Bukchon Hanok Village showing Namsan tower

Today’s exploration started at Bukchon Hanok Village. Bukchon Hanok Village is a small village lining a hill with traditional Korean houses, called hanok, between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace.

Rooftop cafes in Bukchon Hanok Village

It’s a residential area, but the aesthetic features of hanok have made strolling around the village one of the top 5 activities to do in Seoul. Hidden in alleys, some hanok have been converted to galleries, guesthouses, restaurants or cafes. Unfortunately, due to high demand, I could not book a walking tour of the alleys, so I grabbed a map and explored on my own. However, there are tourist guides scattered around the area, dressed in red, ready to help anytime.

* Official walking tours must be booked 3 days in advance on

Walking round from the hanok village towards Gyeongbokgung Palace, I saw Cheongwadae, or the Blue House. Cheongwadae is the residence of the South Korean president. Just like the White House in the US, you can stand in front of it and take pictures.

Cheongwadae Sarangchae logo

Entrance of Cheongwadae Sarangchae

View of Cheongwadae Sarangchae

However, across from the Blue House is Cheongwadae Sarangchae. Sarangchae is the name of the study room in a traditional Korean house. Thus, Cheongwadae Sarangchae is a place to learn about Cheongwadae. This space is for Koreans and tourists alike. The first floor is dedicated to inspiring Korean children to dream of becoming the future president of the country, while also teaching Korean culture. The second floor shows the timeline of Korean presidents from past to present.

It is a very inspirational exploration as you see how far Korea has come since gaining its independence and the people behind the progress.

Bukchon Hanok Village

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Cheongwadae Sarangchae

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Entrance of K-Style Hub

In order to gain more information, I went to the K-Style Hub. The K-Style Hub is located on the second through fifth floors of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Seoul Office.

K-Style Hub graffiti

Since it’s part of the KTO office, you can find tourist information and brochures about every region of Korea on the second floor of the hub. But that’s not all! Also on the second floor, you can feel the full effect of Korea’s smart tourism. With the use of VR, you can relive the PyeongChang Olympic Games as an athlete. K-pop fans can also take pictures with their favorite K-pop stars from the past to the present. I took pictures with G-Dragon. His avatar is so life-like that I blushed while receiving a FAKE kiss. I also took pictures with the best K-pop girl group of all time, 2NE1, because I miss them, and they are forever in my heart.

Hidden on the other side of the second floor, so that you can almost miss it, is the Medical Tourism office. Korea is known for its amazing medical health service. At K-Style Hub, you can get exposure to these services for free. Based on a personality test, I got personalized tea. I also had a stress level analysis, skin analysis, an in-body analysis, which is the hottest trend in the Korean fitness world, and a fragrance souvenir all for free.

K-Style Hub 2nd floor

K-Style Hub 4th floor there is restaurant

Go up to the third floor to learn about Korean food culture. There are explanations about different foods you can find in Korea according to the seasons. And if that doesn’t blow your mind, on the fourth floor, you can eat in the restaurant which offers meals made with seasonal ingredients.

In order to offer the full cultural experience, the fifth floor allows you to try on hanbok for free. You also have the chance to make your own handmade souvenirs. The experiences available at the KTO Seoul Office change all the time, so it’s always exciting to check out what new craft activities you can do.

* Don’t feel bad if you miss out, you can participate in a craft-making activity again at Incheon Airport Terminal I and II while you wait for your flight. You can also get the skin analysis at the Medical Tourism booth in the arrival hall inside Incheon Terminal I.

K-Style Hub 5th floor

Handmade souvenirs that I made.

With brochures from the second floor in hand, I wonder where I should explore next?

K-Style Hub

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Front sign of the hotel

Located within a walking distance of Anguk Station and Changdeokgung Palace, The Place is a traditional Korean style guesthouse. Just as the words on the front of the guesthouse state, it’s “the place to fill…” with laughter, joy and memories. The guesthouse is located in the middle of the excitement of Jongno-gu, but in a quiet area. I would absolutely recommend this guesthouse to anyone looking for a place close to the palaces, Jogyesa Temple, Insa-dong and Myeong-dong, but who wants to escape the commercialism of it all at the end of the day. Due to the vibrant life in that part of the city, public transportation is easily accessible at any time of day.

Living Room

Back to the guesthouse, I suspect that this was once an ordinary Korean house turned into a guesthouse. There are only 3 rooms in the guesthouse equipped with ondol floor heating and extremely comfortable futons. The smallest room fits only two people, but has a private bathroom installed for privacy. However, the remaining two rooms share a communal bathroom. There is also a communal kitchen and a living room. The garden is beautiful all year round, with a tree that produces different leaf colors every season. Unlike some traditional guesthouses, this guesthouse comes with air conditioning and free Wi-Fi. Despite these innovations installed in the guesthouse, you still get the traditional feel of the place.

Bedding in the room

However, you don’t feel the traditional aspect in their meals. Although it’s a hanok, the breakfast is a simple homemade meal consisting of organic bread, yogurt, fruits and much more. If it’s too simple, the street outside the guesthouse is filled with cafes and restaurants. But coffee lovers should grab a cup of traditionally ground coffee before you start the day.

Garden with spring flowers.