One of the most famous things to do in Seoul, Bukchon Hanok village 북촌한옥마을 is a hillside residential area with many preserved houses and amazing views of the city.
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A popular place to explore wearing traditional Korean hanbok with many gift shops, tea rooms and museums, the best way to explore Bukchon Hanok Village is to wander around the awesome alleys and sublime side-streets. However, please be mindful people live here so be respectful and keep noise to a minimum.
From hanbok hire to nearby cafes in hanoks, here is our ultimate guide to visiting Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul.
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Before you visit / 2025 Bukchon Hanok Village curfew
Something important to remember before you visit Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village – given it is so popular with tourists (over 5 million visitors flocked to Bukchon in 2024), many of the local residents aren’t happy that their homes and gardens are being treated like a theme park (and rightly so).
New for 2025, there is now a tourist curfew for Bukchon Hanok Village whereby tourists are not allowed to visit after 5pm or before 10am or else fear a fine of up to 100,000 Won. Signs are in place all over the village with the curfew times.
In addition, it is a common sight whilst in Bukchon to see local residents and volunteers monitoring tourists and holding signs asking tourists to keep their noise down and be respectful. This is perhaps one of the best examples of Korean overtourism so please keep this in mind when visiting.
Try this – UNESCO Heritage Tour: Changdeokgung, Jongmyo & Bukchon in Seoul >
How to get to Bukchon Hanok Village
The nearest Seoul Metro station to Bukchon Hanok Village 북촌한옥마을 is Anguk station – take exit 2 and it is around a 10 minute walk away – remember not to arrive before the 10am curfew.
To reach Bukchon Hanok Village from Myeongdong, take the Metro blue line 4 stop from Myeongdong station to Chungmuro station, then change to the red line (3) and take the Metro to Anguk Station and alight at exit 2. Or you can take a direct bus on either bus number 151 and 406.
The best way to arrive at Bukchon is via the main hillside street (Bukchon Ro 11-gil) which starts here on Google Maps. This is also home to lots of Bukchon Hanok Village hanbok rental shops and some gift stores.
If you want to explore Bukchon in style, try this Seoul private pedicab tour of Bukchon Anguk Jongno Hanok Village >
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Traditional Korean style accommodation nearby
Budget – mid range ($-$$)
Gongsimga Hanok Guesthouse
Charming guesthouse with traditional Korean furnishings offering simple rooms with private bathroom and an American breakfast. Facilities include a lounge area and access to a common kitchen. Check out prices and availability on booking.com / agoda.com / expedia.com / trip.com
Mid range – Luxury ($$-$$$)
Hanok Hotel Daam
A newly renovated stylish hotel with traditional hanok design which offers family rooms, gardens, laundry facilities and a buffet breakfast. Check out prices and availability on booking.com / agoda.com / expedia.com / trip.com
Luxury ($$$)
Bukchon Summit (2 bedroom apartment)
Highly rated villa with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Facilities include a hot spring bath, garden and fully equipped kitchen. Check out prices and availability on booking.com / agoda.com
History of Bukchon Hanok Village
Whilst most of the current houses in Bukchon you see today date back to the late 19th century / early 20th century, the original village that was here dates back over 500 years to the Joseon Dynasty.
Meaning ‘Northern Village’ in Korean, Bukchon was home to many Government officials and affluent families at the turn of the last century.
In recent years, it has become a popular Seoul attraction and featured in many K-dramas and historical series.
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Things to do in Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul
Firstly, we’d recommend getting there as close to 10am as possible (when the tourist curfew is lifted) as many, many bus loads arrive mid morning and early afternoon. Even if you go first thing when it ‘opens’, it’ll still be very busy but less so than later on.
One of the best things to do at Bukchon Hanok Village is to actually just walk around and soak it in – as you’d expect, it is a popular photo spot and can be hard to escape all those selfie takers.
The main street Bukchon-ro 11 gil – offers the best views and you can even see the N Seoul / Namsan Tower in the background. It does get very busy though and often is hard to get a clear shot without dozens of tourists.
You can a more quieter spot for taking photographs at Bukchon Hanok Village at the Bukchon Yukgyeong photo spot (map) – photo below.
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Bukchon hanbok rental and photoshoots
One of the most popular places to wear hanbok costumes in Seoul is the Royal Palaces plus Bukchon Hanok Village.
Unsurprisingly, there are lots of Seoul hanbok hire shops near Anguk Station and at the main entrance to Bukchon Hanok Village.
To avoid disappointment, book your Bukchon hanbok rental (some with photoshoots) in advance:
Bukchon hanbok rental and photoshoot at Hanboknam >
Bukchon Oneday hanbok rental experience in Seoul >
Or check out our guide to using a professional photographer for a hanbok photoshoot >
Bukchon Observatory
There are many great vantage points in Bukchon hanok village, especially on the outer edges where there are less crowds.
As you arrive at Bukchon Observatory 북촌전망대 (located on Google Maps here) – the first thing you notice is the beautiful hanok setting and gorgeous courtyard. However the best bit is the cafe seating area and observatory on the third level looking out over Bukchon Hanok Village.
Admission to the Bukchon Observatory is 3,000 Won which includes a free soft drink or hot drink in a paper cup (posh!).
Try this – Seoul: Bukchon Hanok Village walking tour >
Museums – Bukchon Cultural Center and Bukchon Museum
We discovered this free to visit Bukchon Cultural Center 북촌문화센터 (map) totally by chance on our last visit. Located in a restored hanok, you can wander around this homestead and also take part in various activities like traditional crafts and tea-making.
Nearby, you can also visit the Bukchon Museum 북촌생활사박물관 (map) which is also housed in a hanok and home to lots of local artifacts.
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Gift shops, tea rooms and Korean photo booths
A quick mention of some of the other things to do in Bukchon, much of it aimed squarely at tourists.
There are several rather beautiful old tea-rooms in Bukchon Hanok Village including Cha-teul in Seoul, 서울특별시, a century old teahouse (remember to remove your shoes before you sit down).
And there are least a dozen gift shops including a customisable gift store, a Korean skincare store called House of Coréelle, a gift store called Kachi Seoul, plus the occasional Korean photo booth store.
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Other cool cafes near Bukchon Hanok Village
Cafe Onion Anguk
As you aren’t supposed to arrive in Bukchon Hanok Village before 10am due to the tourist curfew you can head into the nearby Cafe Onion Anguk 어니언 안국 before for some breakfast pastries.
This is a super popular place as the cafe is quite unique, being housed in a traditional hanok and queues to enter can be quite long throughout the day.
However we arrived at 9.30am and walked straight in – around a third of the tables were free. When we left the cafe at10.30am there was already a small queue to get in.
We opted for a crispy croissant filled with cream and strawberry jam, and topped with strawberries and blueberries (7,500 Won), which was really tasty! However, their Jeju matcha scone was a bit dry and disappointing (5,500 won).
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London Bagel Museum Anguk
Have you heard about ‘London Bagel Museum’, South Korea’s most hyped cafe chain? It is the NUMBER 1 most queued-for cafe chain in Korea based on the latest 2025 ‘Catch Table’ restaurant queue app stats.
Literally every time we walk past London Bagel Museum Anguk 런던베이글뮤지엄 안국점, the queue is always massive – and we always see their bagel filled bags being carried by hungry locals around Seoul (pretty much that and Olive Young bags).
London Bagel Museum Anguk (the original store) is open from 8am to 7pm. Read our guide to Korea’s London Bagel Museum chain here >
One final Bukchon Village activity
Kimchi Academy
A few minutes walk from Bukchon, you can also hone your kimchi culinary schools at the nearby Kimchi Academy where you spend several hours learning about the history of this spicy dish before attempting to make some yourself.
Try this Seoul kimchi and culture experience on Klook >
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