Where we stayed, what we did, and what we ate and drank in the historic city of Gyeongju
Note: I’m still working on populating old posts since migrating my blog to WordPress. The original Substack post with images can be found here.
After returning to Korea this year, our goal was to visit and see more of the country, and one place I’ve always wanted to return to was Gyeongju, since my first time there was for a quick one-day work trip. I love staying in hanok (traditional Korean houses), and I knew that
The historic city of Gyeongju in the North Gyeongsang Province has always been famous for its Shilla dynasty relics, but it didn’t occur to me that saving our family travel for cooler weather would mean that we’d still have to battle the crowds—this time in long sleeves and selfie sticks, ready to capture the beautiful foliage that literally comes with the territory.
Despite the mobs of visitors, we enjoyed the slower pace that greeted us at our hanok hotel in the heart of Gyeongju’s Hwanglidan-gil neighborhood.
Our stay at Hanok Inn (한옥인) in Gyeongju was one of the highlights of the trip. The lovely retired couple who runs the hanok B&B takes great pride in their home and business, and it shows in their meticulous care of the rooms and grounds and the immaculate breakfast spread (breakfast was one of the main reasons why I booked this hanok). “Gyeongju Halmeoni,” as they started calling her, captivated the kids from the moment they stepped inside the front gate, showing them the proper way to open an old door and tasking them with feeding the koi fish and watering the plants during our stay.
👨👩👧👦 If you go with kids or as a party of four to Hanok Inn in Gyeongju, you’ll want to book the 독채, the standalone building with two identical units, because hanok walls are notoriously thin (and because apartment kids will have a blast defying the rules and stomping around). We used one room for playing and we used the other for sleeping. This works well particularly during the warmer months, as there are no screens on the doors and windows, so it’s easy for mosquitos and pests to enter your bedroom.
🇺🇸 The owners were visiting professors in the US, and Halmeoni is a former English teacher, so I would especially recommend this B&B to non-Korean speakers…. UNLESS you can’t sleep on floors. As much as I love the ondol (heated floor) life, my back suffered a bit overnight (Ajeossi on the other hand was perfectly fine). It may have been compounded by the kids’ constant kicking too. 😶
The best thing about Hanok Inn was that it’s right in the middle of Hwangridan-gil, the popular locals’ hangout filled with young couples and hotpl (핫플), or “hot places” like trendy Korean restaurants, bars, and cafes where people love to queue both day and night. That also could be the worst thing about the hotel if peace, quiet, and reliable parking is of importance to you.
What we ate in the neighborhood
So Ok (소옥)
So Ok is just a few buildings down from Hanok Inn, and there was always a line out the door every time we passed by. We did get a chance to dine there, and while we loved the cozy atmosphere and homey food at So Ok, I don’t know if the wait time would be worth it for someone who wasn’t already in the area. We put our name down when the restaurant opened for dinner service at 5 pm, and went back to our hotel to kill time before returning to check the wait (their wait list is a pen and paper, so you won’t get a text message telling you how many parties are ahead). We were seated a little after 6. You can read a bit more about my experience on Instagram.
What we drank in the neighborhood
Hwangnam Jutaek (황남주택)
This bar is yet another place that people generally queue for, but we were able to snag a coveted outdoor table because we arrived at 7 pm on a Friday when most people were still eating dinner. It was still pleasant enough to sit outdoors in late-October and enjoy their lagers, self-serve snack bar, and jwipo (fish jerky).
