Neighbourhood guide
Jongno and the palaces
Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, the hanok of Bukchon and Ikseon-dong, Insadong’s galleries and tea houses, and the noodle houses of the old city.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Hschrijver · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsJongno is the old city: the palaces below Bugaksan, Gwanghwamun Square and the great avenue, Bukchon’s hanok on the hill, Insadong and Ikseon-dong, and to the west, the lanes of Seochon. It is the place to walk, and to eat in Bib Gourmand noodle houses.
Sights
Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung and the Huwon, Jongmyo, Changgyeonggung, Bukchon, Insadong, Ikseon-dong, the MMCA and the galleries of Samcheong-ro.
Eating and drinking
Onjium and JUEUN (One MICHELIN Star), Yu Yuan at the Four Seasons, and Bib Gourmands from Mijin to Gaeseong Mandu Koong and ANAM; Gwangjang Market’s food alleys; Charles H. for a cocktail.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsCome early for the palaces, and leave Bukchon’s lanes by 5pm.
Staying
The Four Seasons Hotel Seoul and the JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square.
Our advice: give the palaces a morning each, and the lanes the afternoons.
Why it's on our list
- Sights
- Eating and drinking
- Staying
What’s nearby
Distances from Jongno and the palaces are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest metro stations
- AngukLine 3500 m7 min walk
- GyeongbokgungLine 31.0 km12 min walk
Key sights
- Bukchon400 mWalk 5 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Gyeongbokgung550 mWalk 7 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 10 min
- Changdeokgung800 mWalk 10 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 11 min
- The DDP2.8 kmWalk 35 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 17 min
- N Seoul Tower3.3 kmWalk 41 minCycle 17 minCar or taxi 19 min
- COEX10 kmCar or taxi 42 min
- Lotte World Tower13 kmCar or taxi 51 min
Main railway stations
- Seoul Station3.0 kmWalk 37 minCycle 15 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Yongsan Station6.0 kmCycle 30 minCar or taxi 28 min
- Suseo Station (SRT)15 kmCar or taxi 56 min
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storySeoul at the table: Mingles, the stars and the noodle housesOne three-star, ten two-stars, thirty-one one-stars and fifty-one Bib Gourmands: Seoul’s table runs from Mingles in Cheongdam to buckwheat noodles in Jongno and gomtang by the river.
The back storyKorean CuisineKimchi and the banchan that come with every meal, bibimbap, cold naengmyeon, long-simmered gomtang, barbecue at the table and dumplings by the steamer: the dishes of Korea, and where to taste them in Seoul.
The back storyWhere Seoul sleeps: the palaces, Namsan, Gangnam and the riverThe Four Seasons by Gwanghwamun, the Shilla and Banyan Tree on the slopes of Namsan, Signiel high in Lotte World Tower, Josun Palace and the Park Hyatt in Gangnam, and the Mondrian’s rooftop in Itaewon: where to stay in a city of two halves.