Jongno 3-ga, the World's Coolest Neighbourhood 2026: What to See, Hours, and How to Get There

Bottom line: Time Out just named Jongno 3-ga in Seoul the World's Coolest Neighbourhood of 2026. To see why, come up at Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station (Lines 1, 3 and 5) and walk Seosulla-gil first, the alley that runs along Jongmyo Shrine's western stone wall, then cross over to the Ikseon-dong hanok alley near exits 4 and 6, and finish on foot at Gwangjang Market's food alley — the three scenes Time Out singled out, all in one loop.

If you didn't know: the subway fare to Jongno 3-ga is just 1,550 won on a transit card, so money isn't the issue — time is. Gwangjang Market itself only operates 9am-6pm (closed Sundays), so arrive later and the fabric and general-goods stalls inside are shuttered, leaving just the food alley. And plenty of the small restaurants and craft workshops around Ikseon-dong and Seosulla-gil prefer cash or a bank-transfer app over cards, so showing up with no cash can mean walking right past the place you wanted to try.

On September 15, 2026, Time Out ranked Jongno 3-ga first in its World's Coolest Neighbourhoods survey of 40 cities across 26 countries and territories. City editors and local experts nominate contenders and an editorial panel judges them on six measures: food and drink, nightlife, culture, independent local businesses, liveability, and sense of community. Rabat's L'Ocean District placed second, Athens third, and Tokyo's Koenji eighth; Jongno 3-ga was the only Korean neighborhood among the 40. It had ranked third in Time Out's 2021 survey.

Time Out cited three things for the top spot: Jongno 3-ga's back-alley street-food carts that come alive after dark, Ikseon-dong's hanoks that have found new uses without losing their character, and Seosulla-gil, where craft and jewelry studios and stylish bars line Jongmyo Shrine's western stone wall. Walk it yourself and all three sit within one subway stop of each other, easily covered in half a day. One thing to plan around: as an October 12, 2026 report on this site detailed, a lot of stalls at Gwangjang Market's food alley don't take cards, so bring cash or a Korean transfer app when you tour this neighborhood.

Journey stage: During the trip · Verified 2026-10-13 · Source Time Out