[Walking Course in Seoul] Ahyeon-dong Gogaet-gil

There is a place where people couldn't sleep due to the smell of the bathroom at night, and living uncomfortable life climbing steep hills every day. You will also need to wear boots to walk on these old roads in order not to get hurt. However, recently, there are new apartments being built here, and this place is getting attraction. This is Ahyeon-dong.

In this post, we are going to introduce to you a walking course in Ahyeon-dong Gogaet-gil where the past and present of Seoul coexist.

Recommended Ahyeon-dong Gogaet-gil Walking Course :

Ahyeon Market ▶ Ahyeon Soy Sauce Crab ▶ Haenghwatang ▶ Seoul St. Nicholas Cathedral ▶ Hwanggeum Kongbat ▶ Malli Reservoir Park ▶ Pig Rice Supermarket 

After getting out from Ahyeon Station Exit 4, walk straight and you will see Ahyeon Market. Ahyeon Market is a traditional market that contains a lot of joy and sorrow of the residents at Ahyeon-dong. As there are many traditional shops here, it is recommended to take a look around this place.

Originally, it was a much larger market. However, due to Ahyeon new town redevelopment project, the market became slightly smaller.

There are many old shops in the market that are hard to be seen elsewhere. The mill in the above picture is the place where grains are roasted in a traditional way. There is one straight row of shops in Ahyeon Market so don't worry about getting lost.

Let's get out from Ahyeon Market and continue with the walking course.

There is a row of apartments on one side, and on the opposite, you can see the old buildings remain from the past. When you look on the left, it will remind you of the past, and when you look on the left, you will think about the present.

The Ahyeon Soy Sauce Crab became the famous place in Ahyeon-dong after it came out in the broadcast of Infinite Challenge. Normally, the restaurant is full of foreign visitors. However, due to COVID-19 closed borders and foreign visitors are unable to enter Korea, the place seems quite quiet.

As you walk around this neighborhood, you will see many houses with tile roof and old signboard. It makes you feel like you are walking in a drama or movie.

Haenghwatang, one of the most famous cafes in Ahyeon-dong, is a complex cultural space and cafe made by restructuring an old bath house, and it has attracted people from 20s to 30s to visit Ahyeon-dong.

This is not just a cafe, but it is a place where they support theater related activities. Do take note that the cafe does not have a fixed rest day. If you are interested to watch the performance, you can reserve the tickets too.

Ahyeong-dong not only has unique scenery. Seoul St. Nicholas Cathedral, located slightly up on the hill, is a cathedral following the Eastern Orthodox Church, which first entered Korea from Russia at the end of the Joseon Dynasty. Due to COVID-19, you are unable to enter the Catherdral, but it looks beautiful enough for you to enjoy the view from outside and walk pass this place.

You can still see houses with tile roof that retain their old appearance. It is not artificially made tile roof houses.

Same as Ahyeon Soy Sauce Crab restaurant, Hwanggeum Kongbat, known as Seoul's best tofu restaurant, has also appeared on various TV programs and it is also the Michelin-starred restaurant list 2020. If you want to taste tofu (bean curb) made with 100% bean curb from local, it would be a good choice to visit Hwanggeum Kongbat.

Ahyeon-dong is an area going through redevelopment, so you might see many empty houses as people have moved out from their home.

Continue walking straight on the Ahyeon-dong uphill road.

As you go up the road, you will see the Malli Reservoir Park, which is called a remote island in the city center.

Malli Reservoir Park is nicely built with wooden deck path. There is also a resting area for cats.

Besides that, the park is full of trees, making it a good resting place for residents.

The Malli Reservoir Park is the place where the Seoul Metropolitan Government keeps drinking water storage tank made for residents staying on the hills in Malli-dong and Ahyeon-dong. Initially, for the safety and protection of the drinking water, the barbed wire was installed to block anyone from entering, but it was rebuilt into a park because it looked hideous from the outside.

Currently, you can find walking path, sports equipment and a playground.

This is also a place serve as a garden where many trees are planted and you can also find a silver grass field.

Finally, when you will walk to the must-visit place in Ahyeon-dong - the filming location of the movie 'Parasite', the Ahyeon-dong walking course has almost come to an end.

In the first scene of 'Parasite', Park Seo-joon and Choi Woo-sik sat down drinking and talking in front of the Pig Supermarket. It is just a local supermarket but occasionally there are visitors who come to see the filming site of 'Parasite'.

If you head towards the alley on the right of the Supermarket and keep walking, you will arrive at the staircase which is also one of the filming locations. This walking course, starts from Ahyeon Station Exit 4 and ends at Chungjeongro Station Exit 6, allows you to experience the area where the past and present of Seoul coexist. It will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete this Ahyeon-dong Gogaet-gil walking course.

[Information about  Ahyeon-dong Gogaet-gil]

1.Getting There  : At AREX Hongik University Station, Transfer to Subway Line 2  ▶ Get off at Ahyeon Station, Exit 4

2.Recommended Course : Ahyeon Market ▶ Ahyeon Soy Sauce Crab ▶ Haenghwatang ▶ Seoul St. Nicholas Cathedral ▶ Hwanggeum Kongbat ▶ Malli Reservoir Park ▶ Pig Rice Supermarket 

*Note: To prevent the spread of COVID-19, please remember to keep 2m social distancing, wash hands frequently, obey cough etiquette and wear a mask. Stay safe, everyone.