In this guide
- Getting there from Seoul
- Day 1, late morning: Jeondong Cathedral and Gyeonggijeon
- Day 1, afternoon: Hanok Village on foot
- Day 1, around sunset: Omokdae
- Day 1, evening: Nambu Night Market (Friday and Saturday)
- Day 2, morning: Jaman Mural Village and Jeonju Hyanggyo
- Day 2, afternoon: back to Seoul or further south
- Small things that help
Jeonju is one of the easiest overnight trips from Seoul. The KTX takes about 1 hour 40 minutes, and once you reach the old center, almost everything is on foot. Its Hanok Village holds more than 700 traditional houses, with a royal shrine on one side of the road and a brick cathedral on the other. This plan brings you in by late morning, gives you an evening at the market, and sends you on your way after lunch the next day. One detail decides your dates: Nambu Night Market runs only on Friday and Saturday evenings, so arrive on one of those days if you can.
Getting there from Seoul
- By KTX: about 1 hour 40 minutes from Yongsan Station to Jeonju Station, according to VisitKorea and the city of Jeonju. The city notes that more trains leave from Yongsan than from Seoul Station, so if Seoul Station looks sold out, search from Yongsan.
- By express bus: about 2 hours 40 minutes from Seoul Central City Terminal to Jeonju Express Bus Terminal.
- Booking: use the Korail website or app; the city says you need your passport and an email address, and overseas cards are accepted. Tickets usually go on sale a month ahead, and weekend and holiday seats sell out.
- From Jeonju Station: the station is outside the old center. The city lists several buses, including 79 and 119, to the Jeondong Catholic Church stop, about 25 minutes away. From the express bus terminal, routes 79 and 999 take about 15 minutes. Confirm the route in Naver Map or KakaoMap, or take a taxi.
Day 1, late morning: Jeondong Cathedral and Gyeonggijeon
The bus stop puts you right in front of Jeondong Cathedral. It was built between 1908 and 1914 on the ground where Catholic martyrs of the Joseon era were executed, in gray and red brick, mixing Romanesque and Byzantine styles. It is a working parish, so visitors can't go inside during Mass; the schedule is on the parish site.
Across the road is Gyeonggijeon, founded in 1410 to house the portrait of King Taejo, Yi Seong-gye, who founded the Joseon dynasty. Inside the walls you will find the main hall, the Jeonju archive that once stored the dynasty's official records, and the Royal Portrait Museum, which shows Taejo's portrait. Opening hours change with the season, and the city's museum page carries a notice about painting work on the main hall, so check it before you go.
Day 1, afternoon: Hanok Village on foot
Have lunch nearby. VisitKorea points to Jeonju's bibimbap, bean sprout soup with rice and street snacks as the local food to look for. Then spend the afternoon in the lanes, where small museums, galleries, craft shops and teahouses sit among the tile roofs. Renting a hanbok is a popular way to do it. People still live here, so keep your voice down in the quieter alleys.
Day 1, around sunset: Omokdae
Take the alley beside the Crafts Exhibition Hall's garden to the forest path, pass the old guardian tree, and climb the deck stairs to Omokdae. Tradition says Yi Seong-gye stopped here to hold a feast on his way home after defeating Japanese raiders in 1380, a dozen years before he founded his dynasty. Today the pavilion is known for its panoramic view over the village roofs. Go down before it is fully dark if you are alone; lanterns light the lanes below once evening comes.
Day 1, evening: Nambu Night Market (Friday and Saturday)
Walk down Taejo-ro past the cathedral toward Pungnammun Gate. Nambu Market has been a public market since 1905 and has about 800 shops. On Friday and Saturday evenings, stalls fill a 100-meter stretch of Pungnammun 2-gil starting from Pungnammun Intersection, selling things like grilled octopus skewers and stir-fried chicken feet. VisitKorea notes that many stalls close early once they run out of ingredients, so don't leave it too late. The Youth Mall, on the second floor of Building 6, has cafés and craft shops. It gets crowded, so keep your bag closed and in front of you.
If your dates miss the night market, spend the evening walking Hanok Village under its lanterns instead. Soup restaurants inside the market are another easy option for dinner alone.
Day 2, morning: Jaman Mural Village and Jeonju Hyanggyo
Go back up to Omokdae and cross the Omokdae Overpass to Jaman Mural Village, a hillside neighborhood with painted walls and narrow lanes. Return to the village and walk to Jeonju Hyanggyo, the old Confucian school, which you enter through Manhwaru. The city's alley walk passes its ginkgo trees, and also the 600-year-old ginkgo on Eunhaeng-ro.
Day 2, afternoon: back to Seoul or further south
Allow plenty of time for the bus or taxi back to Jeonju Station. Many people return to Seoul from here; our three days in Seoul fits around this trip. You can also keep going: Jeonju is on the same rail line as the south coast, roughly an hour by KTX from Suncheon and an hour and a half from Yeosu. Our Yeosu and Suncheon plan picks up there, and the seven-day Korea route links them all.
Small things that help
- Wear comfortable shoes. Omokdae and the mural village both involve stairs and slopes.
- After two days of walking, keep the next evening quiet. Our notes on resting well on a Korea trip may help.
