Insa-dong

“Insa-dong is a dong, 

or neighborhood of the Jongno-gu district of the South Korean city of Seoul“

Credit: en.wikipedia.org

The main street is Insadong-gil (인사동-길), It is famous as an important place where old but precious and traditional goods are on display. Insa-dong is a big street with alleys on each side. Within these alleys are galleries, traditional restaurants, traditional tea houses, and cafes.

    Insa-dong (인사동) located in the heart of Seoul.

The galleries are the heartbeat of Insa-dong. There are about 100 galleries in the area and you can see every example of traditional Korean fine art from paintings to sculptures. The most famous galleries are Hakgojae Gallery, which functions as the center of folk art, Gana Art Gallery, which promotes many promising artists, and Gana Art Center.

Every Saturday from 14:00 – 22:00 and Sunday from 10:00 – 22:00, some streets are blocked off from traffic and it becomes a cultural space. Stores set up booths outside and others set up shops (Korean candy merchants and fortune tellers.)

There are traditional performances and exhibits as well. Insa-dong is especially popular with foreign tourists. This is where they can experience and see traditional Korean culture firsthand, and also purchase pieces of fine art. On the street you can eat Korean taffy and traditional pajeon (Korean pancake), and see many foreigners lost in all the joyous festivities of the street.

The above pictures are some of the shows that I have experiences in last winter. It was a really cool bubble show!

Visit there, you might experience great shows ever that others would hardly make it! 🙂

Telephone
+82-2-734-0222

Available Facilities
Outdoor stages, souvenir shops, restaurants, etc.
Facilities for the Handicapped
* Parking (Seoinsa Madang parking lot):
– 80% discount on parking fees for visitors with disabilities

* Visitors can access Insadong through the elevators of nearby Subway Stations.
– Jonggak Station (Exit 3), Anguk Station (Exit 5)

Tourism Information: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)

How to get there:
[Subway]
Anguk Station (안국역 Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 6
– Go 100m straight, then turn left

Or,

Jonggak Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 3
– Go straight 300m, and turn left at the 4-way Intersection.
– Go straight 100m, and take the left road towards Insadong-gil Road.

[Bus]
Take any bus bound for Jongno 2-ga or Jongno Police Station.
Jongno 2-ga: 101, 103, 143, 150, 160, 201, 260, 262, 270, 271, 273, 370, 408, 470,
471, 601, 708, 710, 720, 721
Jongno Police Station: 109, 151, 162, 171, 172, 272, 601,6011, 708

Sources:

• en.wikipedia.org
• english.visitkorea.or.kr