Historic Seoul: Gyeongbok Palace

Historic Seoul: Palaces, Hanok Villages, and the Best Spots to Eat With Kids

Your Korean Umma's guide to Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon, Insadong, and Jongno — with little ones in tow.

So, I have dragged my two kids through every major palace, hanok alley, and traditional teahouse in this city. My 8-year-old now knows the difference between Joseon and Goryeo dynasty architecture. My 5-year-old just likes the cool rooftops because they look like "dragon hats." Both of them have eaten everything I've put in front of them in this part of Seoul.

Historic Seoul — the area around Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon, Insadong, and Jongno — is where I always bring first-time visitors. It's the heart of what makes Seoul different from every other modern city in Asia. Here, 600 years of Korean history isn't behind glass in a museum. It's the street you're walking on, the building you're eating in, the gate you're standing under. And the food? Some of the best and most comforting in the entire city.

Let me take you through it — neighborhood by neighborhood, restaurant by restaurant.

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)

If Seoul has a beginning, it's here. Gyeongbokgung was built in 1395, the year after the Joseon Dynasty made Seoul its capital, and it's been the symbol of Korean royal power ever since. The main gate alone — Gwanghwamun — is so enormous that the first time my older one saw it, she just stopped walking and stared. That's the right reaction.

The palace complex covers over 400,000 square meters. Throne halls, inner courts, royal gardens, the lotus-pond pavilion (Gyeonghoeru, and yes, it looks exactly like the postcards) — you could spend half a day here easily. The National Folk Museum of Korea is also right inside the grounds, which I highly recommend with kids. There is a children's museum within the Folk Museum that with themes that keep changing that children absolutely love. Free admission as long as you book online.

Umma Tip: Go on a weekday morning — it opens at 9am and the crowds don't hit until 10:30ish. Weekends get very busy very fast.

Hanbok Tip: Rent a hanbok from one of the shops right outside the entrance on Hyoja-ro. Wearing one gets you free admission, and your kids in hanbok is the content you didn't know you needed. My 5-year-old refused to take hers off for the rest of the day. We ate lunch in it. Worth it.

Guard Ceremony: The changing of the royal guard happens at the main gate at 10am and 2pm on most days (check the official palace website — some days are excluded). It's free, colourful, and my kids were transfixed for the full 20 minutes. Grab a spot by 9:45am to see it properly.

Where to Eat Near Gyeongbokgung

Tosokchon Samgyetang (토속촌 삼계탕) 👶 Kid-Friendly

📍 5-min walk from Gyeongbokgung, Jongno-gu  |  💰 ~₩17,000 per bowl

This is my number one lunch recommendation for this whole area, full stop. Samgyetang is ginseng chicken soup — a whole small chicken, stuffed with sticky rice, jujube, and ginseng, simmered in a rich golden broth. It is warm, mild, deeply nourishing, and kids love it because the meat falls right off the bone. Tosokchon is housed in a cluster of traditional hanok buildings and has been doing this for decades. Expect a queue (30 minutes is normal), but it moves fast and it's worth every minute. The broth alone is worth the trip. English menus available, and staff are used to tourists.

Juk Story (죽이야기) 👶 Kid-Friendly

📍 Multiple locations near Gyeongbokgung  |  💰 ~₩8,000–12,000

If your little ones are tired or not feeling adventurous, juk (Korean rice porridge) is the answer. Juk Story is a chain, but a genuinely good one — the abalone juk and the pumpkin juk are silky, mild, and go down easy for any age. My 5-year-old went through a phase of refusing everything except this. We ate here more times than I'd like to admit.

2. Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌 한옥마을)

A 15-minute walk northeast from Gyeongbokgung brings you to Bukchon, and if Gyeongbokgung is Seoul's grand statement, Bukchon is its quiet soul. Over 900 traditional hanok houses line the hillside here, most of them still privately occupied. The alleyways are narrow, the rooflines are curved, and the views — tiled roofs layered against the backdrop of modern Seoul — are genuinely stunning.

My kids call this "the old city" and they're not wrong. Walking through Bukchon is the closest you can get to stepping back into Joseon-era Seoul without a time machine.

The Famous Alley: Gahoe-ro 11-gil is the most photographed stretch — a slope of hanok rooftops that seems to cascade down the hill. It's beautiful and worth seeing, but it fills up fast. If you want it to yourself, aim to arrive before 9am. After 10am on weekends, you're sharing it with a lot of people.

Be Respectful: People actually live here. Bukchon has signs asking for quiet, especially in the mornings. Keep voices low, don't peek into courtyards, and treat it like someone's neighbourhood — because it is.

With Kids: The uphill walks can be tiring for little legs. Bring a carrier for toddlers, and budget in a sit-down break. The good news: there are lovely cafes at the top and bottom of the hill.

Where to Eat & Drink Near Bukchon

Bukchon Dabang (북촌다방) ☕ Café Stop

📍 Inside Bukchon hanok alley area  |  💰 ~₩6,000–10,000

A cozy retro-style café tucked into the hanok area with traditional drinks and simple snacks. Great for a mid-walk rest with a sikhye (sweet rice punch — kids love it) or a warm yujacha (honey citron tea). The interiors are charming and very photogenic.

Samcheong-dong Sujebi (삼청동 수제비) 👶 Kid-Friendly

📍 Samcheong-dong, 5-min walk from Bukchon  |  💰 ~₩9,000

Samcheong-dong is the charming street that runs along the base of Bukchon, full of independent cafés and small restaurants. This unassuming spot does hand-torn noodle soup (sujebi) — thick, chewy, doughy pieces of pasta in a clear anchovy broth. It's simple, warming, and universally loved by children. My 8-year-old has declared it "the best soup in the world" no fewer than three times. Go after your Bukchon walk when legs are tired and everyone is hungry.

3. Insadong (인사동)

Insadong is where I take people when I want them to understand Korean culture without the lecture. The main pedestrian street is lined with art galleries, antique shops, hanji (traditional paper) stores, craft workshops, and tea houses. It's touristy, yes — but in the best possible way. The quality here is genuine, and there's enough to do that even restless kids stay engaged.

The anchor of Insadong is Ssamziegil (쌈지길), a spiral courtyard mall tucked just off the main road. Six floors of handmade crafts, character goods, art, and snacks, with a rooftop terrace that has nice views of the neighbourhood. My kids spend at least an hour in here every time we come. There are often craft activity stalls where children can make their own hanji fans, stamp their own postcards, or get a cartoon caricature done. Budget extra time.

Street Food to Try: Walk slowly down the main strip. Look for hotteok (sweet pancakes stuffed with brown sugar and cinnamon — watch the filling, it's lava-hot), yakgwa (golden honey cookies shaped like flowers), and if you're lucky, a dragon beard candy stall where they pull sugar threads by hand in front of you. My kids have watched that candy-pulling demonstration about forty times.

Hanji Craft Experience: Several small workshops along the alleys off the main road offer 30–60 minute hanji craft sessions for kids. Making a small lantern or decorative box out of traditional Korean paper is a lovely takeaway activity and costs around ₩8,000–15,000. No reservation needed at most.

Where to Eat & Drink in Insadong

Jeontong Dawon (전통다원) ☕ Tea House

📍 Inside Kyung-In Museum of Fine Art courtyard, Insadong  |  💰 ~₩8,000–13,000

Hidden inside the courtyard of the Kyung-In Museum of Fine Art — you'd walk right past it if you didn't know — Jeontong Dawon is one of the most beautiful tea houses in Seoul. It's set in a 19th-century hanok with garden seating, and the whole place slows down the moment you walk in. Order omija-cha (five-flavour berry tea, naturally sweet and slightly tart — kids are always curious about it) or sikhye with traditional rice snacks. The courtyard is lovely in spring (cherry blossoms) and autumn (maple leaves). My older daughter loves it here because it feels "like a secret place."

Jongno Samgyetang (종로삼계탕) 👶 Kid-Friendly

📍 Insadong, 2-min from Jonggak Station Exit 4  |  💰 ~₩16,000–20,000

Another great samgyetang spot right in Insadong, slightly easier to get into than Tosokchon. They serve several variations — the abalone samgyetang and the herbal black chicken are both excellent. Good choice for lunch after a morning at the palace or Bukchon. Mild enough for kids, substantial enough for adults who've been walking all morning.

Insadong Street Snacks 👶 Kid-Favourite

📍 Along the main Insadong-gil pedestrian road

Don't skip the street food. A proper Insadong snack run should include: hotteok from one of the corner stalls, a tornado potato (spiral-cut potato fried on a stick — my kids demolish these), and some kind of bingsu (shaved ice dessert) from one of the small cafés if it's warm. Budget ₩5,000–10,000 per kid for a full snack tour and it will buy you at least two hours of goodwill.

4. Jongno (종로) — The Neighbourhood That Holds It All Together

Jongno is the district that connects everything above. It's one of Seoul's oldest commercial and cultural corridors — the main boulevard has been here since the Joseon era — and it sits right in the middle of all of it. After a day of palaces and hanok villages, the streets of Jongno are where you find dinner and let the kids decompress over a long, noisy, delicious meal.

For dinner, I always end up at Gwangjang Market. It's one of Seoul's oldest indoor markets and honestly one of my favourite places to eat in the entire city. The inner food alley is a long row of stalls, each run by an ajeumma who has been making the same dish for decades. Walk the whole row first, point at things, then sit down. It's loud, warm, and smells incredible. This is Seoul at its most real — and there are a few specific stalls you should not miss:

순희네 빈대떡 (Sunhee's Bindaetteok) 👶 Kid-Favourite

📍 Gwangjang Market food alley, Jongno 5-ga  |  💰 ~₩5,000–8,000

If there's one stall you sit down at in Gwangjang, make it this one. 순희네 is the most famous bindaetteok spot in the market — mung bean pancakes ground fresh and ladled straight onto a sizzling griddle right in front of you. The outside is golden and crispy, the inside is soft and savoury, and you eat them hot with kimchi and a dipping sauce. My kids were suspicious the first time (anything green-ish gets side-eye from the 5-year-old) and then ate three in a row. Order two per adult, one per kid, and see how long they last. Spoiler: not long.

자매육회 (Jamae Yukhoe) 🍖 For the Adults

📍 Gwangjang Market food alley  |  💰 ~₩15,000–20,000

Okay, this one is more for the grown-ups — but hear me out. 자매육회 is one of Gwangjang's most beloved yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) spots, run by two sisters, and the yukhoe here is the real deal: hand-cut raw beef tossed with sesame oil, pear, garlic, and egg yolk. It sounds intimidating if you've never had it, but it's silky and delicate in a way that surprises almost everyone. The reason I bring families here: they serve 무국 (radish soup) on the side, which is mild, clean, and perfect for kids while the adults enjoy the yukhoe. Order the yukhoe for the table and a bowl of 무국 for the little ones. Everyone's happy, nobody goes hungry, and you get to feel very local doing it.

Gwangjang Tip: Also grab some mayak kimbap from any of the nearby stalls — tiny tightly-rolled rice rolls with yellow mustard sauce. My kids eat these by the dozen. Perfect kid snack while you wait for the bindaetteok.

Cheonggyecheon Stream (청계천) — Dinner Walk 🌙 Evening Favourite

📍 Jongno / Euljiro area  |  💰 Free

After dinner, walk to Cheonggyecheon — a restored urban stream that runs right through central Seoul, lined with weeping willows and lit up at night. Kids can run along the paths, splash near the stone steps at the shallow edges, and burn off whatever energy remains. It's one of those places that reminds you Seoul really does get everything right when it tries. The Gwanghwamun end is the most beautiful and the easiest starting point.

The Full Day Plan: Historic Seoul With Kids

• 8:30am — Arrive at Gyeongbokgung. Rent hanbok outside the gate. Enter early before crowds.
• 10:00am — Watch the royal guard changing ceremony at Gwanghwamun Gate.
• 10:30am — National Folk Museum inside the palace grounds (free, great for kids).
• 12:00pm — Lunch at Tosokchon Samgyetang. Expect a short queue — worth it.
• 1:30pm — Walk to Bukchon Hanok Village. Slow pace up Gahoe-ro 11-gil.
• 2:30pm — Rest break at Samcheong-dong Sujebi or a Samcheong-dong café.
• 3:30pm — Head down to Insadong. Ssamziegil for crafts and browsing.
• 4:30pm — Tea break at Jeontong Dawon. Street snacks on the way out.
• 6:00pm — Dinner at Gwangjang Market.
• 7:30pm — Evening walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream.

It's a full day. Bring comfortable shoes, a carrier or stroller for little ones, and snacks in your bag for the inevitable "I'm hungry" moment that will occur exactly when you're between restaurants. You know how it is.

Historic Seoul is where I always feel most proud to be Korean. There's something about walking through these streets — past a 600-year-old gate, past grandmothers selling tea, past kids in hanbok spinning around a palace courtyard — that makes everything feel connected. Old and new, loud and quiet, mine and yours.

I hope you feel it too when you get here.

Questions about navigating this area with kids? Drop them in the comments — I've probably been there, done that, and have the soy sauce stain on my jacket to prove it. 😄

— Your Korean Umma Guide