Ihwa Mural Village
Ihwa Mural Village
4
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The area
Neighbourhood: Jongno-gu
How to get there
- Hyehwa • 9 min walk
- Changsin • 9 min walk
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2,742 within 5 kms
Attractions
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
295 reviews
Excellent
107
Very good
123
Average
49
Poor
10
Terrible
6
Julie
Scottsdale, AZ31 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
Once full of shacks after the Korean War, this moon village is now home to a variety of art. A fun place to walk around for an afternoon. The highlight selfie spot is the Angel wings at the lower level.
Written 12 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BillNabilah
Sepang, Malaysia268 contributions
Oct 2019 • Friends
Noisy tourists has become a big issues here. There are not much see anymore. A lot of murals are cleared by the residents. But still, it is a cute village with cute restaurants to dine in.
Written 15 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex H
Port St. Mary, UK2,592 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
We came here after a brilliant visit to the Changdeokgung Palace and gardens, as it was recommended in my book. It really just feels like another small village with not much else to say about it. There are barely any murals at all and the ones which we saw weren’t even that good for a photo, so we didn’t take any. All in all, don’t go out of your way to come here.
Written 9 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dianne c
150 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
I went here an hour before sunset and did not find lots of murals anymore, or maybe I was just in the wrong alley? Not sure really. There were a lot of steps so be prepared. The murals I did find were nice, but not enough to make me want to come back here.
Written 11 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phan Thế Anh
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam259 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
I had a good time in Ihwa Village. The place is very cute, u can easily rent some uniform for your photos, and the price is very cheap
Written 22 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
luvholiday9
Singapore, Singapore471 contributions
Apr 2017 • Friends
Ihwa mural village is located near Naksan park, you have to get thru the park to get to the village... be prepared to walk a lot. The popular murals like the fish and flower staircase are no longer there. It's covered with grey paint now. A pity. The whole area was quite interesting to look at, with little cafes and shops around. Not bad if you have time.. but we found gamcheon culture village in Busan more attractive.
Written 5 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
曉雯 施
11 contributions
Aug 2016 • Friends
I searched a lot of information about korean scenery spots when I planning go to Korea. Therefore, I found Korean Mural Village is the most famous and special. Ihwa Mural Village is the best wall painting. I really looked forward going to there.
When I got off from subway, the place was hard to find. Asked some passerby, they all nice to tell me how to go to the mural village.
However, I felt a little bit disappointed that the goldfish stairs and flower stairs were painted over with grey paint. It is said that local residents felt angry because tourists were so noisy. They said tourists disturb their life. Although there are some beautiful paintings were gone, it is also worth to visit. There are many kinds of wall paintings, they made the village become more colorful and full of vigor.
If you want to go to the Ihwa Mural Village to take a visit, please speak whispered and respect to the residents.
When I got off from subway, the place was hard to find. Asked some passerby, they all nice to tell me how to go to the mural village.
However, I felt a little bit disappointed that the goldfish stairs and flower stairs were painted over with grey paint. It is said that local residents felt angry because tourists were so noisy. They said tourists disturb their life. Although there are some beautiful paintings were gone, it is also worth to visit. There are many kinds of wall paintings, they made the village become more colorful and full of vigor.
If you want to go to the Ihwa Mural Village to take a visit, please speak whispered and respect to the residents.
Written 6 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
luv2trvl2012
Las Vegas, NV146 contributions
Sept 2016 • Solo
With most tourist attractions and museums in Seoul closed on Monday, this might be a good alternative if you want to get out and explore the city. I reached it from the Dongdaemun area walking along the Old City Wall heading toward Naksan Park. While it is an uphill climb, to me it looked easier than the people arriving at Ihwa from below and having to traverse many steps. As others have posted the two most well known murals painted on the staircases were vandalized and are no longer visible, which is really a shame. There are some smaller murals and other sculptures like cats, roosters, and balloons that were fun to look at. The view over Seoul also is nice with Namsan tower in the background. There were a few shops, coffee houses, and restaurants too, although I really didn't stop at any of them except for one shop that also had a small museum that while closed the proprietor allowed me to take a look--that is where I saw what the destroyed murals (one of fish the other flowers) looked like. Ihwa is a bit like the Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan but on a much smaller scale. Right next to Ihwa is Naksan Park and I enjoyed the tranquility of the paths there as well as the city views and the views of the old city wall. Altogether I probably spent about two hours exploring and taking pictures of both Ihwa and Naksan and would recommend this as something different to do in Seoul and a bit off the beaten path.
Written 8 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SC
London, UK451 contributions
Aug 2016 • Friends
It's interesting to see paintings all around the village. Expect to do a lot of a walking so it'll be pretty tiring on a sunny day. The famous paintings are now gone, they covered it with grey paint.
Written 21 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KarinSl
Maastricht, The Netherlands67 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
A bit hard to find, but definitely worthwhile! We went to Hyehwa subway station and took exit 2. Outside, we walked straight ahead and took the first street to the left (at Dunkin Donuts). Soon we spotted the first murals, including one of a map of the area, very convenient (take a picture!).
Written 10 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NaomiSY
Melbourne, Australia
hi, would it be too cold to go here late nov/early dec and how long do people usually spend here? Thanks in advance!
Written 4 March 2018
It totally depends on the day and your cold tolerance, but you should be fine that time of year. You could spend anywhere from >1-3 hours, depending on whether you just walk through taking photos or stop in at the cute cafes and shops in the area.
Written 5 March 2018
are the arts still available to take picture?
Written 1 October 2017
Definitely you can take picture freely. Just that a few arts are no longer available.
Written 2 October 2017
Hi, how much time is recommended to visit this place?
Written 14 September 2015
approx. around 2 hours. the exact location is like on the top of the hill, you will feel tired.
Written 14 September 2015
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