The back story
Suwon: the fortress of Hwaseong
A late eighteenth-century fortress wall around the city of Suwon, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a palace for royal visits inside.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Bernard Gagnon · CC0 via Wikimedia CommonsUNESCO inscribed Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon in 1997: a fortress built at the end of the eighteenth century, its walls running around the old city, with gates, watchtowers and command posts. Inside, Hwaseong Haenggung was the temporary palace for royal visits.
Getting there
Suwon is south of Seoul, reached by Korail trains and the metro.
On the walls
Walk the walls between Paldalmun and Janganmun, past the watchtowers, then visit Hwaseong Haenggung (Suwon Cultural Foundation, swcf.or.kr).
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Mobius6 · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsSouth of Seoul by train or metro; walk the walls before lunch.
Our advice: wear flat shoes: the wall walk climbs Paldalsan.
Why it's on our list
- Getting there
- On the walls
What’s nearby
Distances from Suwon: the fortress of Hwaseong are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Key sights
- COEX28 kmCar or taxi 101 min
- Lotte World Tower28 kmCar or taxi 103 min
- N Seoul Tower32 kmCar or taxi 115 min
- The DDP34 kmCar or taxi 121 min
- Gyeongbokgung35 kmCar or taxi 126 min
- Changdeokgung36 kmCar or taxi 127 min
- Bukchon36 kmCar or taxi 128 min
Main railway stations
- Suseo Station (SRT)26 kmCar or taxi 94 min
- Yongsan Station30 kmCar or taxi 108 min
- Seoul Station33 kmCar or taxi 118 min
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storySeoul at the table: Mingles, the stars and the noodle housesOne three-star, ten two-stars, thirty-one one-stars and fifty-one Bib Gourmands: Seoul’s table runs from Mingles in Cheongdam to buckwheat noodles in Jongno and gomtang by the river.
The back storyKorean CuisineKimchi and the banchan that come with every meal, bibimbap, cold naengmyeon, long-simmered gomtang, barbecue at the table and dumplings by the steamer: the dishes of Korea, and where to taste them in Seoul.
The back storyWhere Seoul sleeps: the palaces, Namsan, Gangnam and the riverThe Four Seasons by Gwanghwamun, the Shilla and Banyan Tree on the slopes of Namsan, Signiel high in Lotte World Tower, Josun Palace and the Park Hyatt in Gangnam, and the Mondrian’s rooftop in Itaewon: where to stay in a city of two halves.