Jeonju

Korea's "capital of gastronomy" and home to its largest hanok village: bibimbap, bean sprout soup rice and makgeolli. Wear hanbok among tiled-roof alleys for the most traditional Korea.

Jeonju is the capital of North Jeolla Province (renamed Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province from 2024), with a population of about 650,000. It lies on the Honam Plain about 200 km south of Seoul, is the ancestral home of the Joseon royal Yi family, and was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2012, making it Korea's food capital. The main sightseeing areas are highly concentrated: the Jeonju Hanok Village (over 700 traditional tiled-roof houses) in the southeast of the city is the absolute center, with Gyeonggijeon, Jeondong Cathedral, Omokdae, Jeonju Hyanggyo, Pungnammun Gate and Nambu Market all within a 15-minute walk, and the Jaman Mural Village on the hillside east of the hanok village. To the north, Deokjin Park (lotus flowers in July) and Jeonju Zoo, and to the west the area around Jeonbuk National University, are where locals live. Jeonju bibimbap, bean sprout soup rice (kongnamul gukbap), makgeolli bars (order one kettle and get a table full of side dishes), the handmade chocolate pies at PNB Poongnyeon Bakery in the hanok village and the night market at Nambu Market are the essential food tasks. Climate: March–May (cherry blossoms and fresh greenery) and October–November (ginkgo and autumn leaves) are the most pleasant; the Jeonju Bibimbap Festival is held in early October and the Jeonju International Film Festival in May; summers (July–August) are muggy and rainy, and winters are dry and cold, but hanok in snow have a charm of their own. Getting there: the KTX from Seoul's Yongsan Station takes about 1 hour 35 minutes to Jeonju Station, and from Jeonju Station it is about 15 minutes by bus or taxi to the hanok village; you can also take a bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Jeonju Express Bus Terminal in about 2 hours 40 minutes. Incheon Airport has a direct airport bus to Jeonju (about 3.5 hours). Suggested length: 1–2 days; the top recommendation is a night in a hanok guesthouse in the village to enjoy the empty alleys at dawn. Tips: hanbok rental shops cluster around Jeondong Cathedral, and wearing hanbok gets you free entry to Gyeonggijeon. The hanok village is crowded on weekends and holidays, so visit early in the morning or in the evening. Most shops open after 10:00, and the night market runs only on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Top sights

• Jeonju Hanok Village – South Korea's largest traditional hanok village, with more than 700 black-tiled houses spread along its lanes. It is the top place to strol…
• Gyeonggijeon Shrine – A royal shrine honoring Yi Seong-gye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty, surrounded by bamboo groves and ancient trees, and the most important…
• Jeondong Catholic Cathedral – The earliest Western-style church in the Honam region, a Romanesque-Byzantine red-brick building completed in 1914 on the site of Korea's C…
• Omokdae – A pavilion on a small hill east of Hanok Village, where Yi Seong-gye held a feast after driving off Japanese pirates. It is the best viewpo…
• Jeonju Nambu Market – Jeonju's largest traditional market, with more than 200 years of history. By day it is home to long-established bean sprout soup rice resta…
• Jaman Mural Village – A mural village on the hillside east of Hanok Village, transformed from a refugee settlement of the Korean War. Dozens of playful murals an…
• Pungnammun Gate – The only surviving gate of Jeonju's ancient city wall, the south gate of Jeonju's fortress town in the Joseon period. It is a landmark link…
• Jeonju Hyanggyo – A official Confucian academy from the Joseon period, where four centuries-old ginkgo trees in front of the Myeongnyundang Lecture Hall turn…
• Jeonju Gaeksa (Pungpaejigwan) – An official guesthouse from the Joseon period that hosted envoys and officials. Its main hall bears a large plaque reading “Pungpaejigwan,”…
• Hanbyeokdang Pavilion – A 15th-century pavilion built on a cliff above the Jeonju Stream. It is one of the Eight Scenic Views of Jeonju, and the nearby tunnel thro…
• Deokjin Park – A lakeside park in north Jeonju. Lotus flowers fill the pond in summer, and the suspension bridge across the lake and the Lotus Bridge are…
• Jeonju National Museum – A national museum in North Jeolla Province with artifacts from the Mahan and Baekje periods, as well as objects related to the Joseon royal…
• Jeonju Traditional Wine Museum – A small museum on traditional liquor inside Hanok Village. It introduces makgeolli, soju, and pear-ginger liquor, and visitors can book a b…
• Samcheon-dong Makgeolli Alley – A street of makgeolli bars unique to Jeonju. Order a kettle of makgeolli and the table is filled with a dozen or more side dishes, and more…
• Geumsansa Temple & Moaksan – A Baekje-era temple at the foot of Mount Moak, whose three-story wooden Mireuk Hall is a South Korean national treasure. It is also a popul…
• Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan – The largest Baekje temple site, and one of the oldest and largest stone pagodas in East Asia. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site…
• Wanggung-ri Site, Iksan – The palace site from the reign of King Mu of Baekje. A solitary five-story stone pagoda in the field is part of the UNESCO World Heritage “…
• Maisan & Tapsa Temple – Two conglomerate peaks shaped like horse ears stand side by side. In the valley between them is a temple where an ascetic stacked more than…
• Daedunsan – A mountain of strange rock formations known as the “Little Kumgang of Honam.” After a cable car ride, you cross the Geumgang Cloud Bridge a…
• Gunsan Modern History District – A modern historic district that was a rice export port during the Japanese occupation period. The former customs house, the Japanese-style…
• Naejangsan National Park – The national park known as “Korea's Finest Autumn Foliage.” In deep autumn, the maple tunnel before Naejangsa Temple and the cable car view…
• Naesosa Temple – A Baekje-era temple on the Byeonsan Peninsula. The approach of about 600 meters through a fir forest and the great hall with its carved lat…
• Chaeseokgang Cliffs – Sedimentary sea cliffs on the western tip of the Byeonsan Peninsula that look like stacks of books. At low tide, large rock beds are expose…
• Gochang Dolmen Site – One of the densest concentrations of dolmens in the world. Hundreds of Bronze Age megalithic tombs are spread along the foot of the mountai…
• Seonunsa Temple – A Baekje-era temple at the foot of Seonunsan in Gochang. It is famous across the country for the 3,000 camellia trees behind the temple, wh…

Where to eat

• Hanguk-jip – A three-generation Jeonju bibimbap restaurant founded in 1952, next to Gyeonggijeon Hall in Hanok Village. It is one of…
• Gajok Hoegwan – A three-generation Jeonju bibimbap favourite, certified as a Hundred-Year Shop. It serves bibimbap in brass bowls with…
• Veteran Kalguksu – A long-established knife-cut noodle shop near Hanok Village. Its thick egg-and-seaweed broth knife-cut noodles and dump…
• Sambaekjip – A bean sprout soup rice shop founded in 1947. It is named for selling only 300 bowls a day in the past, and it opens at…

Itineraries

• Culinary & Hanok Journey: Seoul, Jeonju, Gyeongju & Busan – A culinary loop through Jeonju Hanok Village and the ancient capital of Gyeongju, connecting north and south through lo…
• Ancient Baekje, Jeonju, Gwangju & Mount Jirisan – A journey through Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, featuring Baekje ruins in Gongju and Buyeo, Jeonju Hanok Village, D…