As ambitious as it may sound, this is our real life experience of condensing central Seoul's most iconic sights into one single 10 km route, metro-accessible and assistible by taxi/bus for those who prefer less walking.
While our route is theoretically walkable in 2.5 hours non-stop -- not including tours at Changdeokgung Palace and Jongmyo -- it's intended for a full day's excursion for a physically fit independent traveler. And be sure to arrive Wednesday to Sunday, as Changdeokgung Palace closes on Mondays and Jongmyo on Tuesdays at the time of writing.
Kakao Map measures our route at just 7.5 km, though I'd budget for another 2.5 km for roaming the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Changdeokgung Palace and Jongmyo. Plus you may get lost in Bukchon's maze of narrow alleys like we did.
The route starts with the blue balloon (출발) at the bottom left, through Spots 1 to 5, and ending at the red balloon (도착) at the bottom right.
The pictured Bukchon Hanok Village is just one of many gorgeous sights along the route, which proceeds as follows:
START - Gwanghwamun Station (Metro Line 5)
Spot #1 - Gwanghwamun Gate (Changing of the Guards at 10:00)
Spot #2 - Bukchon Hanok Village (spend 1 hr)
Spot #3 - Changdeokgung Palace (UNESCO World Heritage, spend 2.5 hrs)
Spot #4 - Jongmyo Temple (UNESCO World Heritage, spend 1 hr)
Spot #5 - Ihwa Mural Village (Taxi if tired)
END - Dongdaemun Station (Metro Line 1 or 4)
Also note that this can be easily turned into a 2-day itinerary for those less pressed for time, by adding Changdeokgung's Secret Garden and/or Gyeongbokgung Palace along the way.
Camels aren't an option, but cheap taxi rides can help getting your tired legs between each pair of spots, the longest distance being 2 km which typically sets us back no more than W5000 (CAD$5) in moderate traffic. Or for a cheaper and deeper experience, local buses are almost as convenient as long as you're willing to spend a few minutes to read the English translation for the posted routes.
Our route would start at Line 5's Gwanghwamun Station marked by the blue balloon at the bottom left of the map. Exit 9 would take us straight to the centre of Gwanghwamun Plaza.
Between the Starting Point and Spot #1 stand selfie-able monuments dedicated to two of Korea's greatest historical figures, General Yi Sun-sin and Sejong the Great. King Sejong was particularly influential for his commissioning and promotion of hangul, the phonetic alphabet system that became the official script of the Korean language, as commemorated by the list of jamo engraved on the side of his pedestal here.
Spot #1 and arguably Seoul's most recognizable landmark, the 21st century reincarnation of Gwanghwamun continues to function as the main gate to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest palatial complex in Korea and certainly the best known among foreign tourists. Arrive at 10:00 for changing-of-the-guards, but skip Gyeongbokgung as you'll need time in the afternoon for Changdeokgung, the only Korean palace elevated to UNESCO World Heritage status.
Spot #2. Walking 1.5 km from Gwanghwamun brings us to one of Seoul's definitive sights -- her answer to Kyoto's machiya houses or Beijing's siheyuan courtyards. For centuries this little neighbourhood of Bukchon boasted Joseon Dynasty's most prestigious addresses for high ranking aristocrats and members of the extended royal family, within walkable distance to either of the two main palaces.
Like Kyoto's surviving machiya, Bukchon's traditional hanok houses once neared the edge of extinction until Seoul's city hall stepped in with house purchases and renovations, not to mention various subsidies and property tax discounts to entice owners to preserve this priceless heritage scenery. Since then international tourists have discovered its photogenicity, property prices skyrocketed and residents now face a different set of problems with overtourism.
Visually distinct from your conventional hanok seen in K-dramas or real life examples at Hahoe or Naganeupseong, Bukchon features its own unique 1920s urbanized design marrying latticed door panels and earthen roof tiles with modern masonry walls and glass windows. Following this maze of medieval alleys down the contours of these northern hills, we would soon arrive at the west walls of Changdeokgung Palace, the number one unmissable sight in Seoul IMHO.
Spot #3. I love Changdeokgung and especially its Secret Garden so much that I've written a separate post on this favourite residence of the Joseon kings. Squeeze this into your 1-day itinerary of Seoul if you must, but it really deserves an entire afternoon especially if you intend to visit the Secret Garden.
Spot #4. Immediately south of Changdeokgung Palace is yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Jongmyo, the solemn ancestral shrine of the Korean Imperial Household and venue for their 500-year-old tradition of Jongmyo Jerye, a meticulous Confucian ritual intended to commune with the ancestors and pray for prosperity of the Korean nation.
Try to time your arrival with the start of English tours at 2pm or 4pm, unless it's a Saturdays on which visitors are allowed to freely roam without tour guides. And if you're lucky enough to arrive on the first Sunday of May, you'll witness the annual Daeje led by the present head of the Imperial Household with a parade through Seoul's busy downtown streets towards Gyeongbokgung.
Spot #5 requires a 30 minute walk northeast (take a taxi if tired) of Jongmyo. If you're reading this post on your way to Ihwa-dong, remember to KEEP QUIET and DO NOT DISTURB THE INHABITANTS.
We're at the inner city of Seoul, a formerly dilapidated neighbourhood settled by squatters and refugees from the Korean War in the shadow of the medieval city walls. In early 21st century the government initiated a revitalization experiment, bringing in over 70 artists to paint over everything from ugly cracked wall to telephone poles to electricity transformers with colourful murals, turning the neighbourhood into a cult attraction known as Ihwa Mural Village.
Except nobody consulted the residents who received little economic benefits. Instead the disproportionate influx of tourists brought excessive noise and littering issues, not to mention frequent trespassing and invasions into peoples' houses. The inhabitants revolted with graffiti lettering on their own walls asking not to be disturbed, and Korea Tourism Organization was forced to remove Ihwa Village from its promotional materials. Now you've been warned. When you walk through these now-muffled streets, do spend money at its neighbour-run cafes, keep your voices down and the neighbourhood clean.
From Ihwa-dong it's a 1 km downhill stroll to Dongdaemun Station, the end point of our 10 km history walk in central Seoul. Assuming spending 1 hour at Bukchon, 30 minutes for a quick gimbab lunch on the go, 2.5 hours at Changdeokgung and 1 hour at Jongmyo, this would take a solid 8 to 9 hours.
Thankfully our hotel was just two stops from Dongdaemun on Line 1. Ramada Seoul Dongdaemun was astonishingly unoccupied during our visit at the start of Korea's COVID-19 outbreak, and we were satisfied enough to extend our stay as our planned voyage to Gyeongju became derailed by the large cluster outbreak in Gyeongsangbuk-do.
The location was optimal as the entrance to Line 1's Sinseoldong Station -- and the 6002 Airport Limousine Bus from Incheon -- was barely 150m away. Our only complaint was the claustrophobic size of the Standard Room, which we had to upgrade to Superior midway through our stay.
One of my favorite memories of our stay was the delicious convenience of gimbap, available everywhere but particularly handy with a Ssada Gimbap branch next to our hotel. Original, tuna or top-of-the-line tteokgalbi, these fueled our long walks and day hikes around Seoul.
A 3 minute walk from our hotel in the opposite direction was a neighbourhood supermarket with a great selection of plump Korean strawberries in peak season for the irresistible price of W7900 for a double layer box. While visiting in the shadow of COVID-19 was far from ideal, we did our best to eke out some fond memories such as our unrestricted visit to Changdeokgung's Secret Garden.
No comments:
Post a Comment