A Day in Suwon: Hwaseong Fortress + Everland

Breath-taking view from the top of Mt. Paldalsan

Our first day destination: Suwon, Gyeonggi-do

Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi-do. Gyeonggi-do is the most populous province in South Korea. Gyeonggi means "the area surrounding the capital" which can be translated as "province surrounding Seoul." Travel time from Seoul takes around 1 to 1.5 hours through public transportation.

We have two planned destinations for the day. First half of the day would be at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and the other half would be at Everland. Both destinations are in the Southern Area of Gyeonggi-do.

Travel Tip#1: When planning your itineraries, make sure to group destinations that are near to each other so you don't have to go back to the same place again. This is important when you have tight schedule and on a budget. 😉

Getting to Suwon from Seoul?

Seoul Station

From Seoul Station, we took the KORAIL train. The Korail train will take you to Suwon for 34 minutes only while riding the subway would take around an hour, though subway is the cheapest alternative. There's another option, which is the KTX, which will take you to Suwon for 25 minutes but will cost 8,400 KRW (7.72USD).

You can buy tickets from the vending machine or through the counter. We were surprised to know that there are two kinds of ticket - (1) with seat number and (2) without seat number (so obviously you need to stand if you take this one).

(L) ticket with seat number for 2,700KRW(2.5USD) ; (R) standing ticket for 2,300KRW (2.1USD)

Since we didn't catch the first train to Suwon (first train left at 8:55 AM), we just decided to take the remaining seat and two standing tickets since the next trip would be at 10:00 AM already. However, the train departed Seoul with a lot of vacant seats. I believe you can reserve your seat online if you want to ensure that you'll be able to get a seat throughout the trip.

Korail (departing from Seoul to Suwon) with a lot of vacant seats

After 30-40 minutes of travel, you will reach Suwon Station. What we did is, we followed the Tourist Information Sign from the train station so we could ask for directions and get some brochures.

The Suwon Tourist Information Center just few steps from Suwon Station 

There are English-speaking staff so it was easy to get directions going to Hwaseong Fortress. He told us to take a bus going to Paldalmun Gate, the bus strop is located in front of Novotel hotel which is just a few steps from the Tourist Information Center. Take either of the following intra-bus numbers: 11, 13, 36 and 39 then get off at Paldalmun Gate.

We took bus no. 11 and paid thru our T-Money Card (1,300 KRW). There's a digital display inside the bus which flashes the next bus stop so we got off when it displayed - Paldalmun.

What to See? (Part 1)

 The first thing you will see when you get off the bus is the Paldalmun Gate, which is located in the south end of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

Paldalmun Gate: the Southern Gate of Hwaseong Fortress

After few walks and store stop overs from Paldalmun, we reached the Haenggung square. There is a tourist information center at the left side of the square, so you can ask if you're feeling lost or you want to reach your destination as much as possible.

Haenggung Square

Just after the Haeunggung Square, you will see parking lots, which after is the Palace Gate. When we got there, there's a presentation just outside the palace gate, like a fight dance. We got free admission by adding Suwon '수원시' as a Plus Friend in KakaoTalk app, this promo runs until Dec. 31, 2016. Just show it in the person in charge, then she'll let you through. 😉

Walk, walk, walk then you'll see the intricately designed walls of the Palace chambers, beautifully-shaped roofs, and the evergreen trees surrounding the Palace.

The Royal Kitchen

Go through just a little inside the halls and you'll see the Royal Kitchen. If you're a K-drama fan, surely you've noticed Jang Geum at the lower right portion of the picture. It is where the famous K-drama 'Daejanggeum' (also known as Jewel in the Palace) shoot some of their kitchen scenes.

Looks like a magical tree

View of the Palace Grounds

A little up, you can have a nice view of the palace grounds and the hallway leading to the eastern part of the Palace top. We just followed the hallway leading to the stairs.

Finally, we reached the top of the eastern side. Though the pine trees you'll see along the way block the view from the top, they are indeed very calming - a breath of fresh air.

We know that it's not yet the end of the trail since we've been researching for Hwaseong for a couple of weeks, we know that we haven't seen the loveliest part yet. So we looked around, checked where the other people are heading and saw that we're not yet on the top of the Mountain. We have to go to the west side to reach the mountain top, but the first thing to do is to go down.

It's already time for lunch, and just by merely looking at the mountain top, we know we need a lot of energy so we decided to eat first.

Where and What to Eat?

After the calorie-burning walk and hike, it's time to fill our stomach. Turning right just at the foot of the Mountain, you will see a lot of restaurants. We actually don't know which to choose, what we know is we want to eat grilled pork, (the famous samgyeopsal) 😂, so we kept on looking for grilled pork at the menus outside.    

We saw grilled pork offered outside with a reasonable price while the lady owner came out inviting us to come in. She has an inviting aura, so we did come. Eoseo Oseyo! 😊

We were supposed to order grilled pork, but unluckily, it's only for dinner so we end up with Kimchi stew (Kimchi jjigae 김치 찌개) for 2, Bibimbap (1), and Pork cutlet (1). The meal you'll order should be proportionate to how many you are. Like for us, since we're 3, we should order three portions also. When we said we'll order only 1 serving of kimchi stew, the owner didn't accept, so we decided to take 2 orders of kimchi stew then 1 bibimbap. Since my sister and I we're really craving for pork, we decided to order pork cutlet while waiting for the meal to be served.

This is the best photo we had during the meal haha! Too much in a hurry to eat.

Their serving is reasonable enough for the price. We were totally hungry but were not able to finish the broth of the kimchi stew. 1 serving of kimchi stew costs 6,000KRW (5.5USD), we ordered 2 so we paid 12,000KRW(11USD) for the stew. Their bibimbap costs 6,000KRW (5.5USD) while Pork cutlet costs 7,000KRW (6USD). So paying 25,000KRW(23USD) for 3 persons' lunch is pretty reasonable.

Bibimbap and Side Dishes (Left)  + Pork Cutlet and sauce (Right)

Bibim (비빔) translates as "mixed," and bap (밥) means "cooked rice," so bibimbap literally means "mixed rice." It is cooked rice mixed with vegetables, meat, egg, and chili pepper sauce. All of them - kimchi stew, bibimbap, and pork cutlet taste so good!

After our tanks have been filled up, it's time to burn those calories and conquer the next top.

What to See? (Part 2)

When I saw Hwaseong Fortress over the internet, I estatically included it in our itinerary. It is definitely one of the most peaceful and majestic places one can go to. The trail to the top wasn't that easy, but definitely worth the heat and the sweat.

West side trail to the top of the Mt. Paldalsan. Thousand steps I think. :))

The autumn season is a combination of summer and winter, it's cold outside during early morning and after sunset but during late mornings until before sunset, the sun is really warm.

Travel Tip#2: If you are planning to go to Korea during Autumn (September-November) like we did, I recommend bringing coat/sweater/jacket to cover you up during cold times of the day, you'll be needing those if you're going outside early in the morning or after sunset as it gets really cold. But do not wear too thick clothes on the inside so you can remove your coat/sweater/jacket when it gets hot in the afternoon, especially if you have a lot of walkathon moments. hehe. Note that subway stations, subway train, and buses are not airconditioned, so for us, it was really warm except when we're outside.

After the thousand steps under the scorching sun, finally we're at the top - the view we're looking for. The Seojangdae Command Post, which have been the resting place of the tourists and natives after the long trail.

Seojangdae Command Post

Exhausted us after the long walk.

We sat a little bit, catch the view of the city from the top and just savor the moment. It was windy yet sunny; it was exhausting, yet satisfying.

After the short rest, we walked on the other side of the Command Post. There you'll see a booth, we're you'll present your ticket so you can get through - we did not go through 'cause aside from we're already late for our next destination, we're dead tired also. 

From the other side. Seojangdae Command Post is still visible from afar.

Just after the booth, you will see Hyowon's Bell. It was a bell that  was created to honor the filial devotion of Kind 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 is to hope for happiness in one's family, and the third is to pray for self improvement.

Hyowon's Bell

There's still a lot to see if you walk after Hyowon's bell; there's stream and market along the way. Too bad, we ran out of time. We went back to Haenggung Square and inquired at the Tourist Information Center how to go back to Suwon Station.

Church (Left) and Bell (Right) opposite Haenggung Square 

We were instructed to take bus no. 66 opposite the Haenggung Square. When we're already on the opposite side, we asked some locals where the bus stop is. Luckily, a bus going to Suwon Station stopped at the stop light, just beside the church opposite the Haenggung Square, then the locals told us to hop on to that bus.

Travel Tip#3: Don't be afraid to ask for directions when you're feeling lost. Some may not understand what you're saying, but there are some locals who do and are happy to help.

As we ride the bus going back to Suwon station, I realized that half day is not enough to explore Hwaseong Fortress that's why people keep on coming back. One day, I want to return just to savor the beauty of the scenery, without having to worry about the time. 😇

Next Stop: Everland

We took the subway from Suwon Station (Bundang Line) to Giheung (Bundang Line) - travel time would be around 20 minutes; then from Giheung Station (transfer from Bundang to Everline) to Jeondae-Everland (Everline) - travel time would be around 1 hour. To have a bigger picture of Korea's subway stations, click here.

Just a few walk from Jeondae-Everland Station, there's a free shuttle bus going to Everland. It took us to the entrance of Everland for around 5-10 minutes.

Everland is a theme park. We went there on a Saturday so as expected, there's an overwhelming crowd of high school, college students, and families enjoying their weekend.

The main attraction we want to see are the Pandas, so we headed to the Panda World after we got some pictures from the entrance. The line was so long that we waited for an hour to get inside and to see the Pandas.

There we met the two lovely pandas from China, namely Ai Bao (Female) which means 'lovely treasure'  and Le Bao (Male) which name translates to 'pleasant treasure'.

TRIVIA: China sent the two pandas as a sign of goodwill to what they call as 'panda diplomacy'. The pandas will be staying for the next 15 years in Everland as agreed upon by China and Korea on the 2014 summit.

With Ai Bao and Le Bao

After observing the Pandas, we went outside to roam around. Too bad, it's already dark when we finished Panda World. We could have taken better pictures if we came a little earlier. However, we get to watch the lightning float show at night where the people inside the float are dancing to the rhythm of the music. I must say the dancers are pretty amazing. 👍 It was too dark to take pictures so I just enjoyed the show.😉

Lovely flower arrangements

Miniature Everland

Pumpkins completing the 'Halloween' vibe

Theme Park view at night

Can't miss the groupfie 😊

We stayed until 9pm then head back to the main entrance to catch the bus going back to Jeondae-Everland Station. We took the subway all throughout, until one subway station in Line 4 closed. We went out from the subway station and looked for the bus stop. We tried our luck in asking the locals which bus should we ride if we're going to Hyehwa, but I think they don't understand. Fortunately, there came a cab who knows and understands where we're going, that moment was like.. 'thank you Lord for sending an angel from heaven'. 👆👏

Travel Tip #4: If you'll be staying late outside, make sure you know which bus you will ride when the subway station stop its operation for the day. You may also want to bring pocket wifi with you in case you need to search for transportation alternatives.

It was definitely a long day. We enjoyed a lot for the day but we missed a lot also. Maybe even a day won't be enough to cover both itineraries. There are still a lot we want to see and explore. So no goodbyes, just..

😉😉😉