Anguk Station is one of my favorite spots for exploring. It’s an excellent starting point for visitors and is centrally located, making it convenient for sightseeing. You can find more information on visiting Korea in this post (visit link). Whether you’re beginning or wrapping up your trip, Anguk Station is a great place to start.
On the map, Anguk Station is well-positioned at the heart of many must-see attractions. I highly recommend using this location as your starting point for planning your visit. Heading east from Anguk, you’ll encounter Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun Square, and the National Museum of Korea. To the south, you can explore Insadong Culture Street, which offers a variety of food and café options. North of Anguk, you’ll discover some of the trendiest cafés and bakeries, such as Café Onion and Knotted Donuts. Further north, don’t miss the charming Bukchon Hanok Village.
There’s one spot you might easily overlook, but I highly recommend checking it out. From exit gate #2, as you step out, go straight for a few steps until you see the ‘Bukchon Hanok Village’ sign. Follow the road, and you’ll soon find ‘Hansik Space Eum’ on your right, just past ‘Photogray.’ Refer to the photo below, where it’s marked with a green indicator, for easier navigation.
While many cafés near Anguk Station are often crowded with visitors and travelers, not everyone is aware that ‘Hansik Space E:eum’ offers a spacious and relatively quiet café experience.
You can order the drinks and sits on the table or bring your drinks to the next to the entrance where you can sit with little round table. There is a information desk at the entrance of this building, so please explore this place. One more thing to do while you are here is to explore Korean traditional alcohol at ‘the sool gallery’ in this building. You will find this place by walk through the hall way where display interesting items and stories as a gallery which changes often, this will lead you to reach ‘thesoolgallery’
‘Thesoolgallery’ offers a diverse selection of traditional Korean alcohols and hosts a free monthly program where you can sample 4 to 6 different types. To join the English-language program, visit their Instagram page and complete the Google form linked there. (link here.)
Additionally, they sell various alcohol you can buy at the gallery, they also have miniature-sized bottles of various alcohols, available for a limited time. If you’re buying something as a gift or for future events, I recommend avoiding makgeolli. The staff, including certified sommeliers, are highly knowledgeable about Korean traditional alcohols and can help you select the best options. It is really worth it to try, and take some photos for your memories!