How to Spend a Day in Hanbok

Although it has become insanely popular among locals and tourists, It’s been a while since I’ve dressed up in a traditional hanbok and strolled around Gyeongbokgung and its surrounding area. Right now it’s a very popular date idea, so when Oneday Hanbok invited me to check out their new shop I decided to turn it into a little photoshoot/date with my boyfriend.

Admittedly, I’m a bit more into dressing up than the boyfriend is, but we always have fun on our hanbok dates. Typically we start off these dates by checking out a palace, but this time around we started our day with lunch at our favorite restaurant in Insadong. Insa-dong Geujip is a traditional Korean restaurant nicely housed inside a renovated old wooden 한옥 (traditional korean house). They serve all sorts of traditional Korean dishes and I’m yet to order anything that wasn’t completely delicious. The prices are a bit on the higher side, but the portions are quite large and most dishes can easily feed 3~4 people. It’s the perfect place to dress up in hanbok and have a meal.

After lunch we made our way over to Gyeongbokgung. We love checking out Korean palaces, but we particularly love wandering about Gyeongbokgung. Aside from being gorgeous and completely massive, it is in a constant state of restoration, so there is always something new to explore. To be honest, It’s hard not to have a photoshoot when you’re in beautiful clothing with that kind of backdrop. As if that weren’t enough, you also get free admission into any palace in Korea if you’re wearing a hanbok. Score!

We can (and do) easily lose track of time wandering around Gyeongbokgung and taking pictures. Our aching feet are always a sign that it’s time to wrap things up and go. So after a few hours, we decided to finish our day in hanbok at a lovely little hanok cafe in Samcheong-dong. We refueled with some coffee, tea and delicious green tea rice cakes before returning to our normal clothes and reality.

It was a long long day, but also so much fun! Truthfully, days like this are a nice little break from reality and a great way to completely immerse yourself in the culture. If you’re looking to experience some thing truly unique, roaming Gyeongbokgung in a hanbok should definitely be on your list.