Seoul walking tour 2

Walk 2 (approx 1 hour +) - Bukchon Cultural Centre, Hyundai HQ, the location for Korean tv drama 'Winter Sonata' (Chung-ang High School), the Humanities, Embroidery, Gahoe, and Chicken Art museums, and assorted galleries, great hill top views to shoot and coffee shops and restuarants to water and rest at along the way. Take this map with you. This walk also passes nearby most of the traditional 'hanok' guesthouses, so pop in to check them out for next time.

Start from exit number 3 at Anguk Station and walk east toward the Secret Garden. Turn north into the first road on your left and you will see the Hyundai headquarter building on your right (pictured left below). Just before the first intersection you will see the Bukchon Cultural Centre (pictured right below), which is a great place to strart this walk.

Continue north up this road (away from Anguk station and Hyundai HQ), across the intersection and head toward Chung-ang Middle/High School at the top of the gentle rise.

This road is not yet as attractive as some other roads in the area - it has not yet been 'beautified' (but my guess is it will only another 18 months). So there are still many local businesses, as well as a growing number of newer, trendier shops and cafes. One of my favourites is Cop-pee Han-chan (A Cup of Coffee, pictured right above). No frills in this interior - its deliberate rough finish creates a comfortable space where local artists to gather.

If you fancy a more traditional Korean setting for a rest stop, drop into the Bukchon Guesthouse (pictured left above) or the Tea Guesthouse (above centre) which are locatd up narrow alleys on either side of Cop-pee Hanchan. If you feel like really freshening up on the walk, drop into the local public bathhouse right opposite (pictured right above).

Make sure you drop into the many art and craft galleries on the way, located on the map including several lacquerware Bongsan Artcentre, a silversmith artists' workshop and a contemporary Korean stone sculpture gallery Zeeno Space.

At the top of the hill is Chung-ang Middle/High School, made famous among Koreans and Japanese and other fans of Korean soapies, for being the site of the 'Winter Sonata' drama series in 2002. If you are a fan, there are plenty of places to buy all sorts of plastic goodies emblazed with the soapie stars' faces. If not, the school grounds are still worth a visit inside, including to the Museum of Humanities.

As you stand in front of the school, turn left up the hill and take your first left, again up a narrow road up the hill (pictured right above). Just over the rise of this hill, the road winds left. As it does so, on the right-hand corner is the Hanshangsoo Embroidery Museum (pictured left below) which houses a collection of historic embroidery, fabrics, clothes and related folk items, including by Sangsoo Han, 'Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 80'. Definitely worth dropping into for the great hilltop vistas.

Continue down the hill dropping into the Gahoe Museum on your right (pictured left below), which houses over 1,500 folk paintings, amulets, books, and other miscellaneous folk items.

Explore a few of the side alleys along this road to gain a better sense of what the area felt like before cars invaded. At the t-junction at the bottom of this road, turn right again heading down the hill. On the left, you could visit yet another hanok opened to the public for a modest price - the Dongrim Medeum Hanok - if you just can't get enough (pictured right below).

At the bottom of the hill you will emerge onto the main Gahoe-dong road. There is a lot to see along here, including the Seoul Museum of Chicken Art (turn right up the hill), the Bukchon Art Museum, and an assortment of furntiure/interior, clothing, tea, antique, ceramic, and other design galleries/shops. Spend some time exploring the shops along this stretch of road.

My favourite today is up an interior/furniture design gallery and cafe located up a side alley called Chairs on the Hill (pictured left below). You need to turn into the narrow road on the right between the Bukchon Art Museum (pictured) and the Gahoe-dong local office. The corner is also marked by a striking piece of street sculpture/bench called 'Two men eating a biscuit' (pictured right below)

After your visit, take the narrow alley on the right halfway down the hill before you reach the main Gahoi-dong road, which will emerge just behind the Wood & Brick. Turn right so you come out and you will come out between Seomi and Tuus Gallery and at The Corner Gallery next to the Wood and Brick restaurant (pictured right below).

You must be getting hungry by now. There are a few upmarket international and Korean restaurants and several coffee shops around the Je-dong Primary School intersection.

If you still have time and the inclination, start Walk 1 from here (or Walk 3 which I will upload soon). If not, head back to Anguk station noticing the Constitutional Court on your right and finish off with an excellent value for money coffee at the Beautiful Cafe, just past the court, also on the right.