The view of Hanok Village from Omokdae Pavillon

One street in Jeonju Hanok Village

It was my second time in Jeonju, but this time I was not alone. This time I went with 2 friends and we had a great laidback weekend getaway from Seoul.

As you know, Jeonju is known as “The Best Taste City in Korea” and is worth the visit for the Korean Traditional food alone. The area is also famous for its food, booze, and cultural settings. It was definitely one of our favorite highlights, but the activities and charm of the city make it a definite must while in Korea.

Jeondong Catholic Cathedral

Jeonju Hyanggyo Confucian School

Wearing Hanbok & the fan-making experience

Jeonju Hanok Village is still crowed at night

In Jeonju, we lived one day as a Korean in the past, starting our day by waking up in a Hanok guesthouse and enjoying the quiet and peaceful morning in a lovely garden in front of the room. Then, we put on a Hanbok, which can easily be rented in any Hanbok-renting store, and walked around the Hanok village. There were a series of must-see places in the Village such as Gyeonggijeon Shrine, which holds the portrait of King Tae-jo - the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, or Jeondong Catholic Cathedral, which is considered one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Korea, citing the church’s unique combination of Byzantine and Romanesque architectural styles. The two architectural constructions of two opposing cultures in a mysterious way and which have been standing together in harmony over hundreds of years gave us a lot of good backgrounds for taking nice photos.

Jeonju Hanok Village in sunset

To be honest, we could find many nice spots to take photos. Not only at famous historical spots but anywhere in the village so rather than looking for specific places to visit we preferred to walk around and sometimes stop to take photos, have some street food or experience some Korean Traditional activites like archery, paper fan making and so on. As it was in autumn and the foliage was starting, Jeonju became more beautiful than ever with the red and yellow color of maple and ginkgo leaves.

Finally, we came back with a full 16GB disk of photos and it is no doubt that we will have a hard time selecting photos.

Jeonju Hanok Village

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Visitor enjoy a night-walk at Ajungho Lake

In the evening, we decided to find some new places instead of the Hanok Village so we searched for Jeonju Night view and went to Ajungho Lake. It was about 3 kilometers from the Hanok Village and it took us 10 minutes by taxi.

Ajungho Lake at night

“It is so large” was our first reaction. Since Ajungho Lake is open to the public and there is no fee, this place has become very popular among Jeonju citizens and tourists. There you can see a walking deck, cafes, a parking lot, and other convenient facilities for visitors. Honestly, we were wrong to go there in a cold evening, so we could not walk all around the lake. However, it offered a pretty night view with a light bridge and a nice place to have a date.

Thus, if we come back to Jeonju one day, I would definitely come back to Ajungho Lake for a sunset walk.

The alley in front of Gaeunchae 2

Arriving at Gaeunchae 2 after a 10 minute taxi from Jeonju Bus Terminal, we were immediately impressed by the antique beauty of the accommodation. The guest house was located in a pretty and small alley right next to The Jeonju Hanok Village entrance. The guest house, itself, is also a Hanok, Korean Traditional House, which was made mainly from wood and Hanji, Korean traditional paper, attempting no ostentatious displays since the house subtle beauty and depth can be found in its respect for nature and simplicity.

Gaeunchae 2,view from outside

The beauty of wooden Hanok house

Actually, Gaeunchae 2 was a newly constructed Hanok. The room and the attached bathroom are updated with highly modern appliances but not so modern as to overwhelm and ruin the authenticity of the house. The Korean style floor-heating system made the room warm and very comfortable to sleep on. The bedding was clean and very soft. Furthermore, the garret in our room made it more comfortable to separate sleeping places for male and females.

Our room is simple but comfortable

The thing I liked most is that there is a small beautiful garden hidden behind the heavy wooden gate doors. I was impressed by it from the moment I opened those doors and came in. There were some tables and chairs set there, so I could sit down and enjoy the quiet atmosphere and admire the beauty of the house. Although Gaeunchae 2 is in the heart of Jeonju Hanok Village, I was very satisfied that the small alley keeps it away from the noise and crowds of the main streets.

Another view of the Hanok house from outside.

In addition, YB, our host spoke excellent English and was friendly and thoughtful. He texted me as soon as I completed my booking on booking.com and gave me some instructions. When we walked around the village, he also asked where we were and recommended a series of good restaurants near our location. It was also very kind of him to always check if we need any help.

Your Jeonju experience would not have been as authentic as it was if you hadn’t chosen to stay in a Hanok. And, if you need a recommendation, I suggest you go to Gaeunchae 2.