Despite our many visits to Korea, there was something uniquely Korean we hadn’t tried: a temple stay. This is a popular getaway option for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and recharge in nature.
So we decided to try one in Geumsunsa Temple, located in Bukhansan!
How To Book The Temple Stay
We found the stay online at the official Temple Stay website, a portal designed for tourists to reserve temple stay experiences. It functions like Agoda or Booking.com where you input dates and browse the available stays around Korea.
There are 3 types of temple stays offered on the website: one-day, experience-oriented (including activities and meals) and rest-oriented (meditation and ceremonies).
Prices range from 10,000 won to 80,000 won per person and you pay a deposit before paying the rest at the temple directly.
We opted for the 2-day, 1-night experience-oriented stay at Geumsunsa Temple (80,000 won) since it was the closest to the city.
The temple contacted us a few days before the stay with more information on how to get there.
Getting There
Geumsunsa Temple is located in Bukhansan, about a 25-minute bus ride from Gyeongbukgong. We ended up in a quiet hillside area where we had another 30-minute hike.
This was a taxing journey! After multiple flights of stairs, we hiked up a rocky mountain trail which led us to the entrance. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes.
If you’re carrying heavy luggage, you can contact the temple office in advance to help transport it.
We were greeted by colourful temple gates, a welcome sight from the tiring journey to get here. The friendly temple staff checked us in and gave us a set of temple uniforms for the stay.
Day 1
Accommodation
The room was simple but had everything we needed – a floor heater, a clean bathroom with warm water, plus a pretty view of the mountains!
It came with futons, a pillow and blankets, which you need to put the covers on yourself. They do not provide mugs/tumblers, toiletries (towels too) and wifi, so remember to bring your own.
Something cute we found was a logbook with diary entries from previous patrons. They were almost all in Korean, meaning temple stays are still a popular activity amongst the locals.
Temple Tour
The first item on the itinerary was a temple tour by the English-speaking temple manager.
He gave a brief introduction to the Buddhist practice, including certain etiquette. For example, it’s a rule to remain silent on temple grounds unless spoken to, even during meals! To communicate, you simply bow with your palms together – a gesture called hapjeong.
He also introduced the temple grounds, like the canteen, prayer hall and a small library near the entrance. A big plus is meeting the temple dog! He was sweet and well-mannered.
Something he said stuck with us on the tour: When you enter the temple gates, you leave your past and future self behind and simply come as you are in the present.
It sounded cheesy but we resonated deeply with the statement. Maybe it was spiritual or just pseudo-psychology, but we felt immediately at ease when we entered the grounds. I guess temples in the mountains can have that effect.
Activities
We got to do a surprising number of things during our stay! The first was ringing the temple bell which happens during dawn and dusk. It was a pretty cool experience.
We explored behind the temple grounds including some smaller shrines. The staff had decorated the space with colourful lanterns in time for Buddha’s birthday, so it was extra pretty!
There’s a main recreation hall, equipped with a reading corner, tea and coffee, water and charging cables (there are no outlets in the rooms).
You can relax and interact with friends, or write wishes on little scrolls of paper which the temple will burn as a way to make them known to the universe.
We joined the evening temple prayer session. It was about 10 minutes and had a lot of bowing. The manager had taught the proper bowing sequence earlier in the day which we did during the session!
We couldn’t understand what was being chanted but did our best to follow along.
The temple manager then hosted a sound bowl mediation session, where he played the guitar!
Later that night, we headed to the library outside. It was small but cosy and had colouring pages which we happily coloured in over coffee.
The temple manager said this spot had the best nighttime view and he didn’t lie! It was super nice.
Even though these were simple activities, they helped us slow down and be present in the moment.
Meals
Our stay included two meals: dinner and breakfast. All meals are vegetarian but we think they were quite tasty!
The selection includes about 6 dishes with rice, including mushrooms, mock meat and kimchi. It’s free flow so you can just eat until you’re full.
Day 2
Morning Scenery
The next morning is free and easy until checkout at 10.30 am. We woke up earlier for breakfast at about 8.30 am and were greeted by the picturesque morning views.
The temple manager shared that we could hike up Bukhansan via a mountain path outside the temple, but we couldn’t locate it… So we decided to return to the room to enjoy a final cup of coffee.
With the slight chill, morning sun and warm coffee, it felt like a perfect end to our experience.
Check-Out
You return the temple uniform and bedsheets at check-out. The staff kindly gifted us a braided bracelet for luck and safety, which now comes with us on all our travels.
Temple Stay In Korea
We highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a way to unplug. Just one day in the temple was enough to calm our psyche and help us recharge, making it worth the extra time in your itinerary!
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