I have always loved looking at traditional clothes and outfits of countries all over the world. They offer a glimpse into the past and represent the culture, traditions and specificities of the countries, in an era when everyone dresses pretty much the same.
In Korea, the traditional outfit is called a hanbok (not to be confused with a traditional house, hanok), and many people still wear it for special occasions.
Numerous stores all around the country offer tourists the possibility to rent a hanbok to visit palaces or stroll around hanok villages, and it is an experience I would absolutely recommend.
I did it at the beginning of my trip to South Korea and loved it! You really feel like you are going back in time or like you stepped in a period drama!
So, if you are interested in renting a hanbok in South Korea, here’s everything you need to know about this amazing experience! I will first give some general details about hanbok rentals in South Korea, then will talk more specifically about my own experience and the store where I rented a hanbok.
Renting a hanbok in South Korea
What is a hanbok?
A hanbok is a traditional Korean dress, that originates back to the Three Kingdom period (57 BCE – 668 CE) and the Goryeo dynasty (918 – 1392), but it really reached its peak and evolved during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910).
At the time, it was the official attire of the court and quickly spread to all Korean people. Its colours and patterns hold symboling meanings and representing status, age or even special occasions.
The term “hanbok” was introduced in the late 19th century to differentiate this traditional outfit from “Western-style” clothes that became more an more popular.
Nowadays, people in South Korea mostly wear their hanbok for special events and traditional holiday celebrations, and it is still quite common to own one.
For women, the hanbok consists of a jeogori (a blouse) and a chima (long flowy wrap-around skirt). Men have a jeogori too and baji (loose trousers). All of this is often complemented by various accessories, jackets or vests.
The traditional fabrics for hanboks are usually silk or hemp, but keep in mind that the hanboks you will be renting are not made in such fabrics.
Why you should rent a hanbok in South Korea?
Renting a hanbok is one of the best things I did in South Korea. Not only you’ll get a glimpse into Korean culture and traditions, but you’ll also have an amazing time walking around with your beautiful outfit.
If you rent a hanbok in Seoul, you’ll also be able to enter the palaces for free, and you can get beautiful pictures there!
Where can you rent a hanbok?
You can rent a hanbok in many places across South Korea. Generally, hanbok rental stores are located in historic areas like hanok villages and close to important landmarks like palaces.
For example, you’ll find many hanbok rental options in Gyeongju’s historic centre, in the stunning hanok village of Jeonju and close to Seoul’s palaces.
Where to rent a hanbok in Seoul?
In Seoul, the best area to rent a hanbok, and where you’ll have a lot more options, is next to the two main palaces: Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung.
This allows visitors and locals alike to explore the palaces and the nearby Bukchon hanok village in their beautiful traditional attire and take pictures with amazing backgrounds.
With my boyfriend, we rented our hanboks near Gyeongbokgung palace and wore them in that palace. Since it is very big, we had plenty of great photo opportunities. I write in more details about this experience below.
Things to take into account when renting a hanbok
Weather
If you are visiting South Korea in the summer, you’ll probably be very hot in your hanbok. We rented a hanbok in Seoul on a very hot summery day (even though it was September) and it was really tough, especially as there aren’t a lot of places with air conditioning in the palaces.
If you are visiting in the winter, you might feel pretty cold with just your hanbok, because the fabric used is quite thin.
What to wear under your hanbok
- Clothes: I’d recommend wearing something underneath your hanbok for sanitary reasons. If it is cold, bring something that will keep you warm like thermal leggings or long-sleeved shirts. If it is warm, wear light and breezy fabrics, and ideally bring a change of clothes.
- Shoes: you have the option to rent traditional shoes that go with your hanbok, but I am not sure how comfortable these are. In any case, you’ll probably be walking a lot so you want to be comfortable. If you want something that will go well with your hanbok, maybe stick to shoes that don’t have very flashy colors.
Even though it was insanely hot on the day I had my hanbok rental, I am quite happy with what I wore underneath my hanbok: a cotton t-shirt and short leggings with white sneakers. The clothes were very light so I actually had them in my bag and changed before and after the hanbok rental.
Should you book a hanbok rental in advance?
Booking your hanbok rental in advance can help you plan your trip and your day as it gives you a timeframe. However, in a big city like Seoul you are almost guaranteed that you’ll find a place that rents hanboks without reservations.
We decided to book the rental in advance to have peace of mind and because we didn’t know what to expect in Seoul, but in the same street of the shop we rented our hanboks at, there were plenty of other shops with lots of availabilities to rent hanboks.
How long should you rent the hanbok for?
When renting a hanbok, you’ll usually have to decide for how long you want it for. I would recommend to go for a period of at least 3-4 hours, because visiting just one palace will take more or less this amount of time, and you’ll have to take into account the walk to and from there.
My experience: we chose a rental of 4 hours and visited only Gyeongbokgung palace, which was closest to the hanbok rental place. We didn’t stay very long because it was too hot, but it still took us 3 hours in total.
My concerns going in
Is wearing a hanbok cultural appropriation?
Before deciding to rent a hanbok, I wondered if maybe renting a hanbok as a non-Asian person could be somewhat frowned upon, or not seen in the best way, by Koreans. So I did a bit of research and while of course I can’t vouch for all Korean people, it seems like they are perfectly fine with it.
Hanbok rentals are touristic services offered by Koreans and not only does this benefit their tourism industry, it also shines some light on their culture and traditions.
The most important thing is to be respectful when wearing such beautiful garnments and to behave appropriately.
Will I be the only one wearing a hanbok?
Absolutely not, especially in Seoul and Jeonju! There are plenty of people that rent hanboks and you will definitely not be the only one. If you are a bit shy to try it, then I’d recommend doing it in Seoul as you are certain a lot of other tourists (and locals) will be wearing them.
The fact that many people do it is also great because it is one of the few times when having people in your photos looks amazing, as it just feels like a scene from a period drama!
Is a hanbok comfortable?
Yes and no. If you take a good size for you, you’ll be fine walking around your hanbok, but of course that’s not the outfit to do gymnastics in. All the garnments are quite loose and the waistband of the skirt is really comfortable.
I haven’t tried the hanbok shoes so I can’t guarantee that they are comfortable.
Renting a hanbok in Seoul with Hanboknam
Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung store
During our 1-month trip to South Korea, we decided to book our hanbok rental at the store Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung.
It is very conveniently located right next to the Gyeongbokgung palace, which we wanted to visit on that day. It is also close to the Bukchon Hanok Village and the Changdeokgung palace.
We decided to go with this store as it had lots of positive reviews and offered the possibility to book the rental in advance, which was more convenient for us. We booked this experience via the Klook website.
Klook is a sort of online marketplace for travel experiences all around the world, but especially in Asian countries. You can book lots of tours and experiences (like hanbok rentals) but also get transportation tickets, eSIMS, etc. It is very convenient for tourists as it makes everything more convenient and easier.
In the following section I will detail a bit more what it was like to rent a hanbok in Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung and give my honest review.
Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung – Services offered
For your hanbok rental in the Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung store, you’ll have to chose between a variety of services, all detailed on their Klook page. Here’s a summary.
- Hanbok type: you have to chose between “basic” (simple hanboks), “themed” (usually with more details and brighter colours) and “premium” (very luxurious hanboks).
- Hairstyling: you’ll have lots of styles to chose from and hair accessories you can use. Basic hairstyling is free but chances are that you’ll want to upgrade when seeing all the pretty options in the store!
- Accessories: shoes and handbags to go with your hanbok are not included in the price, you can add them at the store if you want.
- Photoshoot and makeup: to have a professional make-up and/or a photoshoot with a professional photographer. You have to book it in advance.
What I chose: When booking, we opted for the “themed” hanbok option as I really liked the styles I saw in the pictures online. Then, at the store I picked a fancier hairstyle than the free “basic” one and also rented a small handbag to go with my hanbok as they looked so pretty!
The price: The price of a hanbok rental varies a lot depending on what you choose. For 2 “themed” hanboks for 4 hours, we paid 49 USD (45 EUR), and added around 5 USD there for the hairstyling and the bag.
Renting a hanbok at Hanboknam –
Step by step
Here’s what you can expect when you come to Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung for your hanbok rental.
- You arrive at the time you booked (9 am for us). They explain things to you and guide you upstairs to chose your hanbok.
- In a room filled with hundreds of colourful hanboks, you get to chose the ones you prefer. There are different sizes and racks according ro the type of hanbok you booked. Girls have to pick a skirt and a top (preferably matching).
- Assistants are there to help you find what you want and help you try on your hanbok in designated fitting rooms.
- You try the hanboks you’ve selected and pick the one you like most. Once you are sure of your choice, you can go back downstairs
- Time for hairstyling! You have plenty of options to choose from and lots of hair accessories. Just say to the haristylist what you want and they’ll do it for you.
- It is also at this stage that you can pick a purse or shoes if you want.
- Once you are ready, you can put all your stuff in a designated locker and set off to the palaces.
- Time to explore the palaces and take beautiful pictures in your flowy skirt!
- Whenever you want – and at the latest when your time is out – you can go back to the store, change in fitting rooms and leave your accessories and hanbok for cleaning there. This was super smooth and easy!
Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung –
Honest thoughts
I really had a great experience with Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung, but there were some small negatives.
Positives
- the process is very smooth and easy from start to finish, and everyone speaks English
- the location of the store, really close to the Gyeongbokgung palace
- the possibility to book the rental in advance so that you can plan your day around and know what to expect
- the hanboks were very clean
- the experience can fit your needs and your budget
- the extremely large choice of hanboks (can be limited by the hanbok style you pick when booking), they were all stunning and it was so hard to choose just one!
- the hairstyling was amazing and there are also a lot of options to choose from
Negatives
- the store seems very popular and it felt quite crowded at one point, while other shops in the same street seemed completely empty
- some hanboks were not in perfect condition (but it usually was very tiny details)
- the material of the hanboks is – expectedly – pretty synthetic so not very breathable on hot and humid days, just keep that in mind
- the sizing is not super inclusive: basically the bigger or taller you are, the more limited are your options. I am 1m75 tall and none of the skirts went all the way down to the floor but I could find a couple that still looked nice 😄
Overall, booking a hanbok in South Korea and walking around the Gyeongbokgung palace in Seoul with my hanbok is one of the most unique and fun experiences I had there, so I really would recommend it!
Is it something you would like to try?
