eBook - ePub
Trusted by 375,005 students
Access to over 1 million titles for a fair monthly price.
Study more efficiently using our study tools.
Information
Print ISBN
9781786572745
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Neighbourhood Top Five
1 Gyeongbokgung Admiring the scale and artistry of the largest of Seoul’s palaces, fronted by the grand gateway Gwanghwamun, where you can watch the changing of the guard.
2 Changdeokgung Discovering Huwon, the serene traditional garden secreted behind the most beautiful of Seoul’s five main palaces.
3 Bukchon Hanok Village, Stepping back in time in the picturesque maze of the city’s densest cluster of traditional-style homes.
4 Jogye-sa Learning about Buddhism at one of Seoul’s most active temples and epicentre of the spectacular Lotus Lantern Festival in May.
5 Arario Museum in SPACE Browsing an impressive collection of contemporary art.
Explore Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
The focus of the area – and for many visitors, of the whole city – is Seoul’s royal palace compounds, which need at least half a day each to do them justice. Although their size and splendour have been greatly reduced from their heyday in the 18th century, the compounds, in the district of Jongno-gu, provide a glimpse of what it was like to live at the powerful heart of the old city. Save for the odd painted screen and altar, the large palace buildings are mostly empty, allowing you to appreciate the Confucian ideals of frugality, simplicity and separation of the sexes in the architecture as well as the gardens. The area is referred to as Gwanghwamun after the majestic gate to the main palace of Gyeongbokgung and the elongated square in front of it.
If you want to see hanok (traditional Korean houses) in a real-life neighbourho...
Table of contents
- Table of Contents
- Welcome to Seoul
- Seoul’s Top 10
- What’s New
- Need to Know
- First Time Seoul
- Top Itineraries
- If You Like…
- Month by Month
- With Kids
- Like a Local
- For Free
- Courses & Tours
- Hiking
- Eating
- Drinking & Nightlife
- Entertainment
- Shopping
- Sports & Activities
- Neighbourhoods at a Glance
- Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
- Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
- Western Seoul
- Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
- Gangnam & Southern Seoul
- Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul
- Northern Seoul
- Day Trips from Seoul
- Sleeping
- Seoul Today
- History
- Food & Drink
- Religion & Culture
- Architecture
- Arts
- Transport
- Directory A-Z
- Language
- Seoul Maps
- Behind the Scenes
- Our Writers