Around the country

The cities, one by one

Pick a city: you get what makes it special, how to get there from Seoul, and the places genuinely worth the trip.

Andong

안동

The city that guards Korean tradition most jealously. A major Confucian centre since Joseon, with academies still active, a classic village and a mask festival. At the table, jjimdak braised chicken and Andong soju, triple-distilled, are institutions.

Getting thereBy bus from Seoul (Gyeongbu), one or two departures an hour, 2 h 40 from 16,000 ₩. By train from Cheongnyangni, about 2 h. From Daegu, 1 h 40 by bus.

Hahoe Village

하회마을

UNESCO-listed and still inhabited, set in a river bend. Noble and farmers' houses side by side, thatch and tile roofs together.

Bus 246 from Andong, ~50 min · Maps ↗

Dosan Seowon Academy

도산서원

The country's most famous Confucian academy, founded in the 16th century. Wood and stone by a lakeside.

Bus 67 from Andong · Maps ↗

Mask Museum

하회동탈박물관

The Hahoe masks are a national treasure. The museum also shows masks from around the world and explains byeolsingut masked theatre.

At the entrance to Hahoe Village · Maps ↗

Woryeonggyo Bridge

월영교

Korea's longest wooden footbridge, built in tribute to a 16th-century love story. Beautiful when lit at night.

Bus from the centre · Maps ↗