If you are reading this blog post, you probably heard of Jeonju or already decided to go and probably searching on what to do and what to eat. It is definitely a beautiful small town with great food (this is where bibimbap has started) with traditional houses. There are also several things to do in Jeonju at night, so check out our detailed post about Jeonju!
You can actually visit Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, but Jeonju Hanok Village is a lot bigger with more history. If you have the time, you should definitely visit Jeonju as it is only two hours to get to Jeonju from Seoul by KTX (You can check my blog post here about how to get KTX)
14 Things You Can Do in Jeonju within 36 Hours
The list below are all the things I did for 36 hours and you can watch my video how I did it (And Yes, I think 2 days one night is enough). Here are the 14 things I did, ate and slept in Jeonju.
WHAT TO EAT
1. BIBIMBAP
Bibimbap has become a global phenomenon, and a great ambassador for Korea. It is fairly a simple dish. Bibimbap basically means “mixed rice.” And the ingredients can be anything but the most common one is with sautéed vegetable and gochujang which is a chili pepper paste.
I even had it few times while visiting Korea. From the clam Bibimbap to uni bibimbap, but it made me think where it came from? And how did it become so popular around the world?
Bibimbap was known to exist since the 1800s. It was usually mixed with left over vegetables after harvesting and mixed with chili pepper paste. But it was 1952 when they started selling Bibimbap at a restaurant as a cuisine. And we decided to visit the restaurant that first started this whole phenomenon!
Bibimbap in Jeonju Made It What Is Is Now Known to the World, and Hangook Jib restaurant Definitely is the Pioneer
Among many bibimbap, Jeonju bibimbap is the most famous style in Korea. It is probably the most common one we see in America as well. Hanokjib in Jeonju is the first restaurant to commercially sell bibimbap. But it was after they opened a second branch in Korea in 1979 started to be recognized.
Beautifully decorated and topped with tar tar steak, it is absolutely one of the kind. I had to go down to Jeonju to see what’s up with the original Bibimbap.
After a three hour drive, we finally arrived in Jeonju. We went straight to Hangook Jib and it wasn’t disappointing.
Hangook Jib (한국집)
Tel: +82 63-284-2224
Addy: 119 Eojin-gil, Jeon-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South KoreaSouth Korea
2. BEAN SPROUT SOUP (GOOKBAP, 국밥)
To be honest, Jeonju was more well known for their Bean Sprout Gookbab, but because Michael Jackson visiting Jeonju, Korea and trying the bibimbap made bibimbap more famous. But gookbab is more loved than bibimbap in Jeonju, having well over 100 bean sprout gookbab restaurants in Jeonju. So what is bean sprout gookbab?
Gookbab literally means soup and rice. It comes with soup with many ingredients and rice in it. There are so many types of gookbab and I cannot explain all of it, but gookbab is well know in two areas – Jeonju and Busan. Let’s talk about Busan later. In Jeonju, Bean Sprout Gookbab is the most famous form of gookbab. And I guess I had to try the original bean sprout gookbab in Korea.
Sambaekjip (삼백집)
Tel: +82 63-284-2224
Addy: 119 454-1 Gosa-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
3. ORIGINAL CHOCO PIE
If you lived in Korea for a long time, you probably heard of choco pie. It is a small chocolate pie with a marshmallow inside. It is really popular among the soldiers because it is like their only snack. The corporates have branded this choco pie as their original, but it really started in Jeonju. You can try the original, and it tastes nice… enough. I think I am more used to eating the big corporation style choco pie, but it all depends on your taste bud i guess.
You can easily find it everywhere, but if you are visiting Hanok Village (and you should, if you are going to Jeonju), you will just see it at every store.
4. JEONJU STYLE TABLE (Jeonju Babsang)
Jeonju is not only known for their bibimbap, but also for their generous food. If you order a Jeonju style dinner, it comes with like 50 different kinds of dishes, you feel like a king. You can find these restaurants almost anywhere, but the best is probably a restaurant next to your hotel that looks like a shack. Just ask your hotel for recommendation. They know the best in town.
FYI. Don’t go to Jeonju’s story. It is a tourist trap with bad food.
WHERE TO STAY
5. RAMADA HOTEL
Joenju is a beautiful city with a lot of houses maintaining the old look, and that is what is known for. But still a small town and not many things going one, there is not many hotel options. So we opted in for Ramada hotel.
Ramada hotel is close to the main attraction. Also, not far from the night market. The bar is kind of a roof top and the beds are clean and soft. We decided to stay for my grandma. The best part is though the bidet. If you decide to visit Jeonju, try to come to Ramada hotel.
WHAT TO DO
6. VISIT HANOK VILLAGE
Hanok Village is a cool village to visit due to its contrast with the modern buildings. You can for sure visit to walk around and see all the people dressed up in traditional clothing (or participate) but there are more that you can do. Here are the four things you can do while visiting Hanok Village.
- Dress up with korean traditional clothe : If you visit Hanok village, you will see 100s of people dressed up in Hanbok (which is a Korean traditional clothing). You can be a part of it with other people.
- Ride batman moto bike : It is quite a big village and walking around can be exhausting sometimes. You will see many bike rentals and you can easily rent it for few hours and ride along
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Gyeonggijeon: Eojin museum is a good place to go not only to learn the history but to look around his real house which was better than the museum
7. GO TO NIGHT MARKET
I don’t usually like night markets. It is too touristy and too much “please buy my souvenir” happening. Not my scene. But Joenju night market is different. It is mostly young hipster and passionate people making food. The food is creative and tasty.
If you are looking for things to do in Jeonju at night (more like clubs), I recommend going to 신시가지 (Shinshi gaji). It is where all the bars and pubs are gathered. Some places are hardcore local and has weird rules to get in. So be prepared before going to places.
ByulBam (별밤) is a pretty good one (in my opinion). It is across the street from Hanshin Pocha (6th floor).
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8. TRY IMSIL CHEESE
If you think of Korea, cheese wouldn’t be on your top of the list. Me neither. It would probably be Kimchi, Samsung or Psy. But while in Jeonju, I encountered Imsil cheese. It is a cheese made in Insil, Korea. You can either have it grilled, melted and put it on top of the chicken kochi. So because it is all over jeonju and only 30 minutes away fro Jeonju, we decided to go to Imsil.
9. VISIT IMSIL CHEESE THEME PARK
It took thirty minutes from Jeonju. It is a theme park for the kids. Not for the adults. OK. I thought it would be more adult friendly, but it didn’t even make me want to go in anywhere. Well, we ended up just going back to Seoul. I guess my point is… You can skip this town for your own good.
10. ROOFTOP COFFEE SHOP: JEONMANG
My favorite part of travelling is just sitting at a cute cafe and doing nothing. I have done a lot in many places and Joenmang in Jeonju is one of my few favorite cafes in Korea. It is overlooking the hanok village and it is absolutely beautiful.
Jeonmang (전망)
Tel: +82 63-232-6106
Addy: South Korea, Jeollabuk-do, Jeonju, Wansan-gu, Pungnam-dong, 한지길 89