For my trip to Korea, Jeonju really stood out as a place to visit for its beautiful old town or hanok village, which is the largest in the country. It is a lovely as laid-back city and I enjoyed spending the day there. It makes an excellent day trip from Seoul!

A Brief History of Jeonju

The history of Jeonju officially goes back tens of thousands of years and started as a small town during the Silla kingdom. In more recently millennia, the city had already been established and growing by the 7th-9th centuries. But the history of Jeonju as we know it starts more in the Joseon Dynasty. This dynasty, lasting from 1392-1897, started with King Taejo (whose name you’ll see again) whose ancestral home was in Jeonju. Since it was the ancestral home of a huge dynasty, it was obviously an important place for many centuries (though not the capital).

At the beginning of the rule, construction started on much of the city and you can see parts of the early 15th century buildings today, restored. The hanok village was built up over the centuries but a lot of the buildings you see today date later, to around the 19th-early 20th centuries.

Things to See in Jeonju Today

Obviously a huge highly of Jeonju is its hanok village or old town, which is the largest in South Korea with over 800 traditional hanok buildings. Even though it’s large, it’s quite compact so you can easily explore and see the beautiful buildings.

If you’re really into the architecture, I would recommend booking a hanok stay. It looks lovely and the hanok guesthouses are some of the best preserved and most charming buildings in the village. Jeonju is lovely but I have to say since there are a lot of signs on many of the hanok buildings, it’s a bit hard to see the buildings themselves. The side streets and the hanok stays are the best places to appreciate the old architecture.

The main attraction within the hanok village is Gyeonggijeon Shrine which is a large hall complex that dates back to 1410. Its main attraction is the famous royal portrait of King Taejo but there’s a lot more to see in the complex. You can look inside several halls and on the west side are several administrative buildings with furniture that you can actually go inside. They have plaques outside where you can read about their functions. It’s quite educational.

The shrine also houses the Royal Portrait Museum which is free but a bit underwhelming. It houses a few portraits but it does have several activities that are fun for children. Definitely worth visiting if you have little ones, and can’t hurt to take a peek if you don’t.

In the hanok village is a steep hill up which you can find Omokdae. This pavilion is where King Taejo celebrated his victory against the Japanese in the late 14th century. You get sweeping views of Jeonju from up here, plus the pavilion (which probably dates to shortly after the aforementioned victory) is quite lovely. The hill is steep but there are stairs and platforms to walk on. It’s also quite lush with trees and plants.

You can also visit the Hyanggyo or the Confucian School that also dates all the way back to the 15th century. It is a designated national treasure but is unfortunately closed on Mondays so I couldn’t visit.

But one of my favorite places to visit in Jeonju is the Hanbyeokdang Pavilion, built sometime in the Joseon dynasty. This is a small pavilion that used to be part of a palace. It’s just an open air structure next to a highway and on a rock (be careful climbing up and down), but it’s so darn cute. Admire the lovely dancheong and don’t look at the highway but the lovely scenery of the river and the trees. Apparently many Korean authors have been inspired by the pavilion, and I have to say I’d have loved to come on a nice day and just sit there and enjoy life.

Another icon in the old section of Jeonju is Jeondong Cathedral which was completely in 1914 and seems to have architectural influences of Eastern Europe. It’s an interesting structure and is considered to be one of Korea’s most beautiful cathedrals.

A popular stop in Jeonju is Nambu Market which is a large market with a large variety of stores ranging from home goods and clothes to a few restaurants. There’s also several stalls where you can buy fish and produce – a very traditional Korean market. While you’re there, you can stop by Pungnammun Gate which is one of the city gates built in the 18th century.

Another cool place to see is Jaman Mural Village which has some nice murals in what seems like a residential neighbourhood. It was worth having a stroll through but you should know that some of the streets there are quite steep and even with sneakers I felt like I was going to trip and slide down the hill – so be prepared. Across the river, Seohakdong Art Village is cute but I visited on a Monday and lots of stores seemed to be shut. But you can find local art, crafts, and antiques there.

Something I did in Seoul was rent a hanbok which is a traditional Korean dress. They come in lots of colors and styles and are very pretty! You will see so many places to rent a hanbok in Jeonju, so it’s worth keeping in mind. I did not stay the night but there were also lots of hanok stays where you can stay in a traditional hanok.

One place I didn’t get to visit was the Jeonju Museum. There is also Deokjin Park which is outside the hanok village, and I didn’t visit since the lotus were not in bloom. It must be lovely during the summertime though!

Vegans – rejoice! There are several vegan restaurants in Jeonju. Jeonju is the home of the famous Korean dish bibimbap, so it was nice to have some vegan bibimbap here. And I have to say it was delicious! (I got mine specifically at Jeondong Ddeokgalbi, which is unmarked in English so you’ll have to put the address into your map.)

I had a total of 7 hours in Jeonju and I felt that was “enough” for me. The hanok village is nice and compact so it’s easy to get around. I also got to explore some other areas and still had time for lunch and to sit and read a book. Of course, slow travellers can easily take more time exploring what the city has to offer. And there is a nice, big city beyond the hanok village. I only saw a bit of it.

A Note on Getting Around Jeonju

I usually don’t have trouble getting around cities but I did with Jeonju. They have an extensive bus system and their maps are all in Korean so it was really difficult for me to figure them out. Google and Apple Maps don’t work in Korea so you’ll need to download an app such as Naver Map to get around, which I did not have at the time. The train station is about 3 miles or so from the hanok village so you’ll probably want a lift.

Fortunately you can get around via taxi which you can call with the Uber app and it’s not very expensive. I think it cost less than $10 each way to and from the train station.

I really enjoyed my day in Jeonju. Since everything in the hanok village is so close, I got to see what I wanted, get lunch, and then had about an hour or two to spare. I had a total of 7 hours there and I thought that was definitely enough for me.

If you’re looking for a nice day trip from Seoul, you should definitely have Jeonju on your list!

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