Travelling Out of Seoul : Jeonju – 2D1N itinerary

Want to take a short trip out of Seoul but don’t know where to go? Look no further! Take a day trip (or 2 days) out to Jeonju, the UNESCO City of Gastronomy for a feast for the eyes and tummy 😛

I recently visited Jeonju as it was highly recommended by several Korean friends. I was there for 3 days, 2 nights. However, I feel that 2 days, 1 night is sufficient.

Here is my suggested itinerary for Jeonju. Most of the attractions are near one another so this is mostly a walking tour.

Day 1:

1. Nambu Market

Nambu Market is like Gwangjang Market in Seoul. It sells dried goods, blankets etc, and has restaurants. One difference is that it has a 2nd floor that is catered to the younger crowd.

Stairs to the 2nd floor of Nambu Market

There are shops selling crafts, accessories etc on the 2nd floor

2. Pungnammun Gate

This gate is located near Nambu Market. You can walk there within 5 mins.

Pungnammun Gate

3. Jeondong Catholic Church

Church

4. Jeonju Hanok Village

Flowers bloom outside the palace in Jeonju Hanok Village

– Street food 😛

Many people visit Jeonju for its good food. It has been nominated as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Click here to see some of the food I tried in Jeonju Hanok Village.

– Rent hanbok (traditional Korean dress) for a few hours.

– Jeonju Traditional Hanji Center

Jeonju is famous for producing Hanji paper for thousands of years. At the Hanji Center, you can see traditional paper making using the pulp of the mulberry tree. However, you cannot make Hanji paper at this Hanji Center. If you want to try making Hanji paper, you will have to go to the Jeonju Hanji Museum, which is quite a distance from the Hanok Village.

This is a Mulberry tree.

The bark of the Mulberry tree is peeled off and the inner part is used to make traditional Jeonju Hanji paper. Colour is added to the pulp to make coloured Hanji paper. This high quality Hanji paper from Jeonju is then used to make various items such as notebooks, plates, lamps etc. You can buy these items as souvenirs at various shops within the Hanok Village.

Tourist information centre:

There is also a tourist information centre within Jeonju Hanok Village. There will be staff there that can speak English and introduce some places to visit in Jeonju. Also, a lady there brought us to the Hanji Centre and explained the Hanji paper making process to us since the people at the Hanji Centre could not speak English.

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Day 2:

1. Jaman Mural Village

This mural village is near the Jeonju Hanok Village (cross an overhead bridge at the end of Jeonju Hanok Village, then turn right). It is a village with many old houses painted with murals. Some of the buildings have been converted to cafes and restaurants. One interesting cafe there sells Bibimbap waffle. However, I did not try it.

2. Imokdae

We saw Imokdae when we were walking from Jaman Mural Village to Jeonju Hanok Village

3. Omokdae

Omokdae is on a small hill.

From Omokdae, you can look down and have a view of Jeonju Hanok Village.

4. Gaeksa-gil shopping district

This shopping area within Jeonju Gaeksa has many shops and restaurants. The shops there are pretty similar to the ones in Myeongdong, Seoul (e.g. Innisfree, Etude House, Face Shop, Artbox, Zara, H&M…). However, the stand-alone clothing shops in Jeonju are cheaper than the ones in Seoul.

Alright, that’s all for now. Feel free to also leave a comment if you have any questions 🙂