A Beautiful Day Trip to Suwon!

One of my first day trips was on a Tuesday to Suwon. It was a beautiful cultural experience where I was able to visit several different locations, including the Starfield Library in the Suwon Coex Mall, the Suwon Hwaseong, and the Suwon Hwaseong Media Art Show.

Before coming to Korea, this was not somewhere I had expected to go. I had never heard of the Suwon Hwaseong until I discovered it on Instagram. So, when I first started looking into the area, I realized that it wouldn’t take too long to get there using the subway. The Suwon Hwaseong puts on the Media Art Show every year for a set period of time, so a friend and I decided to take a trip before the show ended.

Getting to the Suwon COEX Mall

A friend and I both had a Tuesday off, so we met up at the front gate at 10:30 am to leave for the Starfield Library. It took us about 2 hours to get to the COEX Mall in Suwon. Once we arrived, we looked around for a good lunch spot while exploring the rest of the mall. We ended up eating at a Japanese restaurant that had a short wait, but we were seated quickly, and I was able to try Omurice for the first time. 

First Step in the Starfield Library

Once we finished lunch, we headed over to the Starfield Library. It was so cool to see in person, and it was at least five floors high. We walked around a little and went up to the top floor. Looking down from the top floor is amazing because there are so many books that you can see, and there are also objects hanging from the ceiling that you get to see up close. Each floor has its own seating around the edge of the library, which gives you a nice view of the entire library since the barriers are made of glass. This is somewhere I would love to spend the day because it wasn’t too crowded. It’s a perfect place to relax and read a book or do other work, surrounded by cafe options. 

If you don’t feel like making the trip to the Starfield Library in Suwon, there is also one that is easily accessible in Gangnam, Seoul. I recently visited the Gangnam one, and although it was busier, it was wider compared to the Suwon one and could be a nice area to walk around on the second level. Overall, they both have a nice, relaxing vibe, and I would recommend both!

Next Stop: Suwon Hwaseong Fortress

Our next stop was the archery field at the Fortress. Along the way, we stopped to see Cafe Haenggung, which had a wide range of seating, a waterfall surrounded by glass, a variety of pastry options, and plenty of space to relax. We also explored some other cafes on a cafe street, and we both ordered a Strawberry Ade, which was delicious. 

On our way to the gate entrance, we came across a cultural festival with a few activities. Some of them required a small fee and taught you how to make certain pieces. The other activities that we ended up doing included some free Korean games:

• Ddakji: Throw a paper tile at an opponent's tile on the ground to try and flip it. You might have seen it in Squid Games
• Chegichagi: You have to kick a shuttle using your feet and try to stop it from hitting the ground by hitting it as many times as you can.
• Tuho: Tossing arrows into a narrow container. 

After the festival, we made our way to the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Gukkung Experience Center for archery at 5 pm. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations, but I hope to go back sometime. The archery field was pretty big and actually had what seemed to be a practice performance going on. So, we decided to walk along the Hwaseong Fortress wall and watch the performance from above as the sun set over the city. As we walked along the fortress wall, we had a beautiful view of the city, and you can even collect stamps along the expanse of the fortress to get a prize.

Hwaseong Media Art Show

Finally, we stopped at a local Korean restaurant for dumplings and watched the Hwaseong Media Art Show. The fortress had separate shows at different gates. We were able to watch the show at 7 pm at the Janganmun Gate and then walk along the wall to the last showing at 7:30 pm for the main Media Art Show near Seobuk Gonsimdon. 

Both showings were beautiful, but they each have separate art and lighting that they showcase. The first one had space for us to sit down, while the second one was extremely popular and had performers and demonstrations. It was extremely busy, so I would recommend getting there earlier for a better view. 

For your next trip to Suwon, I highly recommend seeing these shows! They both showcase amazing art and history in Korea, and I would definitely go again if I get the chance.