~Beautiful Jeonju~
Jeonju is a city in Jeollanam province. It is a city known for its history and beautiful traditional Korean homes (hanoks). It offers a lot to do over two days and is a great stop for anyone traveling Korea. We hope that this 2 day Ultimate Jeonju Travel Guide will help you.
~Getting There~
As with most places in Korea Jeonju is very easy to get to. The fastest and best way to get there is by train. The KTX high-speed rail train will leave both Seoul station and Yongsan station multiple times throughout the day. You can book your tickets online at the official Korail website.
Once you arrive at Jeonju station you will head outside and there will be a taxi stand with many taxis waiting. You can show the taxi driver the address of your hotel or tell them you want to go to the Hanok village by showing them this: 전주한옥마을.
You can also travel by intercity bus from most cities to Jeonju. Although it is more difficult if the bus makes multiple stops and you don’t speak Korean as the stop names aren’t in English.
~Where to Stay~
Jeonju has many options for you to choose from for where to stay. You can choose any hotel in Jeonju however my personal recommendation is to stay in the Hanok village itself. You will be able to book a clean guesthouse in the village for under 50,000 won and they are large enough for a family. Many time the guesthouses have Korean style beds for sleeping on the floor but you will be able to find ones with western style beds as well. Many of these guesthouses are in traditional Hanok as well which adds to the experience. You can see the map at this link for my recommendation on the area you should look at booking. You can use your favorite travel website to book your stay but I find that Agoda works best for me.
~Where to Eat?~
Jeonju is an amazing foodies paradise with a lot of Korean dishes being created here. As such we thought that Jeonju food deserved its own post. Check out our Ultimate Jeonju Restaurant Guide.
~Jeonju Railbikes~
The first thing that we did upon arriving in Jeonju is go on a rail bike ride. These are karts with peddles that follow old rail lines. In this case it is at the old Jeonju train station which is close to the new one. You can show the taxi drive this if it is a place you want to go: 택시 운전사분께 아중역으로 말하면 됩니다.
The railbikes themselves was a fun experience and went through many of the old rail tunnels. For the price it was a good experience to enjoy the mountain side of Jeonju and have a relaxing start to the afternoon. If you have extra time in Jeonju you really should check it out.
~Hanboks and Hanoks~
One of the best experiences in Jeonju is to wear traditional Korean clothes called a Hanbok. A Hanbok rental in Jeonju will cost anyway from ￦20,000 and up. You will be able to rent anything from a basic Hanbok to something that the king and queen would have worn. It’s a great experience to walk around the Hanok town and take some pictures. I recommend going to the royal portrait museum and taking some as well. Be sure to watch your rental time though as being late to return it will result in paying more money.
~Gyeonggijeon Shrine~
Gyeonggijeon Shrine is right in Jeonju Hanok village and is a great place to spend a few hours. The shrine is used to house the royal portraits of Korean kings and royal family. Inside it is done as a small palace just for these paintings. It is a great area to take photos while in Hanboks as there are many older buildings and a small forest that offer great photo taking spots.
Inside Gyeonggijeon shrine you will also find the royal portrait museum. This museum now houses the actual portraits of the kings. It is a smaller museum and won’t take much time to walk through but it is great to see these old paintings.
~Jeonjuhyanggyo Confucian School~
Jeonjuhyanggyo is a Confucian school located right in Jeonju Hanok village. The current buildings date back to 1603 and the area is quite large to walk around. The school houses a few tablets in which major Korean and Chinese Confucian scholars wrote down their thoughts. Not all of the buildings are open to the public so make sure to be respectful. There are large trees here as well which make a great photo spot.
~Omokdae and Imokdae~
Omokdae and Imokdae are large pavilions and parks on the edge of Jeonju Hanok village on top of a steep hill overlooking Jeonju hanoks. These are the places where the father of King Taejo had played war games and spent a lot of his time. King Taejo would later use this spot to celebrate his victory over the Japanese invaders during the Imjin war.
Many Koreans now use this place as a spot to relax and take a break. Inside the pavilions you can see many people having a picnic. I recommend buying some convenience store food and taking it with you to eat and enjoy the view of the Hanoks. Be sure to clean up after yourself as the pavilion is quite old.
~Jeondong Catholic Cathedral~
This is a large Catholic Cathedral right in the middle of Jeonju Hanok Village. The Cathedral was completed in 1914 and is done as a roman style cathedral. The cathedral is beautiful on the outside and inside and is a great photo spot. An interesting thing to note about this Cathedral is that a lot of the stonework in it was built from the old Jeonju fortress. The Japanese tore down the fortress and the builders used the bricks to build this cathedral.Inside of the cathedral
~What Else to do?~
Jeonju is a great place just to walk around. I recommend walking throughout the Hanok Village and just exploring all the small alleys and admiring the architecture of the area. There are many small cafes and shops all along the area. Take a peak in the windows and don’t be afraid to enter! There is also the Jeonju History Museum nearby but we didn’t have a chance to visit. Take a look at the gallery below for more photos of Jeonju!
~Where Else to Go~
We hope that you enjoyed following our trip to Jeonju! We believe that this will help you plan your trip to Jeonju and see some amazing things! If you liked this, please be sure to leave a reply below and subscribe to our website. Check out our travels to Insadong and Bukchon for more great adventures!
