Hwaseong Fortress: A Walk With Great Views

Our Family in Front of the Paldalmun Gate

It was nice to get outside of Seoul for a day and head to Hwaseong Fortress.  It’s in central Suwon, and the most accessible of Korea’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  On one of the first warm weekends this spring, we headed to Hwaseong Fortress with the extended family.  It was a really enjoyable day – for the children too.

On the Fortress Wall

As the name suggests, this is a fortress.  And, you can walk the nearly 6 kilometer fortress wall easily.  Along the way are sentry points and entrance gates, temples and other buildings to see.  Being up high, you also get some great views of Suwon.  We paid $1 to get three gongs on a giant bell – one for your parents, one for a healthy and harmonious family and the third wish is all yours.  The city is built up around the fortress, so you can take the stairs down for a break and grab some lunch too.

I'm getting my 3 wishes for $1

What I really loved was just being outside – you always appreciate the first warm days of spring.  The walk was good exercise, but not too strenuous and there was plenty to see.  It was amusing too, being with the whole family we seemed to become part of the tourist attraction.  As a trolley rolled by, everyone on board turned to their left to wave to us -- the group of foreigners.  Along our walk, people approached us to practice their English.  And the children collected a few candies – even some coins from friendly Koreans!

Getting to Hwaseong Fortress:  If you take the subway from Seoul to Suwon Station, you’ll then need to hop on a bus to get to the Fortress.  Buses #11, #13, #36, and #39 will all take you to the Paldalmun entrance gate.

This Man Gave Ethan Some Money