The Seoul City Tour Bus Guide: What To See & Do When You Hop On Hop Off

Last Updated on August 28, 2025

If you’ve never joined a City Tour Bus, Seoul is the place to do it. City Tour Buses are a great way to see a city and not have to worry about transportation. See the hot spots of Seoul from the upper level of a bright red bus. I rode my first City Tour Bus in New York City and absolutely loved the experience. It’s just something that is so touristic and fun.

Don’t waste money on taxi fares and buses. Don’t get confused in the subway. For your first trip to Seoul, take the time to ride this bus and get views of the city while getting a lay of the land. 

The Seoul City Tour Bus will not only show you the biggest must see places in Seoul, but it’ll give you a good idea of how Seoul is laid out and how to get around easier when you want to go off on your own. This is the fastest and cheapest way to get around to the Seoul tourist sites including Namsan Tower/N Seoul Tower, Gangnam, Lotte Sky Tower, a Seoul palace and so much more. Use it if you don’t have a ton of time and don’t want to waste the time you do have figuring out transportation.

Skip around and check out what is in this post:

• What To Know
• Basic Information
• Seoul City Tour Bus Routes
  • Downtown Palace Namsan Course Route
  • Night Course Route

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.)

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What To Know

The Seoul City Tour Bus is a government run system launched in 2000 to help visitors to get around Seoul and see the attractions with ease. The buses are super comfortable and clean and really convenient for everyone.

Did you know: There are twelve language audio guide options including English, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, German, French, Spanish, Indonesian, and Malay.

Buses depart from a central location in Seoul every 30 minutes to an hour depending on the route and passengers can choose from the single-level and double-decker buses. You can choose just one route, or there are package options where you can combine two different routes. This is a great otpion since there are day and night bus routes.

The city tour bus is a great way to get around but if you want to hop off and back on again, it’s important to know what is really feasible within a day and that’s where this guide comes in. There are plenty of areas that you can just drive through and you don’t really need to get off to get the picture BUT there are some spots I would recommend getting off to see. At the same time, some spots you could easily spend a whole day seeing and that’s important to know too.

With that in mind, I’ve included the admission, departure points and route info and recommendations for where to get off on each route. Buses come to each stop in 30 minute intervals so you could get off for just 30 minutes and get on the next arrival or stay at a spot for an hour and a half and hop back on again later. If you want to make the most of the day, get that first bus at 9:00am!

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Basic Information

Hours: 9:00am ~ 5:30pm for day routes. Different time for night tours listed with that route.

Days: The tours are not available on Mondays.

Routes: There are currently two different routes: Downtown Palace Namsan Course and the Night Course

Bus Options: There are three different bus options to choose from for the routes and they include the standard 1-story bus, a double-decker open top bus, and a trolley bus.

Where To Purchase Ticket: There are various ways to get tickets for this trip so read through them all and check out what works best for you. Also of note, ticket purchase can also depend on your departure point. They recommend that you book in advance if you’ll be riding during vacation season or on a weekend as the routes can have higher demand at those times.

• Gwanghwamun has a City Tour Bus booth specifically for ticket purchase if you want to rock up on the day and get them then. To note though, you can also rock up to any stop on the route and purchase a ticket directly from a bus driver.
• Pre-Purchase: You can pre-purchase tickets on Klook or on Creatrip. Both services will allow you to pre-purchase. I’d just choose whichever site you’re booking other various tours/experiences on. Pre-purchasing on those sites will also get you discounts so look into the best option for you. If you want to get tickets for the night bus, those are booked separately. You can find the Seoul City Tour Bus Night View Course here.

Discounts: There are some possible discounts that you can get on tickets. Note that Klook and Trazy mentioned above already offer discounted tickets, but here are some other discounts you can look out for. Choose whichever one is best for you.

• You can get 1 free pass for a child under 5 that is accompanying an adult.
• There is a 10% discount available for parties of 10 or more.
• For foreigners with a KR Pass, you can get a 15% discount.

Guides & Attendants: There are tour guides on each bus. They do not get off the buses but stay on to help you as you get on and off. If you’re unsure about the stops, let them know where you want to get off and they can remind you when it’s time.

Seating: The seats are unassigned so sit anywhere you want… as long as no one is in the seat.

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Seoul City Tour Bus Routes

Downtown Palace Namsan Route

This route has 16 stops and starts and ends at Gwanghwamun Square just south of Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul. It takes visitors past some of the city’s historical highlights and some of the must-see Seoul tourist spots.

• Departure Point: Gwanghwamun Subway Station, exit 6 near Koreana Hotel.
• Admission: Adults: W30,000; Children 5- 17: W20,000
• Stops: Gwanghwamun ->Myeongdong -> Namsangol Korean Town/ House of Korea -> Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel -> Shilla Hotel -> N Seoul Tower -> Hyatt Hotel -> Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) -> Daehakro -> Changgyeonggung Palace -> Changdeokgung Palace -> Insadong / Bukchon -> Cheongwadae (The Blue House) -> Gyeongbokgung Palace, The National Folk Museum of Korea, Museum of Contemporary Art -> Sejong Center for the Performing Arts -> Gwanghwamun Square

Where To Get Off: There are a lot of good stops on this route and some that I’d recommend just driving on by as well as some that you should see, but can probably and will probably see at another time so let’s dig on. If I don’t mention it below, it’s because I think you should just drive by. Some I’ll mention just so you know WHY I think you can forgo the stop though.

• Myeongdong: This is a shopper’s paradise and has a lot in terms of restaurants and cafes too. Stop in for a bite to eat whether it’s in a restaurant OR make multiple street vendor stops because some of the best street food is found here in Myeongdong.
• Namsangol Korean Town/House of Korea: If you want to walk into a historic Korean village and take a look at some of the old hanok style houses, this is the place to do it. It’s a beautiful place to visit and they often host activities and experiences for visitors.
• Changgyeonggung Palace: This is one of the lesser visited palaces in Seoul so if you want to walk through the beautiful grounds of a palace with less people, then head here. Another great thing about this palace is that it features a beautiful greenhouse that was added during the Japanese colonization period in Korea. It’s just something unique and different to see. Learn more about Changgyeonggung Palace here.
• Changdeokgung Palace: This palace is famous for featuring the secret garden. What’s important to note, however, is that you need to be there at a very specific time in order to enter the secret garden. This palace usually requires you to get there and get tickets in advance and you can’t just rock up because of the tour situation there so that’s important to note if you want to see Changdeokgung Palace.
• Insadong: Insadong is the most popular district for tourists as it houses a substantial number of traditional tea cafes, restaurants, and lots of traditional souvenirs as well. Take a walk in the area and enjoy a rest at one of my favorite cafes in Insadong. It’s not a big area so you can get in and out pretty quickly.
• Bukchon Hanok Village: This traditional Hanok village in central Seoul is one of the most popular stops for tourists, There are tea houses, cafes, and of course lovely traditional homes to walk through. Note that there are residents living there, so be respectful and quiet as you visit.
• Cheongwadae (The Blue House): This is the former president’s house in Korea. The estate was opened to the public for three years but has been closed once again for presidential use as of August 1, 2025.
• National Folk Museum of Korea: On the northern grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace sits this fantastic museum that exhibits relics and wares promoting Korean folk culture. It’s a really great museum.
• Gwanghwamun Square: If you don’t have time to visit before you get on the bus, make time at the end to walk the square to see King Sejong and then don’t miss the secrets beneath Gwanghwamun Square that so many tourists don’t know about.

Night View Route

This route has 8 stops and is a great way to get the gorgeous view of the massive city of Seoul in the sparkling night lights. There must be at least ten people that sign up for this tour to go ahead. This route stops at vistas high above the city as well as sightseeing spots right on the Han River. Get lights and action from every vantage point on this route.

• Departure Point: Gwanghwamun Station, exit 6 in front of the Koreana Hotel.
• Departure Time: Once a day at 7:30pm; 8:00pm in July and August. The entire route takes 1.5 hours.
• Admission: Adults: W27,000; Children: W17,000
• Stops: Gwanghwamun -> Mapo Bridge -> Seogang Bridge -> Gangbyeon Expressway -> Banpo Bridge -> Somesevit -> Dongjak Bridge -> Seongsu Bridge -> Hannam Bridge -> N Seoul Tower -> Namdaemun Market -> Cheongye Plaza
• What To Know: The night course is a bit different in that you get all around the city but don’t stop as much as the day trip ones. It’s more about getting across the numerous bridges on the Han River and seeing the lights dazzle. The bus will stop at either Some Sevit OR at Dongjak Bridge depending on the day. You can also get off for 15 minutes at Namsan Tower/N Seoul Tower. This route is run with the double-decker open top buses and trolleys.

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The hop on hop off bus is a great way to get your bearings in the massive city of Seoul, Korea. Take a seat and see what you can see. I’ve taken the bus with multiple family members while they’ve visited and whether you just want a relaxing trip around the city or if you want a fun way to get from spot to spot, it’s definitely a great option to have here.

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