Soulful Seoul 2026

SEOUL · 21-27 NOVEMBER 2026

Your Journey

7 Days at a Glance

Day 1 (Sat) | Welcome to Seoul
Day 2 (Sun) | Heart of Old Seoul
Day 3 (Mon) | Mountain Views & Mapo Life
Day 4 (Tue) | Colour, Style & Seongsu
Day 5 (Wed) | Stillness & Sissel's Yongsan
Day 6 (Thu) | From City to Stillness
Day 7 (Fri) | Dawn at the Temple & Good-bye
Day 1

Day 1 (Sat)

Welcome to Seoul
11:00 AM - 02:00 PM
Arrival & Limousine Bus Transfer
Limousine Bus 6011Approx. 1 hour
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.
03:00 PM - 05:30 PM
Check-in at Your Hanok
Free Time
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.
06:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Welcome Dinner
20-minute walkDinner included
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.
Day 2

Day 2 (Sun)

Heart of Old Seoul
Morning, 08:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Breakfast
Meal included
Start the day at Boan 1942, 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.
09:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Changdeokgung Palace
30 minute walk
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.
01:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Temple Food Lunch
Meal included
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.
03:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Jagae Workshop & Exploring Insadong
Hands-on workshop
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.
05:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Wandering Seochon
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.
07:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Korean BBQ Dinner in Seochon
Meal included
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.
Day 3

Day 3 (Mon)

Mountain Views & Mapo Life
Morning, 08:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Breakfast
Meal included
Fuel up for the day ahead with a wholesome breakfast at Boan1942 before we head out to the mountain.
09:30AM - 12:30PM
Inwangsan Hike & Lunch
2 hour 30 minuteMeal included
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.
01:45 PM - 06:00 PM
Danja Making & Exploring Mangwon
30-40 minute drive1 hour session
Learn to make danja, a traditional Korean rice cake with a soft, chewy glutinous rice exterior and a sweet filling, often enjoyed at festive occasions. Then wander through Mangwon, a laid-back neighbourhood loved by locals for its lively market, cosy cafés and small independent shops.
06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Free dinner
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.
Day 4

Day 4 (Tue)

Colour, Style & Seongsu
Morning, 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Breakfast
Meal included
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Personal Colour Session
50 minute drive1 hour 30 minutes session
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.
01:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Hansik Lunch
Meal included
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.
02:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Exploring Seongsu
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.
06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Free dinner in Seongsu
07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Noraebang Night
Head into a private noraebang room and let loose. Korean karaoke is a rite of passage, and tonight the mic is all yours
Day 5

Day 5 (Wed)

Stillness & Sissel's Yongsan
Morning, 08:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Breakfast & Slow Morning
Meal included
One last breakfast together at Boan1942 before a slower, softer morning.
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch at Local Villa Bagel
30 minutes driveMeal included
Enjoy a simple lunch at Local Villa Bagel, one of Sissel’s favourite bagel spots in Yongsan, the corner of Seoul she loves most.
01:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Yoga & Soundbath Session
2 hour session
Join a session at a yoga studio in Yongsan that Sissel visits often in her everyday life. Led by instructor Isabel, this is a deeper session where you’ll try playing instruments and let the practice flow into meditation.
04:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Exploring Yongsan
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.
07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Final Dinner in Haebangchon
Dinner included
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.
09:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Night Out at Sinheung Market
After our final dinner, we’ll stroll to nearby Sinheung Market, one of Haebangchon’s most loved late-night corners. Settle into a small, lively spot for a drink and a last night out together, as the week wraps up with good company.
Day 6

Day 6 (Thu)

From City to Stillness
Morning, 09:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Brunch
Meal included
Enjoy a slow, relaxed brunch together on our last morning in the city before we head out to the temple.
11:00 AM
Hanok Check-out
Luggage ready
Pack up and say goodbye to our hanok home in the heart of Seoul. Please have your luggage ready by 11:00 AM.
12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Transfer to Jeondeungsa Temple (Incheon)
1.5 hour drive
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.
02:00 PM
Temple Stay Check-in & Temple Tour
1.5-hour drive
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.
05:20 PM - 05:55 PM
Temple Dinner
Meal included
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.
06:20 PM - 06:30 PM
Temple Bell Ringing
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.
06:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Evening Service
Buddhist ceremony
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.
09:00 PM
Lights Out
Temple life begins before dawn, so we turn in early. Enjoy a deep, quiet night's sleep surrounded by the stillness of the mountain.
Day 7

Day 7 (Fri)

Dawn at the Temple & Good-bye
04:30 AM - 05:00 AM
Morning Service
Optional
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.
Morning, 06:10 AM - 06:55 AM
Temple Breakfast
Meal includedLast entry 06:30 AM
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.
07:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Morning Walk or Free Time
Free time
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.
09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Making Buddhist Prayer Beads
Hands-on experience
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.
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Temple Stay Check-out & Departure
Change out of your temple clothes, pack up and say a final goodbye to Jeondeungsa before heading back to Seoul or the airport.

Before You Pack

Packing List

Clothing & Accessories

  • Warm layers for late November in Seoul: cold mornings and evenings, and chilly afternoons
  • A warm winter coat or padded jacket, especially for early mornings and evenings at the temple, where it gets much colder
  • Thermal innerwear, a sweater or fleece to layer underneath
  • Something you’d love to wear for our welcome dinner in the hanok and our final dinner in Haebangchon (a warm layer over it is a good idea)
  • Comfortable, warm walking shoes with good grip, essential for the hike and plenty of neighbourhood wandering
  • Slip-on shoes, plus warm socks, handy for the hanok and the temple, where shoes come off often
  • A scarf, gloves and a warm hat for cold mornings and evenings out
  • A small overnight bag for the temple stay, with one night’s essentials and an extra pair of warm socks

Health & Essentials

  • Personal skincare and toiletries
  • Personal medication and basic first-aid items
  • A portable phone charger for long days out
  • Korean won in cash, especially for Mangwon Market and small local spots, where some stalls are cash-only

Good to Know

Trip Essentials

Getting Around

We'll get around Seoul by a mix of bus, metro and walking, with a private transfer out to our temple stay on Ganghwa Island. We'll give each of you a pre-loaded T-money transit card, ready to use for getting around the city on your own. If you need to top it up, note that top-up machines accept cash only.

Currency & Payments

Cards are widely accepted across Korea, but it's worth carrying some cash for markets, small local eateries, street food stalls and topping up your T-money card.

Internet

We recommend arranging an eSIM or international roaming before you arrive, so you stay connected throughout the trip. It's especially useful during free time, when you'll want to look up places, get directions or check meeting points.

Essential Apps

Naver Map: the go-to navigation app in Korea (Google Maps doesn't work well here), essential for getting around on your own.
Kakao T: Korea's main taxi-hailing app. Download and set it up before you arrive so you can grab a taxi anytime.

Temple Stay

During our temple stay at Jeondeungsa, everyone will share rooms, including guests who booked a private room for the rest of the trip. The temple provides comfortable temple clothes for you to change into during your stay, so there's no need to pack anything special. Please keep in mind that it's a place of practice: we'll keep our voices low and follow the temple's daily rhythm, including an early night and an optional dawn service.

Luggage

Please bring only one suitcase per person, plus one small backpack. As we're travelling together as a group and heading out into nature by bus, space is limited, so one suitcase per person is required. Your luggage will be transferred for you when we leave the hanok. Suitcases can't be taken up to the temple, so they'll stay safely on our bus overnight. Please pack a small bag with everything you'll need for the night before we arrive. Please note you're responsible for your own belongings throughout the trip.

Travel Insurance

Personal travel insurance is essential for this trip. Please make sure it's arranged before departure and covers medical care, cancellations and your belongings.