Seoul Geumseonsa Temple (금선사(서울)) - Area information - Korea travel information

Seoul Geumseonsa Temple (금선사(서울))

Seoul Geumseonsa Temple (금선사(서울))

11.4Km    2021-08-17

137, Bibong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-395-9911

Geumseonsa Temple is located within Bukhansan National Park, just behind Cheong Wa Da (The Blue House) and Gyeongbokgung Palace. The entrance to the temple is just off the hiking path to Bibong Peak.

After passing Banyajeon Hall, where Buddhist services are held, visitors will see a pine tree over 200 years old, and beyond that, a staircase with 108 steps leading up to Daejeokgwangjeon Hall in the temple's main area. To the right is Samseonggak House and Hongyegyo Bridge over the clear waters flowing down from the mountain.

Additional temple buildings include Mitajeon Hall and Yeonhwadang Hall, built in 2004 by Monk Beopan; and Jeokmukdang Hall, built using traditional construction techniques.

Seoul Hyochang Park (서울 효창공원)

11.4Km    2024-07-09

177-18 Hyochangwon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
+82-2-2199-7608

Hyochang Park covers 122,245 square meters spanning across Hyochang-dong and Cheongpa 2-dong. It is a historic landmark that once contained several royal tombs, and was known at that time as Hyochangwon. The cemeteries that were originally located in Hyochangwon belonged to Crown Prince Munhyo, King Jeongjo’s first son who died at the age of five; Royal Noble Consort Uibin of the Seong Clan, King Jeongjo’s royal concubine and Crown Prince Munhyo’s mother; Royal Noble Consort Sugui of the Park Clan, King Sunjo’s royal concubine; and her daughter Princess Yeongon. The royal tombs were moved to Seooreung Tombs in the waning months of the Japanese colonial period. The Japanese empire began the development of Hyochangwon into a park in 1924, and the Japanese governor-general officially assigned the site as a park in 1940.

Presently, several of Korea’s greatest leaders are buried in Hyochang Park. The remains mostly belong to independence activists including Yoon Bong-gil, Lee Bong-chang, and Baek Jeong-gi, whose graves are collectively known as Samuisa Tomb. A statue of Lee Bong-chang has been built in the graveyard. Among the other patriotic martyrs who are interred in the park are Kim Gu and some of the key figures of the provisional government such as Lee Dong-nyeong, Cha I-seok, and Cho Seong-hwan. An ancestral shrine named Uiyeolsa has been built along the main gate and holds the portraits of the deceased independence activists.

Jeonju Kongnamul Hanu Gukbap (전주콩나물한우국밥)

Jeonju Kongnamul Hanu Gukbap (전주콩나물한우국밥)

11.4Km    2021-03-19

33, Simgok-ro, 9beon-gil, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
+82-32-613-3131

Experience Jeonju-style bean sprout rice soup. The representative menu is bean sprout and rice soup. This is a Korean cuisine located in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do.

Club Espresso (클럽에스프레소)

Club Espresso (클럽에스프레소)

11.4Km    2024-02-20

132 Changuimun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Club Espresso is a café that opened in 1990, constructed with red bricks. They roast their own coffee beans, offering a diverse coffee menu. The Moon Blend, a blend of Colombian, Brazilian, Ethiopian, and Guatemalan beans, is a favorite among regulars and is made with the coffee bean ratio favored by former President Moon Jae-in. Nearby attractions include the Yun Dongju Hill (Cheongun Park) and the Yun Dong-ju Literary Museum, dedicated to the poet beloved by Koreans.

Himart - Bucheon Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (하이마트 부천점)

Himart - Bucheon Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (하이마트 부천점)

11.4Km    2024-04-18

3F, 175, Gyeongin-ro, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do

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Jaha Sonmandu (자하손만두)

Jaha Sonmandu (자하손만두)

11.4Km    2024-03-06

12 Baekseokdong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-379-2648

Jaha Sonmandu is a mandu specialty restaurant located in Buam-dong. Their signature dish is mandu guk (mandu soup), which features dumplings filled with beef, pork, mung beans, and bean curd, boiled in a clear broth. The chewy mandu skin and the clean-tasting broth, flavored with homemade soy sauce, are highlights of the dish. Housed in a renovated residential building, the restaurant offers a refined yet homey atmosphere for dining. Through the windows, diners can enjoy a refreshing view of Inwangsan Mountain.

SOSO House (소소하우스)

SOSO House (소소하우스)

11.4Km    2024-12-13

16-5 , Pirundae-ro 5ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-10-5286-0704

Soso House is a private hanok stay located in Seochon, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Once you enter the gate, you are greeted by a small yard paved with stones and an alpine apple tree. There is a stool on one side of the yard where you can enjoy a cup of tea on a sunny day. In the daecheong maru (wooden-floored hall, there is a master bedroom on one side and a kitchen on the other, and the master bedroom has an attic. Cooking is allowed, and complimentary breakfast includes toast, salad, and coffee, as well as complimentary homemade fruit syrup and tea bags. Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul Museum of History, and Park No-Soo Art Museum are all within walking distance.

NUHADANG(누하당)

NUHADANG(누하당)

11.4Km    2024-06-20

49-7 , Pirundae-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3391-0010, +82-10-4347-5768

Nuhadang is a traditional hanok with over 100 years of history. It is located in a quiet spot in Seochon, Jongno-gu, Seoul, where many scholars and artists have lived since Joseon times. Rooms are wallpapered with eco-friendly Korean paper, and thick cotton blankets and cypress pillows will sooth travelers' fatigue. In the yard and small garden you can experience traditional Korean culture: janggu drumming, the game of yunnori, and Hanbok clothing. Walking the streets of Seochon - past Yun Dong-ju's hostel, Park No-su's art museum, and Lee Sang's house -  you can still feel the atmosphere of old Seoul.

Gyeonghuigung Palace (경희궁)

11.4Km    2024-07-09

45 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-724-0274

Gyeonghuigung Palace, a designated Historic Site, was originally called the large palace by Saemun Gate, or the Western Palace, for its location within the city. It was not until the eighth year of Gwanghaegun (1616) that the palace was used as a royal residence for the king, changing the name to Gyeongdeokgung Palace. The name later changed again to the current Gyeonghuigung Palace in 1760. The palace grounds included many halls but they were mostly all burned down in a fire in 1829. After the Japanese occupation began, all remaining buildings on the site were torn down and the palace grounds were turned into Gyeongseong Middle School (now Seoul High School). The school moved to Gangnam area in 1987, afterwhich the previous location was turned into a park. The palace grounds currently hold Seoul Museum of Art and walking paths, as well as a restoration of Heunghwamun Gate, the main gate of the palace, and Sungjeongjeon Hall, the main hall, completed in November 1994.

Seoul Yakhyeon Catholic Church (서울 약현성당)

Seoul Yakhyeon Catholic Church (서울 약현성당)

11.4Km    2020-03-26

447-1, Cheongpa-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-362-1891

Yakhyeon Catholic Church was established as a result of Korea gaining religious freedom in the 23rd year of King Gojong’s reign (1886) and the subsequent increase of the Catholic population. In 1891, Myeongdong Cathedral's head priest Doucet laid down the foundation stone in Hap-dong. Coadjutor bishop Coste was in charge of design and construction and the building was eventually completed in 1892. The church was named after "Yakjeonhyeon," or a hill of medicinal herbs. This is because the place where the church is located was once a hilly area covered with medicinal herbs. Later on, Yakjeonhyeon was shortened to Yakhyeon and it became the name of the hilly area between Malli-dong and Seoul Station.

Yakhyeon Catholic Church was the first Western-style church ever built in Korea. It's Gothic architecture features a 12-meter-wide and 32-meter-long cruciform construction with low arched windows and a pointed-arch entrance gate.