Suwon is one of the easiest day trips from Seoul – known for its famous Hwaseong Fortress, historic buildings and cool cafes, Suwon is a must visit when in South Korea.
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Just 25 minutes from Seoul Station by KTX high speed rail (or a little longer by Metro or Korail train), Suwon is a sublime mix of old and new South Korea and has lots of excellent markets and foodie destinations including a dedicated Korean fried chicken street.
From the huge Suwon Starfield mall complete with its famous (and very Instagrammable library) to the Hwaseong Fortress, there are lots of superb things to do in Suwon.
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How to get to Suwon
There are three ways to reach Suwon from Seoul by public transport:
- Korail train (the best option in our opinion + reserved seat)
- KTX high-speed train (fastest option + reserved seat)
- Subway train (cheapest and slowest option)
Korail train
From Seoul you can take a Korail train from either Yongsan Station or Seoul Station, which takes between 31 and 37 minutes to reach Suwon depending on the type of train.
There are two different trains – Mugunghwa and ITX-Saemaeul (the ITX-Saemaeul trains are faster and slightly more expensive). A one way standard class ticket on Mugunghwa costs from 2,700 won. You can book your train tickets on trip.com >
KTX high-speed train
Alternatively you can take a slightly faster and much more expensive KTX high-speed train from Seoul Station to Suwon Station in 25 minutes. A one way standard class ticket costs approximately 8,400 won.
You can book your train tickets on trip.com >
Subway train
You can take Seoul Subway Line 1 from various Seoul stations to Suwon station in 1 hour. A one way ticket costs approximately 2,100 won.
If you are getting the subway to Suwon from Seoul, the easiest way to pay and get around is by T-Money card – you can also use this on the buses in Suwon to get to places like Suwon Starfield Mall.
Buy your South Korea T-Money card in advance with Klook >
How to get around Suwon
There is an excellent bus system which can take you from outside Suwon Station to many of Suwon’s attractions. Use the real-time tracking feature on the Naver Map and Kakao Map phone apps.
You can also take subway Line 1 from Suwon Station to attractions such as the Starfield Library in Starfield Suwon mall.
Suwon Accommodation
Budget to mid range ($$)
Vella Suite Hotel
Comfortable budget to mid-range hotel located close to Suwon City Hall subway station. Check rates and availability on Agoda | Expedia | Booking.com | Hotels.com
Mid-range ($$)
Yeoyeoje – Hanok Accommodation
This highly rated and traditional-style hanok guesthouse is located a few minutes walk from Hwaseong Fortress. Some rooms include a balcony and in‑room kitchenette. Check rates and availability on Booking.com
Luxury ($$$)
Four Points by Sheraton Suwon
Modern hotel that opened in 2022, this luxury hotel includes a rooftop seasonal pool, restaurant and bar, gym and an all‑day buffet. Check rates and availability on Agoda | Expedia | Booking.com | Hotels.com
Things to do in Suwon
1. Hwaseong Fortress
For many, the number one thing to do in Suwon is take a walk around Hwaseong Fortress 수원 화성, which is now a popular city wall walk and free to visit. In fact, the Korean Tourism Organization rank Suwon’s fortress as one of the ‘100 must visit tourist spots of South Korea’.
You will likely have seen Hwaseong Fortress on social media and in countless guide books, built in the late 18th century, commissioned by King Jeongjo during the Joseon dynasty.
Suwon is often referred to as the ‘second capital’ during the Joseon Dynasty and the walled walk that forms the basis of Hwaseong Fortress is one of the best ways to explore Suwon.
Boasting awesome architecture, sweeping views and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Suwon’s Hwaseong Fortress also boasts a palace, four huge gates (which you can go in) and bridges which go over the Suwoncheon stream.
Based on our own experience, the two most impressive gates to see up close were Hwaseomun Gate and Janganmun Gate 長安門.
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2. Suwon Rodeo Street
Suwon is a cool combo of new and old so after a day exploring historic Hwaseong Fortress, be sure to eat, drink and be merry along Rodeo Street, Suwon’s main nightlife and restaurant street.
From chain coffee shops to basement eateries, Olive Young to Korean photo booth shops open 24 hours, Rodeo Street is a people pleasing party-place suitable to visit day and night, plus one of the best places to shop if you don’t want to travel out to Suwon Starfield Mall.
We stayed in a Suwon hotel just off Rodeo Street and would start our day here grabbing breakfast and coffee and often return at night for chimaek (beer and chicken), late night bites or some soju sessions – there is also a popular branch of Grandma’s Beer here.
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Hongdae
Ikseon-dong
Insadong
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Myeong-dong
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Or check out our best neighbourhoods in Seoul Guide >
3. Suwon’s Fried Chicken Street
After a long day of sightseeing, we ventured over to Suwon’s Chicken street 수원 통닭거리, located near Hwaseong Fortress near to Maehyanggyo bridge.
If you are looking for some ‘clucking’ good Korean fried chicken, Suwon has it in spades. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and some of the more famous Suwon fried chicken restaurants had huge great queues (it is a lot quieter during the week).
The biggest queue and most famous Suwon chicken street restaurant is Jin Mi Chicken 진미통닭, but the line up was long so we settled for Haeng Gung Chicken Restaurant and enjoyed chicken and beer with half coated in the special Suwon Wanggaalbi seasoning.
We paid around 24,000 Won for a huge plate of Suwon fried chicken in May 2025.
You might like – Our guide to the best Korean Street food >
4. Suwon Starfield
There are a few big malls and shopping centers in Suwon (like LOTTE Mall Suwon) but perhaps the best known is Suwon Starfield, packed full of Korean and international brands plus the very famous Starfield Suwon Library (more on this in a moment).
A new Suwon mall opened in early 2024, Suwon Starfield has 8 storeys of shopping plus lots of eating options including a dedicated food court. Plus if you like dogs, be sure to check out the rooftop puppy park where pampered pooches can run around several lawns and even use free doggy showers.
Suwon Starfield is a little away from Haengnidan Gil and the Fortress area but easily accessible by Metro or bus.
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5. Starfield Suwon Library
Many visitors to Seoul have stopped by COEX Starfield Library but the Starfield Suwon Library is equally impressive.
One of the best free things to do in Suwon and easily combinable with a spot of shopping, Starfield Suwon Library is spread over several levels (floors 4 to 7) and one of Suwon’s most Instagrammable places. We do feel a bit sorry though for any genuine reader who have to put up with all the Suwon selfie taking shenanigans.
The bookcases here are BIG with planets hanging from the roof and it looks so pretty – the impressive centerpiece is a huge sitting staircase where you can chill with a book or just soak up the incredible Starfield Suwon Library.
On the upper levels, you’ll find several small seating nooks which make for great pictures plus lots of nice cafes overlooking it including a branch of Starbucks Korea and Vinyl Starfield Suwon on the fifth floor, where you can enjoy a drink whilst listening to records. Admission is 18,500 won (as of July 2025) and it includes 1 drink.
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6. Yongyeon Pond
A popular picnic spot and close to the Fortress wall walk, we visited this pretty park at the weekend and there was hardly any grass or benches to sit on as huge swathes of South Koreans met up to enjoy locally bought and homemade snacks.
The pond is called Yongyeon meaning ‘pond where a dragon stays’ – you’ll also notice a small island in the middle of the lake which is common for Korean parks.
If you are visiting Suwon at night, this pond is one of the best spots to take photos of Hwaseong Fortress lit up plus catch a glimpse of the moon’s reflection.
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7. Jidong Market and Soondae Town
Close to Namsumun Gate, Jidong Market is one of Suwon’s largest traditional markets also close by to Suwon’s other famous markets, Motgol Market and Nammun Market.
Jidong market has a wide variety of goods and foods, and has a huge wet market and fresh section plus dozens of dried food sellers.
Jidong Market is also home to Soondae Town, an alley of assorted Korean blood sausage stalls where you can try this ‘bloody’ good Korean food.
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8. Suwon Motgol Market
For our money, our favourite traditional Korean market in Suwon was Motgol Market 못골종합시장- it was bustling with shoppers and stall holders and there was a huge choice of hot food stalls and takeaways foods to buy.
Composed of a long lane of stalls with several side alleys, the atmosphere was amazing at Motgol Market and we hardly saw any other tourists here – it was a joy to walk around and smelt amazing.
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9. Hwaseong Haeunggung Palace
We were blown away by Hwaseong Haeunggung Palace 화성행궁 as it is referred to as a ‘temporary palace’ – but the grounds and views from this serene spot are stunning and it is like a miniature hanok village that you can explore with a very small admission fee (just 1,500 Won per person)
In Korea, a “haenggung” is a temporary / secondary palace where the king and royal family would escape to during a war or battle and is where King Jeongjo would stay when visiting his father’s tomb during the Joseon Dynasty period.
Sadly most of the original Hwaseong Haeunggung Palace was destroyed over the years and this latest version was rebuilt about 20 years ago.
Hwaseong Haeunggung Palace is also a popular K-Drama filming location in Suwon – Jewel in the Palace and Love in the Moonlight were both filmed here.
You might like – our guide to visiting the K-Drama open set in Suncheon or the best Seoul K-Pop places to visit
10. Haengnidan Gil
Suwon’s Haengnidan Gil is famous for all its souvenir shops, cute cafes and gorgeous gift stores – this was also tourist central so if you don’t like crowds, maybe avoid this area.
We spent an hour or so browsing several stores, from gachapon shops to cute character stores but all of them were super busy – a few K-dramas have been filmed along Haengnidan Gil Suwon including Lovely Runner.
Try this – Lovely Runner Suwon K-Drama filming location tour >
Suwon cafes
Seriously, Suwon has some of the best cafes we’ve been to in South Korea especially lots of hanok style cafes plus cool coffee shops overlooking Hwaseong Fortress.
Some of our favourite Suwon cafes included:
11. Palescent Cafe
There are many Instagrammable cafes in Suwon but one of the best places for brews with views is Palescent cafe (map).
We enjoyed some morning coffees on the rooftop terrace at Paletscent cafe with a view of Janganmun Gate – the iced coffee here was really good and the outdoor space is a nice way to relax after a day of sightseeing.
Try this – Korea Folk Village & Suwon Hwaseong day tour from Seoul >
12. Dohwa Tiger Cafe Suwon
A hanok style coffee shop in Suwon, Dohwa Tiger is a Korean cafe chain where a lot of young locals and visiting tourists hang out – very cool beans!
We visited the Suwon branch and it was absolutely packed – it is also very close to Jidong Mural Village.
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13. London Bagel Museum Suwon
The London Bagel Museum 런던베이글뮤지엄 is South Korea’s best bagel chain and luckily, they have a branch at Suwon Starfield.
It is a very popular Korean bagel chain with several branches and over 100,000 followers on Instagram – “But it’s only a bagel” you may cry. Not according to the long lines of people wanting to get into the various branches of the London Bagel Museum.
Honestly, the London Bagel Cafe Suwon was just out of this world – the interior felt a bit like you’d imagine a bakery at Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, and yep, you can get countless London Bagel Cafe souvenirs too!
Most basic bagels cost around the 4,000 Won mark to 6,000 Won then toppings or fillings cost a bit more.
Read our guide to London Bagel Museum 런던베이글뮤지엄 >
And if you like cool cafes, make sure you visit Seoul’s Seongsu-dong and Ikseondong neighborhoods too.
14. Suwon Museum of Art
A sprawling five storey gallery, the Suwon Museum of Art is located next to Hwaseong Haenggung Palace and combines permanent exhibits with temporary exhibitions.
As well as a library and adjoining cafe, there are curator tours available – admission starts from 4,000 Won for adults and 1,000 Won for children.
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15. Watch a K-League Game at Suwon World Cup Stadium
The perfect way to ‘kick-off’ your trip to Suwon, K League football (or soccer) is a popular sport, up there with baseball.
Suwon is home to Suwon FC who play in the top flight of K-League soccer at the nearby Suwon Stadium.
South Korea K League game tickets are easy to purchase (and very cheap) plus the World Cup Stadium in Suwon has good transport links by bus.
The K League football season in South Korea runs from February / March to November and matches generally take place on Fridays through Sundays.
You might like – Guide to getting K-League tickets in Seoul >
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