Templestay in Seoul: Day Programmes and Overnight Stays in English

Six temples in Seoul run English templestays that individual travellers can book on templestay.com, the official booking site. Day programmes last one to six hours and cost ₩5,000 to ₩50,000; a 50-minute tea with a monk opposite Jogyesa is free. Overnight stays cost ₩80,000 to ₩120,000 a person, run from early afternoon to mid-morning the next day, and include dinner, breakfast, the evening and dawn ceremonies and a temple uniform. Bongeunsa’s Saturday-to-Sunday stay runs on selected Saturdays, about once a month, and online booking closes one to three days before, depending on the temple.

Which temples in Seoul run templestay in English?

Bongeunsa, Geumsunsa, Hwagyesa, Jogyesa, Myogaksa and the International Seon Center all had English programmes open to individual travellers in the Seoul programme list on October 16, 2026. The templestay.com FAQ names these six and Jinkwansa as the Seoul temples you can reach by bus or subway.

Myogaksa runs its overnight stay “in English or translated in English”, and the International Seon Center’s Saturday evening is held in English.

For Geumsunsa, take bus 7212 (pay with a T-money card) from Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 3, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 2 or Bulgwang Station Exit 2, get off at the Yibukodocheung stop, walk about 900 m towards the mountain, then hike about 200 m and turn left at the crossroads with the toilets on your right. A small cable car carries luggage only from the parking area to the templestay office; ask the temple in advance if you need it. For Hwagyesa, a taxi from Suyu Station Exit 7 is the easiest way. Plan both bus rides on Naver Map or Kakao Map.

Other English listings are left out below. Jinkwansa’s half-day programme may be cancelled if fewer than 15 people book and had no open dates on October 16; Jogyesa’s “Be a true hero!” takes groups of 10 or more; Doseonsa’s “Onnuri” is for children’s centres and welfare organisations; and two listings were about to end: Bongeunsa’s ₩80,000 Five Elements Yin Yoga Night, whose last date is October 23, and Hwagyesa’s Only Rest overnight, listed until October 31.

What is the difference between a one-day programme and an overnight templestay?

A one-day programme is a few hours at the temple with no night there; an overnight stay sleeps you in the temple and follows its timetable from the evening ceremony to the dawn ceremony. One-day programmes are usually two or three hours of temple tour, meditation and tea ceremony. Overnight programmes are either “experience-oriented”, typically one weekend night with the dawn ceremony, 108 prostrations (a full bow, repeated 108 times), a monastic meal and meditation, or “rest-oriented”, where you mostly rest and join the ceremonies and meditation.

Only an overnight stay includes the 4 a.m. wake-up and the dawn ceremony; the closest a day programme comes is Bongeunsa’s Sunday evening programme, which ends with the evening ceremony.

How much does a templestay in Seoul cost?

Day programmes cost ₩5,000 to ₩50,000 and overnight stays ₩80,000 to ₩120,000 a person; at most temples children pay the same as adults, and the tea with a monk (below) is free. The tables list the main programmes individual travellers could book on October 16, 2026, with the days shown on each programme page or its booking calendar that day.

Day programmes

Overnight stays (one night, two days)

Hwagyesa’s listed operating period ends on November 30, 2026.

What happens during an overnight templestay?

You arrive in the early afternoon, change into a temple uniform, eat dinner from about 4:30 p.m., go to bed around 9 p.m. and get up around 4 a.m. for the dawn ceremony. This is the Jogyesa timetable, which the temple says may change:

You sleep in a shared room, with men and women in separate rooms (see the room rules below). Geumsunsa puts people who book together in the same room, Myogaksa gives each guest a locker and bedding, and at Bongeunsa you fold your own bedding and clean the room before you leave.

Bongeunsa’s weekend stay marks none of its sessions as optional: the timetable has lights out at 9 p.m., the dawn ceremony at 4:20 a.m., 108 prostrations at 5 a.m. and tea with a monk at 9 a.m., ending at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The FAQ says you may rest in your room instead of joining a session if you feel unwell or too tired; tell the staff.

Is there a free templestay in Seoul?

Yes: a free 50-minute tea with a monk at the Templestay Information Center, opposite Jogyesa. On October 16, 2026 its calendar showed sessions mostly on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 and 3:40 p.m. Each time slot is a separate listing on templestay.com (2:30 p.m., 3:40 p.m.; 10:20 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. run on a few Fridays). The centre also runs a free Saturday tea meditation at 10:20 a.m. for up to four people per session; tell the monk beforehand if you are allergic to a tea or sensitive to caffeine.

The centre is on the first floor of the Templestay Center, 56 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, directly across the street from Jogyesa, so either place’s directions work (the tea listings give Jonggak Station Exit 3-1, about 350 m, or Anguk Station Exit 6, about 250 m). It opens daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closes on New Year’s Day and over the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays. Staff there answer questions in person and hand out brochures, so it is also the place to ask which temple suits you. The fifth floor has Balwoo Gongyang, a temple-food restaurant.

The International Seon Center runs a free English meditation evening with a dhamma talk every Saturday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. (donations recommended; book by the day before). Beginners must arrive by 6:30 p.m. for a 30-minute orientation; bring comfortable clothes, a cup and socks.

How do I book a templestay on templestay.com?

Open the Seoul programme list, pick a programme and a date on its calendar, set the number of people and press Reservation; the site then asks you to sign in, with a templestay.com account or with Google or Facebook. You do not need to print a confirmation, because each temple works from its own reservation list.

Book as soon as your date opens. Bongeunsa says reservations open one month before the date and Myogaksa says they usually do, but on October 16, 2026 Bongeunsa’s weekend calendar already listed December 5, seven weeks out, and every date shown on both Myogaksa calendars was fully booked.

Can I cancel a templestay and get a refund?

Yes, in full if you cancel at least three or four days ahead at most Seoul temples; Jogyesa needs seven days and Bongeunsa 14, and nothing is refunded on the day. To cancel or change a date, contact the temple or email support@templestay.com.

Book the International Seon Center at least three days ahead: the site accepts day-programme bookings until two days before, but the centre admits only guests who reserved three days ahead.

Some programmes depend on numbers. Myogaksa cancels if no more than five people have booked four days before, and emails you if it does. Jogyesa’s overnight and Seon of Tea programmes may also be cancelled if too few people book. Bongeunsa runs its two Thursday programmes on different weeks, and either can switch to the other, at the same time and price, if too few people book. Bongeunsa says it restricts later templestay bookings for guests who do not show up without telling the temple.

What should I wear and bring to a templestay?

Wear modest, neat clothes and bring socks; temples provide a uniform for overnight stays, and most supply only soap and toothpaste, so bring a towel and toiletries unless your temple says otherwise. Jogyesa, Myogaksa, Hwagyesa and the International Seon Center advise against sleeveless shirts and flip-flops; Geumsunsa does not allow them, or sandals. Bongeunsa does not allow bare feet in its halls, so pack socks even for a day programme.

• Provided. Overnight stays include a uniform of vest and trousers at Jogyesa, Bongeunsa, Geumsunsa, Hwagyesa and the International Seon Center (a vest only on Jogyesa’s tea overnight); Myogaksa provides a uniform. Jogyesa provides soap, a towel and a hair dryer; Myogaksa provides bedding, a towel, soap, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and a hair dryer; Bongeunsa provides only soap, a hair dryer and tissues.
• Bring. Toiletries, a towel where none is provided, socks, a T-shirt to wear under the uniform, comfortable shoes that slip on and off easily, loose clothes for sleeping and a water bottle; Bongeunsa also suggests a tumbler and an umbrella.
• Winter. Bring a jacket or sweater, because mountain temples are colder than you might expect. Geumsunsa is a mountain temple.

What are the rules during a templestay?

You may not drink alcohol or smoke anywhere in the temple, and you should keep silent near the halls. The International Seon Center and Jinkwansa also ban outside food, and Myogaksa bans food in the sleeping quarters. The Bongeunsa guidelines ask you to greet people with palms together and a half-bow (hapjang), walk with your hands folded in front of you (chasu), eat in silence without commenting on the food, take only what you can finish, avoid heavy make-up and strong scents, and return the uniform before you leave. The International Seon Center closes its doors from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Do I need to be Buddhist, and can couples share a room?

No. Bongeunsa says it welcomes everyone regardless of nationality, belief, age or gender. Rooms are shared and separated by sex, even for couples, as the FAQ says; some temples rent private rooms for two to four people for an extra fee. Jogyesa puts families and groups together in three- or six-person rooms and separates couples, except parents with minor children; a private room costs extra and must be requested and paid in advance, never on the day.

Which Seoul templestay should I choose?

For a first overnight stay on a weekday, choose Jogyesa: its ceremonies and 108 prostrations are optional and it is a short walk from Jonggak and Anguk stations. At a weekend, choose Bongeunsa, the one stay that always runs from Saturday to Sunday and keeps every session in the schedule. For a few hours, take the free tea with a monk across the street from Jogyesa.

• A few hours between sights: the free tea with a monk at the Templestay Information Center from Friday to Sunday, or Jogyesa’s ₩10,000 morning programme or ₩50,000 afternoon tea ceremony across the street. Anguk Station Exit 6 is also the way to Bukchon, and you can pair the temple on the same day with Changdeokgung’s Secret Garden or Jongmyo.
• The full monastic routine: Bongeunsa’s weekend stay or Myogaksa’s overnight, which both put 108 prostrations in the core schedule. Book as soon as dates open.
• A mountain temple inside Seoul: Geumsunsa, in the hills of Jongno-gu, with long free-time blocks and Tuesday-to-Thursday overnight dates. The bus to it leaves from Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 3 and check-in is by 2:30 p.m., so you can spend the morning at Gyeongbokgung first.
• Meditation: the International Seon Center, whose day programme teaches posture and method, whose overnight guests join the evening meditation, and whose Saturday evening is free.

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