After reading all the posts about my trip to South Korea in September 2016, you must have thought I skipped Seoul. Nothing could be more true. I saved it for last. I tend to find big cities daunting. There’s always so much to see and experience and I usually don’t know where to start. However, the moment I started researching my stay in Seoul, I knew: I would spend my first full day exploring the palaces and the old culture of the city.

Jongmyo

My first stop of the day was the Jongmyo shrine, which is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The reason it has received this status is because of its architecture and the special ceremonies that take place there.

The buildings inside the Jongmyo shrine house ‘spirit tablets’ of the Joseon kings and queens.

These tablets are wooden boxes with a hole inside in which the spirits are said to reside.

Jongmyo gave me the feeling it was hours away from the city, because it’s surrounded by dense woodlands. It’s peaceful and it’s tranquil.

At the same time it’s a bit eery. There are areas where you’re not supposed to walk because it’s where the spirits walk. I wouldn’t want to be in this area in the dark by myself.

Jongmyo has to be visited as part of a guided tour. I joined an English language tour at 12pm and I found it really interesting.

Changdeokgung Palace

A logical stop in terms of proximity after the Jongmyo shrine is Changdeokgung Palace, also a UNESCO Heritage Site in Seoul. Changdeokgung Palace was the second royal villa built following the construction of Gyeongbukgung Palace in 1405. Nowadays it’s the most well-preserved of the five remaining royal Joseon palaces.

This palace is said to represent the beauty of Korea. Don’t forget that the palace grounds are big. I actually appreciated the area further away from the entrance more than the more touristy areas in the front.

It’s nice to get lost here for a few hours, staring at the exquisite details in the paintings and the areas inside the buildings.

Even though I enjoyed walking around, I set a tight deadline for myself to move on to my next destination. I had quite a lot of ground to cover that day.

Bukchon Hanok Village

The Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul is nothing like the traditional folk village I visited in Yandong. Yandong is renowned for its beautiful buildings and traditional architecture, and even though some of that is present in Seoul’s traditional village as well…

… The novelty lies in the fact that tourists dress up to wander through the tiny streets of the Bukchon Hanok Village.

People still live inside the 900 traditional hanok homes in Bukchon, so it’s important to keep your voice down when you get lost in the little alleyways. However, do allow yourself to get lost because that’s how you’ll find art exhibitions & shops which have been opened by many of the home owners.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

The Bukchon Hanok Village lies in between Changdeokgung Palace and Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gyeongbokgung Palace is therefore a logical next destination when it comes to a sightseeing trip in Seoul.

People who have dressed up for a wander around Bukchon village seem to think the same.

The walk to the palace is quite grand. The landscape is almost unreal considering you couldn’t be more in the centre of a busy metropolitan city.

What struck me the most were the cute statues scattered all around the palace complex. I had seen them in Changdeokgung, but somehow the largeness of Gyeongbokgung made me focus on the small things more.

As I said before, Gyeongbokgung Palace is older than its eastern equivalent. It has also survived more destruction. Well, it hasn’t exactly survived it but Seoul’s main palace has been rebuilt multiple times over history.

I don’t know how Seoul manages it, but it has been able to keep its main treasures well away from the noise of the city. Regardless of the fact their locations are smack in the middle of city centre.

I can imagine it must’ve been a real pleasure for the kings and queens to live in this palace. You could spend at least half a day there, but I arrived an hour before closing so I only had time for a quick roam around the area.

Gwanghwamun Square

Normally, people approach Gyeongbokgung Palace from this broad and elongated square.

I did this walk the other way around though, so I constantly checked behind me to see the gates of the palace.

The square is home to markets, demonstrations, art exhibitions, basically it’s home to whatever the people of the city fancy.

There are also two huge, unmissable statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and of King Sejong. Two national heroes of the country.

Conclusion

I didn’t expect to like Seoul as much as I did. I expected a bigger, busier, more technology orientated city. Instead on my first day, all I saw was the its rich cultural history.

This above itinerary is easily done on foot in a day. You could either start at Gwanghwamun Square or at the Jongmyo Shrine. I preferred Jongmyo Shrine as a starting point because you’re tied to tour times.

There’s a newer side to Seoul as well, which I’ll describe in my next post. Don’t worry, that one will feature nature as well as some modern buildings.