If you are arriving in Seoul via the subway, every international map app is going to fail you.
Because of strict map data restrictions in South Korea, Google Maps cannot calculate walking routes here. It will try to send you on a massive, square detour around the entire block, dragging your luggage over uneven pavement and past busy traffic.
But the shortest distance between two points is never a square roundabout. It’s a straight line.
In Jongno’s case, that straight line is a pathway cutting directly between Hyehwa Station (Line 4, Exit 3) and Changgyeonggung Palace. Locals know this route. It cuts right through the Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) grounds and shaves nearly ten minutes off your walk.
Here is the exact, step-by-step route.
Step 1: Exit and Enter the Driveway
Walk out of Hyehwa Station Exit 3 and walk straight for about 150 meters. Turn right into the main driveway entrance of SNUH.
Don't worry—you don't need to enter any buildings. This pathway is just a driveway connecting the back and front entrances of the hospital. It is open to the public, safe, and well-lit.
Step 2: Stay Left Past the Children's Hospital
As you enter the hospital driveway, stay on the left side of the sidewalk. Walk up past the Children's Hospital on your left. Continue past the Daehan Center entrance and the church, also on your left.
Step 3: The Dental Hospital & The Old Brick Building
Keep walking and pass the SNUH Dental Hospital on your left. Across from the Dental Hospital, you will see the old, classical original hospital building. It’s made of brick—a style introduced by the Japanese during the occupation. In fact, almost any beautiful brick building you see in Seoul in this style was almost certainly built by the Japanese. (Sorry, Korea.)
Step 4: Past the Tennis Courts
Stay on the left sidewalk and continue past the Dental Hospital. You will pass the hospital tennis courts on your left. (Sorry, those are for doctors and their families only.)
Walk straight for about 100 meters until you see the main entrance of the hospital. You can't miss this—every car coming into the hospital uses this road.
Step 5: Cross to the Palace Wall
Cross the street. You will now be standing directly in front of the ancient stone wall of Changgyeonggung Palace. Turn right on the main road (Changgyeonggung-ro) and walk another 200 meters.
You will pass a hundred-year-old park originally built for the King's mistresses (plural). Oh, if walls and trees could talk.
You have arrived at Seoul Loft Apartments.
A Note on Luggage
Because this route cuts through a paved hospital campus, it is incredibly smooth. If you have heavy luggage, this shortcut is far easier than navigating the uneven, narrow sidewalks of the residential alleys.
Pro-tip: If you are arriving from Incheon Airport, the 6011 airport bus drops you off directly in front of our building. No walking required.
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