Oozing with charm and historical highlights, Andong is a much different Korean travel experience than say Busan or Seoul – home to the famous Hahoe Folk Village and ancient sites, Andong is an awesome place to visit with many things to do.
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Above all, Andong’s food scene is amazing from traditional markets to decades old bakeries bursting with sublime sweet-treats – be sure to try local dishes like Andong salted mackerel and Jjimdak chicken.
We visited Andong in May 2025, travelling from Seoul before going onto Daegu. Here is our guide to the best things to do in Andong + photos.
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How to get to Andong from Seoul
From Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni Station you can take the high speed KTX train or intercity train to Andong Station (map) in around 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes. Please note Andong station is a new train station that has replaced the old station in downtown Andong and is now located 7k away.
You can book your train tickets on trip.com or in person at the train station.
Check out this Korail pass for unlimited access to all trains, including the high-speed KTX >
You can also take an Intercity highway bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal or Dong Seoul Terminal (East Seoul) to Andong Bus Terminal (map) in around 3 hours, starting from around 24,000 Won for an adult one-way. Book your tickets on Klook, txbus, Bustago, Kobus or book them in person at the bus station.
Andong Bus Terminal is located next door to the train station (also 7km away from downtown Andong).
Tours in Andong
If you want to do Andong as a day trip, then check out this tour which picks you up and drops you off at Andong train station.
You could book a more expensive private tour on Trazy that picks you up and drops you off at your Seoul hotel.
Getting around Andong
There is no subway system in Andong, but there is an extensive local bus network and plenty of taxis available. Check out our phone apps guide for taxi app recommendations >
Downtown Andong is located 7km from both the train station and bus station, so you will need to take a taxi or a local bus to get there.
Whilst there are a few attractions in downtown Andong, many popular places such as the Andong Hahoe Folk Village and Bongjeongsa Temple are located further away. For example the Andong Hahoe Folk Village is a one hour bus ride away or a 30 minute car ride away from downtown Andong.
Make sure you have a T-Money card which can be used to pay for buses and all other South Korean public transport.
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Andong Hotels and Accommodation
We stayed in a brand new hotel called CM Park Hotel which is located in a new town area called the Pungcheon-myeon neighborhood, 20 km west of downtown Andong.
Whilst the location wasn’t ideal for accessing places in downtown Andong (it is a 30 minute car ride away), it was only a 10 minute car ride away from Andong Hahoe Folk Village.
The hotel was clean and comfortable with nice mountain views, and facilities include an outdoor swimming pool (although annoyingly it is only open for 7 weeks a year around July/August time – check exact dates before you book). There are also many restaurants and supermarkets within walking distance from the hotel.
Check rates and availability for CM Park hotel on:
Agoda | Expedia | Booking.com | Hotels.com
Other places to stay in Andong
Downtown Andong
Highly rated hotels and guesthouses to stay in downtown Andong include Eoulim House ($), Hotel Yam ($), Korean Chalet 소연정 Hanok stay ($$$) and FeelGood Hanok ($$$).
Hahoe Folk Village
Overnight stays are also available in Andong’s famous Hahoe Folk Village, check out Bukchondaek ($$$), Hahoe Chunghyodang ($$$) or Okyeon Jeongsa ($$$).
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1. Andong Hahoe Folk Village
The number one thing to do in Andong – like taking a step back in time, Andong Hanok Village 안동 하회마을 is a historic homestead where local families have lived for over 600 years. It is also one of Korea’s most famous hanok villages.
Hahoe Folk Village is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and regularly appears on the Korean Tourism Organization’s annual ‘100 Must-Visit Tourist Spots in Korea’.
After paying a small admission fee and hopping on a shuttle bus at the main gate, you are free to explore at your leisure (apart from the private residences).
Surrounded by mountains (Hwasan and Taebaeksan) and with lots of small alleys to explore, this is an incredible Andong activity suitable for all ages. K-Drama fans may recognise the village from ‘Mr Sunshine’ starring Squid Game Front Man Lee Byung-hun.
Along the way, you’ll see locals at work (we saw the farmers ploughing fields) and villagers selling goods and souvenirs in little thatched roof stalls – the cold drinks are really appreciated on a hot day as there isn’t a lot of shade in the village.
You can also take a ferry across the river to Hwacheon Seowon, an old school house and temple built in the 1780s (sadly when we visited Andong in May 2025, the river was too shallow to allow boat trips).
Andong / Hahoe Masks are an important part of tradition here (a listed National Treasure) and you can visit the Hahoe Mask Museum 하회세계탈박물관 which has old and new masks from all over Korea and other parts of the world. Slightly surreal, it also has a trick art and photo zone too.
You might like – our guide to Jeonju, Korea’s largest hanok village >
2. Woryeonggyo Bridge
Whilst in Andong, we walked along the Nakdonggang River from downtown to Woryeonggyo Bridge (월영교), South Korea’s longest wooden bridge (which has also featured in several historic K-dramas).
Although it looks old, the 380m bridge was actually built in 2003 – the central covered section seems very popular with Andong’s elderly population!
There are numerous walks along the river and in the woods around here so it is nice way to escape the city – given the distance, we walked here then got the bus back to our hotel.
Woryeonggyo Bridge is free to visit and also lights up at night with fountains – there is a place nearby to hire illuminated moon boats at night.
Try this – Andong day-trips and activities with Trazy >
3. Bomun Restaurant / Andong salted mackerel
In Andong, we enjoyed one of our BEST ever meals in Korea – an amazing spread of Andong Salted Mackerel and a whole host of sides for just 6,000 Won each (£3.20 / $5.70 USD / $6.60 AUD – prices correct as of our Andong visit in May 2025).
Bomun Restaurant in Andong has been around for over 40 years and literally serves just one dish – vegetable boribap with grilled mackerel, homemade soy bean soup, barley rice and an assortment of side dishes.
We’d explored Andong Traditional Market and didn’t fancy a big dish of their famous Andong jjimdak (braised chicken) for lunch – so we looked around and spotted lots of locals in Bosum Restaurant (always a good sign).
We were the only non-locals inside and the owner used a translation app to tell us about the history of the restaurant and all the various ingredients – at the end, he even made us a super strong Korean coffee and wished us good luck on our travels.
We still cannot believe you can get such a huge, hearty and ultimately delicious dish for just 6,000 Won per person.
Address: Bomun Restaurant, 222-45 Nammun-dong Andong-si Gyeongsangbuk-do (Naver Maps | Google Maps)
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4. Mammoth Bakery
Andong’s best known cafe and patisserie parlour has to be the Mammoth Bakery 맘모스베이커리, which has been around for over 50 years (it opened in 1974) with a Michelin rating.
A French / European style bakery, this is one of the tastiest things to do in Andong – as soon as you walk into Mammoth Bakery, you are greeted with a surfeit of sweet treats and incredible cakes.
After much deliberation, we went for Mammoth Bakery’s signature dish, the cream cheese ppang (a cream and cheese bun), a couple of cake slices and and an iced coffee drink. Many rave about their Yuja pound cake too.
Charming and cosy inside with an old fashioned wooden interior and black and white pictures, there is also a small seating area outside.
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5. Andong Traditional Market – Andong Jjimdak
As well as the salted mackerel we tried, another of Andong’s most famous Korean food dishes is jjimdak, a braised chicken dish soaked in a Korean soy sauce ganjang coating.
This is a local food that combines lots of vegetables (usually spinach, potatoes and green onions) with glass noodles to create a delicious and hearty meal – portions at Andong Traditional Market start from around 20,000 Won.
Inside Andong Traditional Market, you’ll find Jjimdak Alley, with a dozen or so restaurants that all specialise in this dish. As well as places to eat, you’ll find a few fresh fruit and vegetable stalls, a wet market and traditional Korean goods.
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6. Beopheungsa Temple and Seven Storey Pagoda
We spotted the Beopheungsa temple 법흥사지 by chance on our walk to Woryeonggyo Bridge purely because the Sinsedong Chilcheung Jeontap pagoda here 안동 법흥사지 칠층전탑 is so large and quite the local Andong landmark.
Situated next to Imcheonggak House, a temple has been on this site since the 8th century but all that is left of the original site is parts of the pagoda.
It is Korea’s oldest surviving the oldest brick pagoda (and tallest too at 17 metres high).
Onsite, there is a small hanok style cafe which is a nice way to escape the summer heat in Andong.
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7. Andong Soju & Traditional Food Museum
Regular readers and members of our South Korea Travel Facebook group will know we are big fans of soju – geonbae!
If you are interesting in trying traditional soju made from wheat, head along to the Andong Soju & Traditional Food Museum 안동소주·전통음식 박물관.
Dating back to the Silla period, Andong Soju is a local liquor with around a 45 percent ABV – so make sure you drink responsibly when visiting!
Sample the local rice wine, see how it’s made and learn more about the area’s history including the traditional masks. This could end up being a very ‘merry’ thing to do in Andong.
You might also like this Andong Sojuery half day experience >
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