One of the best times to visit South Korea is in autumn (September to November). During these months, the weather is cool and dry with beautiful scenery coloured by vibrant foliage of yellow gingkos and red maples.
In this November trip to South Korea, we spent 2 days exploring Jeonju Hanok Village and then 2 days in Gwangju, specifically to make day trips out from this city to Naejangsan National Park and Damyang. We ended our trip with 3 days in Seoul.
I chose to include Jeonju in my itinerary as Jeonju has the largest hanok village in Korea and is deeply tied to Korea's Joseon Dynasty. Jeonju was the ancestral home of the Yi clan, the family of King Taejo (Yi Seong-gye), who founded the Joseon Dynasty, making it a significant place for the royal lineage. Many historical K-dramas featuring stories in the Joseon era were filmed in this city.
Jeonju is also a city with plenty of food tradition. Bibimbap, one of the most representative food of Korea, was born out of Jeonju and the region of Jeollado-province, where the city is located.
We were travelling in mid-November which was tail-end of the autumn leaves season in South Korea but I was confident that we could still experience the autumn foliage since the weather had been unusually warm in 2025 and winter will start later. Hence, we grabbed the opportunity to visit Naejangsan National Park, which is highly raved as one of the best mountains to see the autumn foliage in South Korea.
We stayed 2 nights in Gwangju, a city famous for the pro-democracy uprising in May of 1980 and also its delicious cuisine. We did not have time to explore Gwangju fully. Instead, we used this city as a base to make day trips to Naejangsan National Park and Damyang. Damyang is known for the famous Juknokwon bamboo forest and Metasequoia-line Road and is best access by bus from Gwangju.
We ended our short trip in Seoul. We had been to Seoul several times before. This time, we spent 3 days to explore new and upcoming areas such as Ikseon-dong, Seongsu-dong and Naksan. Plus, enjoying more Korean food!
Besides autumn leaves viewing, we intended to try as much local cuisine as we can on this trip. It made sense to do prior research as to what and where to eat some of the best cuisine in places like Jeonju and Gwangju and even Seoul. We had iconic Korean dishes like
- Bibimbap, tteokgalbi, makgeolli, moju and choco-pies in Jeonju and Gwangju
- Korean BBQ of lamb skewers (Yang-kochi), pork belly and Korean beef (hanwoo).
- Korean ginseng chicken soup (samgyetang)
- Various kinds of Korean Soup Rice (gukbap) or stew (jjigae). This included gukbap with blood sausage (sundae), Jeonju’s bean sprout soup (kongnamul-gukbap), pork back-bone stew (gamjatang) and ox bone soup (seolleongtang)
The following is a day by day summary of our 8 days in South Korea.
Day 1 (14 November 2025) – Arrival and travel to Jeonju. Explore Jeonju Hanok Village.
Our flight arrived as scheduled and by the time we cleared immigration, it was around 8 AM. We planned to stay a couple of days in a hanok located within Jeonju Hanok Village after our arrival to South Korea. The distance between Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Jeonju city is about 242 km and the best and also cheapest way to get from Incheon Airport (ICN) to Jeonju was by express bus. The trip would normally take slightly over 3 hours on a comfortable, spacious limousine bus. We took longer than that due to a little error we made at the airport. We finally arrived at the Jeonju Intercity Bus Terminal at about 1 PM. From there, we took a short 15 minutes taxi ride to the Jeonju Hanok Village.
Trip report: Travel from Incheon International Airport to Jeonju Hanok Village.
Where we stayed: Our accommodation in Jeonju Hanok Village was the Star Rest Guesthouse located in the southern edge of the village.
Trip report: Our stay at a hanok in Jeonju Hanok Village.
We had lunch at Veteran Kalguksu restaurant which is known for its signature hot, savory knife-cut noodle soup with a rich, eggy broth, perilla seed, and seaweed.
We spent the afternoon exploring the main street of Jeonju hanok village and went to Omokdae. Omokdae is a historical site located on top of a steep hill and provides a vantage point over the Jeonju Hanok Village.
Beautiful pavilion and autumn leaves at Omokdae.
From Omokdae, it was a short walk to Jaman Mural Village located next to the Jeonju Hanok Village. The Jaman Mural Village is a colorful village filled with murals along its walls. We enjoyed murals of nostalgic anime characters, celebrities, fairytale scenes, floral patterns, and creative local art and also had coffee in a really beautifully decorated cafe.
Jeonju Hanok Village is frequently used as filming locations for Korean movies and dramas. We had time to seek out a few such locations in the village.
We also check out Jeonju's version of Choco Pie from PNB Bakery and it was pretty good.
We ended the day eating the must-try bibimbap at Hankook Jib. We had both the Jeonju bibimbap and yukhoe (Korea’s beef tartar) bibimbap.
We also tried the moju (literally “mother's wine”) which is a Jeonju makgeolli (rice wine) with medicinal herbs like jujube, ginger and cinnamon.
Trip report: Exploring Jeonju Hanok Village – Day 1
Day 2 (15 November 2025) – Exploring Jeonju Hanok Village
We started the day with a morning walk along the Jeonjucheon River to the Nambu Market. We specifically went to this market to eat the kongnamul gukbap (bean sprout soup) from the Hyundaiok store.
We walked past the Pungnammun Gate, built during the Joseon dynasty, on our way to the Gyeonggijoen Shrine. There are many gingko trees planted on the side of the roads leading to the gate and the area was beautiful in autumn.
Gyeonggijoen Shrine is a highlight of Jeonju. The shrine holds the portrait of King Tae-jo, the founder of the Joseon dynasty.
Gyeonggijoen Shrine is extremely beautiful in autumn. Many people were dressed in traditional hanbok costume and doing photo-shoot inside and outside the shrine. Many of these buildings were actually used to film movies and dramas depicting the Joseon era, such as the drama “Love in the Moonlight.”
Portrait of King Tae-jo, the founder of the Joseon dynasty.
We joined the 11 AM free English language tour. We were hosted by an excellent guide who explained the history of the shrine and why the king’s portrait is important to the Korean people, especially those in Jeonju. The tour ended outside the Royal Portrait Museum and we went to see the exhibits inside. This museum exhibits the original portraits of Joseon kings and other relics like royal palanquins used during the enshrinement of King Taejo’s portrait in 1872.
Leaving the shrine, we walked along the Gyeonggijeon Stone Wall Road to the Jeondong Ddeokgalbi restaurant. Tteokgalbi is a popular Korean dish of sweet and savory grilled short rib patties, resembling burgers. It is juicy and sweeter in seasoning and is a signature food in this region.
We went back to the entrance of Gyeonggijeon Shrine after lunch. We were just in time to catch the “changing of the guard” ceremony.
Changing of the Guards Ceremony at entrance to Gyeonggijoen Shrine. The guards are dresses in traditional Joseon era uniforms.
We joined the free hanok village alley tour at 3 PM. We visited a few places of interest within the hanok village during the tour. This includes the Jeondong Catholic Church, Hagindang, a 600 year old gingko tree, pansori museum, home of last prince of Joseon and even a house with 3 flags (Korean, France and USA) flying outside. It was good to have a local guide explaining the history and significance of the places we visited.
Listening to our guide during the hanok village alley tour.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the hanok village on our own. Not to miss is the Jeonju hyanggyo where there are many gingko trees inside, including a 400-year-old ginkgo tree.
We ended our exploration of the hanok village with another tteokgalbi dinner at Gyodong Tteokgalbi.
Trip report: Exploring Jeonju Hanok Village – Day 2.
Day 3 (16 November 2025) - Travel to Gwangju by bus. Day trip to Damyang to see Juknokwon Bamboo Forest and the Metasequoia-lined Road.
The plan for the day was to travel from Jeonju to Gwangju in the early morning. Upon arriving in Gwangju, we would store our luggage in the lockers at the bus terminal and make a day trip to Damyang to see the Juknokwon Bamboo Forest and Metasequoia-Lined Road. We would check into our hotel in Gwangju at the end of the day.
With help from our helpful hanok host, we managed to catch the 8.10 AM express bus to Gwangju. After leaving our luggage in the lockers at Usquare Gwangju Bus Terminal, we took the local bus 311 to Damyang. The journey took about 1.5 hours and the bus stops directly at Juknokwon. Juknokwon (namely Bamboo Garden) is the most famous bamboo forest in South Korea and is certainly worth a visit. This bamboo forest is open all year round. Autumn is a nice time to visit as it is cooler and less humid.
Within the large and dense bamboo forest, there are many walking trails for those looking to enjoy peaceful walks close to nature and snapping photos without the crowds. Overall, we had about 2.5 hours of fun exploring the trails and taking lots of photos within the bamboo forest.
Trip report: Day trip to Damyang Bamboo Garden (Juknokwon) from Gwangju.
After Juknokwon, we went to see the Metasequoia-lined Road, located about 2 km away. As the name implies, the Metasequoia-lined Road is an 8.5 km boulevard with towering metasequoia trees planted on both sides. The canopies of the trees form a nice “tunnel” if you walk down the road.
It is especially beautiful in autumn when the leaves of the trees turned golden and crimson in the afternoon sun.
Although there are many people visiting Metasequoia-lined Road on this weekend, there are plenty of photo opportunities. We enjoyed our visit to Damyang and snapped plenty of photos.
Trip report: A walk down a Metasequoia-lined Road in Damyang.
Returning to Gwangju, we checked into our hotel (Madrid Hotel) located near Gwangju Seongjeong Station.
There are many eating places near the train station and our hotel. We had Yang-kochi (Grilled Lamb Skewers) in a Korea-Chinese Restaurant called Jangbaesan.
This dish has a history rooted in Chinese cuisine that was later adopted and popularized in South Korea as a staple "Korean-Chinese" dish. It was the first time we tried yangkochi in Korea and we loved it.
Trip report: Yang-kochi (Lamb Skewers) dinner at Gwangju’s Jangbaesan Restaurant.
Where we stayed in Gwangju: We stayed at the Gwangju Madrid Hotel. I chose this hotel which is located within walking distance from the Gwangju Seongjeong KTX Station since we would travelling by KTX (South Korea’s High Speed Rail) on the next 2 days for a day trip to Naejangsan National Park and then to Seoul.
Day 4 (17 November 2025) – Day trip to Neajangsan National Park
Naejangsan National Park is located near Jeongeup, a city in North Jeolla Province. We made a daytrip to Naejangsan from Gwangju since it is only 20 minutes away by KTX (Korea’s high speed train).
This place is extremely popular and hence crowded during the peak autumn foliage season. It is advisable to arrive early on a weekday to beat the expected crowds so we had an early start from Gwangju. We enjoyed a hearty bowl of boiling hot gukbap at the popular Yeongmyeong Gukbap shop located opposite the train station.
From Jeongeup Station, we took the local bus No. 171 to Naejangsan National Park. It was about 9 AM when we alighted at the small town beside the Naejangsan National Park.
The views of the autumn leaves at this park were magnificent. We were not hampered by any crowds by going on a weekday and arriving early.
Some “must-not-miss” highlights in the park include Uhwajeong Pavilion, cable Car to Yeonjabong Peak, Maple Tree Trail to Naejangsa Temple and the trail from the entrance of the park to Uhwajeong Pavilion.
Trip report: Day trip to Naejangsan National Park in autumn.
We left Naejangsan relatively early and got seats on bus 171 back to Jeongeup Station. From there, we took the KTX back to Gwangju SeongJeong Station.
One of Gwangju’s signature local delicacies is the tteokgalbi (grilled minced beef or pork short rib patties).
The best place to try this dish while visiting Gwangju is at the Tteokgalbi Street in Gwangju Songjeong-dong which was just minutes walk from the train station and our hotel.
Trip report: Tteokgalbi - Must eat food at Gwangju.
Day 5 (18 November 2035) – Travel by KTX to Seoul and free and easy in Myeongdong
My original plan for the day is to travel from Gwangju to Seoul by KTX (South Korea’s High Speed Train) in the morning and go explore the Daehak-ro and Naksan area in the afternoon. But Seoul was experiencing an unusual cold spell on this day. I thought Naksan, being at higher elevation would be cold, so our plan changed. We spent the afternoon in Myeongdong instead. Myeongdong is a famous shopping district in the heart of Seoul, known for its dense concentration of Korean cosmetics, fashion brands, restaurants and vibrant street food.
We had lunch at Sinseon Seolleongtang (Myeongdong Branch). Sinseon Seolleongtang is a popular restaurant chain found all over Korea serving up tasty bowls of ox bone soup known as seolleongtang.
After an afternoon of shopping, we had pork BBQ at the Hanam Pig House.
Hanam Pig House is a popular Korean BBQ chain specializing in premium, grilled pork (pork belly, shoulder loin, ribs).
Trip report: Travel to Seoul and shopping & eating in Myeongdong
Where we stayed: Our hotel in Seoul for the next 3 nights is the Ibis Ambassador Myeongdong. We chose this hotel because it is located close to bus stops along Namdaemun-ro, Euljiro 1-ga (Line 2) subway station. The bus stop for the limousine bus to the airport is also just at its doorstep!
Day 6 (19 November 2025) - Explore Seoul’s Seongsu-dong area
The Seongdong-gu area, best known for the trendy Seongsu-dong area, often called the "Brooklyn of Seoul," which blends industrial, repurposed warehouses with chic cafes, pop-up stores, and street art. We planned to spend the whole day exploring the area.
We went to Seoul Forest in the early morning before visiting Seongsu-dong since the shops and cafes open after 11 AM. Seoul Forest Park is known for cherry blossoms in spring, lush greenery in summer, and ginkgo trees in autumn. There is also a deer corral in the park and access to Hangang Riverside Park.
It was about 11.30 AM when we left Seoul Forest. We made a stop at Lowide Coffee Bakery, located near Seoul Forest. After the coffee break, we continued our exploration of Seongsu-dong.
There are plenty of cafes, restaurant and stores to explore. We had delicious gamjatang, a Korean pork and potato stew, at Somunnan Seongsu Gamjatang and also tried the famous salt-bread from Jayeondo Sogeumppang and pies from Ho Gwa Dang Tiger Pie House.
We ended our visit to Seongsu-dong at Haus Nowhere. I particularly like the gigantic animatronics dog at the ground floor. The sleeping dog was so realistic, complete with gentle breathing, muscle twitches.
In addition to the dog, there are other impressive displays of robots.
Since we were near to the COEX Mall, we took a bus there. Just to visit the Starfield Library.
We ended the day having hanwoo or Korea beef at Wangbijib Korean BBQ Restaurant, Myeongdong branch.
Trip report: Autumn morning at Seoul Forest and afternoon at Seongsu-dong and COEX Mall.
Day 7 (20 November 2025) – Explore Seoul’s Naksan area and Ikseon-dong
Since the weather turned warmer on this day, we decided to go explore the area around Naksan Park in the morning, followed by Ikseon-dong in the afternoon.
We wanted to visit Naksan Park for the views of Seoul city from the summit of Naksan and also the see the Seoul fortress wall that had been featured in many k-dramas and movies.
We took the bus to Daehak-ro, near the Hyehwa Subway Station and Marronnier Park. This area is nice to visit before making our way up to Naksan Park.
Naksan Park is nice to visit in autumn. We spend time taking photos of the landscape along the Seoul Fortress Wall. 
There is a walking trail along the Seoul Seonggwak (fortress wall) stretching about 2 km from Hyehwamun to Heunginjimun, the East Gate of Seoul. The walk down to Heunginjimun is particularly nice in autumn with views of the city and vast fields of silver autumn grass.
We also spent time exploring Ihwa Mural Village. There are some nice cafes there that is worth a visit.
After visiting Naksan Park, we went to shop for some toys and gifts at Dongdaemun Stationery and Toy Street. This vibrant alleyway is home to nearly 120 shops selling toys, stationery, and party goods.
Trip report: Exploring Seoul – Daehak-ro, Naksan Park and Toy Street.
From Dongdaemun, we took a bus to Ikseon-dong for lunch and also to check out the famous cafes. This area has many trendy boutiques, themed cafes, restaurants and pubs.
Steak pot rice at Damsot Ikseon for lunch.
Dessert at Cafe Onhwa Ikseon.
We ended our visit to Ikseon-dong and also food tour in South Korea with dinner at Jangsu Samgyetang restaurant. This restaurant is a highly recommended for their delicious and value-for-money samgyetang.
Samgyetang, or Korean ginseng chicken soup, is a nourishing dish featuring a whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, garlic, jujubes, and ginseng.
Trip report: Exploring Ikseon-dong Hanok Village.
Day 8 (21 November 2025) – Travel to airport
From Myeongdong, we took the 6015 Airport Limousine bus to Incheon International Airport. This bus runs directly from Myeongdong to Incheon Airport (T1/T2), taking roughly 60 to 85 minutes, depending on traffic conditions.
Personally I prefer the bus to the train since we need not lug our suitcases up and down the stairs to the train station. We chose to stay at a hotel (Ibis Ambassador Myeongdong) that has the limousine bus stop to the airport at its doorstep!
Interior of the Express Bus with 3 reclinable seats per row.
We are going to Cheongju?
Rows of yellow gingko trees at Cheongju. 
Our intercity bus tickets from Cheongju to Jeonju.
Jeonju Hanok Village with 700 traditional hanoks.
Cobbled stone alleyway outside Star Rest Hanok. 
Entrance to Star Rest Hanok. 
Typical entrance to our room in a hanok. A place to sit to remove our footwear before entering.
It is traditional to sit on the heated floor inside a hanok instead of chairs and table. 
Chatting with the friendly hanok owner in the courtyard outside our room where he showed us some of his wooden carvings and calligraphy skills.
Entrance to our room. The wooden doors are secured using a simple padlock.
Carving by the owner with his name at the left lower edge.
The owner showed us where the futons are kept and also explained how to set them up for our sleep at night.
Hot coffee and PNB choco-pies for a light breakfast snack.
Enjoying the ambience of the hanok.
Main gate of the hanok right outside our room. 
This was left in our room when we returned to our room at the end of Day 2. Perfect drinks and snacks for our breakfast before checking out early the next morning.
Sunrise at Jeonju.
Last 2 tickets on the 8.10 AM express bus from Jeonju to Gwangju.