By Ambre El Ouazzani
Just an hour by train south of downtown Seoul stands a small town called Suwon. Reachable by train (KTX or ITX) or subway (line 1 or Suin Bundang line), Suwon is the perfect place to spend an enjoyable day combining modern shopping with traditional experiences with its fortress and historical centre.
Suwon is basically a smaller version of Seoul, but much less crowded and noisy than the capital city, you can nevertheless find similar activities and the same atmosphere and enjoy a less populated and less touristy area.
Still, thanks to social media, this city has gotten increasingly popular mainly because of its Starfield Library. Bigger and more impressive than the COEX library in Gangnam, this four-floor library became a famous spot to take pictures or just sit and read a book or a magazine while admiring the shelves filled with colorful books.
This 331,000-square-meter, seven-story mall is dedicated to shopping. There, you can find many shops and boutiques as well as cafés and restaurants of course (almost all located on the top floor). In a nutshell you can experience the same as in downtown Seoul but without the crowds which makes the shopping session feel more pleasant.
Between the fourth and the seventh floors, where the library is located, you can find many cafés nearby with a beautiful view over the library, but the most interesting one must be ‘Vinyl’, a themed café where you can eat and drink your order while listening to a vinyl you’ve chosen among the wide range of possibilities in the café–directly from the record player with headphones on.
A must-do experience.
And for the more playful and adventurous, on the last floor there is a huge indoor playground called ‘Smob’ where you only need to buy a 2-hour access ticket and you can enjoy 25 attractions based on various sports such as climbing, basketball, football, swinging and even a zip line!
But if you are visiting Seoul with the aim to discover more about Korean culture, traditions and lifestyles, the Hwaseong fortress is the place you must head to.
First of all, the fortification itself, from which you have a view over the rest of the city, represents the perfect walk–even more so when it’s sunny and warm outside because you can sit or lie down in the grass and sunbathe.
A relic of the Joseon Dynasty, it was built in the late 18th century by King Jeongjo to defend his father’s tomb, to establish a new political base and serve a defensive purpose.
For those in search of cultural immersion, further in the centre, stands the Hwaseong Haenggung palace. And from Tuesday to Sunday at 14:00 a performance of martial arts and weapon skills used by soldiers from the Joseon Dynasty is demonstrated in front of the palace. This is a unique experience to witness and at the end of the demonstration, you can get the chance to take a picture with the performers.
Once it is finished, you can enter the palace itself for 2,000 won (adult price) and visit this vast temple and for 5,000 additional won you can buy a stamp-collecting sheet and explore the temple, trying to find the stamp stands and complete the sheet. A little tip here if you don’t want to pay for the sheet is to carry your own notebook or loose papers to collect the stamps anyway.
Once the mission is duly accomplished you can just stroll and enjoy the beauty of the palace and take a break on one of the many benches.
Then, take time to walk through the city centre because this thrilling area of the city contains a very dynamic zone with shops, cafés and many photo booths (even themed ones), an ideal way to end your day in Suwon.
