Around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in 6 Hours

Despite its relatively short history of just 217 years and the destruction of its original structure (which has since been restored to its former glory) during the Japanese colonial period, Hwaseong Fortress 수원화성 in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1997. 

Hwaseong Fortress was constructed for King Jeongjo in 1796 to accommodate his temporary stays in Hwaseong Haenggung (Hwaseong Palace) whenever the King made visits to Suwon to have memorial services for his father, Crown Prince Sado, who was killed by his own father, King Yeongjo.

Grace, my avid photographer friend, suggested that we head to Suwon (the capital of Gyeonggi-do) for a day trip from Seoul as she was marked by keen interest after reading about this fortress on the Internet.

30 kilometres away from Seoul, Suwon is easily reachable via train (30 minutes, ₩3,200) or via subway (62minutes, ₩1,650) from Seoul station. To save time, we opted for the former. After alighting at Suwon station, we took a bus to get to the fortress. The bus number slipped my mind (my apologies), but you can approach the Tourist Information Centre right outside Suwon station for directions.

Train bound for Suwon

Clean and comfortable train ride

After arriving at the Paldalmun bus stop, the Paldalmun gate (South gate of Hwaseong Fortress 팔달문) which sits in the middle of a roundabout located on a busy main road can be seen. The Paldalmun gate is unique as it is separated from the rest of the main gates - Janganmun (North gate 장안문), Hwaseomun (West gate 화서문), and Changnyongmun (East gate 창룡문).

Paldalmun, the South Gate

Our first destination was Hwaseong Haenggung 화성행궁, a palace which was built within the walls of the Fortress to accommodate King Jeongjo whenever he comes to Suwon to held memorial service for his father. The palace was built in 1789, and expanded between 1794 and 1796 to house more facilities, and in doing so, became the largest haenggung (palace) in Korea.

After it was destroyed during the Japanese colonial period, restoration work commenced in 1996 and the palace became available to public again in late 2003.

The popular Korean drama, Dae Jang Geum (대장금, 大长今) was filmed here.

On both weekdays and weekends, there are scheduled performances at Haenggung Square, located right at the palace entrance, such as martial arts demonstration, traditional drama performance and guards ceremony that celebrates Suwon's history and culture.

Saturday Regular Performance

The popular Korean drama, Dae Jang Geum (대장금, 大长今) was filmed here.

Wishing tree

Wishing tree

After Haenggung Palace and lunch at Haenggung Street, we continued our walk at the 'outer' trail, along the walls of the fortress.

Walking along the steep path, we noticed how the fortress was built with distinctive and useful features, for example, elevated platforms and holes on the walls (each with different angle) to keep a lookout on enemy/intrusion or any signs of threats.

Whilst standing there, I can't help but imagine how it would be, trapped inside the fortress during a war and cornered by enemies. Fight bravely or wait for death?

The Banghwasuryujeong Pavilion (pictured below), is also one of the main attractions inside the fortress. The pavilion sits above Yongyeon, a pond surrounded by a small garden.

Banghwasuryujeong Pavilion

Banghwasuryujeong pavilion and Yongyeon lake.

Circling the fortress, we later arrived at Hwahongmun (화홍문) a gate which was built as a bridge, at the same time, used to house cannons for defensive purposes in those days. The gate has seven arches for water flow from Suwoncheon (Suwon stream) to pass through.

Hwahongmun (화홍문)

Hwahongmun (화홍문)

Janganmun (장안문), is the largest gate ever built in Korea

As the fortress stretches over 5.52km, I must say, six hours is definitely insufficient if you're planning to conquer the entire fortress. We left earlier than expected when the sky turned dark and it started to drizzle around 4pm. Getting drenched in the rain was the last thing on my mind, so the day trip came to a premature end.

If you want to explore the fortress in a comfortable state, you can hop onto the passenger cars (or what they refer to as trolley) that runs along selected routes of the fortress. A one-way journey takes 30 minutes. Tickets (for admission into the palace and trolley ride) can be purchased at the Haenggung Palace ticketing counter.

Admission Fee:

1. Haenggung Palace: ₩1,500

2. Fortress: ₩1,000

3. Trolley ride: ₩1,500

Address:

329, Jangan-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.