Let’s take a ride on the Hwaseong Express! Suwon Hwaseong Fortress
Createdd 2015-11-05 Hit 1285
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Autumn is upon us once again, the perfect season for a day out and enjoying the cool breeze.
It’s such a waste to just sit inside on an autumn day like this.
So I was excited to head out to Hwaseong Fortress, which is located in Suwon City in Gyeonggi Province.
Hwaseong Fortress was built by King Jeongjo, the 22nd monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, when he moved the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado, to Suwon. It was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If you walk along the top of the fortress wall, you can circumnavigate downtown Suwon. But did you know you can explore Hwaseong Fortress without even walking?
Exploring Hwaseong Fortress while seated
Gwachoen Seoul Land has its Elephant Train and Hwaseong Fortress has the Hwaseong Express.
From Paldalsan Mountain in Suwon to Yeonmudae, let’s take a trip aboard Hwaseong Express now!
❙ Walking trail on Paldalsan Mountain in Suwon City
You can find the platform for Hwaseong Express at Paldalmun Gate, Hwaseong Haenggung Temporary Palace, and many more places. Your Gyeonggi Net-keeper chose to take the train via the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex’s rear entrance. In fact, there aren’t many people who take the train using this route.
As soon as you leave the rear entrance, there’s a pedestrian crossing. I crossed the road and started climbing towards an entrance to Paldalsan Mountain.
Walking along the trail with a dense forest on the either side, you can see an unusual number of pine trees. These pine trees are red pines, not a foreign variety. The long branches look so stunning.
❙ Photo at mineral spring
I was walking along at a brisk pace, and that’s when I found a mineral spring! I took a sip and soon it was time to get going again!
The trees were turning red and yellow in the colors of autumn. Can you imagine the view with the colorful fall foliage and green pines together?
After walking for ten minutes, I finally find the road used exclusively by the Hwaseong Express.
The Hwaseong Express will pass this place and head on to Yeonmudae.
There’s a silver grass field which looks even more beautiful in the middle of autumn. It looks stunning together with the fortress wall. Plenty of people come here to take photos of this magnificent scenery.
When you’re done climbing the hill, pass through under the fortress wall.
There’s a bronze statue of King Jeongjo here. He stands there with his eyes fixed in an imposing gaze toward downtown Suwon.
Walking further along the road, I finally get to see the Hwaseong Express!
It’s designed to look like a dragon, which symbolizes King Jeongjo the Great.
The train looks so gallant. In fact, it looks like it’s going to start breathing fire!
A one-way ticket costs just KRW 1,500! Isn’t that a bargain? You can buy a one-way ticket or a return ticket. But, if you buy a return ticket, you have to come back on the same Hwaseong Express that you originally took, which means you only have roughly 20 minutes to see Yeonmudae. So please keep this in mind! You can also purchase Hwaseong Express tickets at Yeonmudae as well~.
I bought my ticket first, but I had some time on my hands so I went to explore the workshop street.
There’s a road that leads to Hwaseong Haenggung Temporary Palace behind the cafeteria. If you follow it, you arrive at the workshop street.
I passed the temporary palace’s parking lot and entered the workshop street! Here, you’ll have a great time looking at various workshops and frescoes as well.
There are a variety of products at the workshops including hand-made accessories and cute little knick-knacks. You can also learn how to make bracelets and participate in other activities.
This road starts from Paldalmun Gate and leads to Paldalsan Mountain. It’s a pretty steep hill road, but it’s popular among tourists visiting Hwaseong Fortress. The open space on the left is used as a resting area or a performance venue at times. You can take the Hwaseong Express on top of the hill as well!
I come back from the workshop street in time for the Hwaseong Express.
There were a lot of people there with their families and friends to ride the train.
It just goes to show you that the Hwaseong Express is a great way for everyone to experience the fortress conveniently.
I took a seat at the back and we embarked.
❙ Hwaseomun Gate
❙ Janganmun Gate
❙ Hwahongmun Gate
The Hwaseong Express passes through Hwaseomun Gate, Jangan Park, Janganmun Gate, Banghwasuryujeong, and Hwahongmun Gate, and goes all the way to Yeonmudae.
You can get off on your way to Yeonmudae at places like Jangan Park. If you’d like to do so, don’t forget to raise your hand when you hear the announcement.
I saw people dressed like gate keepers waving to me when the Hwaseong Express passed by Hwaseomun Gate and Hwahongmun Gate. If you see them on your trip, it’d be nice to wave back!
❙ Banghwasuryujeong
The trip took slightly over 30 minutes, but it felt so short while watching Hwaseong Fortress fly by from the comfort of my seat.
❙ Yeonmudae
❙ Archery range next to Yeonmudae
I finally arrived at Yeonmudae! Yeonmudae is where soldiers used to train. Here, you can shoot some arrows, which is always a popular program among tourists.
Today, I took a ride on Hwaseong Express from Paldalsan Mountain to Yeonmudae. The downside to this option is that the smell of exhaust gas is a little too much at times. But I’m sure that will improve in the future.
Take a trip around Hwaseong Fortress aboard the Hwaseong Express with your family on a cool autumn day~.
@Gyeonggi Net-keeper
