Donuimun Museum Village (돈의문박물관마을)

1.1Km 2024-07-22

14-3 Songwol-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Donuimun Museum Village is a historical and cultural space situated in the city center reborn through Seoul-style urban generation while still maintaining its historical value as the first village within the western gate of Hanyangdoseong as well as the lives and memories from the city's modern and contemporary era.

Together with the neighboring area surrounding Gyonam-dong, Jongno-gu, Donuimun Museum Village was selected for inclusion in the "Donuimun New Town" in 2003 for which all of the existing buildings were to be torn down to construct a neighborhood park. But the city of Seoul had another plan in mind; it wanted to maintain this small village, where the old lives and memories are still well-preserved, as a village museum to not only spread the historical significance of Saemunan Village, the first neighborhood within the western gate of Hanyangdoseong (the Seoul City Wall) but also establish the village as a historical and cultural asset for all Seoul citizens. The village was remodeled while keeping the buildings as untouched as possible and, in a few sites where houses had been torn down, broad yards were created. As a result, the warm and affectionate appearance of the village including modern structures, urban-style hanok, and streets with 100 years of history still remain today in their original places to be reborn as a place of new culture enjoyed and experienced by citizens.

Today, Donuimun Museum Village welcomes visitors with a new concept, "100 Years of Seoul, Time Travel Playground in the City." The village has undergone a significant overhaul to fill itself with "participation-style" spaces and contents where exhibits, experience sessions, performances, and marketplaces are held year-round while keeping 40 or so existing buildings intact in order to solidify its identity as a "living museum village," which is the original intention behind the village's creation.

853 (팔오삼)

1.1Km 2024-03-15

16 Insadong 12-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-70-8832-0853

853 is a pork barbecue restaurant located in a renovated hanokin Insa-dong, offering various cuts of pork such as shoulder, belly, blade-end fatback, and pork neck. They use thick cuts of domestically sourced pork and grill them to perfection, ensuring they are juicy and flavorful. Customers can enjoy dipping their meat in one of four sauces: Himalayan rock salt, mustard seeds and wasabi, salted cutlassfish intestines, and barley mixed paste. Their flying fish roe riceball mixed with pickled radish salad, burdock root, flying fish roe, perilla leaves, and mayonnaise pairs perfectly with the meat.

Kyung-In Museum of Fine Art (경인미술관)

1.1Km 2024-03-04

11-4, Insadong 10-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-733-4448

Kyung-In Museum of Fine Art is located in Insa-dong. It has six exhibition rooms, an atelier, an outdoor exhibition area, and a traditional tea house. It hosts outdoor concerts in spring and fall, and Q&A sessions with authors can also be found as well. The traditional tea house offers about 15 types of traditional Korean tea in a space that overlooks the garden.

Jeontong Dawon (전통다원)

1.1Km 2024-03-18

11-4 Insadong 10-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-730-6305

Jeontong Dawon is a hanok-style tea house located in Insa-dong. It offers seating both inside the hanok and in the outdoor garden, allowing guests to choose their preferred spot. Visitors can enjoy various types of traditional Korean tea along with traditional Korean snacks such as yugwa (fried rice sweet). It is situated within the Kyung-in Museum of Fine Art premises, offering the opportunity to explore the museum as well.

Sieunjae (시은재)

1.1Km 2024-12-23

439 , Samil-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-10-5355-3029

Sieunjae is a hanok stay that has stood in the midst of busy Gyeongun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, for generations. The guestrooms comprise an anbang (bedroom plus living room), three smaller rooms, and a byeolchae or detached house. All rooms have a toilet, and there’s a well-equipped shared kitchen and a washing machine. Guests can either rent individual rooms or the whole hanok. Jongno is convenient for travel to all the historic sites of Seoul, and there’s a public carpark nearby.

Insa-dong (인사동)

1.1Km 2024-05-17

62, Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-734-0222

Insa-dong, located in the heart of the city, is an important place where old but precious traditional goods are on display. There is one main road in Insa-dong with alleys on each side. Within these alleys are galleries, traditional restaurants, teahouses, and cafes.

The galleries are the heartbeat of Insa-dong. There are about 100 galleries in the area offering every example of traditional Korean fine art from paintings to sculptures. The most famous galleries are Hakgojae Gallery, which functions as the center of folk art, Gana Art Gallery, which promotes many promising artists, and Gana Art Center.

The teahouses and restaurants are the perfect complement to the galleries. They are hidden deep within the twisting alleyways, making it feel like a treasure hunt. The shops in Insa-dong are very popular among all age groups, because each one is unique.

Every Saturday from 14:00 to 22:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 22:00, the main street is blocked to vehicular traffic and it becomes a cultural space. Stores set up booths outside and Korean candy merchants and fortune teller stalls can easily be found; there are traditional performances and exhibits as well. Insa-dong is especially popular among international tourists. This is where they can experience and see traditional Korean culture first-hand, and also purchase pieces of fine art.

Hillhouse Hotel / 힐하우스 호텔

1.1Km 2025-03-18

42 , Sogong-ro 3-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-777-8135

Hill House Hotel is a business hotel at the foot of Namsan Mountain in Seoul. Free internet is available in all rooms, and there is a shared microwave on the first floor. A free luggage storage service is provided for customers’ convenience. Nearby transport links include Hoehyeon subway station, Seoul Station, and Myeongdong subway station, so this is a good base for exploring downtown Seoul. Namsan Park, N Seoul Tower and Namdaemun Market are all within walking distance.

Manseon Hof (만선호프)

1.1Km 2024-03-15

19, Eulji-ro 13-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-2274-1040

Located in Euljiro Nogari Alley, Manseon Hof is a beer bar. The place is bustling late at night with people drinking beer and eating snacks like nogari (dried young pollack) and fried chicken at sidewalk tables. It is a great place to enjoy a cold draft beer and grilled dried young pollack dipped in spicy sauce and mayonnaise. Golbaengi muchim (sea snail salad) and gyeran mari (rolled omelet) are also other popular accompaniments.

Bukchon-ri Dullegol (북촌리둘레골)

1.1Km 2021-03-19

44 Insadong 14-gil Jongno-gu Seoul
+82-2-747-9700

A restaurant with Korean traditional house-themed interior design. The representative menu is Korean table d''hote. This is a Korean cuisine located in Insa-dong, Seoul.

Jeonjujip (전주집)

1.1Km 2024-10-15

16-15 Supyo-ro, 20-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-2278-3311

A store featured several times in Korean gourmet programs. This Korean dishes restaurant is located in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The most famous menu is kimchi cabbage wraps with pork and oysters.

Donuimun Museum Village (돈의문박물관마을) - Area information - Korea travel information