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Templestay in Korea: price by programme type and how to book
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
Templestay has no single price: each temple sets its own. On the official templestay.com English booking pages (2026-10-19), an adult paid ₩5,000 for a drop-in Tuesday programme at Bongeunsa, ₩50,000 for a one-day tea ceremony at Jogyesa, ₩60,000 a night at a forest meditation centre, ₩120,000 for an overnight stay at Mihwangsa and ₩200,000 at Jeondeungsa. Book through the site's Reservations page; cancellation rules differ by temple.
How much does templestay cost?
The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, which runs templestay.com, describes three types of programme but publishes no standard fee for each; the price sits on each temple's reservation page, with columns for adult, teenager, child and sometimes pre-school. These are five programmes:
| Temple, programme | Kind | Adult | Teenager | Child | Pre-school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bongeunsa (Seoul), BONG-PASS | Drop-in Tuesday, 10:00 to 16:00 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 0 |
| Jogyesa (Seoul), Seon of Tea | One-day tea ceremony | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | not listed |
| Buddha Forest Meditation Center (Geochang), flexible dates | Meditation stay, price per night | 60,000 | 60,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 |
| Mihwangsa (Haenam), autumn and winter | Overnight (two-day schedule) | 120,000 | 100,000 | 80,000 | not listed |
| Jeondeungsa (Ganghwa), One Step Pause | Overnight, repeats each night | 200,000 | 150,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 |
- Private rooms cost extra. The site's FAQ says the temple life is communal, and some temples offer private rooms for 2 to 4 people by "option pay", with a fee added per person. Mihwangsa lists a single-occupancy option of ₩30,000 for one person; Jeondeungsa lists a single-room option of ₩100,000.
- Dates change. Mihwangsa's autumn and winter programme runs 2026-10-14 to 2026-12-22; Jeondeungsa's and Jogyesa's run to 2026-12-31. Prices can change with the season.
- Special foreigner event, now over. A notice dated 2026-08-11 announced a Special Templestay for Foreigners from 1 to 30 September 2026 at ₩30,000 for one overnight. It ended on 2026-09-30; look at the site's Notice and Event page for the next one.
Types of templestay
| Type | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| One-day | Normally takes about two or three hours, including a temple tour, meditation and a tea ceremony. |
| Experience-oriented | Typically done on weekends with one overnight stay, with morning chanting, 108 prostrations, Buddhist meals with traditional bowls, and meditation. |
| Rest-oriented | A relaxed stay with no set activities, using the temple as a shelter for rest, meditation and Buddhist ceremonies. |
You are not required to join every programme: if you feel unwell or tired you can rest in your room and tell the staff. Men and women do not stay together in the same room.
How to book a templestay
- Open the English site, templestay.com/en, and choose Reservations.
- Pick an area (Seoul, Jeju, Gangwon and so on) and a temple, or open a programme directly.
- Choose a date on the calendar, enter how many adults, teenagers and children, and add any room option.
- Pay as the temple's page says. Jogyesa's page recommends paying by credit card in the online reservation process on a PC; card payment on the spot is not available. Unpaid bookings are cancelled automatically after a certain time. Mihwangsa's page says the booking is confirmed once payment is made at least 2 days in advance.
- Do not worry if no confirmation letter arrives: some temples do not send one, and every temple keeps its own reservation list, so you do not need to bring a letter. To confirm, write to support@templestay.com with your booking name, date and temple.
Booking lead time is set per temple: Jogyesa, Jeondeungsa and Mihwangsa each say reservations are available until 3 days before the programme starts. A stay can be longer than two days if you combine programme types; the FAQ says the maximum varies by temple and usually lasts ten days.
Cancellation and refunds differ by temple
| Temple | Refund rule |
|---|---|
| Jogyesa | 7 days before or more: 100%. 1 to 6 days before: no refund. |
| Jeondeungsa | 3 or more days before: 100%. 2 days: 70%. 1 day: 50%. Day of the programme: 30%. Dates cannot be rescheduled. |
| Mihwangsa | 2 days before: 70%. 1 day: 50%. Same day: no refund. Please call the temple to cancel. |
| Buddha Forest Meditation Center | Registration payments are strictly non-refundable; schedule changes are allowed, with participation within 3 months of the original cancellation date. |
| Bongeunsa BONG-PASS | You can pay with card or cash when you arrive at the temple. |
To cancel or change a booking, contact the temple you booked, or email support@templestay.com. Check the date on the site's calendar first, because some dates are unavailable because of the temple's schedule.
What to bring and where to start
- Bring towels, toiletries, underwear, socks, a change of clothes and a hair dryer; most temples provide only soap, toothpaste and a temple uniform (vest and pants). Bring warm clothes in winter.
- Nine temples are on the UNESCO World Heritage list; the FAQ says Beopjusa, Bulguksa, Magoksa and Haeinsa offer English templestay programmes for foreigners.
- The Templestay Information Center is at 56 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, open every day 09:00 to 18:00 (closed on New Year's Day, Lunar New Year and Chuseok), telephone 02-2031-2000.
Read on 2026-10-19 from templestay.com (English pages). Programme fees are set by each temple and change; only five were read. Not covered: group templestay, the Korean-language list of all temples, a Seosan programme whose listed price (₩700,000) did not say whether it is per person, and discounts.
Official sources
- Templestay (Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism) — What is Templestay — three programme types, activities, what to bring, FAQ (checked 2026-10-19)
- Templestay — Reservations FAQ — stay length, changing or cancelling, confirmation letters, private rooms and option pay, English programmes (checked 2026-10-19)
- Templestay — Reservations (programme pages) — price lists and refund rules on the Mihwangsa, Jogyesa, Jeondeungsa, Bongeunsa and Buddha Forest pages (reserve/view.do?templestaySeq=29518, 27247, 27044, 27568, 28797) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Templestay — Notice and Event: 2026 Special Templestay for Foreigners — September 2026 event at 30,000 won per overnight, posted 2026-08-11 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Templestay — Information Center — opening hours, address and telephone (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.