Summary
Bukchon Hanok Village is one of the must-visit spots in Korea and also a representative attraction in Seoul. If you are a fan of Korean dramas, you should be familiar with the scenery in Bukchon. During our first visit to Seoul for a company trip, we decided to include Bukchon Hanok Village as our first destination. After doing some research online, we found that it would take about 2-3 hours to fully explore Bukchon Hanok Village. However, since we had a guided tour of Changdeokgung Palace scheduled for the afternoon, we had to “force” our colleagues to wake up early and head out together. Here is the website for the guided tour of Bukchon Hanok Village:
http://bukchon.seoul.go.kr/chi/exp/rcourse02.jsp
If you have time or are interested, you can also arrange a guided tour:
http://bukchon.seoul.go.kr/chi/exp/rcourse01.jsp
You can refer to the map below for the basic route in Bukchon. You can also ask for directions from the staff at Bukchon Cultural Center or from the tour guides wearing red clothes. If it’s your first visit, following the purple route on the map is the safest way to go.
Take subway line 3 to “Anguk Station”.
After exiting from exit 3, turn left at the first intersection and walk for about 5 minutes to reach “Bukchon Cultural Center”.
You can get a guidebook for Bukchon Hanok Village at Bukchon Cultural Center. The building itself is also designed in the traditional Korean hanok style. Since it’s on the way, you can take a look inside.
Bukchon Second Scenery: Yunseodong Alley
Walk along the path next to the wall of Changdeokgung Palace. Along the way, there are many small shops and unique houses worth stopping by to admire or take photos.
▼ Since we rarely come here, let’s take some photos as souvenirs. The weather was really nice that day.
To go from the second scenery to the third scenery, you need to take the left fork mentioned earlier. Since over 70% of Seoul is hilly, there are many uphill and downhill sections along the way. If you plan to come here, make sure to wear comfortable shoes so that you won’t feel too tired.
▼ The road is like this, with uphill and downhill sections.
▼ This is one of the filming locations for the Korean drama “Winter Sonata” from a long time ago.
The distance from the second scenery to the third scenery is a bit further, about a 15-20 minute walk. But if you take your time and enjoy the walk, it won’t feel too long.
▼ Along the way, many houses have unique characteristics (after all, this is where the wealthy live XD).
From the third scenery to the fourth scenery, there is a distance to cover, and you will also cross a major road (Gahoe-ro). However, because the route passes by some filming locations of Korean dramas, fans of Korean dramas should feel a sense of familiarity.
Bukchon Fourth Scenery: Alley next to Dunmee Pharmacy (31 Gahoe-dong Hill)
Follow the instructions on the map. After crossing Gahoe-ro (you need to cross the road), turn right at the first alley and follow the crowd (because most people come here for the fourth scenery XD). Alternatively, you can refer to the signs along the way and head towards Bukchon Observatory to find the fourth scenery. The special feature of the fourth scenery in Bukchon is that it is located on a high ground, so you can take photos of the traditional hanok roofs from above. In fact, they do bear some resemblance to traditional Chinese architecture.
Perhaps because it was a non-holiday, besides the Chinese tourists, if you wait a bit, you can still take photos without too many people in the frame.
Since we had a guided tour of Changdeokgung Palace scheduled, we didn’t have much time to leisurely explore Samcheong-dong. If we have the chance to visit Seoul again, we might consider spending an afternoon here.
