Do you really draw a puppy?

You do. The loop is GPS art: traced on a map it draws a dog. The shape is the fun part, but the run stands on its own through the historic centre of Seoul.

When should I run it?

Early morning. This route goes through the busiest part of the city, and at dawn it is calm, cool and yours. Midday and weekend evenings are crowded; late evening works if you take it slow.

I did not bring running shoes.

There is a running store on the route that rents shoes, so you can still run even if you flew in without yours. You also pass the first Salomon flagship trail-running store in Korea on the way.

Can we make it longer?

Yes. The loop stays mostly above the Cheonggyecheon, but we can drop down and add a stretch along the stream itself at the end for more city views and extra distance.

Routes · Gwanghwamun & the palaces, Jongno-gu

The Puppy Run.

강아지런 · 광화문

A loop through the historic heart of Seoul that draws a puppy on the map. Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung, the Blue House, the palace-wall lanes and the Cheonggyecheon, all in one run.

Distance: 8.7 km
Elevation: 36 m
Difficulty: Easy

How it runs ↓

The map

Course map

The route, on the actual map.

GPS-recorded track with points of interest along the way. Click any marker for the local context: water, toilets, CV stores, bridge crossings, photo spots.

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Hover the route or the elevation chart

Your pace

Estimated time —

How it runs

The route, in five parts.

If there is one thing I love more than running, it is dogs. This is my puppy. So a route that combines pups and running is, to me, the best one yet, and beyond the fact that you draw a genuinely cute puppy on the map, this run has a lot to offer. It takes you around the best of central Seoul, Gwanghwamun Square, the Blue House, Insadong, the Cheonggyecheon, the list goes on. It is a fantastic introduction to the city.

One of my absolute favourite places in Seoul is on this route: the entrance to Gyeongbokgung. Stand at the gate and on one side you have the traditional palace, the tiled roofs and the mountain behind it, and on the other you have modern Seoul, skyscrapers and screens and crowds streaming past. It is like someone set Times Square down next to a five-hundred-year-old palace, and somehow it works.

From there you make your way down toward the Cheonggyecheon, the stream that runs through the centre of the city. For decades it was buried under an elevated highway; the city tore the road down and daylighted the stream in 2005, and now it is a sunken, traffic-free walkway through downtown. You thread the narrow, interesting lanes of Bukchon and Insadong, run the quiet roads along the old palace walls, and pass the Blue House, the former presidential residence, which for a short window during the last president’s term you could actually visit before it was closed to the public again.

A top route. Two notes: there is a running store on the way that rents shoes if you have arrived in Seoul without yours, and you also pass the first Salomon flagship trail-running store in Korea. And while this loop keeps you mostly above the Cheonggyecheon rather than down in it, you can easily add a stretch along the stream itself at the end for more city views and extra distance.

01
Gwanghwamun Square and the gate

We start near Gwanghwamun and head up the square toward Gyeongbokgung. This is the spot I love most: at the palace gate the traditional and the modern city sit right next to each other, tiled roofs and Bugaksan on one side, skyscrapers and screens on the other.
02
Around the palace to the Blue House

We run the quiet roads along the palace walls up to the Blue House, the former presidential residence, sitting under the forested mountain. The streets up here are calmer than the square, with the fountain plaza and the Museum of Craft Art on the way.
03
The palace-wall lanes of Bukchon and Insadong

Down through the narrow, interesting lanes east of the palace, stone walls on one side and cafes and galleries on the other. This is the prettiest running in central Seoul, and the part that surprises people who only know the big avenues.
04
Through the heart of the city

Back toward the centre past Bosingak and the Cheonggyecheon, the daylighted stream that runs below street level through downtown. The loop keeps you mostly above it, but you can drop down and add a stretch along the water at the end for more city views.
05
Close the loop, and the puppy

Back to the start, having traced a puppy across the middle of Seoul. About 8.7 km, flat the whole way. The only real challenge here is the crowds, not the climbing, which is why I run it early.

Facts

Numbers, surfaces, fountains, toilets.

The things you actually want to know before you head out.

Default distance: 8.7 km loop
The shape: Traced on a map, the route draws a puppy. It is GPS art.
Elevation gain: Flat and gentle through the city centre
Surface: City pavement and palace-wall lanes; optional Cheonggyecheon stream path
Landmarks: Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung gate, the Blue House, Bukchon & Insadong lanes, Bosingak, the Cheonggyecheon
Shoe rental: A running store on the route rents shoes; you also pass Korea’s first Salomon flagship trail store
Traffic exposure: A real city route: road crossings, lights and busy pavements. Not an uninterrupted park run.
Toilets: Jonggak Station plus public facilities around the square and palace
Convenience stores: Many along the way through the city centre
Transit: Gwanghwamun (Line 5), Gyeongbokgung (Line 3) and Jonggak (Line 1) all sit on the loop

When to run it

Best time, best season, the honest caveats.

Best time of day

Early morning, without question. The whole point of running this route is the quiet light on the palace and the empty square before the city centre fills up. Run it at dawn and it is yours.

Best seasons

Spring and autumn are loveliest around the palaces, but this is a four-season route. The gate and walls under fresh snow in winter are worth a cold early start, and the city-centre paving stays runnable when the riverside routes get slick.

Caveats and Plan B

This route runs through crowded city streets. Run it early morning. Midday and evenings, especially on weekends, get busy. It is feasible in the late evening too, just be ready to take it slow and stay cautious on the busier stretches.
It is a city route, not a park: expect road crossings, traffic lights and pavement shared with pedestrians. Pace it accordingly.
Access to the Blue House grounds has changed back and forth; we run past it regardless, but whether you can go in depends on the current rules.

From me

I love dogs more than just about anything except maybe running, so a route that lets me do both, even if the dog is only a shape on a map, was always going to be a favourite. But it earns its place on its own: there is nowhere else in Seoul where you can run past a five-hundred-year-old palace gate, a forested presidential residence, and a daylighted downtown stream inside a single easy hour. Run it at dawn, before the crowds, and central Seoul feels like it belongs to you.
· Quintin

Where we start

Gwanghwamun, by the south end of Gwanghwamun Square

Subway Line 5, Gwanghwamun (Exit 1–4 put you on the square). Gyeongbokgung (Line 3) and Jonggak (Line 1) also sit on the loop if they are easier for you.

FAQ

Quick answers.

Do you really draw a puppy?

You do. The loop is GPS art: traced on a map it draws a dog. The shape is the fun part, but the run stands on its own through the historic centre of Seoul.
When should I run it?

Early morning. This route goes through the busiest part of the city, and at dawn it is calm, cool and yours. Midday and weekend evenings are crowded; late evening works if you take it slow.
I did not bring running shoes.

There is a running store on the route that rents shoes, so you can still run even if you flew in without yours. You also pass the first Salomon flagship trail-running store in Korea on the way.
Can we make it longer?

Yes. The loop stays mostly above the Cheonggyecheon, but we can drop down and add a stretch along the stream itself at the end for more city views and extra distance.

Take it with you

GPX + interactive map coming with the route packs.

Downloadable GPX, turn-by-turn cues, the elevation profile, and an interactive map land with the first route pack. Until then, run it with me, I know every turn.

Run it with me All routes

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Where to run next.

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The Puppy Run.

The route, on the actual map.

The route, in five parts.

Gwanghwamun Square and the gate

Around the palace to the Blue House

The palace-wall lanes of Bukchon and Insadong

Through the heart of the city

Close the loop, and the puppy