Bukchon Hanok Village 8 Views @ Anguk Station, Seoul Korea

Bukchon Korean Village – the first tourist attraction we visited on our second day in Seoul, Korea. Follow our walking trail to discover all the 8 beautiful views of traditional hanoks resides within this modernized city!

A little bit about what is Bukchon Village…

Bukchon Village (북촌한옥마을/ 北村韓屋) is one of the residential area in Seoul with most restored traditional Korean houses clustered together, forming an incredible scene that shows rich heritage and art of urbanized Seoul. Bukchon Village is surrounded by Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine. It is in the northern part of Cheonggyecheon and Jongno, hence Bukchon (‘Buk’ means north, ‘Chon’ means village).

Back in the time of Joseon Dynasty, many Korean influential families stayed in this area, which explains the hundreds of hanoks here. Bukchon is opened to public for free as tourist attraction but since these houses are still The Seoulites living spot, do keep your voices low when touring around here. Keep the 4 NOs in mind – No Noise. No Litter. No Megaphon. No Photo in Secret.

What to see in Bukchon Village…

Mentioning about Bukchon Village, the first thing that come into the mind will probably be the Bukchon 8 Views (北村八景), which nominated as the best views in Bukchon. There’s once photography spot for each point but it has been torn down due to certain reason. So it is suggested to do some homework and get a big picture of how these 8 highlights look like before your visit. Trace them down along the valleys that spread out like tree branches, visit some of the museum, gallery, craft workshops along the way and give yourself an A+ after completing all eight!

Bukchon 1st View : Panaromic View of Changdeokgung Palace

Summarizing in this blog post for the directions. Hope our experience helps, as we got lost in certain area too. Begin with the first one. Align at Anguk Station (328, Seoul Subway Line 3). Walk out from Exit 2, you will see Dunkin Donuts on your right. Go straight, pass by Starbucks on your left and continue walk until you reach a big cross junction with Cafe Co. on your left. Turn right into Bukchon-ro 4-gil, pass Bukchon Traditional Culture Centre. Go up the hill to Changdeokgung 1-gil until you see Changdeokgung over the stone wall come in sight. This is the Bukchon 1st view.

Bukchon 2nd View : Arts & Crafts Street in Wonseo-Dong

After the 1st view, turn right and walk along the high walls of Changdeokgung Palace. We passed by Museum of Korean Art, Kyujanggak (Royal Library). Stood in front of this “the road not taken”, wondering to the left of right we should take. Answer: To the right hahaha.

The alley is Changdeokgung 5-gil, walk till the end with Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine (宮廷飲食研究院) on your right, you’ve reached Bukchon 2nd view. Here, you get the traces of people who cared for the royal families’ affair.

After the second view, we came to a dead end, with slope on our right. Just before the slope, we had a view on Historic Laundry Site, literally the place where people those days washed their clothes. First and Second Bukchon view are quite a distance from each other comparing to other 6 views, about 10 minutes of walking required. So, be patient.

Bukchon 3rd View : The Picturesque Neighbourhood of No.11

We started to lost in the maze-like alleys after the second Bukchon view but able to get back to the correct route, thanks to a pretty Korean teacher who also came for Bukchon Hanok Village 8 views visit with a group of cute students. After the 2nd view, make a U-turn and when you reach “the road not taken” two way roads, go up the slope of your right (* the oppose direction on where you came from).

Up the hill. Down the hill. Walk until you reach a white colour building on your left. Turn left into the alley beside the white building. Go straight.

As you see Han Sang Soo Embroidery Museum (韓尚洙刺繡工紡), turn to the small lane beside it. You are at Bukchon third view. Enjoy a number of craft workshops around No.11, Gahoe-dong neighbourhood.

Bukchon 4th View : The Hill, No.31, Gahoe-Dong

With Han Sang Soo Embroidery Museum on your right, keep right and walk straight, then turn right again and walk till you back to main big road.

Cross the main road, turn left and walk straight until you reach a junction that has Donmi pharmacy 敦位藥店 on your right. Turn to the alley and walk up the slope. There’s a sign board that show you No.31 view point. Follow the sign.

Bukchon 4th View is our favourite spots among all. We got a breathtaking viewpoint on the whole area of No.31, Ga-Hoe-Dong, having countless Korean Traditional Hanoks roofs lined up in front of our eyes. Awesome place for photography but the bad point is, you need to be real tall (yes, really really really tall) to get nice photos else you will get the above scenery with some line in between your photo, as the alley is all walled up with high fencing.

With two mini size persons like us, apologize as this is the best photo we could get. Feel like crying a whole river. Double up our height please!

Bukchon 5th View : Uphill Alley of Gahoe-dong

Bukchon 6th View : Downhill Alley of Gahoe-dong

5th and 6th view are just one street away from the 4th view. Bukchon 5th View, see from the bottom of the street. Bukchon 5th View, see from the top of the same street. Seems like killing two birds with one stone but why want to view from two directions? What’s so special? It is the same street anyway. No. You’re wrong. 1) It is a slope, viewing from top and bottom make difference. 2) It is a street that has largest amount of Hanoks built together. 3) It is the remaining clustered traditional Korean houses that us well preserved by active Hanok support campaigns.

Personally, we like Bukchon 6th View more, as beyond the view of Hanoks and all the tilted roofs, you get a view of modern Seoul sky-high buildings as the background. Many says that Bukchon 6th View has the best scenic beauty of Bukchon, with the past, and the present crossing together. In fact, during our visit, this view has the most tourists compared to others.

Bukchon 7th View : No. 31 Gahoe-Dong

At Bukchon 6th View, turn right and turn left to the alley next to 5th and 6th view to reach. Comparing to the two previous attractions, Bukchon 7th View is more quiet and peaceful with lots of potted plants, flowers at door front of each Hanok.

Bukchon 8th View : Stone Stair Alley of Samcheong-Dong

To get to the last Bukchon Village 8 Views, follow the alley in between 6th and 7th view. Keep Walking and turn left at cross junction. Go straight till you see T-junction. At here, you should be able to see direction that lead you to the 8th view. We’re not too sure if each spot has such signboard, but we only saw this at the Bukchon 8th View, which actually make all the findings easier.

Bukchon 8th View reminds us the Stone Slabs (石板街) in Central Hong Kong. The whole staircase is unique, for it is crafted from one gigantic rock bed, connecting Bukchon-ro 5na-gil to Samcheong-ro. Very steep, so go down carefully. By the end of the stone steps, you will reach Samcheong-ro (三清洞), one of the most talked about street in Seoul Korea. We call it “stairs that connect us from the past to present”.

Violaa! We’ve finished the whole journey of  “8 wonders” in Bukchon Korean Village. *A pat on the shoulder* Time for coffee! Stay tune for our write-up on Samcheong-ro soon.

Photography: Summerkid
Write Up: Summergirl
*Source of facts & information are upon reference from http://www.visitseoul.net/ and Bukchon Tourist Walking Map.*

How to reach Bukchon Village: Align at 328 Anguk Station Exit 2 (Subway Line 3), walk straight until you reach the first cross junction. Start from Bukchon Viewpoint 1 is roofs of Changdeokgung Palace at the end of the street.
Admission: FREE (excluded workshop experience)
Time needed: 2-3 hours walking

Summary of Our 6D5N Trip