Pictures of the sloped alleys and streets at the Bukchon Hanok Village is perhaps some of the most iconic pictures of Seoul. The village is where you’d find hundreds of Hanok – i.e. traditional houses – that date back to the Joseon dynasty. Many of these houses are now cafes and shops, but many are also residential. This means that there are strict rules to follow when visiting the area, particularly about staying out of restricted areas, and keeping noise to a minimum. And there were plenty of staff at keep junctures of the village ensuring that visitors behave too.
Our initial plan was to visit the village first thing in the morning before the crowds came in. Unfortunately, we had to do Changdeokgung Palace first in view of the reservation we’d made for the Secret Garden guided tour. So, by the time we’d made our way to the village, it was already close to noon and there were a number of people already exploring the village. I knew it would be futile to try to get those pictures of the village street with the modern Seoul city in the background sans crowds. So, we ook our time to lunch first at a very quaint cafe called The Hanok Cafe which was run by a lovely middle-aged lady who spoke pretty good English, and whipped up delicious western-styled lunch items. And thereafter, spent about 30 minutes exploring the village.
Pictures!
In summary, this is a must-see area when you’re in Seoul, and I reckon you can cover the village in 30 minutes if you’re on short on time, and about an hour if you’d like to more thoroughly explore the area – and even more time needs to be added if you’re also browsing wares and visiting shops. Timing though is everything if you’d like to take pictures of the village without jostling with other visitors.
It was about early afternoon when we’d finished exploring the village. We next walked in the direction of Insadong to continue our foot exploration of Seoul. Continued in the next post!