When Seoul is mentioned, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Face masks? K-pop? Pretty boys? In fact, Seoul, which is the capital of South Korea, encompasses more than just these. It has a rich cultural heritage deep rooted and spread across the city. You either get a sense of this from the mannerism of the natives or through its existing architectures and ongoing traditional activities, which makes it really interesting as you comb this city amidst all the shopping.
Seoul is home to 5 grand palaces of the Joseon Dynasty and this era lasted a whooping 5 centuries. Well, I must admit that after visiting all of them, you get confused at the end which is which. If you have limited time, a visit to Seoul is not completed without stepping into the main royal palace, Gyeongbokgung. It was the residence of the Kings and their households as well as the government serving Joseon. On days which the Palace is opened to public, you could even see the reenactment of royal guard changing ceremony of ancient times. Do visit the official site for the most updated performance times — I unfortunately missed it at Gyeongbukgung but managed to catch it at Deoksugung. Fun fact: After each guard-changing ceremony, you get to wear gate guard costume for 5 mins and this experience is absolutely FREE!
There are free guided tours in English and the tour starts in front of Gyeongbokgung Information Center inside the Heungnyemun Gate. Such tours are extremely beneficial in educating tourists and locals alike on the meaning behind the architecture, historical artefacts and even patterns and ornaments found at different corners of the buildings.
Scattered around the premises of the palace, it is not an uncommon sight to see people in traditional Korean costume, Hanbok. This can be conveniently rented from shops near the palace for a more fulfilling experience of the daily lives of Koreans in the olden days.
Gyeongbokgung is pretty huge and I would recommend spending a minimum of 2 hours to cover the grounds adequately. Upon exiting the palace from its east gate, there is a path leading to Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) (청와대) where the president resides. The iconic blue roof tiles is probably what gave the structure its name. We had to give this a miss as registration is required at least 20 days in advance. However, no harm visiting the Blue House since the tour is FREE.
Address:
- Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) — 161, Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) (청와대) — 1, Cheongwadae-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
The second palace you should not miss is Changdeokgung, which was built after Gyeongbokgung. In fact, the remaining 4 palaces were constructed to provide residence to the royal family in the event where Gyeongbokgung was undergoing routine maintenance or suffered from damage. Being the most well-preserved of the 5 palaces, Changdeokgung was inevitably recognised by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1997. Besides the halls residing within the palace, Changdeokgung is also famous for its Secret Garden (Huwon). I was told that a visit to Huwon is a must as you can see beautiful gardens, pavilions and lakes. However, entry to Huwon is only possible after you have signed up for the tour.
Address:
Changdeokgung (창덕궁) — 99, Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Other palaces of the Joseon Dynasty include Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung. Tip: You can purchase the Integrated Pass for 10,000 KRW to gain access to all the palaces, except for Gyeonghuigung, and Jongmyo Shrine. Also bestowed the World Cultural Heritage title by UNESCO committee, Jongmyo Shrine is the main worship place for the kings where they could also carry out memorial services.
Address:
- Deoksugung (덕수궁) — 99, Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
- Changgyeonggung (창경궁) — 185, Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Gyeonghuigung (경희궁) — 55, Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Jongmyo Shrine (종묘) — 157, Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
In addition to the royal palaces, not too distant away is the Samcheongdong neighborhood which is made up of modern art galleries, quirky boutiques and quaint cafes for people-watching. In fact, some of these shopfronts are presently housed in traditional Korean architecture, and thereby, exuberating a lasting traditional charm. We even found a freelance artist doing caricature portraits for visitors of the Samcheongdong area.
Located a stone’s throw away from the main streets of Samcheongdong is Bukchon Hanok Village, which is essentially a maze made up of traditional Korean houses (also known as Hanok) where some of them are still legitimately occupied by the locals. Therefore, it is highly advisable to lower your volume at these premises and complete your visit before sunset.
If you do not know where to begin in that maze, you can opt to follow the course for the 8 scenic photo spots identified by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. This should give you a pretty good flavor of the entire Village.
Address:
- Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) — 37, Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Samcheongdong (삼청동) — Jongno-gu, Seoul
Lastly, I want to end off with this parade I chanced upon on the streets of Namdaemum Market. This is the largest traditional market in Seoul which sells a vast array of items including clothes, cosmetics, textiles, kitchenware, ginseng, sourvenir and snacks. I’m not sure if the parade occurs everyday (we were there on a Friday noon) but it sure did attract alot of attention and camwhores.
Address:
Namdaemun Market (남대문시장) — 21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
That’s all, folks! Stay tuned for my next post on the food to eat in Seoul!
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