Seoul City Tour Bus from Gwanghwamun: 2026 Routes and Prices

Two hop-on hop-off tour buses serve Gwanghwamun in 2026: the Tiger Bus, which starts there, and the Yellow Balloon City Bus, which passes through. The Tiger Bus daytime loop runs every 25 minutes from 09:20 to 16:50, is sold from 27,000 won for adults, and is closed every Monday. If you are staying near the palace, it is not the way to get to Gyeongbokgung. It is a decent way to see Namsan, and its night course is the one I would actually book.

Which tour buses actually leave from Gwanghwamun?

Older guides list a handful of courses: Panorama, Around Gangnam and so on. In 2026 the picture is simpler.

The Tiger Bus is the brand of Seoul City Tour Bus Co. (서울시티투어버스), which has been running city tours since 2000 and sells its tickets from a booth at Gwanghwamun. Its 2026 tour list has two regular courses: a daytime hop-on hop-off loop through downtown, the palaces and Namsan, and a non-stop night course along the Han River. Everything else on its site is a package built on top of those, such as a Bukhansan hiking combination and a welcome-kit bundle.

The Yellow Balloon City Bus (노랑풍선 시티버스) is a separate company based at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Its Traditional Culture course loops through Cheong Wa Dae, Tongin Market, Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul Station, Namdaemun, Namsan, Myeongdong, Insadong, Jongmyo and Gwangjang Market. It has a short night course in October and November that leaves only from DDP. Its Han River and Jamsil course is shown as “in preparation” and was not running when I checked.

Routes, prices and times

Course	Starts	Runs	Adult	Child
Tiger Bus — Downtown, Palaces & Namsan (hop-on hop-off, 15 stops)	Gwanghwamun booth	09:20–16:50, every 25 min, closed Mon	27,000 (list 36,000)	19,000 (list 22,000)
Tiger Bus — Han River & Namsan night (non-stop, 25-min stop at N Seoul Tower)	Gwanghwamun booth	19:00 once a day (19:30 May–Aug), 90 min, closed Mon	25,000 (list 29,000)	16,000 (list 18,000)
Yellow Balloon — Traditional Culture (hop-on hop-off)	DDP; stops at Gwanghwamun Square	09:30–17:00, every 30–40 min	27,000	20,000
Yellow Balloon — Traditional Culture night (non-stop)	DDP only	18:30 in Oct and Nov (check timetable), about 1 hour	22,000	18,000

Prices in won. On both buses the child fare covers 48 months up to high-school age. Under 48 months rides free, one per adult, without a seat. On the Tiger Bus the first figure is what the operator’s own booking page was charging; the list price in brackets is the one it strikes through. A September 2026 review reported the same 27,000 won at the booth, but treat the discount as a promotion that can end.

As of October 2026; check the official pages of the Tiger Bus and the Yellow Balloon City Bus before you go. Both post notices about marathon days and demonstrations, which reroute or delay the buses.

Where exactly do you board?

Tiger Bus: the red ticket booth sits at the Gwanghwamun intersection by the Koreana Hotel, at the south end of the square. It is about 100 metres from Exit 6 of Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5), or a 300-metre walk from Exit 3 of City Hall Station (Lines 1 and 2). The palace gate is at the other end of the square. If you have not been along it yet, my guide to Gwanghwamun Square covers what you pass on the way.

Yellow Balloon: the Gwanghwamun Square stop is the bus stop behind the King Sejong statue, about 150 metres from Exit 9 of Gwanghwamun Station.

How do you buy a ticket?

The two companies work differently, and the difference matters if you are starting at Gwanghwamun.

• Tiger Bus, online: bookable on the operator’s site in English, Japanese and Chinese until the day before. There is no same-day online booking. Give your name at the booth and they issue the boarding pass.
• Tiger Bus, on the day: buy the daytime course at the Gwanghwamun booth, first come first served. For the night course, phone 02-777-6090 first to ask whether seats are left.
• Yellow Balloon: you can board at any stop, including Gwanghwamun Square, and pay on the bus by card or cash until 15:30. The catch is that online tickets can only be exchanged at the DDP booth, so if you are starting at Gwanghwamun, do not book online. Pay on board.

Seats are unreserved on both. On the Tiger Bus the vehicle can be an open-top double-decker, a glass-top double-decker or a semi-open single-decker, and you cannot choose. Every seat has a 12-language audio guide; ask at the booth for earphones. No food or drinks on board.

Is it worth it for Gyeongbokgung?

For the palace itself, no. This is the part most tour-bus write-ups leave out.

The Tiger Bus loop runs Gwanghwamun → Myeongdong → Namsan → N Seoul Tower → DDP → Daehakro → Changgyeonggung → Changdeokgung → Insadong and Bukchon → Cheong Wa Dae → Gyeongbokgung → Gwanghwamun Square. The 09:20 bus reaches the Gyeongbokgung stop, which is next to the National Folk Museum on the palace’s east side, at 10:36. From the Koreana Hotel to the main gate on foot is about ten minutes.

The loop also only runs one way. Changdeokgung to Gyeongbokgung is eleven minutes on the bus. Gyeongbokgung to Changdeokgung means riding the entire loop round again. On the subway it is one stop, Gyeongbokgung to Anguk, at the 1,550-won base fare. The full how-to-get-there guide has the exits.

So the bus earns its fare on the far side of the loop: Namsan and N Seoul Tower, which are an awkward climb otherwise, DDP and Myeongdong. Use it as a sightseeing ride that happens to start near your hotel, not as palace transport.

Who does it suit?

A hanbok wearer. All three palace stops (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung) are free in hanbok, as set out in the free palace entry guide. But most rentals near the palace are two- or four-hour blocks, and the loop alone is ninety minutes. The stairs to the upper deck are narrow and steep, which is no fun in a floor-length skirt, and the open top is windy. I would not spend rental time on the bus. Mind the days too: the Tiger Bus is closed on Monday, Gyeongbokgung on Tuesday.

A family with young children. Better than it sounds. Children under 48 months ride free on your lap, and one family review from September 2026 reports that foldable strollers are stored on the lower deck. The 25-minute interval means a tired child is never far from a ride back.

A short layover or one free afternoon. Yes, if what you want is an overview with a commentary in your language and one stop at N Seoul Tower. The last daytime departure from Gwanghwamun is 16:50.

A rainy day. No. The buses run in rain and snow, but you cannot pick the glass-top one, and hopping off means standing in the rain at every stop. The rainy-day indoor plan is a better use of the afternoon.

A plan that works: palace in hanbok, night bus after

This is the version I used to suggest across the counter, and it keeps the bus away from your rental time.

Time	What
09:30	Rent hanbok near Gyeongbokgung Station. Haewadal Hanbok is about 30 metres from Exit 3. Hanbok Day is on Hyoja-ro. Both close on Tuesdays.
10:00–13:00	Gyeongbokgung, free in hanbok. Add Bukchon on foot if your block allows.
by 13:30	Return the hanbok. Lunch, then a rest at the hotel.
18:20	Tiger Bus booth by the Koreana Hotel. Boarding opens 40 minutes before departure, and seats are first come.
19:00–20:30	Night course: the Han River bridges, 25 minutes at N Seoul Tower, back to Cheonggye Plaza, a few minutes from Gwanghwamun.

Two practical notes. The night course needs at least 10 passengers to run, so book it the day before rather than hoping for a walk-up seat. And it is not a hanbok outing: the bus leaves at 19:00, and 26 of the 28 shops around the palace close at 19:00 or earlier. If you want to wear hanbok after dark, a palace night opening is the better plan. Seoul’s palaces at night covers which ones you can just walk into.

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I ran a hanbok rental shop opposite Gyeongbokgung from 2015 to 2025, and the double-deckers went past the window all day. Customers asked about them often, usually as a way to “do” the palaces in one go. My answer rarely changed: walk the palace, keep the bus for Namsan or the night. The ones who took the night course after returning their hanbok tended to come back the next morning saying it was the part they had not expected to enjoy.

Compare 28 hanbok shops near Gyeongbokgung →