Suwon Hwaseong Heritage Site UNESCO Circumambulation Tour

Suwon Tongdak Street 3 Chicken Jangan Tongdak Eat half-and-half chicken with royal rib sauce at Jangan Tongdak Chicken, visit Suwon City Art Museum, see 2 exhibitions, and get some air at the rooftop garden. It was not raining, I was full, and it was good to walk, so I took a walk around Hwaseomun, the World Heritage Site UNESCO Suwon Hwaseong, Paldalsan Observatory Seojangdae, and Janganmun.

 

Traveling to Hwaseong, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Departure from Suwon Museum of Art I started my Suwon Hwaseong tour from Hwaseomun Point. Suwon Hwaseomun is a short walk from Suwon Art Museum.

By the way, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress is open all year round and is free to visit. It is open all the time, so you can see it even at night.

Some visitors to Suwon Hwaseong may have a car, so here is the official parking information page from Suwon Cultural Foundation. Please refer to the page below.

Suwon Cultural Foundation Official parking information for Suwon Hwaseong

Photos of Hwaseomun Gate, Suwon

On the day I visited, it was still smelling like fall and there were many people outdoors.

The road to Seojangdae towards Hwaseomun in Suwon is uphill. The gate that I happened to look down on is still beautifully maintained.

If Seoul has Hanyangdo Fortress Road, Suwon has Hwaseong Perimeter Road. After leaving Hwaseomun Gate, the start of the Suwon Hwaseong Perimeter Tour, I was on my way.

This is a photo of Hwaseong Mulberry Fields, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Suwon. I took this photo on the Suwon Hwaseong Perimeter Road, and this is one of the famous places to visit in Suwon.

It’s hardly visible in the photo, but there were a lot of people taking photos with their backs to the reeds of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

If you go outside the Hwaseomun Gate and take a photo outside Suwon Hwaseong, it’s even cooler. If you’re going to go here, take note.

Next is the second point of Suwon Hwaseong, Hwaseomun, and if you climb up Mount Paldalsan from here, you can go up along the perimeter of Suwon Hwaseong.

 

Climbing Paldalsan Mountain past Seobukgakru

This is the Suwon Hwaseong Perimeter Road. It looks similar to Hanyang Doseonggil, right? The path is well maintained and even though I didn’t wear hiking clothes on this day, I could easily climb it in jeans.

Hwaseomun Gate, Hwaseongseong Fortress, Suwon If you start climbing up Paldalsan from here, you’ll see this view. There is also a gazebo where you can rest.

If you take off your shoes, it’s a great place to take a break while enjoying the cool Suwon breeze and the panoramic view of Suwon.

I took this picture with my camera from my normal standing position, and it looks like this. You can see indirectly that the path around Suwon Hwaseong is quite steep.

However, it’s not so steep that you can’t climb it, and it’s good for exercise. I recommend that you wear sneakers instead of shoes when visiting the Suwon Hwaseong Trail.

Even if you walk on the well-managed Suwon Hwaseong Perimeter Road, you’re still climbing Mount Valdalsan. Climbing is climbing.

 

Walk, walk, walk towards Seojangdae, Paldalsan Mountain in Suwon Hwaseong

I love to walk. It’s a great way to clear my mind, and it’s fun to have a conversation with myself.

I don’t think there are many moments when I’m as focused as when I’m walking to organize my thoughts from my busy life.

This is why I recommend walking the Suwon Hwaseong Perimeter Trail, whether you’re traveling for a day trip to Suwon or for a few days.

No trip to Suwon Hwaseong would be complete without a visit to Seojangdae on Mount Paldalsan. It’s a great place to see the city of Suwon, watch the New Year’s sunrise and sunset, and enjoy the night view.

 

Suwon Hwaseong Paldalsan Seojangdae Observatory Photos Sunrise Sunset Night View Spot Recommendation

This is Seojangdae, the summit of Paldalsan Mountain in Suwon. The way up is well maintained, but the slope is a bit steep, so I was gasping for breath, but I guess all that effort was for the sake of reaching the top of Mount Paldal.

Voila. I came up here because the Suwon Museum of Art said the view from here was good, but I personally didn’t expect the composition to be like this.

I’m not going to lie, you can see all of Suwon at a glance, and if I had stayed overnight and had time, I would have seen the night view from here.

I could understand why many people picked Paldalsan Seojangdae as the best place to see the sunrise, sunset, and night view of Suwon. This is a real Suwon viewing spot.

I took a picture from Suwon Tongdak Street towards Suwon First Church. This is Suwon Paldalsan Seojangdae.

Suwon Hwaseong Paldalsan Seojangdae Observatory You can also see the Suwon World Cup Stadium from here. Unfortunately, the day I went, the weather wasn’t super clear.

It would have been nice to have a clearer view, but I was happy to enjoy the view of Suwon during the day.

Right behind Seojangdae at the top of Mt. Paldalsan in Suwon is Seonodae, a cultural property. The role of Seonodae in Suwon Hwaseong Fortress is said to have historically been to guard the military command center Seojangdae.

 

Back to the top of Paldalsan Mountain Hwaseomun Gate in Seoporu

Head back down the way you came. The attractions of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are dotted along the way. This is Seoporu, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

You can also see Seobukgakru. We stop here to catch our breath and get back on our feet.

I mentioned the Suwon Hwaseong Mugwort Field earlier, but when I went up to the pavilion of Seobukgakru, the reeds outside the castle were smelling like autumn.

 

I came down to Hwaseomun again. I was disappointed to go to Suwon Art Museum, Suwon Tongdak Street, and Suwon Station. This time, I will walk a little further around the perimeter of Suwon Hwaseong Castle from Hwaseomun.

 

Going to Janganmun, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress again

On the other side of the street, people are walking along the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. We’re going in different directions, but there’s no doubt that we’re enjoying Suwon Hwaseong together, right?

There are stairs all around the perimeter of Suwon Fortress. You can go down to the flat ground whenever you want.

The fluttering flags add a touch of sophistication to the image of Suwon Fortress. Point the shutter at the red-bordered flag on a black background.

It’s actually magnificent up close. One of the things I love about the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress perimeter is that it’s a continuous path, and you’re supposed to go through the gate in the photo.

It’s the perfect way to get that “over-immersed” feeling.

If you have time, I highly recommend walking the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress from end to end. It’s a bit strenuous when climbing up the hill, but the path is well maintained, as you’d expect from a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Chang’an Gate, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress This is where my trip to Suwon Hwaseong Castle ended.

From here, I descended back down and headed back the way I came, which was a shame because I personally felt like I didn’t make it to the end.

If you are going to Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, please do my part (I didn’t make it to the end). I recommend traveling around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

Traveling to UNESCO World Heritage Site Suwon Hwaseong Castle

Leaving Jangan Gate behind, I walked down the street, glancing at my wristwatch. It was almost time for my train to go up to Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul.

But the fallen leaves on the road were wistful, as if autumn was saying goodbye to the year. Suddenly, I had an idea: I could stop here before the train departs.

My steps became faster and faster. My trip to Suwon Hwaseong Castle was not over.