Namsangol Hanok Village (남산골한옥마을)

14.0Km 2025-07-14

28 Toegye-ro 34-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

Namsangol Hanok Village opened in 1998 on the northern side of Namsan Mountain in the center of the capital. This village has five restored hanok (traditional Korean house) premises, a pavilion, a traditional garden, a performance art stage, and a time capsule plaza, making it a perfect spot for locals and tourists to take a leisure walk. Upon entering from the front gate, visitors will get a taste of Korea's traditional life while escaping from bustling city life. The traditional garden with its pavilion and old houses creates a peaceful ambiance before the forested Namsan Mountain. A time capsule commemorating Seoul’s 600th anniversary was buried in 1994 at the highest point of the village and is scheduled to be reopened 400 years later in 2394.

The five hanok premises at Namsangol Hanok Village once belonged to aristocrats and government officials of the Joseon dynasty. Each house was originally located in a different neighborhood, but they were all moved to this area and restored to their original form. The houses were rebuilt using their original materials, except for one house, where the materials were too old and deteriorated to be reused. The premises were carefully restored and replicated according to their original form to depict the owners’ social class and personality. These buildings are now used as an exhibit to portray the living environment during the Joseon dynasty and as a venue for educational and cultural programs for children and tourists.

Some of the unique programs and activities to participate in include wearing hanbok, folding hanji (traditional Korean paper), writing in Korean, traditional tea ceremony, traditional etiquette school, and herbal medicine experience. There are also taekwondo demonstrations and other various performances held around the village. Visitors can also try traditional games such as yunnori (traditional board game), or understand more about the area through a guided tour.

Bunni Studios Optical - Myeongdong Branch (바니스튜디오 안경(명동역점))

14.0Km 2024-04-02

21 Myeongdong 8ga-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

Bunni Studios is an optical store geared toward the younger generation, offering quality glasses and color contact lenses. The staff are able to provide service in a range of foreign languages, including English, Japanese, and Chinese. Bunni Studios collaborates with popular lens producers, and offers over 500 types of lenses. Shoppers can also have products delivered to their hotel within Seoul if they shop does not have the item in stock. International tourists can make tax-free purchases.

JUNG SUNG BON SHABU SUKI (정성본샤브수끼칼국수)

14.0Km 2021-03-20

23-3, Myeongdong, 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-752-4800

A good place to visit when you want to eat hot soup. This restaurant's signature menu is shabu-shabu. This shabu-shabu restaurant is located in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Café de paris (카페드파리)

14.0Km 2021-03-30

40, Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-755-9646

A place where you can enjoy various Western dishes. This restaurant's signature menu is pane pasta. This Western dishes restaurant is located in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Myeong-dong Myeong Pharmacy [Tax Refund Shop] (명동명약국)

14.0Km 2024-04-19

#102, 11, Namdaemun-ro 7-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

-

Seoul Former Russian Legation (서울 구 러시아공사관)

14.0Km 2020-06-18

21-18, Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3396-5882

The Russian Legation was built in a Renaissance style in 1890. Russian architect, A. J. Scredin Sabatine designed the structure. In 1895, during the Joseon dynasty, the Eulmisabyeon Incident took place as a show of force by the Japanese.

Empress Myeongseong-hwanghu was emerging as a strong figure in Korea at a time when a power struggle between Japan, China, Russia, and other powers were taking place. Japanese Minister, Miura Goro saw her as a threat and ordered her assassination. After hearing news of the Empress’s assassination, King Gojong and the Crown Prince sought refuge in the Russian Embassy for one year.

After 1945, the Soviet Union took over the embassy until it was almost completely destroyed by a fire during the Korean War [1950~1953]. The only remaining parts of the building are the tower and basement areas. The building was restored to its current condition in 1973 and is now enjoyed by many as a public park.

Jeju Mihang (제주미항)

14.0Km 2021-03-19

30-1, Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-319-1213

A place where you can enjoy dishes using well-known materials on Jeju Island. The best menu at this restaurant is braised cutlassfish. This Korean dishes restaurant is located in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Seowon (서원)

14.0Km 2024-03-11

141, Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-776-0214

Located in Myeongdong Street, Seowon focuses on porridge. It boasts a wide variety of porridge made with abalone, chicken, samgye (chicken and ginseng) mushrooms, oysters, shrimp, vegetables, etc. They also have Korean-style juices made with ginseng, fruits, and vegetables that goes well after finishing porridge. The restaurant opens early in the morning, so it's a great place to grab a quick breakfast.

The Picker (더피커)

14.0Km 2024-01-05

9 Wangsimni-ro 14-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

The Picker is Korea's first zero-waste shop that opened in 2016, and has a sophisticated and comfortable atmosphere. The shop is filled with eco-friendly bathroom products, gardening products, kitchen products, stationery, and more. It is fun to look around as it has many products essential to everyday life made from very environmentally friendly materials such as bamboo toothbrushes, solid perfume, shampoo bars, plastic-free corn floss, natural surfactants like soapnut fruits, and glass and silicone straws.

Lf Hazzys - Myeong-dong [Tax Refund Shop] (LF(명동헤지스종합))

14.0Km 2024-04-19

28, Myeongdong 8ga-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

-

Namsangol Hanok Village (남산골한옥마을) - Area information - Korea travel information