Suwon – An Escape From Seoul
If you’re visiting South Korea then you’ll likely spend some time in the capital city, Seoul. Seoul is massive, crowded and can be overwhelming, so you may feel like you need a break from this mega city. Luckily the small city of Suwon is only around one hour away and can be reached by metro. This historic city serves as the capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea’s most populous province, and has many interesting tourist sites you can see all in a day trip from Seoul.
Things to do in Suwon
Hwaseong Fortress
Hwaseong Fortress surrounds the centre of Suwon and is where you’ll likely spend most of your time on a day trip to the city. I recommend taking the bus to the northern Janganmun Gate to begin your tour of the fortress. When I entered through this gate I found a tourist information centre giving out free maps and stamp books. I had to obtain 10 stamps from sites located around the walled city in order to receive a free souvenir. I recommend following this map and stamp book as it will take you to the main points of interest within Hwaseong Fortress.
To begin, I followed the city wall west to the Hwaseomun Gate. From here the wall curves to the south and heads uphill. It’s not a difficult walk up to the fortress’s highest point at the Seojangdae (Western Command Post). From here you get a great view over the city, and then you can continue heading south to the Seonamammun Gate.
From the Seonamammun Gate the path heads back down, bringing you into the centre of the city and the Paldalmun Gate. Keep heading east and you’ll be back on the city wall, this time with a view of the imposing gothic-style Suwon Jeil Church.
Following the wall round will bring you to the north-eastern Changnyongmun Gate, and from there you can complete the circle of the city wall by heading back to Janganmun Gate.
Hwaseong Haenggung Palace
Located within the walls of Hwaseong Fortress is the Hwaseong Haenggung Palace, a temporary palace where the king would stay on visits outside of the capital. Built in the late 1700s, this palace was where King Jeongjo stayed while visiting his father’s tomb which is located nearby.
The palace is similar to those you can see in Seoul, but on a smaller scale. Fortunately it’s also quieter than the palaces in Seoul, so you can spend more time looking around all the buildings and getting good photos.
King Jeongjo’s Statue
Jeongjo was a king of the Joseon dynasty in Korea. He was responsible for the construction of Hwaseong Fortress to guard his father’s tomb, and built the Hwaseong Haenggung Palace to stay at while visiting the tomb. The statue of King Jeongjo in Suwon commemorates his efforts to reform and improve the country, as well as his contribution to the city.
Starfield
After spending the day enjoying the historical sites of Suwon, I recommend heading to Starfield Suwon for some dinner, shopping, and of course to see the Starfield Library. The Starfield Library in the COEX Mall in Seoul is a famous photo spot, but I think the one in Suwon outshines it. This Starfield location opened at the beginning of 2024 and features massive planet-like sculptures hanging down over an impressive library.
This Starfield Mall is also located right next to the Hwaseo metro station which will take you back up to Seoul.