Jeonju Hanok village

Jeonju Hanok village is a traditional village in Jeonju city where traditional culture and nature blend harmoniously. The village contains over 800 Korean traditional houses called Hanok. Jeonju Hanok village is one of the most famous traditional villages in Korea and it attracts so many tourists coming here.

So, what to do at Jeonju Hanok village?

Experiencing Hanbok, Korea traditional dress

The first thing that we should do when we arrive here is go to a hanbok rental shop to rent a nice Korea traditional dress. Walking around exploring a traditional village while wearing a traditional dress is a must. Almost of people coming here wear Hanbok so we will feel like we are back to Joseon Dynasty.

There are 2 kind of dresses here are Korea traditional dress called Hanbok with the rental fee around 15,000won ~ 30,000won and 19^th century costume for around 30,000won ~ 50,000won. There are so many rental shops here for you to choose. And we rent at Areum cheonsa (아름천사). Here, they have both Hanbok and 19th century costume.

After changing clothes, we can choose accessories and then the staff will help us make hair style.

Let’s back to 19th century at Jeonju Hanok village!

Visiting historical places: Jeondong Cathedral and Gyeonggijeon.

Jeondong Cathedral

The Jeondong Catholic Church is the largest and oldest western-style structure in the Jeollanam-do and Jeollabuk-do provinces. Its architectural style is a mixture of the Romanesque and Byzantine styles and it is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Korea. It’s really high and located in front of the Hanok village so we can easily see it.

Entrance fee: free

Gyeonggijeon

Gyeonggijeon is also located in front of the Jeonju Hanok Village, at the opposite of Jeondong Cathedral. Gyeonggijeon is designated as the Private Historical Landmark of Korea where the portrait of Lee Seonggae is enshrined.

If you are K-drama lover you will realize that this place has appeared in ‘’Moonlight Drawn by Clouds’’ dramas.

Entrance fee: 3,000won

Beside those places, there are hundred traditional houses here.

Most of them are designed to be souvenir shops, restaurants, café shops, Korea folk games experience houses or guest house, homestays.

What to eat in Jeonju Hanok village?

Street food paradise   

Hanok village is a traditional area and it’s also a street food paradise. There are so so many kind of street foods here that you barely can eat it all.

Anyways, there are some street foods and snack that you should try here are:

Shrimp dumplings

다우랑 (Dawoo-Rang) is a very, very, very popular shop that sells various kinds of dumplings and they are so delicious.

Price: 2,000won

Address: Dawoo-Rang, Gyodong 269-2, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabukdo.

PNB choco Pie

Chocopie is a very old-school snack in South Korea and PNB Confectionary (풍년제과) is the company that produce Chocopies and many other old-school snacks since 1951. Different from the usual chocopies that fill marshmallows, PNB Choco Pie are filled with fresh cream and strawberry jam.

Price:16,000 per box. (10 pcs)

Address: PNB Confectionary. Eunheng-no 61, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabukdo.

Handmade ice cream

Handmade ice-cream from 츄즈미 (Chuzme). It is actually a churros and ice-cream shop. Their ice-cream comes in a wide variety of flavours, and they are all made of natural ingredients. I saw mango, strawberry, green grapes, kiwi, orange, green tea, black sesame, bokbunja (Korean raspberry wine) and various fruity yoghurt flavours.

Price: 3,000won

Address: 71-4, Gyo-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabukdo.

Traditional food

Jeonju city has been appointed as the fourth UNESCO City of Gastronomy in May 2012. Visiting Jeonju Hanok village you will see there are so many traditional restaurants here. And there are 2 dishes that I want to introduce to you are Jeonju Bibimbab and Tteokgalbi. The most famous food in Jeonju is Bibimbab and then the second one is Tteokgalbi. There are so many restaurants for you to choose.

Bibimbap in Jeonju is the best traditional Korean dish in terms of its history, aesthetics, flavour, and nutrition and it’s originated from the Korean royal cuisine. Jeonju bibimbab contains 5 colors with 5 flavors. The rice to make jeonju bibimbab is cooked with beef broth and bean sprout. It’s really delicious.

Price: 10,000won ~ 15,000won

If you have tried Jeonju bibimbab, then you can think about Tteokgalbi. It’s minced grilled beef short rib. We choose Kiwa restaurant for lunch with the set menu of Tteokgalbi jeongsik (21,000won/person)

This restaurant is on the second floor, mixed both traditional and modern style with a  wide-open panoramic views.

Opening hours: Weekdays: 11:30 ~ 21:00 / Weekend:  11:00 ~ 21:30

Address: 15 Eongil-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk

Address of Jeonju Hanok Village: 29, Eojin-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do

Have fun at Jeonju Hanok village!

Read more: Korean Intangible Heritage Performances at NIHC