The perfect Jeonju Itinerary – How to spend 2-3 magical days inside Jeonju’s Hanok Village!
Located only 2-3 hours south of South Korea’s capital, Jeonju is the perfect getaway from a busy city like Seoul. In this 48-hour itinerary, we will show you how you can spend the most wonderful and relaxing time in Jeonju’s charming hanok village. We share the best things to see and do as well as what to eat while in Jeonju, South Korea!
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Best Things to do in Jeonju Hanok Village (48 hours in Jeonju Itinerary)
If you ever wanted to get a glimpse into what life during South Korea’s Joseon dynasty must have been like, Jeonju’s hanok village is the perfect place for you!
Yes, it is certainly a more glamourised version of life back then, however there are not many places in South Korea where you can find the experiences you can find in Jeonju all in one spot!
Note: This itinerary is set out to give you an idea on how you can spend 48 hours in Jeonju’s Hanok Village! We stretched the 48 hours over the span of 3 days (i.e. from 12 p.m. on day one until 12 p.m. on day three), giving you ample time for arrival and departure! You could however also easily compact all the activities into two full days!
Ever wanted to roam around a hanok village wearing a hanbok, South Korea’s traditional dress? Or maybe even stay in a hanok itself? Indulge in bibimbap and other awesome dishes, all in walking distance from each other? Drink tea in a traditional tea house and then roam around a hundreds of years old shrine?
If the above experiences intrigued you, then keep reading as we will share how you can experience all of it in a mere 48 hours (2-3 days) inside Jeonju’s hanok village.
But, before getting into the itinerary itself, let’s first answer the following question:
How to get to Jeonju Hanok Village?
Jeonju is located in the province of Jeollabuk-do in the south west of South Korea, 2-3 hours south of Seoul. Getting there is therefore fairly easy from South Korea’s capital. You will find direct bus as well as train connections between the two cities numerous times per day.
If you are not travelling to Jeonju from Seoul, the former can also be reached from a number of other major cities, such as Busan, Gyeongju, Daegu etc., per direct Express/Intercity bus connection!
For a more detailed description on how to get to Jeonju from Seoul or Busan, as well as an overview of direct public transportation connections to Jeonju from other cities (with their respective travel times and prices), head to our dedicated Jeonju Travel Guide!
48 hours in Jeonju Hanok Village (2-3 day itinerary)
So, now that that’s out of the way, let’s find out what the best things to see and do in Jeonju Hanok Village are. And, more importantly, how you can experience all of them on your trip to Jeonju!
Note: As mentioned before, we stretched the 48 hours over three days to give you time for arrival and departure as well. If you wish to put all of the following activities into 2 full days (i.e. from morning on day one to evening on day 2), without taking arrival and departure times into account, simply take the activities from day three and put them on the morning of day one!
Day 1: The one with the food!
On your first day in Jeonju, you will delve right into everything related to food! Jeonju is somewhat known to be an awesome city for trying all kinds of dishes and therefore food will definitely play a role on all three days you will spend within Jeonju’s Hanok Village! But, the first day happens to have a little more of it!
🚅 Arrival in Jeonju
Take your time getting to Jeonju first thing in the morning. No matter where you travel from, you should be able to reach Jeonju in around or under 3 hours (if you do not choose the slowest travel option).
As mentioned before, in our dedicated Jeonju travel guide, you will find all the details you need on how to get to Jeonju as well as how to reach Jeonju Hanok Village from the Jeonju train and/or Express Bus station!
🥘 Jeonju, the city famous for its bibimbap!
After your arrival, check in to your hotel, or drop off your luggage, before making your way into the streets of the Hanok village for your very first meal in Jeonju.
In case you did not know, Jeonju is quite famous for its bibimbap, so we think it is only fitting to kick start your time in Jeonju with a delicious bibimbap! Bibimbap is a rice dish, where various ingredients are placed over a rice base inside a bowl – typically to represent the five cardinal colours and five flavours.
You will find that you can go pretty much anywhere to get bibimbap in Jeonju. Which means that you should not have any trouble finding a restaurant for it. In case you don’t want to look for a place yourself, head to our Jeonju food guide, where we share the exact address and respective prices of all the dishes mentioned in this itinerary!
Next up is dessert! Jeonju is not only famous for bibimbap, but also for its choco pies! They are essentially a chocolate covered chocolate-cake-sandwich with jam and cream in the middle.
You can buy said choco pies in many shops, but the most popular one would be PNB bakery. They have several shops within Jeonju’s Hanok Village. Head to the nearest one and treat yourself to one of these special cakes if the latter sounds good to you!
🏮 Visit Gyeonggijeon Shrine
After lunch, you are probably stuffed with food – so now is a great time for a little walking and exploring! Head to Gyeonggijeon Shrine, which was built in 1410. Other than the shrine itself, you will also find a collection of royal portraits. For K-drama fans: Gyeonggijeon shrine was featured in the popular drama “Love in the moonlight”!
There is a small entrance fee of 3.000KRW per adult for entering Gyeonggijeon shrine.
🍵 Drink tea in a traditional Korean tea house!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit down and drink tea in a traditional Korean tea house? Well, now is the time to find out! Head to Gyodong Tea Garden, which is located quite hidden away in the heart of Jeonju’s Hanok village.
The tea house has a stunning wooden interior and is everything you would expect from a traditional Korean tea house. It is the perfect place to spend a relaxed afternoon, enjoying some tea with one of their delicious sponge cakes!
You can choose between a variety of teas. The waiter suggested their golden tea to us, which we gladly tried. But, what makes this tea house truly a must-have experience, is the fact that the tea leave mixture will be served to you inside a small traditional Korean ceramic tea pot and the boiled water in a separate can.
The waiter will then show you how to correctly pour the tea, which you will be doing yourself afterwards! It’s such a relaxing and interesting experience, we highly recommend you try it for yourself!
For dinner, roam around the streets of Jeonju Hanok village and try some of the street food you will be able to find inside small shops and restaurants located throughout the streets. The hanok village has quite a lovely atmosphere in the evenings so take your time walking around and soaking it all in!
🛏️ Stay in a traditional Hanok!
One of the undisputable highlights of Jeonju Hanok Village is a stay in one of its stunning old buildings. Jeonju is home to numerous hanok stays, so you will be spoiled for choice. By staying in a hanok, you can get a better feel for what it was like to live in Korea in the past – an experience we absolutely recommend!
The only thing you might want to be aware of is the fact that most hanok stays do not include a comfy bed since that simply was not the way people lived in hanok houses. Instead you will be sleeping on a futon on the floor, which is unfortunately not that comfortable if you plan on doing it for more than one night.
Nonetheless we think staying in a hanok is an absolute must! But, you should decide for yourself beforehand if you are okay with sleeping on the floor for two nights. You will also find a handful of hanok stays that offer rooms with western beds, these will cost you quite a lot more money though.
Among Koreans as well as international tourists, staying in Jeonju Hanok Village is quite popular. That is why it is definitely advisable to book your hanok stay in advance! The good ones tend to be booked out quite quickly!
Our top picks for your Hanok Stay in Jeonju: Traditional Hanok Stay : 🏡 Check out Jeonju Jeongdam Jeontonghanogpensyeon* Deals start at 60.000KRW/41€ per night | Reviews: 9.1 on Agoda Why? Great reviews, location and breakfast possible. 🏡 Check out Jeonjuhanog Baggane* Deals start at 48.000KRW/33€ per night | Reviews: 8.1 on Agoda Why? We stayed here, can recommend: Cheap and great location, no breakfast though. 🏡 Check out Laon Hanok Gguljam* Deals start at 72.000KRW/50€ per night | Reviews: 8.5 on Agoda Why? Stunning café with view, great reviews and breakfast included. Hanok Stay with Western bed option: 🏡 Check out Jeonju Dwaejikkum Hanok* Deals for rooms with western beds start at 200.000KRW/137€ per night | Reviews: 9.0 on Agoda Why? Western beds available, great location and reviews!
Day 2: Explore Jeonju Hanok Village wearing a Hanbok!
While the first day of this itinerary focused a lot on food, today you will be spending most of your time sightseeing and exploring Jeonju’s hanok village!
🎎 Rent a Hanbok
Start your morning slow, since much of Jeonju´s hanok village won’t come to life before 10 a.m.! The same goes for cafés and places that offer (western) breakfast food. If you wish for breakfast earlier, it might be worthwhile to book a hotel that offers breakfast. Or grab a bite to eat the day before for you to have in the morning.
When entering Jeonju, you will notice quite quickly that the city is filled with hanbok rental shops. And thus, tourists wearing hanbok out on the streets. The latter is exactly why Jeonju is the perfect place to do so, if you wish to experience what it is like to wear a hanbok!
Since there are so many rental shops, you will be spoiled for choice here as well! We opted for a shop on one of the main walking streets. The entrance is located somewhere around 46 Eunhaeng-ro. We unfortunately do not have a name or exact address we could give you.
In the end we were very happy with our choice. They had quite an impressive selection of hanbok to choose from, there was enough English for us to get by and the ladies running the shop were really sweet.
You can either rent a hanbok for a few hours or a whole day. At our particular shop, we paid 40.000KRW for the two of us for two hours. In our opinion, two hours is the perfect amount of time to roam around and take some pictures!
🍜 Eat Mul-Jajangmyeong or Mul-Naengmyeon
After returning your hanbok, it is now time for lunch! Jeonju is known for its very own variation of the Chinese-Korean dish Jajangmyeong, a black coloured noodle dish usually served with meat and vegetables. In Jeonju, however, you will find the dish served with seafood instead of meat and without the black colour from the chunjang sauce.
In case seafood is not so much your thing, another dish worth trying is Mul-Naengmyeon! The latter is a noodle dish as well. It consists of thin chewy wheat noodles either in a beef broth or a radish water kimchi broth that is cooled down with crushed ice. Since it is a cold dish, Mul-Naengmyeon is very popular during the summer months!
🚲 Rent a bicycle and explore Jeonjuchun river area!
After lunch, it is time for some more exploring. From Jeonju Hanok Village, head south towards Jeonjuchun river and Namcheongyo bridge. Jeonjuchun river is the main river flowing through Jeonju.
The river is on the smaller side, nonetheless, it is perfect for a leisurely stroll or bike ride alongside the river shore! Note: there is a bike rental place right next to the river near Jeonju Hyanggyo, however you might need to present a Korean phone number for the rental process.
If you opt for a bike ride, first make your way towards Nambu Market by following the bike lane alongside the river. After a pit stop there, turn back around and enjoy the river views on your way towards Jeonju Eco Museum.
You do not need to visit the museum itself, however it is a good end point for this bike ride. On your way there, make sure to check out Hanbyeokdang Pavilion and Hanbyeokgul Tunnel!
In case you prefer taking a walk over a bike ride, we recommend mostly keeping to the area between Namcheongyo bridge and Hanbyeokdang Pavilion.
🏮 Explore Jeonju Hyanggyo
On your way back from Jeonjuchun river towards the hanok village, make sure to stop at Jeonju Hyanggyo. The latter is a school that was established in the 15th century during the Joseon dynasty. The site is a little sleepy, nonetheless it is a nice area to stroll around and explore. Entrance is free of charge.
Before heading back to the hanok village for good, there is one last stop we think you should make. Next to Jeonju Hyanggyo, you will find the entrance to Omokdae street. The latter is quite steep and leads all the way up to a pavilion called Omokdae.
Omokdae itself is a nice viewpoint. However, in the middle of Omokdae street you will find another small viewpoint as well! When we visited there was a photo spot set up, but we are not sure if the latter is a permanent thing or not.
After a full day of exploring it is now time to head back into the main part of Jeonju Hanok Village. Enjoy the rest of your day by visiting a café or stroll around the charming streets some more!
Day 3: Stroll around Jeonju’s stunning mural village!
And just like that we are already on day three of this 3-day Jeonju itinerary! The last day will be a short one, nonetheless one not to miss out on!
🎨 Explore Jaman Mural Village
There are many South Korean cities with mural villages, however, Jeonju’s Jaman Mural Village was definitely one of our favourite ones! This might be an unpopular opinion, but we kind of liked it more than Ihwa Mural Village in Seoul.
The mural village is not that huge, but it is filled with awesome mural art around every corner. It is much more intimate and really charming. Within Jaman Mural Village you will also find a number of cafés to relax and enjoy the views.
Something not to miss are the awesome bibimbap waffles at Dulmo café! This small café is lead by a lovely lady. And, as the name suggests, she basically puts the ingredients of a bibimbap into a savoury waffle roll. Which somehow works so well!
After spending the morning in Jeonju’s mural village, it is now time to head back to your accommodation.
🚅 Head to your next destination
Check out of your accommodation and head back to the train station or Express/Intercity Bus terminal to head to your next destination!
