Gwangjang Market & Naksan Wall

Getting to the start

3 min walk from Jongno 5-ga Station (Line 1) Exit 8, or 5 min from Euljiro 4-ga (Lines 2 and 5) Exit 4. The aisles get tight in the evening and seats disappear, so early afternoon is easier.

The route

1. 1

   Gwangjang Market

   Jongno 5-ga · 1h

   Seoul's oldest permanent market, open since 1905. It is now better known for food — mung-bean pancake and raw-beef stalls fill the aisles. Evenings are crowded and seating is tight, so come early afternoon if you want to sit. The upper floor is fabric and hanbok.

   Official site →
2. Bus25m

   Take Line 1 one stop from Jongno 5-ga to Dongdaemun, then the Jongno 03 village bus from Exit 5 to the Naksan Park terminus. To walk instead, go to Hyehwa Station (Line 4) Exit 2 and head up past Marronnier Park — about 10 minutes, uphill the whole way.

   2

   Naksan Park

   Hyehwa / Dongdaemun · 1h 30m

   A hill park where the old city wall runs along the ridge. You walk beside the wall with the centre of Seoul laid out below, and the wall is lit after dark. Free, never closed, so a late visit for the night view works. The way up is uphill the whole way.

   

   Official site →

Map

• Gwangjang Market →
• Naksan Park →

Also close by

Other places close to this route's stops — useful if you have time left or want to swap something out.

• Sewoon PlazaStreets & city · 1h343m
• Marronnier ParkStreets & city · 50m571m
• Jongmyo ShrineHeritage · 1h 30m772m
• Ikseon-dong Hanok StreetStreets & city · 1h896m
• DDP Dongdaemun Design PlazaStreets & city · 1h 30m1.0km

Good to do next

• Jongmyo & Sewoon PlazaJongno, Seoul · Half day

  A UNESCO-listed royal shrine and an elevated walkway built out of a 1968 arcade. Six hundred years and sixty sit on either side of one road.

• Ikseon-dong & DDP After DarkJongno & Jung-gu, Seoul · Half day

  Start in hanok alleys, end under the lit curves of a Zaha Hadid building. A century-old lane and contemporary architecture, two subway stops apart.

• Samcheong Museums Half-DayJongno, Seoul · Half day

  A contemporary art museum, a folk museum and a craft museum strung along one road. All three are within a ten-minute walk of each other, so bad weather does not break it.