Day 3 → around 12 km walked and the weather was amazing — sunny all day ☀️
Today’s absolute highlight was Gyeongbokgung Palace, and honestly, there’s only one right way to visit it… wearing a hanbok 😆
I rented mine from Daehan Hanbok, which I chose after seeing it recommended in Facebook videos. They had a huge selection of dresses, but I didn’t want to spend too much time choosing, so I just went for a pink one. Simple decision, no stress, and it turned out perfect. The rental for the whole day was 18,000 KRW.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest and most important of the Five Grand Palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty. It was first constructed in 1395, shortly after the founding of the dynasty, and was designed to be the main royal residence and center of government.
The name itself means “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven,” which already gives you an idea of how important it was considered.
Over the centuries, the palace suffered heavy damage multiple times, especially during Japanese invasions in the late 1500s and again during the Japanese colonial period in the 20th century, when many buildings were destroyed or removed. What we see today is a large-scale reconstruction project that has been gradually restoring the palace since the late 20th century.
Even though not everything is original, the scale is still impressive. The complex originally contained hundreds of buildings, gates, courtyards, and living quarters for the royal family and officials.
Some of the most iconic parts include:
Gwanghwamun Gate – the main entrance and one of the most photographed spots in Seoul
Geunjeongjeon Hall – the main throne hall where kings held official ceremonies and received foreign envoys
Wide ceremonial courtyards designed for royal processions and important state events
The whole layout follows traditional Korean geomancy principles (feng shui), with mountains behind the palace and the city stretching out in front.
Walking through it in person makes you realise how much this place once controlled the political and symbolic heart of Korea. It’s not just a pretty palace — it was the center of power for centuries.
And of course, experiencing it in hanbok makes it feel even more unreal. People were taking photos everywhere, and for a moment it really felt like stepping into history.
You really do feel like a princess… or even a queen if you manage to find a queen-style hanbok 👑 (though those are surprisingly rare to see)
Bukchon Hanok Village
After that, we walked to nearby Bukchon Hanok Village.
Bukchon is a traditional neighbourhood filled with hanok, the classic Korean houses with wooden frames, tiled roofs, and narrow alleys. Many of these homes are still privately lived in, so it’s not a museum but a real residential area, which makes it feel more alive and authentic.
It was once home to aristocrats during the Joseon Dynasty due to its location between the royal palaces, which is why many of the houses are larger and more elegant compared to other traditional villages.
Today, it’s one of the most photographed areas in Seoul because it offers a rare glimpse of old Korea surrounded by modern skyscrapers in the distance.
I have to admit… wearing a hanbok for a few hours there was really challenging. It felt super hot, yet I was still happy at the same time 😅 No idea how people used to wear layers like this every day in all weather conditions.
Adrian, on the other hand, was not enjoying the walking as much and kept complaining about the heat.
After finishing our walk, we returned the hanbok, and I have to say I felt very relieved to switch back into normal clothes. It was already afternoon by then, and the heat was definitely catching up with us.
Evening
For dinner, we found a very local eel restaurant. The ahjumma didn’t speak English, but she was extremely kind and seemed to really like Adrian 😆 The eel was grilled and served with lots of side dishes, and it turned out to be one of the best meals of the trip so far.
And of course… we ended the day at claw machines again.
This time we somehow walked away with a giant plush toy, about 100 cm long—almost the same size as Adrian himself 😂 It was also a gift from a stranger, since we hadn’t managed to win anything on our own. At this point, our luggage officially had no space left, and we hadn’t even bought proper souvenirs yet.
We ended the day after 9 PM, after nearly 12 hours of walking and exploring.
By the end of the day, we were tired, a little sunburnt, and carrying way too many memories (and way too many plush toys 😅), but somehow still not ready to stop exploring Seoul.
