Soulful Seoul 2026

Our ESPEERIA team will meet you at the airport and help you board Limousine Bus 6011 into the city. Get off at Gyeongbokgung Station (Exit 7) and walk about 10 minutes to our meeting point, where we'll be waiting for you and you can drop off your luggage. Whatever time you land within this window, someone from our team will be there for you.

Settle into your traditional hanok home for the week. Unpack, rest after your journey, and take a moment to enjoy the quiet of the courtyard. This is also a lovely chance to say your first hellos to fellow travellers before the evening begins.

Our first evening together unfolds in a beautiful traditional hanok in Bukchon. We'll begin with a welcome drink beneath the wooden beams and open courtyard, then gather around the table for a private dinner reserved just for our group. It's the perfect way to meet everyone and toast to the week ahead.

Start the day at Edition Denmark, our favourite breakfast spot in the neighbourhood, with a fresh and wholesome breakfast prepared for our group. This will be our breakfast place and morning meeting point for the next five days.

Wander through the halls and courtyards of one of Seoul's most beautiful royal palaces, home to centuries of Joseon dynasty history. Stone gates, curved rooflines and autumn trees set a gentle pace to open the day.

Sit down to a plant-based temple food lunch. It's a simple, mindful way of eating that has been part of Korean Buddhist tradition for centuries, where every seasonal ingredient is prepared with care.

Discover jagae, the traditional Korean craft of mother-of-pearl inlay, and create a small piece of your own to take home. Afterwards, stroll through Insadong, browsing its galleries, tea houses and traditional craft shops.

Slip into Seochon, a quiet neighbourhood of narrow alleys, small galleries and old hanok homes tucked behind the palace walls. It's also home to some of Seoul's most stylish select shops, tiny, well-curated spaces where local designers and independent brands come together. Take your time here, duck into a café, browse a few shops, or simply follow the streets wherever they lead.

End the day around the grill with a proper Korean BBQ dinner. Expect sizzling meat, endless banchan, and plenty of soju and laughter as the group settles into the trip together.

Fuel up for the day ahead with a wholesome breakfast at Edition Denmark before we head out to the mountain.

Lace up for a morning hike up Inwangsan, the rocky mountain watching over the old city. Follow trails along the ancient Seoul city wall, past striking granite rocks, to sweeping views over the palaces, Bukhansan and the skyline beyond. At the top, we'll unwrap a classic Korean hiker's lunch: gimbap, enjoyed together with the whole city at our feet.

Learn to make yakgwa, a traditional Korean honey cookie infused with sesame oil and ginger, once reserved for royal feasts and special celebrations. Then wander through Mangwon, a laid-back neighbourhood loved by locals for its lively market, cosy cafés and small independent shops.

Dinner is yours tonight. Explore Mangwon at your own pace, follow your appetite through the market stalls, or ask us for our favourite local spots nearby.

Discover the colours that bring out your natural glow. A Korean beauty ritual loved by locals, the personal colour session uses fabric drapes and expert eyes to find your seasonal palette. Leave with a clear guide to the shades, makeup tones and wardrobe colours that suit you best, which is perfect timing before an afternoon of shopping.

Sit down to a traditional Korean meal, with rice, soup and a generous spread of seasonal banchan shared around the table. It's home-style Korean cooking at its most comforting.

Once a district of shoe workshops and old factories, Seongsu has become Seoul's most exciting creative neighbourhood. Wander between converted warehouse cafés, concept stores, pop-ups and independent Korean brands, putting your new colour palette to good use along the way.

Head into a private noraebang room and let loose. Korean karaoke is a rite of passage, and tonight the mic is all yours

One last breakfast together at Edition Denmark before a slower, softer morning.

Step into Mugyewon, a restored traditional hanok estate set against the hills of Buam-dong. Let the sound bath carry you into deep rest as singing bowls and gentle vibrations fill the room, then ease back into the day with a quiet cup of tea. It's a calm pause in the middle of the week, just for you.

Spend the day in Yongsan, Sissel's favourite corner of Seoul and the neighbourhood that feels most like home to her. Old-school alleys sit beside new design shops, local eateries and hidden cafés. Sissel will share the places she loves most, from her everyday haunts to the small discoveries she's collected over the years.

Kick off your shoes for a barefoot walk along Namsan's red clay trail, a favourite Korean wellness ritual. Feel the cool, soft earth beneath your feet as we walk together through the trees at dusk, letting the day settle before our final dinner.

We end our time in the city in Haebangchon, or HBC, as the locals call it. This hillside neighbourhood in Yongsan is full of character, with winding streets, cosy restaurants and views over Namsan. Over our final dinner in Seoul, we'll raise a glass to new friendships and favourite moments before we leave the city behind for the temple.

Enjoy a slow, relaxed brunch together on our last morning in the city before we head out to the temple.

Pack up and say goodbye to our hanok home in the heart of Seoul. Please have your luggage ready by 11:00 AM.

Leave the city behind as we drive out to Ganghwa Island, where Jeondeungsa Temple sits among forested hills. It is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Korea. Watch the skyline give way to fields, sea and autumn colours along the way.

Change into comfortable temple clothes and settle in. Then join a guided tour of the temple grounds, through its old wooden halls, ancient trees and the fortress walls that surround it, and learn about the daily rhythm of temple life.

Share a simple vegetarian meal in the temple dining hall. In keeping with temple tradition, we eat mindfully and in quiet, taking only what we need and leaving nothing behind.

Take part in the evening bell ringing (타종). The deep sound of the great temple bell is struck to call all beings to peace, and it echoes across the mountain as day turns to night.

Join the monks for yebul, the evening Buddhist service, filled with chanting, bowing and candlelight in the main hall. You don't need any experience, just follow along at your own pace.

Temple life begins before dawn, so we turn in early. Enjoy a deep, quiet night's sleep surrounded by the stillness of the mountain.

Rise before the sun for the dawn service (yebul), as the temple wakes to the sound of the wooden moktak and soft chanting in the main hall. Join if you'd like to experience this quiet ritual, or stay in and rest. It's completely up to you.

A simple, nourishing temple breakfast in the dining hall, eaten mindfully as the morning light comes over the mountain. Please arrive by 6:30 AM.

Take a slow walk through the temple grounds and along the old fortress walls while the air is still cool and quiet, or simply return to your room to rest, read or journal. Enjoy the morning at your own pace.

String your own set of Buddhist prayer beads (yeomju), threading each bead with intention as a monk shares the meaning behind this meditative practice. It's a meaningful keepsake to take home from your time at the temple.

Change out of your temple clothes, pack up and say a final goodbye to Jeondeungsa before heading back to Seoul or the airport.