Hanbok Rental in Seoul (Bukchon Hanok Village)

Renting HANBOK is one of the most popular tourist activities while visiting Seoul, South Korea. During our trip last spring, my friends and I visited a Hanbok rental shop to take pictures at the BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE in the heart of Seoul.

My friends and I spent the afternoon in traditional Korean Hanbok

The Bukchon Hanok village is a residential area that boasts traditional architecture. It lies in the center of the modern bustling metropolis but it is a great place to immerse yourself in traditional culture.

The architecture at the Bukchon Hanok Village is a great backdrop for Hanbok pictures.

Visiting the village is free of charge. However, it is a real, functional residential area. Make sure that you respect the privacy of the homeowners. There will also be passing traffic so make sure that you stay out of the way and make as little noise as possible.

There will be a lot of other tourists in the area so it will sometimes be a challenge to get a good shot. There are a lot of traditional doorways, walls and alleys to choose from. You just need to be creative in your shot composition.

It took some patience to wait for all the other tourists to clear this lovely road.

Be creative in using the elements around the village as props.

Keep an eye out for interesting features.

The area surrounding the village is full of rental shops. They usually have Hanbok on display outside so it won’t be too difficult to find them. The price ranges from KRW10,000-KRW30,000 depending on how elaborate the design is and how many accessories you want to add. They usually have a locker room for your things. A small purse is provided for your key, cellphone and wallet.

They also provide hair styling and accessories. Some places do it for you for an extra fee or you can choose from the accessories and fix your hair yourself. We chose some headbands and clips and decided to skip the professional hair stylist this time.

I chose some hair accessories and styled my own hair.

Other than taking pictures, there really isn’t that much else to see or do in the Hanok Village. You can also visit the nearby Gyeongbokgung Palace for more photos. Be warned that it gets really crowded there.

Watch out for an upcoming blog where I will take you on another Hanbok tour around one of the palaces in Seoul. Meanwhile, watch the video below to see scenes and more photos from our Hanbok Rental adventure at the Bukchon Hanok Village:

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