There are many beautiful palaces in Korea. However, most of the palaces that we know are located in Seoul like Gyeongbok Palace or Changdeok Palace. I chose Hwaseong Haenggung and Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon for their historic beauty.

1.Hwaseong Fortress

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress is the best known image of Suwon. Hwaseong Fortress was built by the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, King Jeongjo, who moved the tomb of his father Sadoseja, the crown prince, to Hwasan Mountain, Suwon. Hwaseong Fortress was built 220 years ago but remains intact. There are four main gates, Paldalmun, Janganmun, Hwaseomun, and Changnyongmun, which represent the beauty of Joseon Dynasty architecture. Hwaseong Fortress’ summer (Mar.-Oct.) opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter (Nov.-Feb.). The entrance fee is 1,000 won for adults. You can also experience Korean archery and the Hwaseong train. The Korean archery experience is located at Dongjangdae in Hwaseong Fortress, which was the martial arts practice site of the soldiers in King Jeongjo’s era. You can shoot 10 arrows, and the fee is 2,000 won.
Hwaseong train ride takes you on a tour of Hwaseong Fortress. The route is Paldal Mountain - Hwaseomun - Jangan Park - Janganmun - Hwahongmun - Dongjandae. It takes 30 minutes one way. The train operation time is 10 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. in summer (Mar.-Oct.) and 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in winter (Nov.-Feb.). They don’t operate the train on rainy or snowy days. The fare is 3,000 won for adults.
Walking around Hwaseong, you can see a lake with many willows. The view is very beautiful. If you go to Hwaseong on a sunny day, you can see magnificent views of Hwaseong and Hwaseong’s surrounding landscape.

2.Hwaseong Haenggung

The second place is Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung. Hwaseong Haenggung is a palace use when the king visited his parents’ graves. You can go to Hwaseong Haenggung on foot because Hwaseong Fortress is close to Haenggung. However, if you don’t want to walk, you can also go there by bus. Hwaseong Haenggung is the biggest rural palace during the Joseon period. Threrfore it is considered as beautiful as Gyeongbok Palace. However, most of the palace was destroyed in the Japanese colonial era, so the current palace has been restored by the Korean government. The opening hours are the same as Hwaseong Fortress, and the entrance fee is 1,500 won. However, if you enter the palace wearing Korean traditional clothes, you can enter at no charge. They also open at night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. from July until September, but they don’t open on Monday.

You can see various performances and experience many plays in Hwaseong Haenggung. For example, you can see Nakseongyeon, which is a commemorative performance that celebrates the king who built Hwaseong Fortress, a court dance, and traditional tightrope on Saturdays from April until October. You can also see the Jangyongyeong guard ceremony at Sinpungnu, the main gate, every Tuesday and Sunday. It is a ceremony where the Jangyongyeong guards, the king’s personal guards who also guarded Hwaseong Fortress, observed and inspected the duties and conduct of the guards at Hwaseong Haenggung when King Jeongjo visited there. You can also experience folk games and wear traditional court clothes. Some activities are free, but there are charged activities. If you want to do charged activities, you have to exchange money for silver and gold coins at the ticket office.

3.Haenggung Street

I recommend going to Haenggung Street, the street located at Haenggung’s south gate. The street extends from Hwaseong Haenggung to Paldalmun for approximately 420m and consists of about 20 workshops as well as about 50 restaurants. The street is also called Insa-dong in Suwon. You can borrow a hanbok, Korean traditional clothes, in this street, usually 10,000 won an hour and 30,000 won all day. You can choose your favorite clothes. If you borrow a hanbok, the clerk will give you a detailed explanation of how to wear it. In the handicraft workshops, you can experience crafts like painting ceramics and bracelet craft. The fee is inexpensive. There are also booths where artists draw caricatures and make unique Korean stamps. Then there are cafes and restaurants. You can drink king’s tea or jujube tea and eat rice cake and traditional Korean sweets and cookies.

4.Hwachoonok

Hwachoonok in Suwon is famous for delicious ribs. It was started by Lee Gui-sung three generations ago. At first, Mr. Lee sold hangover soup in a market after independence. His soup was popular for having beef ribs unlike other stores. However, it was an economic burden, so he stopped selling hangover soup. He started to sell seasoned ribs cooked over hot coals.
Hwachoonok’s ribs are big and there is a large quantity. The staff choose good beef, and the ribs are about 7cm long. They don’t use soy sauce or artificial flavors. They use sesame oil, garlic, scallions, roasted sesame, ground pepper, sugar, salt, and pears.
It is near Hwaseong Haenggung, which was the Joseon kings’ vacation spot, and is located by the parking lot of Paldal Gu Office. It is better to go by taxi. I recommend going there after you finish viewing Haenggung.
There is a lunch special until 3 p.m., so you can eat ribs at cheaper than the regular cost. When it is not the lunch special, the price is expensive. A portion of meat is 36,000 won. However, there are sufficient side dishes, and the staff grills the ribs. The side dishes are salad, spicy marinated crab, white kimchi, citron seasoned lotus root, kimchi, fried sweet potato, and sweet pumpkin. You can order rice, soybean paste stew, and naengmyeon. After eating, the staff gives you maesil juice. It is very delicious.

5.Wolhwawon

After eating, go to Wolhwawon, which is a traditional Chinese garden. Wolhwawon is located in Hyowon Park. There are trees in animal shapes and many pinwheels on the way to Wolhwawon. The opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entry is free. It was built through a friendship agreement between Gyeonggido and Guangdong. The agreement was that each country would build a traditional park. Chinese workers built the park.
Wolhwawon is the filming site of the drama Moon Lovers, which ended recently. You can enjoy a garden which has foreign beauty in the center of a city.Suwon is a very good place to go on a history trip. Suwon has a good traffic system, and the food is nice. There is also a big shopping center, AK Plaza, in Suwon Station. In addition, you can visit roast chicken street, Hwaseong museum and art galleries. When you want an unusual trip, go to Suwon. It will be a good memory. If you want more information, visit the Website http://2016.suwon.go.kr/.