled with small independent designer studios and craft workshops. It's the best place in Seoul to find hanji (Korean paper) goods, lacquerware, traditional celadon pottery, and handmade tea sets as souvenirs or gifts.
Ikseon-dong, a ten-minute walk from Insadong, is Seoul's best-kept secret — a cluster of 1930s urban hanok (traditional courtyard houses) that have been sensitively converted into cafés, wine bars, and vintage clothing shops. Walking the narrow lanes feels like stumbling onto a film set, except that every corner is real.
Seonjamno 5-gil 68, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Tucked into the lower slopes of Bugaksan mountain above the Seongbuk-dong residential area, Gilsangsa is Seoul's most contemplative temple. Despite being in the city, the grounds are entirely enveloped by forest — birdsong and rustling leaves replace the sound of traffic. Entry is free, open daily 6 AM to 9 PM.
The buildings themselves tell the conversion story: the former banquet hall is now the main prayer hall; the private dining rooms are monks' quarters. Some of the original Daewongak structure has been deliberately preserved as a reminder of transformation. Trees planted by Venerable Beopjeong dot the grounds, and his calligraphy — "Pure and Fragrant" — appears carved into a rock beside the path.
An open dharma talk is held the first Sunday of every month, open to all visitors including foreigners. A small tea house in the grounds serves warm tea while you look out over the forested garden. Autumn (Oct–Nov) and cherry blossom season (late March–April) are considered the most beautiful times to visit.
Seongbuk-dong is one of Seoul's oldest upper-class residential districts and has been home to writers, painters, and intellectuals since the 1930s. It represents the cultured, unhurried Seoul that most visitors never find — a world of shaded lanes, old stone walls, and independent cafés with no social media presence whatsoever.
Notable cultural sites in the neighbourhood include the Kansong Art Museum (open during special exhibitions), established by a collector who spent his personal fortune buying Korean cultural artefacts back from Japanese traders during the colonial period; and the Choi Sunu Old House, the former residence of a legendary museum director, preserved and freely open to visitors as a traditional Korean home.
The café and restaurant scene here is deliberately low-key — no franchise coffee shops, no Instagram queues. Your guide will recommend a spot suited to the group: a converted hanok café, a rooftop with Bugaksan views, or a small gallery-café that most Seoul residents don't even know about.
On-the-Ground Guide
Booking & Operations
- Private van with professional driver (pickup & drop-off)
- Licensed English-speaking tour guide throughout
- Jogyesa & Gilsangsa admission (both free entry)
- Korean herbal tea tasting at Insadong tea house (1 per person)
- Bottled water and traditional Korean snacks on board
- Printed or digital tour programme with area guide
- Lunch and additional beverages (at guest's expense)
- Shopping purchases in Insadong or elsewhere
- Gratuity for the guide (optional but appreciated)
- Optional in-temple programme fees (templestay, etc.)
- Operates daily including public holidays
- Standard departure: 9:00 AM (flexible by arrangement)
- Minimum group: 1 person (fully private)
- Maximum group: 7 people per van (larger groups on request)
- Reservation deadline: 48 hours before departure
- Cancellation within 24 hours: non-refundable
- Spring (Mar–May): Cherry blossoms at Gilsangsa, Jogyesa Lotus Lantern Festival — peak season
- Summer (Jun–Aug): Deep forest greenery — recommend early morning departure
- Autumn (Sep–Nov): Gilsangsa and Seongbuk-dong autumn foliage — second peak
- Winter (Dec–Feb): Snow-dusted temple grounds — quiet, atmospheric, magical
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