Where Dynasties Begin

The major historical sights are conveniently located within walking distance of each other. Don't miss the Gaeksa, a grand guesthouse symbolizing the city's former power. Nearby, Gyeonggijeon Shrine houses a portrait of Jeonju's most famous son, King Taejo, in wonderful surroundings. The well preserved traditional housing zone and the adjacent crafts workshops are proof of a city in touch with it's past, while the magnificent Romanesque Jeon-dong Cathedral provides a modern masterpiece every bit as inspiring as it's more ancient equivalents. Finally, Pungnammun Gate, Jeonju's unofficial symbol, is thankfully far grander than it's humble contemporary surroundings.

Quick Tips:

Jeonju is Korea's culinary capital so forget about McDonald's while you're here. Most of the entertainment action is to be found in the maze of backstreets behind the Gaeksa, although there are plenty of bars and restaurants in the vicinity of Chonbuk National University. Pick up a map of the city from the well stocked booths in front of the City Hall, Express Bus Terminal, and the train station.

Best Way To Get Around:

Most of the major sights can be visited on foot. The bus network is a little confusing, though the city is compact enough to make taxis an affordable, and certainly far less stressful, option.

Bus journeys are best saved for journeys to the outskirts of the city and beyond. The World Cup Stadium, Moaksan Provincial Park, and Jeonju National Museum fit into this category.

Situated down a side alley a few blocks from the Gaeksa, the Dong-baek looks decidedly dingy upon first inspection. Convenience dictated that I stay here-that and the fact that I'd been walking the area looking for somewhere to stay for almost half an hour.

Once inside things look distinctly better. Rates are very reasonable (25000 won for a single, 30000 for a double), while the rooms themselves are clean and surprisingly well equipped.

My room, which measured approximately 4 x 6 metres not accounting for the adjoining bathroom, had a large wardrobe, a phone, air conditioning, two comfortable chairs, a water dispenser (hot and cold-a real rarity!), cups and sachets of coffee. The TV was hooked up to cable with BBC World, a movie channel and Korea's Arirang TV offering English language programming. In the bathroom, aside from the free toothbrush, shampoo and toothpaste, a decent shower overlooked a slightly wobbly bathtub. By far the most memorable aspect of the room, however, were the large mirrors that seemed to cover every available bit of wall space.

The Dong-baek, though not the easiest place to find, is very conveniently situated minutes away from the prime sights in the city. To get there, take the street running between the Gaeksa and the Seoul Bank building and take your second left (at Paris Baguette). Follow this street past Pizza Hut and the 21 Cine multiplex. The yeogwan is on the right just past the car park.

Jeonju’s main cultural zone is sited a short distance to the south of the Gaeksa guesthouse, and less than a hundred metres east of Pungnammun Gate. From the Geaksa, cross the main street, turn left, and then turn right when you reach the landmark Poongnyun Bakery. The first building of note is Jeon-dong Cathedral, a Romanesque structure built by a French priest almost a century ago and probably the finest Christian church in the country.

Built in 1410 to enshrine a portrait of Yi Seong-gye, the local born founder of the Yi or Joseon Dynasty, Gyeonggijeon Shrine rivals the Gaeksa as the most impressive of Jeonju’s historical monuments. The entrance is directly opposite Jeon-dong, marked by a painted main gate and a small tourist information booth. The main structures, whilst not particularly impressive in themselves, are set in the middle of walled grounds full of pine and bamboo trees, dusty paths leading through overhanging branches and aged wooden doors. Yi’s portrait is sited in a rear building, typically full-length with austere facial features and subdued colours, occupying the centre of a three sided building lined with portraits of some of his more renowned successors – Sejong, Yeongjo, Gojong and Jeongjo – and a number of original palanquins used in official ceremonies, such as the carrying of the portraits to the shrine.

To the right of the central shrine area a raised wooden building known as the Jeonju Sago holds historical archives detailing the administrative affairs of the king. A little further towards the external stone wall, close to a thick corner of bamboo, a stupa and stele hold placenta from the birth of King Yejong.

Leaving Gyeonggijeon, turn left and follow the road up to the Traditional Crafts Exhibition Centre, which sells a number of handmade products such as the famous Jeonju folded fans, Mulberry paper and calligraphy brushes. Continue on until you reach a T-junction, then follow the uphill path to the top, where a small road branches off to the right and Omokdae Pavilion, an historic site where King Mokjo once fought a tiger and Yi Seong-gye held a banquet to celebrate his victory over Japanese troops twelve years before he seized the throne. The views from here promise much but the tree cover obscures most of the traditional housing zone located below, meaning you can skip the whole thing with no real sense of loss. Of more interest is the Hynaggyo, a 17th century Confucian Academy hidden away to the right of the main road (walk under the footbridge and take the path that drops down to the right about 100 metres further on). From here you can loop back round past the Traditional Culture Centre and Calligraphy Museum to the rear of the cathedral.

Moaksan Provincial Park is located 15km south of the city. The park itself is unremarkable but does hold one site of national importance in Geumsansa (Gold Mountain Temple). Founded in 599AD during the Three Kingdoms Period, the vicissitudes of the temple followed the pendulum of Korean history. Founded by Baekje monks, it later became the main temple of the Maitreya sect during the United Shilla period, and was the base for over a thousand warrior monks at the time of the late 16th century Imjin Wars. Subsequently razed to the ground by the Japanese, the temple was almost completely rebuilt over 35 years, only to suffer further tragedy in the 20th century.

From Jeonju, take the 79-1 bus, which stops at both bus stations before continuing down Paldallo Street, where it stops outside the branch of KFC next to the Korea Exchange Bank, before continuing down to Pungnammun Gate and Nambu Market, packed even at 8 on a Sunday morning. Terminating at the entrance to the park, the journey takes about half an hour and costs 950 won.

It’s a fifteen minute walk to Geumsansa from the bus stop, past the park entrance (2600 won) and a car park lined with souvenir stands. Entering the temple courtyard by means of a short flight of stairs look to the right for Korea’s only three storey wooden hall, Mireukjeon. Open to the top roof on the inside, the hall is almost entirely filled by three statues – the central future Buddha, Maitreya, rising almost to the very top of the building at nearly 12 metres high. Attendants stand on either side, slightly smaller but no less beautiful.

To the left of Mireukjeon a seven storey pagoda encircled by intricate miniature figures stands at the top of another flight of steps, looking back over the courtyard towards the entrance. Directly opposite Mireukjeon the front doors of the smaller Daejang-jeon are reputed to be 1,200 years old, while a short distance to the right the elongated Daejeokgwanjeon, which houses ten golden statues along its central altar, has been meticulously restored since being destroyed in a 1986 fire.

Pungnammun Gate is the official symbol of the city and is highly reminiscent of the more famous Namdaemun Gate in Seoul. It remains an inspiring site, though its modern surroundings – a crowded roundabout lined with small shops and parked cars – engenders a startling feeling akin to finding the Arc du Triomphe in the middle of a housing estate. The nearby Gaeksa guesthouse, a recently refurbished single story structure that once served as lodgings for representatives of the king, is the fulcrum of the city centre, Pungnammun and the old town to the immediate south and the main shopping streets, cinemas and department stores to the north.

Deok-jin Kongwon is the best public park in the city. Centred on a huge lotus pond that once formed part of an ancient protective moat, the park contains a musical fountain, a small waterfall and statues of local luminaries. Two metal suspension bridges bounce over the lotus flowers, meeting at a viewing platform in the middle, while a winding wooden walkway cuts through a corner of the pond, the flowers so close you’re almost lost in the midst of them. The park is located near Jeonbuk National University in the north of the town, a ten-minute walk or a basic taxi fare from either of the bus stations.

Belying its mundane location on a main road opposite the Jeonbuk Ilbo building, the Hangookgwan restaurant is one of the best restaurants in the city. While there are other things on the menu the main reason to come here is to try their renowned Jeonju Bibimbap, which comes in two varieties at a price of seven or ten thousand won. Following a starter of bean sprout soup, the hot stone pot is brought directly to the table, fizzing and bubbling with heat. A large dollop of hot chili sauce covers a still frying egg on top of a bed of rice, seasonal vegetables and marinated slices of beef. The accompanying side dishes - all of which are replaced free of charge the instant you finish them - include miniature pancakes, two types of Gimchi, and an assortment of vegetables, with traditional cinnamon tea for dessert. Don’t miss it.

The city’s newest tourist attraction is the World Cup stadium, home of the K-League team the Jeonbuk Motors and located 9km north of the city centre and best reached by bus. The 154, 29-1, 46-1, 87-1, 229 and 5-1 all run to the stadium; the 46-1 stops directly in front of the Jeonbuk Ilbo building opposite the Hangookgwan.