Gwanghwamun Gate, the historic entryway to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The silhouette of Mt. Inwangsan on the horizon makes the gate all the more beautiful. Photo by Robert Koehler.

Red Bean Bread from JSP

A white, fluffy steamed bread stuffed with sweet red bean paste is a fine way to start a day of palace trekking. JSP also has great steamed kimchi pork dumplings.

JSP | JSP왕만두

FYI>
Cost: 1,000 won
T. 02-741-1114
(Nagwon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul | 서울시 종로구 낙원동)

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Right outside of Jongno 3-ga Station 종로3가역 (Lines 1, 3, and 5), Exit 5

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[box_dark]Lunch[/box_dark]

ⓒ chubbyj.egloos.com

Dosirak Lunch at Tongin Market

After a visit to Gyeongbukgung Palace, go to Tongin market, get a dosirak lunch box and meal tickets, and then go to the different vendors to pick out a sampling of different dishes (banchan). They have a nice café to get some soup and rice and then have your lunch.

Dosirak Café | 도시락카페

FYI>
Cost: 6,000 won
Mon–Sat, until 4pm
(Tongin Market: 44 Tongin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul | 서울시 종로구 통인동 44)

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Tongin Market: Gyeongbokgung Station 경복궁역 (Line 3), Exit 2

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[box_dark]Dinner[/box_dark]

© Seoul Selection

Samgyetang at Kuryeo Samgyetang

Perhaps after visiting Deoksugung and a long day of walking, you will need something a bit hearty. I recommend a fi lling bowl of chicken and ginseng soup (samgyetang). If you need an extra boost, add abalone or mountain ginseng.

Kuryeo Samgyetang | 고려삼계탕

FYI>
Cost: 19,000–35,000 won
10am–10pm
T. 02-752-9376
(55-3 Seosomun-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul | 서울시 중구 서소문동 55-3)

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City Hall Station 시청역 (Lines 1, 2), Exit 10

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[box_dark]Dessert[/box_dark]

© Seoul Selection

Barlin

You might need a beer after your day, so get a large frosty mug of Krombacher at Barlin. They have authentic German sausages and other German dishes as well.

Barlin | 베어린

FYI>
Cost: 10,000 won
11:30am–11:30pm
T. 02-722-5622, www.baerlin.co.kr
(85 Susong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul | 서울시 종로구 수송동 85)

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Somerset Palace Seoul:  It’s a five-minute walk from either Exit 1 or 6 of Anguk Station 안국역 (Line 3) or the Gwanghwamun gate of the Gyeongbukgung Palace.

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© Seoul Selection

Experiencing the Past

Seoul City’s walking tours offer insight into capital’s heritage

Written by Jennifer Flinn

Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

As part of its efforts to improve the infrastructure and resources available to visitors, the city of Seoul has created a unique program where people can reserve a personal volunteer tour guide for more than a dozen sites around the metropolitan area. This free service matches experienced guides with tourists for a one- on-one or small group tour, resulting in an intimate, personalized introduction to the history and culture of some of the most vibrant and interesting parts of the city.

© Seoul Selection

Exploring Bukchon

One of the most popular tours takes visitors on a relaxed and meandering walk through the streets and alleys of Bukchon, the “north village.” This picturesque area between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung Palaces was once home to the vast estates of important officials and courtiers, making it one of Korea’s most historically important neighborhoods. A colonial period change in zoning laws meant the loss of most of these traditional buildings, as the estates were carved up into smaller plots of land, but it also led to the rise of the area’s characteristic and charming city hanok— small, inward-facing homes that utilize most of the architectural style and features of traditional Korean houses. The area has become a major model for Korea’s historic preservation programs, and the guided tour helps visitors gain a deeper appreciation for the beauty and value of this unique neighborhood. The guides also know the best places for taking in this beauty, helpfully pointing out the best spots for photography that will highlight the local landscape, including dramatic shots of the sea of tiled roofs from up high, crooked granite staircases carved straight out of the hillside, and delicate decorative elements on the high gates and walls of local homes.

The narrow streets and back alleys of the area form a confusing warren of pathways for many visitors, but the experienced guides can help navigate the complex geography to reveal a wealth of tiny workshops, galleries, and museums hidden away from the main roads, including the work and display spaces of some of Korea’s national treasures and living heritage holders. From embroidery and folk painting to bookmaking, Bukchon is home to some of Korea’s most treasured craft workers, who have converted the hanok into places where their arts can thrive and be introduced to the public in a setting that helps people connect to an older, more traditional way of life.

One of the great pleasures of the tours, though, is to learn about the areas through the guide’s own experiences. For tourists it can be especially difficult to form human connections that can help the area’s history and culture come alive, but on a recent tour, the guide was able to bring the Bukchon area and Korea’s past to life by sharing her childhood memories of visiting traditional houses and wearing traditional clothing. “We didn’t have ice cream back then, but we used to snap off icicles in the winter and enjoy those,” she recalled, snapping off a small one from a low-hanging branch. As the tour rambled on, she pointed out a tree that was a gathering spot for the neighbors in the summertime, narrated who owned which homes and what had been done to restore them, and told stories about how the neighborhood had changed over the decades.

© Seoul Selection

History remains at Changgyeonggung Palace

The personal touch was also the highlight of a tour of Changgyeonggung Palace, where the guide told stories of his youth that helped illuminate more than the palace’s historical importance: how the changes wrought during the colonial and postwar periods tied in with people’s lives, including his own. The palace was originally built to house an overflow of dowager queens and important female royals, but the Japanese colonial authorities walled it off from neighboring Changdeokgung Palace and converted it into a public park, including a zoo. Through the guide’s memories of visiting “Changgyeong Park,” visitors gain a more visceral, real sense of both the palace’s history and the scars of colonialism. “We used to ride a cable car up that hill, there, when I was in university. I have a picture of me and my friends on it,” he recalled as he showed the way through the palace’s extensive gardens, pointing out which structures were original, which were rebuilt, and which had been brought in during the palace’s park days, such as a Chinese pagoda, a memorial stone for royal placentas, and a large greenhouse.

Personalizing the tour can also help people explore their own interests, be it architecture, culture, politics, or history. On request, the guide was able to lead a lively discussion both of the different architectural features and its sometimes violent and scandalous political background. By uniting curious visitors and residents with free, personalized guides, the city of Seoul has created a special program that brings people together from across cultures while also expanding people’s knowledge of Seoul’s most important and beautiful assets.

FYI> Seoul Tourism Organization’s walking tours of Seoul

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