Today I went to meet a friend of mine who I have known for a long time but never met. Since I live in Seoul and don't have any friends who live there (usually) I have never had any reason to go to Suwon... Until today! Today I went there to meet a friend and it was a great day, Suwon seems like a really nice place that I would love to visit again.
I have heard a lot of bad things about Suwon so I wasn't really expecting much, however, it turned out to be a pretty cool place (admittedly I only spent one day there, and that day was spent in the popular parts). It's such a cool and unique city that has lots of areas dedicated to arts and traditional aspects of Korea.
Getting to Suwon takes about 1 hour from Seoul Station via subway, and around 35 minutes by direct train (around $2.50, vs the subway which is the normal price... Around $1.00). It's a very cheap place to visit, and if you are visiting or living in Seoul.. What are you waiting for? You should go and visit Suwon!
I spent most of the day around Hwaseong fortress area, and I must say, the fortress makes for a really cool place. It's amazing to have such an old piece of history winding its way through such a modern city. In some ways it is like Seoul, with gates and walls, but in Suwon it seems much more 'done up'.
One of the fortress gates. This is exactly what I mean! This massive gate stands in the middle of a roundabout for nearby traffic. I think it is so cool how these pieces of history are blended in with the sprawling city.
The first destination of the day was along the wall of Hwaseong Fortress. The wall winds through the city and goes up some hills which provide an amazing view of the city below. There are paths all along the wall, and you can access everything for free if you follow them on Kakaotalk (or $3 alternatively).
Everything on the right of the image is within the fortress (it's pretty big!). Following this track leads to the top of the hill, the views of which you can see in the next images.
The next three images are all from the top of the hill. For a 'small' city, Suwon is still definitely pretty massive! It still amazes me every time I see skylines of big cities.. The New Zealander in me is definitely still there!
Suwon seems like a very green city compared to Seoul, but maybe that was just the areas I went to. However, the view seems to confirm my thoughts!
The track down on the other side is also beautiful and covered in forests. Unlike Seoul, I also noticed that Suwon seemed to be quite a bit less crowded, even in the busy places! The nice parks around Hwaseong where much less populated than the forests in Seoul, and although I don't mind either, it was nice to be surrounded by quiet for once in a while!
On the way down we passed this statue of King Jeongjo (please correct me if I am wrong! I believe it was him though). He is the creator of Hwaseong, and the person who created it hundreds of years ago.
After looking around the fortress, we headed to get some chicken for lunch. On the way down we walked through some amazingly pretty streets! The streets are filled with very unique cafes and stores. It honestly didn't even seem like Korea to me.. It was a very cool experience and a feeling I haven't felt in Kore before! I would definitely recommend visiting not only Hwaseong, but the area around it.
Although not all streets in Suwon are like this, I still think it is a pretty city and a nice place to spend a day.
This particular street was filled with cafes and stores focused at foreigners. Many of the cafes are non-chain cafes and can't be found anywhere else.
Finally I have an image of the bell at Suwon (Hyowon’s Bell). Here is a snippet of information I found on the Korea tourist site about the bell. 'At the summit of Mt. Paldalsan is Hyowon’s Bell, a bell that was created to honor the filial devotion of King Jeongjo towards his father, Sado Seja the royal prince. The bell is always rung three times- the first ring is in gratitude for the love of one’s parents, the second to hope for happiness in one’s family, and the third to prayer for self improvement.'
Overall, I think Suwon is an amazing city that has lots to see and do. I think it is somewhere you should definitely consider visiting if you come to Korea, and after visiting Suwon, I look even more forward to visiting other Korean cities!
Thank you all for reading my post and please feel free to provide feedback and comment down below! Please also don't forget to follow if you want to see more photos or blogs about Korea!
Have a great day! :D