In Jeonju, Hanbok Is the School Uniform: Walking the Hanok Village in Hanbok

Part 15 of 39 in Only Here: 39 Things You Can Only Do in Korea

Walk Taejo-ro in Jeonju Hanok Village and it is the people in jeans who stand out, because most visitors rent hanbok and wear it all day. In November the 400-year-old ginkgo at Jeonju Hyanggyo turns gold behind them.

Featured photo: Park Eun-suk / Korea Tourism Organization, KOGL Type 1

Only Here: 39 Things You Can Only Do in Korea · Part 15 · Jeonju

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At a glance

• What: Rent hanbok and spend half a day on Gyeonggijeon, Jeondong Cathedral, the Jeonju Hyanggyo ginkgo and the Omokdae viewpoint.
• Hanbok rental: Dozens of rental shops around Taejo-ro and Eunhaeng-ro. Basic hanbok are rented for two to four hours; prices vary by shop, so compare a few. Hair accessories and photo shoots cost extra.
• Admission: Gyeonggijeon is ₩3,000 ($2.30) for adults, ₩2,000 for teens, students and soldiers, ₩1,000 for children, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check the Jeonju city site for any hanbok discount and November hours. Jeondong Cathedral, Jeonju Hyanggyo and Omokdae are free.
• Jeonju Hyanggyo: Reported as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer, closed Mondays (@rereon__); check before you go.
• Ginkgo season: Early to mid-November each year. Many say it’s prettiest once the leaves fall and lay a yellow carpet across the courtyard (@rereon__).
• Getting there, short version: About three hours by bus from Incheon Airport (₩34,000). From Seoul, about 1 hour 40 minutes by KTX from Yongsan Station.

Also read: Gyeongju's Autumn Peaks at Bulguksa's 1,200-Year-Old Stone Bridges: Fall Foliage at Bulguksa and Seokguram

The right route in hanbok

1. Pick your hanbok at a Taejo-ro rental shop

Many shops open around 10 a.m. Go early for more choice and shorter lines. These days you can choose not only Joseon-style traditional hanbok but also early-modern school uniforms, the king’s dragon robe, and Jewel in the Palace costumes.

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2. Walk Gyeonggijeon’s bamboo grove and red gate

Gyeonggijeon was built in 1410 to house the royal portrait of King Taejo. The bamboo path inside the walls and the spots under its old trees are where hanbok photos come out best.

3. See Jeondong Cathedral over the Gyeonggijeon wall

There’s a spot where Jeondong Cathedral’s red brick and blue-green domes rise behind Gyeonggijeon’s tiled roofs. A hanok and a cathedral in the same frame is a scene you only get in Jeonju (@heyroo70).

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4. Take the front-on photo at Jeondong Cathedral

Completed in 1914, Jeondong Cathedral is known as the first Western-style building in the Honam region. Shoot upward from the foot of the front steps for a hanbok-against-red-brick contrast. Don’t go inside during Mass.

5. Sit under the Jeonju Hyanggyo ginkgo

At the southern end of the Hanok Village, Jeonju Hyanggyo, a Confucian school, has ginkgo trees over 400 years old. Climb to the second floor of Manhwaru, the entrance pavilion, and you’ll see the ginkgo and the main shrine hall together (@rereon__). It’s also known as a filming location for the drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal.

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6. Climb Omokdae and look down on the hanok roofs

Climb Omokdae, on the hill east of the Hanok Village, and hundreds of tiled roofs spread out like waves. It’s ten minutes on foot from the village, and lit at night, which makes it an evening walk too (@mjinverse_travel).

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Top 10 things to do in Jeonju Hanok Village

1. Hanbok on a carpet of ginkgo leaves (photo spot)

When every ginkgo leaf has fallen in the Hyanggyo courtyard, the ground turns entirely yellow. Stand in hanbok on the path in front of the main hall, and you have the textbook Jeonju autumn photo.

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2. Be king for a day in the dragon robe (experience)

Gyeonggijeon is the shrine to King Taejo’s portrait, so plenty of people visit in the king’s dragon robe. The Royal Portrait Museum inside Gyeonggijeon displays Taejo’s portrait; check whether the original or a replica is on show.

3. A hanok and a cathedral in one frame (photo spot)

Besides the Gyeonggijeon-wall angle in step 3 above, there’s a spot on the second floor of a hanok café across Taejo-ro that looks down on the cathedral domes.

4. Omokdae at night (see)

After sunset the Omokdae pavilion and fortress path are lit. Coming down from Omokdae toward the village, the glow spreading over the tiled roofs is lovely.

5. Hanbyeokdang and Hanbyeok Tunnel (K-drama moment)

Hanbyeokdang, a pavilion on a cliff over the Jeonjucheon stream south of the village, and Hanbyeok Tunnel below it are known as filming locations for the drama Twenty-Five Twenty-One. They’re listed among Jeonju’s free spots for November (@daehan_pic).

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6. Jaman Mural Village (photo spot)

Cross the Omokdae footbridge and you’re in Jaman Mural Village on the hill. Every alley wall has a painting, and from the top you look down on the Hanok Village roofs.

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7. Walk the hanok back alleys (see)

Fewer tourists go into the narrow alleys behind Taejo-ro and Eunhaeng-ro. Many have tiles and foliage layered over the walls.

8. The from-behind hanbok photo (photo spot)

Not happy with your face in photos? Shoot from behind. One post said “I took 300 shots and the only keeper was one of my back,” and the comments were full of agreement (@sodumog20). The hanbok skirt and hanok eaves look better from behind anyway.

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9. A night in a hanok stay (experience)

The village has plenty of hanok guesthouses with ondol heated floors. Walking the alleys in the evening after the day-trippers have gone, without hanbok, is often what you remember most. Prices are in the hotel list below.

10. Hanok Village street snacks (eat)

Taejo-ro is lined with shops selling door-shaped skewers, yukjeon (beef pancakes), baguette burgers and handmade choco pies. For a proper meal, see Nambu Market and bean-sprout gukbap in Part 16; for a night of drinks, the gamaek beer shops in Part 17.

Nearby

• Nambu Market and night market: Five minutes on foot from Pungnammun Gate. Part 16.
• Gamaek beer alley: Part 17.
• Jeolla Gamyeong: West of the village, the rebuilt Joseon-era provincial government office.
• National Intangible Heritage Center: Across from Jeonju Hyanggyo, with free parking.

Hotels nearby

Prices are Google Maps nightly rates, checked October 26, 2026 ($1 = about ₩1,325).

• Hanok stays: Jeonju Hanok Village Hotel (4.6), about $51; Bihanok, Jeonju Hanok Village (5.0), about ₩44,000 ($33); Hanok Hotel Gung (3.6), about ₩39,000 ($29).
• Regular hotels: Lahan Hotel Jeonju (4-star, 4.2), about $124; Shilla Stay Jeonju (4.4), about $101; Best Western Plus Jeonju (4-star, 4.1), about $63.

Getting there

① From Incheon Airport (Jeonju’s de facto gateway airport)

• Direct airport bus: From Incheon Airport Terminal 1, buses run to the Jeonju limousine terminal (near Jeonju Express Bus Terminal), reported at 19 a day, about 3 hours to 3 hours 45 minutes, ₩34,000 ($26) for adults, ₩37,800 late at night. There are also departures from Terminal 2; first bus 5:45 a.m., last 10:45 p.m. From Terminal 2 there’s also a bus to Jeonju Intercity Bus Terminal (about 22 a day, about 3 hours 31 minutes, ₩30,700). Check the current timetable and fares before you fly.
• Terminal to the Hanok Village: About 15 minutes by taxi, or a city bus to the “Hanok Village” stop (check the route number on Naver Map).
• By train: AREX to Seoul Station, Line 1 to Yongsan Station, KTX to Jeonju Station (about 1 hour 40 minutes), then a city bus or taxi to the village (around 20 minutes). Check Korail for the fare.

② The closest airport: Gunsan

• Gunsan Airport, the closest to Jeonju, is a small domestic airport mostly served from Jeju, so for travelers arriving from abroad the direct bus from Incheon is the simplest option.

From Myeongdong

• Line 4 from Myeongdong to Seoul Station, Line 1 to Yongsan Station (about 15 minutes), then KTX to Jeonju Station. Or take an express bus to Jeonju from Seoul Express Bus Terminal or Central City Terminal (around 2 hours 40 minutes; check when you book).

Sources

• Incheon Airport to Jeonju bus timetables and fares: Korea express and intercity bus timetables, Terminal 2 to Jeonju Intercity Bus Terminal
• Gyeonggijeon admission and hours: travel information sites
• Jeonju Hyanggyo’s 400-year-old ginkgo, free entry: Telltrip
• About 700 hanok: Korea Economic Daily
• Jeonju Hyanggyo hours, Manhwaru photo spot: @rereon__ on Instagram
• Hanbyeok Tunnel as a Twenty-Five Twenty-One location: @daehan_pic on Instagram
• YouTube view counts, Google Maps ratings and hotel rates: checked October 26, 2026
• Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1), photographer credited on each photo; embedded public Instagram posts and YouTube videos