Welcome back to my blog! On my previous post, I shared about the magnificent Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is one among the five grand palaces in Seoul and is hailed as the largest and most beautiful palace among the five. After we visited this grand palace, we went directly to Bukchon Hanok Village which is home to hundreds of traditional houses in Seoul. This village is a must-visit if you wish to experience the traditional culture of Seoul. This village fully displays the Korean Heritage. Although Seoul has become one of the leading cities and home to the most influential tech companies in the world, it’s also good to see its traditional side.

Bukchon Hanok Village

Introduction and History

When you go to Bukchon Hanok Village, you will see hundreds of traditional houses. In Korea, house is called hanok. These houses date back to the Joseon dynasty. On the other hand, the name Bukchon means “northern village”. This is because this village lies north of the two significant landmarks in Seoul: Cheonggyecheon Stream and Jongno.

Source: Herbert Lee

It’s also good to know that nowadays, a lot of these traditional houses are not only for residential purposes. These hanoks are used a restaurants, guesthouses and even cultural centers. The good thing about this idea is they provide visitors like us an experience of immersion in Korean culture. This is perfect for those who love to travel and learn various culture at the same time.

How to get to Bukchon Hanok Village from Gyeongbokgong

Bukchon Hanok Village is located between the Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to visit Changdeokgung Palace.

From Gyeongbokgong, we got to the Bukchon Hanok Village by taking the subway to the Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3). We took exit 3 and headed to the right. After about 200 meters, we saw signs which signified the start of the Bukchon Village Walking Tour.

From the station, we already saw some tourist wearing Hanbok from the village and they were headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

A map found at the start of the village to guide you with the tour

Since the village is just nearby, you have the choice to walk yourself all the way to the village from the palace. It is about 20 to 25 minute-walk. However, we chose not to because hey, it’s winter!

What to do and see around Bukchon Hanok Village

Take the walk course tour

To get the most of the visit, you may opt to take the walking tour course which will last for 3 hours and 30 minutes. The walking tour course offers language services. They are available in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese. The course is as follows:

Anguk Station → Bukchon Culture Center → Gahoe-dong 11beonji → Hansangsu Embroidery Workshop → Gahoe Folk Drawing Shop → Bukchon Museum ‘Old Fragrance’ → Anguk-dong house of Yun Boseonga → Anguk Station

For more information, visit dobo.visitseoul.net.

Visit Baek In-je

Baek In-je House is a museum and cultural heritage site found here in Bukchon Hanok. You will see ordinary Koreans living their ordinary yet interesting lives. Witness how their life here flows.

Image: http://english.visitseoul.net/

Rent a Hanbok

There are lots of Hanbok Costume Rental found in the village where you will be able to rent, wear, and photograph yourself in Korean traditional hanbok.

Image: touristsecrets.com

Wander around the village

Wander around the village wearing the traditional costume. You may also want to go to the highest point in the village. It is a spot overlooking the old tile-roofing of the hanoks and of the village.

It happened to be one of the coldest days with -9 degree according to the report when we visited the village. Wandering around wearing hanbok was the craziest thing we did in South Korea, trying so hard to crack the brightest smiles~ haha!

Only a few tried wearing hanbok during our visit. Perhaps, it’s because of the winter season. Since we already had the chance, we grabbed it even if it’s freezing cold! While we were walking, a few tourists would ask of us to take selfies with them with us wearing the costume.

When To Visit The Bukchon Hanok Village

Technically, the village is open 24/7. However, it is closed on Sundays for visitors. We are also not allowed to enter the area at night.

Please observe visiting hours between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm. Moreover, please be respectful of the residents living there.

I won’t recommend going there during the winter season as you will not have the full energy to take on a walking tour due to the cold weather.

That’s it for Bukchon Hanok Village. On my next blog post, I will be sharing about our evening trip that same day. We went to N’Seoul Tower via Namsan Cable Car after a walking a few minutes from our guesthouse in Myeongdong. Thanks for reading this far!

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Cha Esper

Cha of Little Misadvencha is a Filipino Civil Engineer, researcher and a fur mom. She came from General Santos City and finds that everything in life teaches her a lesson. She is inspired to write about and out of her experiences, but later found out that it was her experiences that actually inspire her.