🖼️ Insadong Area | Art Strolls, Antique Shops & Korean Soul 🧧🖌️🍵

📝 1. Overview
Insadong is where Korea’s traditional heart beats strongest — a vibrant pedestrian street lined with antique shops, art galleries, calligraphy stores, and teahouses. Once the center of Joseon-era culture and scholarship, today it’s a lively hub where old meets new. From trying on hanbok to sipping tea in centuries-old hanok, Insadong is perfect for leisurely exploration, cultural shopping, and snapping artsy pics with a Korean twist.

🌟 2. Highlights
🛍️ Insadong-gil Street – Main art street with traditional stores & street performances
🖼️ Ssamziegil Mall – Spiral-shaped artsy mall with local crafts & rooftop view
🖌️ Calligraphy & Brush Shops – Get your name written in Korean script
🎎 Antique Stores – Vintage pottery, fans, masks, and curios
🍵 Traditional Teahouses – Hanok cafés serving herbal teas & rice cakes
🎭 Alive Museum & Figure Museum – Fun 3D trick art & collectibles
👘 Hanbok Rental & Studio Photography – Dress up & snap classic shots

💡 3. Tips
📸 Best photo spots:

Ssamziegil’s rooftop with Seoul views
Hanok teahouses in hidden alleys
Street stalls with hanging lanterns at night
🛍️ Bargain friendly – some shops allow haggling (especially antiques)
💸 Many stores are cash-preferred, but major shops accept cards
🚫 No smoking on the main street (fine applies)
🎨 Great place for souvenirs: handmade soaps, bookmarks, fans, ink sets
🕐 Weekends = crowded but livelier with buskers and cultural shows

🍽️ 4. Nearby Eats – Top 3 in Insadong

Tteuran Teahouse (뜰안)
🍵 Hidden hanok teahouse with old-school vibes & traditional sweets
📍 14-5 Insadong 12-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
🕒 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (Closed Mondays)
🚶 2 min from Ssamziegil
Gogung (고궁)
🥘 Bibimbap specialty restaurant with Jeonju-style toppings
📍 38 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
🕒 11:30 AM – 9:30 PM (Daily)
🚶 Right on the main Insadong Street
Insadong Sujebi (인사동 수제비)
🍲 Handmade Korean dough soup in cozy setting
📍 14 Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
🕒 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (Closed Sundays)
🚶 3 min walk from Anguk Station Exit 6

🚗 5. Access
📍 From Gyeongbokgung/Bukchon Area:
🚶 10–15 min southeast via Samcheong-ro or Bukchon-ro

📍 From Anguk Station (Line 3):
🚇 Exit 6 → Insadong-gil Street begins immediately

📍 From Jonggak Station (Line 1):
🚇 Exit 3 → Walk 5 min west to reach Insadong

📍 Getting Around
🚶 Pedestrian-only main street – walking is best
🛍️ Look for Ssamziegil entrance to access rooftop & side alleys
📸 Many hanbok photo studios offer 30-min quick sessions