Budget travel in Seoul: Free hanoks, trails, rest areas
Flowers bloom in the courtyard of Cheongun Literature Library on Mount Inwang in Jongno District, Seoul. Korea Times file
Soaring prices and tighter budgets are squeezing not just daily life but also travel in Korea.
While Seoulites readily turn to the viral "map for beggars" (Geojimap) for meals under 8,000 won ($5.50), budget-friendly escapes can be harder to find. However, one pocket of the city offers a rare kind of outing — one built around history, serenity and free admission.
Hidden within the winding alleys of Seochon in central Seoul’s Jongno District is a cluster of historic hanok buildings and cultural spaces that offer a quiet retreat in the middle of the city, along with a window into modern Korean history, all free of charge.
Architectural hybrid
A short walk from Gyeongbokgung Station on subway Line 3, Hong Geon-ik’s house in Pirun-dong is a modern hanok built between 1934 and 1936.
Visitors rest in the inner quarters of Hong Geon-ik’s House in Seochon, central Seoul. Korea Times file
Originally built by merchant Hong Geon-ik, the 740.5-square-meter property includes five separate buildings — the main gate, servants’ quarters, guest quarters, inner quarters and detached quarters — opening onto a broad backyard. Unlike the tightly enclosed layout typical of many urban hanoks, the buildings here are spaced apart, letting in more light and air.
The house follows the natural slope of the site while incorporating modern touches such as glass doors and eaves. Visitors can spot trigram, plum blossom and lotus motifs throughout the grounds. In the backyard are an ilgakmun gate — a small roofed gate supported by two pillars — a well and an ice house built into the higher ground. The city says it is the only hanok in Seoul to retain all three features.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government bought the neglected house in 2011, restored it from 2013 to 2015 and opened it to the public in 2017. Today, the site functions as a small living museum and resting space where visitors can play traditional board games, read or simply sit and rest.
An ice house built into the elevated terrain of Hong Geon-ik’s house in Seochon, Jongno District, Seoul / Korea Times file
English guided tours are offered at 1 p.m. on Sundays, followed by Korean tours at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The house closes on Mondays and during the Chuseok and Lunar New Year holidays.
A wood and glass door at Hong Geon-ik’s house in Seochon, Jongno District, Seoul / Korea Times file
Historical anchor
Deeper in the neighborhood, in the Nuha-dong area, Yi Sang-beom’s house reflects a complicated legacy.
Yi, a pioneer of Korea’s Southern School painting tradition, is widely known for erasing the Japanese flag from the uniform of Olympic marathon gold medalist Sohn Kee-chung in a 1936 Dong-a Ilbo photograph. After being tortured for 40 days for the act, Yi retreated to this home. He later sparked controversy by cooperating with Japanese imperial authorities in the 1940s.
Built around 1929, the house features an unusual dining area with a traditional kitchen and a strict separation between family living quarters and guest spaces.
Sunlight streams through the main gate of Yi Sang-beom’s house in Seochon, Jongno District, Seoul. Korea Times file
Connected by a corridor is Cheongjeon Studio, an 8-pyeong (26-square-meter) Western-style cement brick structure built in 1933. There, Yi taught prominent disciples including Bae Ryeom, Jeong Yong-hui, Lee Hyun-ok, Shim Eun-taek, Jang Cheol-ya and Park No-soo.
Hidden at the end of a narrow alley, the home remains less known than Hong Geon-ik’s house and provides a quiet refuge. Dark-toned timber gives the structure a grave, restrained presence. Looking around the central courtyard on clear, sunny days, you wonder if a place like this can really exist in the middle of bustling Seoul.
An old television sits on the wooden floor of the main hall at Yi Sang-beom’s house in Seochon, Jongno District, Seoul. Korea Times file
The studio still holds hardened paint, old books and a globe. The house is open to visitors during business hours but closes on Mondays and public holidays (except weekends).
Hardened paint tubes used by painter Yi Sang-beom are displayed at his former studio, Cheongjeon hwasuk, in Seochon, Jongno District, Seoul. Korea Times file
Mountain retreats
Nearby, the public hanok Seochon Lounge features rotating exhibits — currently a Jeju ceramics display. Visitors can join a tea service on the first floor or read upstairs.
A moon jar and canola flowers decorate the interior of Seochon Lounge in Jongno District, Seoul. Korea Times file
For hikers, the steep trails up Mount Inwang lead to a rest stop. After the military post was removed, the city kept the original concrete columns and added a glass-walled library above them. A steel walkway leads to the shelter, which offers sweeping views of the surrounding forest, including snowy scenery in the winter.
The Inwangsan Forest Rest Area, a former military guard post, stands on the slopes of Mount Inwang in Jongno District, Seoul. Korea Times file
Forest library
The tour concludes at Cheongun Literature Library, a public library with a hanok-style exterior. The roof consists of 3,000 reused tiles from the Donuimun New Town area, with replacement tiles made using traditional methods also used in the restoration of Seoul’s Sungnyemun gate.
The hanok-style Cheongun Literature Library on Mount Inwang in Jongno District, Seoul / Korea Times file
The main hanok serves as a reading room with floor seating, set next to a small waterfall. A modern building below the hanok houses an archive, a small bamboo garden and a children’s library. Near a residential neighborhood, the library offers a quiet, free place to read and rest.
A rest area connects the traditional reading rooms at Cheongun Literature Library on Mount Inwang, Jongno District, Seoul. Korea Times file
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.