Jeonju – Day 11 of a 14-Day Trip in South Korea
Next destination – Jeonju! Jeonju is a city in western South Korea – it is popular for its traditional hanok village (similarly to Gyeongju). The city is an hour train north of Suncheon or a 2.5 hour train south of Seoul. Jeonju seemed calmer and less busy than Gyeongju, which I found relaxing.
Day 11
Jeonju
We headed to the train station for our 9am train to Jeonju. We stopped by the convenience store in the train station to pick up kimbap for the road. Once in Jeonju, we took the bus into Jeonju city and made our way to our hanok hotel to drop our bags. We were staying at a mom and pop hanok hotel called the Mumum, which was owned and managed by the sweetest couple. We were early for check-in, so we left our bags at the hotel, then headed out for the day.
First stop – Gyeonggijeon Shrine, a hall built in the early 1400s that also has a portrait of King Lee Seonggae.
Afterwards, we walked to 동문원 콩나물국밥 for lunch. We were early for lunch and were the only people in the restaurant initially, but as it got closer to lunch, more and more people (including locals) came. We ordered the kongnamul gukbap (soybean sprouts soup with rice), bean sprout bibimbap, and mandu. One of the side dishes was silkworm pupae. He was courageous and tried some, but I could only watch – I am not adventurous especially when it involves eating insects! Otherwise the food was great!
Next, we wandered Jeonju Hanok Village on foot, stopping by Jeondong Cathedral, Pungnam Gate, Nambu Market, Gangnam Calligraphy Museum, Cheonyeollu Pavillion, and Jeonjuhyyanggyo Confucian School (in that order). Jeondong Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church built between 1908 and 1914. The Pungnam Gate did not seem as grand when we visited as it was under renovation at the time. It was built in 1734 during the Joseon dynasty. Nambu Market was quiet and like many other South Korean markets, is lined with stores selling produce and houseware. There are also restaurants and there is a night market on select days. The Gangnam Calligraphy Museum is a two floor building with two large rooms showing different forms of calligraphy – there is not much to see here, but it’s an option if you’re in the area. Cheonyeollu Pavilion is a great spot to rest your feet (no food or shoes allowed in the pavillion). We spent some time admiring the scenery of the mountains and the Jeonjuchun River (which runs through the city of Jeonju) from the pavilion. The Jeonjuhyyanggyo Confucian School was established during the Joseon Dynasty in 1410. There are still classes at the school and we had a lovely conversation of Korean and English using Google Translate with a volunteer, who was excited to tell us about the school.
We then walked to the Jaman Mural Village. The Jaman Mural Village is a cluster of homes with narrow pathways and wall lined with murals.
From there, we walked to the Omokdae Viewpoint. Omokdae is another pavilion, but this time located on top of a hill. It is also a monument dedicated to the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. After our rest at the pavilion, we visited the Jeonju Korean Traditional Alcohol Museum to learn more about the making of alcohol. We also got to sample alcohol – including moju, which is an alcoholic rice-base beverage brewed with herbs and spices. It is very low in alcohol (1-2%) and is local to Jeonju.
We walked back to our hanok hotel to check-in, before heading to dinner at Chunyun Nuri Bom. Chunyun Nuri Bom’s specialty is the makgeoilli (rice wine) pot. This means that you pay for a pot of makgeoilli bigger than your head and the restaurant also serves you a full meal. Makgeoilli is delicious and alcoholic – this is really dangerous! I believe the meal changes depending on what is in season, but we were served spicy pork, shrimp, buttery cheese and corn, seafood pancake, soup, kimchi, veggies, sweet potatoes, and silkwork pupae (just to name a few things!). All of this was ~$32CAD for the two of us – what a deal!
After 11 days of travel, our feet were exhausted, so we stopped for a herbal foot bath on the way home. The spot we picked was right above the PNB Chocopie in the center of Jeonju Hanok Village (not sure what the store is called). We picked our foot bath scent, were given spa pants to change into and got a free drink while we relaxed for 25 minutes.
We then, of course, stopped at the PNB Chocopie to pick up dessert before heading back to the Airbnb. Chocopie is a popular Korean cake/cookie consisting of two round cake slices, marshmallow filling, then covered in chocolate. I’ve had the grocery store chocopie before and thought it was ok – the chocolate covering was too thin and the filling too marshmallow-like. BUT PNB Chocopie is so tasty – the thick chocolate cover, the heavy cake slices and the marshmallow cream filling – absolutely perfect. They have different fillings and chocolate coverings as well, so lots of combinations to try. PNB Chocopie is originally from Jeonju, and the products are easy to find in Jeonju, but not so much outside of the city. I thought I would be able to buy some at the airport’s duty free to bring home to Canada, but I was disappointed when they were no where to be found. I will have to make sure I buy it from Jeonju directly next time!
Complete Day 11 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Kakao or Naver Maps for most accurate travel details.
8:00am: Have breakfast at the convenience store.
9:00am: Take the train from Suncheon Station to Jeonju (1 hour train from Suncheon Station).
11:00am: Visit Gyeonggijeon Shrine (35 minute bus from Jeonju Station).
12:00pm: Have lunch at 동문원 콩나물국밥 (10 minute walk from Gyeonggijeon Shrine). Order the kongnamul gukbap – a Jeonju staple!
1:00pm: Wander Jeonju Hanok Village. Visit Jeondong Cathedral (6 minute walk from Gyeonggijeon Shrine), Pungnam Gate (4 minute walk from Jeondong Cathedral), Nambu Market (2 minute walk from Pungnam Gate), Gangnam Calligraphy Museum (3 minute walk from Nambu Market), Cheonyeollu Pavilion (3 minute walk from Gangnam Calligraphy Museum), and Jeonjuhyyangyo Confucian School (7 minute walk from Cheonyeollu Pavillion).
3:00pm: Visit Jaman Mural Village (8 minute walk from Jeonjuhyyangyo Confucian School), then Omokdae Viewpoint (4 minute walk from Jaman Mural Village). Rest your feet at the pavilion! Visit the Jeonju Korean Traditional Alcohol Museum (7 minute walk from Omokdae Viewpoint).
5:00pm: Have a makgeoilli pot dinner at Chunyun Nuri Bom (7 minute walk from Jeonju Korean Traditional Alcohol Museum).
7:00pm: Enjoy a herbal foot bath (at the store above the PNB Chocopie store) (15 minute walk from Chunyun Nuri Bom).
8:00pm: Have chocopie from PNB Chocopie for dessert!
14-Day South Korea Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 14-Day South Korea Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip!
Travels with Carolyne 