If you’re staying in Seoul and looking for an easy day trip outside the city, Suwon is one place we would seriously consider.
Just south of Seoul, Suwon is home to Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as Hwaseong Haenggung, traditional Korean food, historic streets, cafés, workshops, and small local experiences.
What we especially like about Suwon is that you don’t have to choose between sightseeing and experiencing everyday Korea. You can watch a traditional martial arts performance in the morning, have brunch at a neighborhood café, make your own T-shirt, take Korean-style sticker photos, wander through Haenggung-dong, and finish the day with Suwon’s famous fried chicken.
We did exactly that with our child.
🗺️ Where Is Suwon?
Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi Province, located just south of Seoul. It is close enough to visit as a day trip, but it feels noticeably different from central Seoul.
Instead of skyscrapers and large shopping districts, the historic center around Hwaseong Fortress has traditional gates, palace buildings, old streets, small workshops, cafés, and a lively local atmosphere.
The area around Hwaseong Haenggung and Haenggung-dong is especially easy to explore on foot, which makes it a convenient base for a one-day visit. Suwon is also an interesting choice if you’ve already spent several days in Seoul and want to see another side of Korea without taking a long-distance trip.
⏱️ How Far Is Suwon from Seoul?
Suwon is relatively close to Seoul, which is one of the reasons it works so well as a day trip. As a rough guide:
| Starting point | Approx. travel time to Suwon |
|---|---|
| Seoul Station | 30–50 minutes |
| Myeongdong | 50–70 minutes |
| Gangnam | 40–60 minutes |
Travel time can vary depending on the route, traffic, and time of day, so treat these as rough estimates rather than fixed travel times. Most visitors will arrive at Suwon Station first and then continue to the Hwaseong Fortress and Haenggung-dong area by local bus or taxi.
🚉 How to Get to Suwon from Seoul
By Subway or Train
For many travelers, the easiest option is to travel from Seoul to Suwon Station by subway or train. Once you arrive at Suwon Station, continue toward the Hwaseong Haenggung area by local bus or taxi.
By Taxi
If you’re traveling with children, luggage, or a group, taking a taxi for the final part of the journey can be much easier. For this itinerary, we’d rather spend a little more on a short taxi ride than waste time trying to figure out multiple local bus connections.
❓ Why Visit Suwon?
Suwon isn’t just a place to see an old fortress. That’s actually what makes it interesting as a day trip.
You can combine Korean history, UNESCO heritage, traditional culture, local food, hands-on activities, and neighborhood cafés into one day. On our visit, we went from a traditional martial arts performance to brunch, a custom T-shirt experience, Korean-style sticker photos, street busking, and Suwon’s famous fried chicken.
For us, that combination made the day feel much more like experiencing Korea rather than simply checking off tourist attractions.
🧭 Our One-Day Suwon Itinerary
Here is the route we followed:
Seoul → Hwaseong Haenggung → Muye 24 → Brunch → Hippy Rippy → Korean Sticker Photos → Haenggung-dong → Suwon Chicken Street → Jinmi Chicken → Seoul
It is a fairly full day, so we wouldn’t try to rush through every stop. The walking itself is part of the experience.
⚔️ 1. Start at Hwaseong Haenggung and Watch Muye 24
Our first stop was Hwaseong Haenggung, where we watched the Muye 24 martial arts demonstration in front of Sinpungnu, the main gate. This was one of our favorite parts of the entire day.
Imagine standing in front of a historic Korean palace and watching performers demonstrate traditional martial arts with swords, spears, archery, and other weapons. It immediately makes Korean history feel much more alive.
Muye 24 refers to 24 martial arts techniques recorded in Muyedobotongji, a military manual compiled in 1790 under King Jeongjo. The techniques were practiced by soldiers of Jangyongyeong, the elite military unit stationed in Suwon to protect Hwaseong Fortress and Hwaseong Haenggung. The modern performance presents these traditions in front of the historic palace.
What surprised us was how many international visitors were already gathered to watch. And honestly, we could understand why — it’s one of those experiences that feels distinctly Korean.
🥐 2. Have Brunch at Le Pain de Paris
After the performance, we walked to Le Pain de Paris & Brunch House Haenggung Branch for brunch. This was a nice transition from sightseeing to a slower part of the day.
We ordered an egg croissant set, a jambon cheese croissant set, an Americano, and a vanilla latte. The egg croissant set came with tomato stew, while the jambon cheese croissant set came with potato soup. During our visit, the soup or stew could also be switched.
👕 3. Make Your Own T-Shirts at Hippy Rippy
Next, we headed to Hippy Rippy Haenggung for a custom T-shirt experience. This was one of the stops we especially wanted to include because it gave us something to actually take home from Suwon. Instead of buying another souvenir, we made something together.
We made short-sleeve T-shirts for two adults and one child, and paid KRW 88,000 in total during our visit. The whole experience took around 30 minutes.
📸 4. Try Korean-Style Sticker Photos
After making our T-shirts, we stopped for Korean-style sticker photos. If you’ve seen Korean photo booths before, you probably know the general idea, but this was especially fun with a child.
There were props such as flower sunglasses and headbands, and our child got to choose what to wear for the photos. Because we’d just made matching family T-shirts, the photos ended up feeling more meaningful than they probably would have otherwise.
🚶 5. Slow Down and Walk Around Haenggung-dong
After that, we didn’t have another major attraction planned. We simply walked around Haenggung-dong. And this ended up being one of the nicest parts of the day.
We actually came across something we hadn’t planned at all. While walking, we unexpectedly found a band performing outside a real estate office. There was a tuba, guitar, drums, trombone, saxophone, and clarinet. This wasn’t something we’d put on our itinerary — and that’s exactly why we liked it.
Not every good travel memory needs to be a famous attraction.
🍗 6. Finish the Day at Suwon Chicken Street
By the end of the day, we were ready for dinner. So we headed to Suwon Chicken Street, one of the foods Suwon is particularly known for.
Suwon Chicken Street is a roughly 100-meter-long alley where several chicken restaurants serve traditional whole fried chicken, often fried in large cauldrons. The chicken street dates back to the 1970s and has become one of Suwon’s best-known food stops.
Dinner at Jinmi Chicken
We chose Jinmi Chicken. We ordered fried chicken and ate there with our child.
During our visit, Jinmi was also collaborating with Ottogi, and we tried some of the sauces that came with the chicken. There was a spicy sauce as well as the unusual “Yopi” combination of mustard and curry. We weren’t expecting those combinations, but they were actually a fun part of the meal. Our child ate well, which was especially welcome after a full day of walking.
✅ Is Suwon Worth Visiting from Seoul?
Yes — especially if you’ve already seen the main sights in Seoul.
What we like about Suwon is that it doesn’t feel like another version of Seoul. You get a completely different combination of experiences:
Joseon history → traditional martial arts → local food → neighborhood cafés → hands-on activities → Korean photo booths
And you can fit all of that into one day. For families, we think the variety is particularly helpful. A child doesn’t have to spend six hours looking at historical buildings. You can watch a performance, eat brunch, make something, take photos, walk around, and finish with fried chicken.
📝 Things to Know Before Visiting Suwon
1. Expect to Walk
Our day involved quite a lot of walking. If you’re traveling with children, don’t underestimate this. Comfortable shoes are a good idea, and we’d leave some flexibility in the schedule rather than booking something every hour.
2. Parking Can Be Difficult
We used a public parking lot near Haenggung-dong. It was convenient for the route, but parking can definitely be difficult, particularly on weekends. If you’re coming from Seoul, public transportation can be less stressful.
3. Check the Muye 24 Schedule
Muye 24 is one of the highlights of this itinerary, so check the official schedule before you go. As of our research, the performance runs Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) in front of Sinpungnu Gate at Hwaseong Haenggung — once daily at 11:00 on weekdays and public holidays, and twice daily at 11:00 and 14:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. The schedule can change because of weather and seasonal conditions, so it’s worth double-checking closer to your visit.
🗓️ Our Recommended Route
Morning: Seoul → Suwon → Hwaseong Haenggung → Muye 24
Lunch: Le Pain de Paris
Afternoon: Hippy Rippy → Korean Sticker Photos → Haenggung-dong → Street performance / cafés / shops
Evening: Suwon Chicken Street → Jinmi Chicken → Seoul
🏨 Where to Stay in Suwon
If your main goal is to see Hwaseong Fortress and Haenggung-dong, Suwon works very well as a day trip from Seoul. But staying overnight is also worth considering if you have more time — it means you don’t have to rush through the historic area, and you can experience Suwon in the evening after the day-trippers have left.
If you’re planning to spend a night or two here, we’d look for accommodation with convenient access to the Hwaseong Fortress / Haenggung-dong area.
Check hotels in Suwon on Agoda →
💭 Final Thoughts: Should You Add Suwon to Your Korea Trip?
Before this trip, we thought of Suwon mainly as a place for history and Hwaseong Fortress. After spending a full day there, we think that’s only part of the story.
What made the day memorable was how naturally different experiences came together. We watched traditional martial arts at a historic palace. We had brunch. We made matching family T-shirts. We took silly Korean-style photos. We wandered through Haenggung-dong. We unexpectedly found a street performance. And we ended the day eating Suwon’s famous fried chicken.
That’s the kind of day we like when traveling with a child. There was enough history to make the trip meaningful, but enough food, activities, and unexpected moments to keep it from feeling like a long sightseeing tour.
So if you’re staying in Seoul and have one extra day, we think Suwon is absolutely worth considering. It is close enough to be easy, but different enough to feel like you’ve actually gone somewhere.
And if you’re looking for a day in Korea that combines history, food, culture, and a little bit of everyday local life, this is the route we would recommend.
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