On a first visit to Seochon, it is easy to leave with little more than photographs of cafés and hanok houses. The neighborhood's essential character, however, lies in the way its streets narrow and rise as they move from the western wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace toward Mount Inwangsan. Starting at Exit 3 of Gyeongbokgung Station and climbing to Suseongdong Valley lets you encounter a palace-side residential quarter, a market, an artist's house, and an old watercourse in about 100 minutes.
0–25 minutes: Begin at the western side of Gyeongbokgung
Before following Jahamun-ro, take one circuit through the side streets. Seochon is not a single administrative neighborhood. It is a collective name for several legally defined districts, including Chebu-dong, Tongin-dong, Nuha-dong, Ogin-dong, and Hyoja-dong. The direction of the alleys and their low rooflines tell you more than the main road does.
25–60 minutes: Connect Tongin Market to Ogin-dong
Pass through Tongin Market, whose roots lie in a public market established in 1941, and continue into Ogin-dong. Enjoy its lunchbox program and oil tteokbokki, but distinguish the market's metal yeopjeon from historical currency: they are purchasing tokens introduced in 2012. At the Park No-soo Art Museum, look not only at the painter's work but also at the spatial design of a 1930s house.
60–100 minutes: Finish at the valley preserved in a painting
The route ends at Suseongdong Valley. The Joseon painter Jeong Seon depicted this area, while Ogin Citizens' Apartments occupied it from the 1970s until their demolition and the restoration of the valley landscape. Even when there is little water, viewing the stone bridge together with Inwangsan's ridge makes clear why Seochon's lanes climb in this direction.