Best Things to Do in Suwon, South Korea
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Top 15 Best Things to Do in Suwon, South Korea

Suwon Tourist Spots, Best Activities to do, and Places to Visit in Suwon

What are the Top Tourist Attractions to Visit in Suwon, South Korea?

Located towards the south of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi-do province in South Korea. It is one of the largest cities in the country, and being close to the capital, it is highly accessible. Suwon is a cultural city, as it is the only remaining walled city in South Korea.

Best Things to Do in Suwon, South Korea
Best Things to Do in Suwon, South Korea

On the global map, the city is popularly known for its Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But that is not the only attraction in the city, in fact, you will be surprised to discover just how much this city offers.

Best Things to Do In Suwon

Hwaseong Fortress

Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon South Korea
Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon South Korea

There is a reason this historic structure was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hwaseong Fortress was built during the time of Joseon and occupies around 5.52 kilometers. It has four gates, namely, Hwaseomun, Changnyongmun, Paldalmun, and Janganmum, facing west, east, south, and north.

Besides just admiring this structure, you can also catch a scintillating event any day you are in town.

Hwaseong Temporary Palace

Hwaseong Haenggung Palace photo via ViisitKorea.or.kr
Hwaseong Haenggung Palace photo via VisitKorea.or.kr

This palace used to hide the royal family during the wars. It is one of the largest temporary palaces in South Korea and was first used during the Joseon era. It was also a vocational home of King Jeongjo when he came to visit his father’s grave.

This palace is just a short distance from the Hwaseong Fortress. Like the fortress, it also stages some entertaining reenactment shows, sword fighting, and traditional activities and events.

Korean Folk Village

Korean Folk Village
Korean Folk Village

This cultural village is situated just east of the city. If you want to learn a bit about the history of the Joseon ear, this is the place to be. It is a maintained village because it still has ancient structures to paint the exact picture of the past. The village also hosts traditional performances, including horseback martial arts, Korean wedding ceremonies, and farmer’s music.

Yeonmudae

Hwaseong Fortress Dongjangdae Yeonmudae, Korean traditional architecture in Suwon, Korea photo via DepositPhotos.com
Hwaseong Fortress Dongjangdae Yeonmudae, traditional Korean architecture in Suwon, Korea photo via DepositPhotos.com

Situated on elevated ground on three levels of steps between the two gates of the Hwaseong Fortress is this 1795 observation post. This pavilion used to house two generals and four guards when the royal family was in the palace.

Yeonmudae was also a place for training soldiers on proficiently handling spears, bows, and swords.

Today, visitors can dress up like traditional soldiers and take short training at the archery range.

Manseok Park

The Manseok Park is surrounded by a large reservoir to one side and the Suwon Arts Center. The reservoir was initially excavated to provide water to rice fields during the leadership of Jeongjo.

Besides offering a fantastic place to relax, there is a platform on the east side of the gardens where events are held every day.

If you are up for some physical activities, several sports facilities at the park, including a football pitch, tennis and basketball courts, and a skating rink.

Suwon World Cup Stadium

The Suwon World Cup Stadium is home to the Suwon Samsung Bluewings football team, which has successfully won the league four times. The stadium, which has a capacity of 44,000, hosted four World Cup fixtures in 2002 and an entertaining match between Brazil and France in the 2001 Confederations Cup.

Outside the stadium is a World Cup sculpture garden and a driving range, and a pool. There is also a museum inside the stadium, which is open daily. The museum tells the history and development of football in Korea and the World Cup.

Toilet Museum

The Toilet Museum in Suwon was built on the residential home of former city Mayor Sim Jae-duck, who was vocal about improving toilet hygiene in the city.

The museum, locally known as Haeujae (a house to relive one’s concerns), is an excellent option for young kids, who will surely be amused by the bizarre exhibits.

The museum is surrounded by a sculpture park with quirks figurines relieving themselves.

Everland

Everland T Express Wooden Roler Coaster by Jeremy Thompson via Wikipedia CC
Everland T Express Wooden Roller Coaster by Jeremy Thompson via Wikipedia CC

This is the largest amusement park in South Korea. It is located around 12 miles from Suwon city center and offers a complete change of pace from the bustling city life.

The park features extreme rides, such as the T Express, the longest, steepest, fastest, and highest rollercoaster.

A zone called European Adventure is dedicated to everything European, including cuisines and architecture.

Zootopia is another section of the park and has recently launched a safari trip on an amphibious car.

Samsung Innovation Museum

Samsung Innovation Museum
Samsung Innovation Museum

Address: 129, Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do

If you didn’t know, Samsung, the electronic manufacturing giant, was founded in Suwon in the late 1960s. It still has the headquarters there.

At its Samsung Digital City in Gyeonggi-do, the company has a state-of-the-art museum that documents the history and dynamics of electronics.

At the museum, you will learn about the evolution of the electronics industry in South Korea, including mobile communications, home appliances, and more.

Buksuwon Spa Flex

The traditional Korean bathhouses are a must-have experience for any tourist, and there is no better place to experience them than at Buksuwon Spa Flex. This place has bathrooms segregated by gender where you can soak or bathe naked in a steam room.

Temperatures range from 15 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius, and the bathing water is drawn straight from natural hot springs.

The communal area is located just outside the bath and is packed with a gym, Wi-Fi, computer room, saunas, comic book rental, and more.

Fried Chicken Street

Korean Fried Chicken
Korean Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is one of the most popular foods among the locals in Korea. Because of this, there are hundreds of chicken restaurants around the major cities, including Suwon, each with different methods of preparing the chicken. But in Suwon, the best place to taste this Korean delicacy is at the Fried Chicken Street, which comprises a list of stalls and restaurants, all of which reserve different fried chicken varieties.

Haenggungdong Mural Painting Village

This quaint village is located next to HangGoong, one of the Hwaseong Fortress palaces. The village is soaked in antiquated charm in the form of a wide range of art collections. The villages asked a group of artists to paint the village in whichever manner they like, thus creating a beautiful maze of murals and numerous galleries.

Today, Haenggungdong Mural Painting Village is one of the tourist hot spots in the city.

Suwon Jeil Church

Suwon Jeil Presbyterian Church photo by Zubro via Wikipedia CC
Suwon Jeil Presbyterian Church By Zubro – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,  CC

Nothing captures the beauty of Korean architecture than the Suwon First Church building. Despite its imposing stature, the church is made of only bricks (black bricks) throughout its 10 stories. If you are a lover of architecture, this church should be among your best things to do in Suwon.

Baegun Lake

Baegun Lake photo via Korea Clickers FB Page
Baegun Lake photo via Korea Clickers FB Page

Baegun Lake is one of the only two major reservoirs in Suwon. The lake features numerous hiking trails as well as local stores and restaurants. Within the area, you will also find plenty of things to places to visit, including horse riding and a visit to the library.

Eat Galbi

Galbi dinner at Banzuwon
Galbi dinner at Banzuwon

Suwon is known for its delicious Galbi – a food prepared on a grill in the middle of a table at a local restaurant. One of the foods cooked using this method is the Samgyeopsal, which is basically an unseasoned pork belly draped in lettuce leaves and soaked in a spicy known as ssamjang.

However, the Galbi is the best food prepared using this technique. Galbi is a grilled beef short rib dowsed for 24 hours in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and onions.

After you are done with your meal, you will be served with a broth prepared from the same ribs.

Suwon Travel and Tour Packages

To help you plan out your visit to Suwon, we listed places to visit and things to do for your itinerary. We also listed some of the best Suwon travel and tour packages, as well as excellent flight deals and accommodation.

Tripadvisor has a list of the best Suwon vacation packages. You may check out Airbnbs listings in Suwon for cheap but high-quality accommodation.

Searching for the best Suwon hotels, resorts, and affordable flights in the nearby Cities? Check out our list of affordable Suwon hotels and resorts via Agoda, or you may also see available Airbnb properties in the city.

Want more updates about new tourist attractions in Suwon? Follow #TeamOutofTown, on Facebook, and TwitterInstagram, and Pinterest for more travel ideas.

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Written by Melo Villareal

Melo Villareal is the Online Publisher of Outoftownblog.com. He is an Accountant by profession who left the corporate world at the age of 23 to explore his beautiful country and the rest of the world. Today, Melo works as a part-time Social Media Manager for local and international clients. His full-time work focuses on discovering interesting culture, explore different cuisines and take memorable photos from local and international destinations he's visiting.

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