Buam-dong is a small residential village hidden behind Bugaksan, north of Gyeongbokgung. For most of the twentieth century it was where painters, sculptors, and poets moved when the city grew too noisy. The atmosphere they made survives. The streets are narrow, mostly one car wide, the houses are low, and the cafés are run by people who would clearly rather be reading than serving you a cappuccino.
What it's good for
Walking. Drinking coffee very slowly in a window. Looking at small galleries that open and close on a schedule even the owners can't fully predict. There is no list of attractions; the neighbourhood itself is the attraction.
How to walk it
Take Bus 7212 or 1020 from Gwanghwamun to the Buam-dong stop. Get off, look uphill, and start walking. Within ten minutes you will be near Baeksasil Valley — a small wooded ravine with a stream, a stone wall, and almost always one painter sketching in it. After lunch, descend back to the palace area on foot through the wall path; it takes about forty minutes and the view of Seoul as you come down is worth the entire morning.
“The painters and poets fled here when the city grew loud. The steep lanes are still patient.”— Doryung