DMZ Tour Seoul Review 2026: Plus 2 More Great Tours for Solo Female Travellers

I knew I wanted to visit South Korea during my year abroad, partly out of curiosity and partly because of the food. What I did not expect was for Seoul to become one of the coolest cities I have ever experienced.

I arrived pretty blindly with no itinerary and no idea where to start. Seoul is not like Southeast Asia where backpacker routes are obvious and well worn. So I turned to GetYourGuide and found three tours that gave me a well rounded taste of the city in the six days I had there. One of them, the DMZ tour, ended up being one of the most mind bending experiences of my entire trip.

Here is my honest DMZ tour Seoul review, plus two more tours worth booking as a solo female traveller in South Korea.

Tour 1: Seoul DMZ Half Day Tour | 3rd Tunnel, Dora Observatory and What It Is Really Like

What Is the DMZ?

The DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) is a strip of land running across the Korean peninsula that separates North and South Korea. It was created in 1953 with the Korean Armistice Agreement, pausing the Korean War, a war that technically never ended and the two countries remain divided to this day. Despite its name, the DMZ is one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world.

What makes visiting so surreal is that you are standing metres away from one of the most closed off countries on earth. You get a glimpse with your own eyes into a world that almost nobody from the outside ever sees. And because access is strictly controlled, you cannot visit independently. Every visitor must join an officially approved tour and bring their passport.

What Is Included in the DMZ Half Day Tour?

The tour picks you up from Hongdae or Myeongdong and returns you there at the end, with a guide and all admission fees covered throughout.

Imjingak Peace Park

Your first stop is Imjingak Peace Park, a memorial site built to honour those separated by the Korean War. Among the things you see there is an old train car completely destroyed with bullet holes. It is the last train that ever crossed into North Korea, bombed on its final journey and left exactly where it stopped more than 70 years ago.

From Imjingak you board the bus into the DMZ. At the military checkpoint, South Korean soldiers board to check passports. It sounds intense but there is no need to be nervous.

Third Infiltration Tunnel

Next you walk into the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, secretly dug by North Korea as a route to invade the South and discovered in 1978. The tunnel gets progressively lower and narrower as you walk. At some points you are crouching with your helmet knocking against the rock ceiling, but there is still plenty of room and it does not feel scary. By the end you are just 170 metres from the North Korean border. Just note the walk back out is uphill, which some travellers find a bit challenging.

Dora Observatory

As you drive to the next stop your guide points out the Kaesong Toll Gate from the window, a road crossing built to connect South Korea to North Korea that never operated. It now sits closed and empty, a symbol of hope that the two countries may one day be connected.

The final stop is Dora Observatory, where you step onto the top deck and look directly into North Korea through binoculars. What you are looking at is a town called Kijong-dong, nicknamed the Propaganda Village by South Korea. On a clear day you can spot people walking and cycling around. It is surreal in a way that is hard to describe.

My Honest Experience and Highlights

This was one of the most fascinating tours I have ever done. I went on a cloudy, rainy day which really added to the atmosphere of learning about one of the most secretive borders in the world. 

I knew very little about the Korean War before this tour and came away with a completely different understanding of South Korea as a country. It gave me so much more context for the rest of my time there.

Some people can be nervous going into this tour but the guide clearly directs when photography is and is not allowed throughout. Our guide balanced humour with history and even shared personal stories about his own family’s connection to the war, which made everything feel more human.

The highlight for me was Dora Observatory. Seeing actual people walking and cycling around in North Korea was one of the most surreal things I have ever experienced. 

You also see many other fascinating details at the Observatory, like the flag war between North and South Korea. Both sides kept building their flagpoles taller to outdo each other, with North Korea’s eventually reaching 160 metres. You can also see the enormous speakers South Korea installed along the border to broadcast messages into North Korea, including K-pop. Two countries technically still at war, and these are the ways they communicate across the border. It is bizarre and very interesting to see.

What To Bring On a DMZ Tour

• Passport (mandatory)
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Water bottle and a snack
• Portable charger
• Light rain jacket
• No camouflage or ripped clothing

Is the Seoul DMZ Tour Worth It?

Yes. It is the most popular tour from Seoul for a reason.

There is nowhere else in the world where you can stand just metres away from one of the most closed off countries on earth. And since photography is restricted in many areas, there is genuinely no other way to experience it than by going in person, which makes it completely worth it.

If you are visiting Seoul, this tour should be the first thing you book.

FAQs

Tour 2: Namdaemun Market Food Tour

After a few days in Seoul, I was quickly falling in love with the food. My only problem was not knowing the full capacity of what Korean cuisine had to offer and what to order. I was calling it food FOMO, which is what led me to booking this tour.

My guide Mina made the whole experience feel less like a guided tour and more like grabbing food with a local friend. We wandered through Namdaemun, Seoul’s oldest market, squeezing into Kalguksu Alley during the lunch rush and trying dishes I never would have known to order on my own.

Highlights included kalguksu noodles, japchae hotteok, kkwabaegi twisted donuts and finishing the evening in a tiny restaurant sitting on the floor surrounded by locals with crispy bindaetteok and my first ever chilled cup of makgeolli rice wine, which I still think about to this day.

Is the Namdaemun Food Tour Worth It?

Yes, especially if Korean food is one of the reasons you’re visiting South Korea. You can certainly eat cheaper on your own, but having a local guide explain the dishes and take you to hidden spots made the experience super special.

Tour 3: Gyeongbok Palace, Hanok Village and Gwangjang Market Tour

This was the first tour I did in Seoul and it turned out to be the perfect introduction to the city. Rather than figuring out transport and history on my own, I got to visit several of Seoul’s most iconic spots with a guide explaining everything along the way.

Stops included Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, a ginseng museum, the Bugak Palgakjeong viewpoint and Gwangjang Market. My favourite parts were wandering through the Hanok Village and finishing the day with dumplings and tteokbokki at the market. The sunset views over Seoul from Bugak Palgakjeong were another highlight.

Is the Palace Tour Worth It?

Yes, if you are visiting Seoul for the first time or only have a few days. It covers the highlights efficiently without having to plan the logistics yourself.

Final Verdict: Which Seoul Tour Should You Book First?

If you are only booking one tour in Seoul, make it the DMZ. It is unlike anything else you will do in the country or anywhere in the world.

If you have more time, add the food tour and palace tour for a well-rounded introduction to Seoul’s culture, food and history.

Honestly though? Book all three. Between them they cover history, food, culture and some of the most iconic spots in Seoul. Three very different experiences that together gave me one of my favourite weeks of travel.

If you love organized tours in Asia, read my honest review on the Eternal India Contiki Tour to see if a group tour is right for your next big trip.