Is Insadong wheelchair accessible?

Visit details

Insadong is a precious space in the heart of the city where old but valuable traditional goods are exchanged. Centered on a main street, alleys wind between the buildings like a maze. Packed into that maze are art galleries, traditional craft shops, antique stores, traditional teahouses, traditional restaurants, and cafés. Insadong’s shops, each with a distinctive charm, are very popular with young people and with middle-aged visitors as well. Galleries in particular have been the thread that has carried Insadong’s identity. Some 100 galleries are clustered here, where visitors can see exhibitions ranging from Korean painting to prints and sculpture. Representative galleries include Hakgojae, which played a central role in minjung art; Gana Art Gallery, which became a home for talented artists; and Gana Art Center. To visit only Insadong’s well-known galleries at an easy pace, try the art museum circuit bus, which covers about ten famous galleries at a modest price. Filling the street along with the galleries are traditional teahouses and restaurants. They can be hard to find at first, but wandering the alleys slowly, as if on a stroll, is very enjoyable. Every Saturday and Sunday Insadong is designated a car-free street and is reborn as a cultural space shared with citizens. On those days, existing shops are joined in the street by traditional performances and exhibitions, as well as yeot (traditional taffy) peddlers and older fortune-tellers who read saju and marital compatibility. Among those who find pleasure here are visitors from many countries. Foreign tourists who come to see Korea’s traditional culture look at antiques in traditional shops or buy old artworks. They also buy yeot from street vendors and eat traditional pajeon (green onion pancake). Many can be seen caught up in the traditional atmosphere they feel in the city.

Hours: Always open

Closed: Open year-round

Information: 02-737-7890–1

Address: Jongno-gu Insadong-gil 62 (Gwanhundong), Seoul

Official website: http://www.hiinsa.com/index.php