Hwaseong Fortress is an impressive structure from the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The fortress was built as a display of King Jeongjo’s filial piety towards his father.
A Hwaseong Haenggung was a temporary palace where the king and royal family retreated to during a war. Hwaseong Haenggung Palace is the largest one of these, use by the Joseon kings since the time of King Jeongjo. This palace is not only being used as a shelter during war but also King Jeongjo stayed here during trips to worship at his father's tomb.
I was hoping to learn about the famous Suwon Hwaseong Fortress on our way to the site but that part was in Japanese and not English. Our English speaking guide was difficult to hear and the part at the Fortress felt rushed except when we waited for 20 minutes waiting for a sword fighting demonstration to start. We saw some good scenery but it was not really worth the cost or the time in the minibus.
Enjoyed seeing heck art work on the buildings and hearing about the history. Christy was knowledgeable.
* Half-day solo experience. * Dragon was a wonderful guide - I took a taxi to the meeting point and due to traffic was concerned I would be late. Dragon spoke to my driver in Korean and met me at the pick-up spot. * Lots of interesting information about South Korean history. * Relaxed pace - I felt I had lots of time to take everything in. * Opportunity to see the fortress and the castle. * Dragon took lots of photos for me and answered all my questions. He was very kind.
A Wonderful Day with Our Excellent Guide, Dragon! Today we enjoyed a fantastic tour with our wonderful guide, Dragon! Our first stop was the magnificent Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, which truly impressed us! It is beautifully preserved and surrounded by lovely greenery, making it a spectacular place to visit. Throughout the tour, Dragon shared fascinating information, explained everything clearly, and patiently answered all our questions. At lunchtime, he recommended a delicious selection of Korean dishes, which we thoroughly enjoyed! In the afternoon, he took us to the Korean Folk Village, where we had a wonderful opportunity to discover traditional Korean life and culture. We also enjoyed two delightful traditional dance performances and a beautiful singing performance by a talented young lady! Dragon made the entire day interesting, enjoyable, and memorable. Thank you so much, Dragon, for such a wonderful experience! We highly recommend you!
Our guide, Matthew, was friendly, knowledgeable, and super helpful. He made the history of the fortress really interesting, and the whole tour was great. Would definitely recommend!
Matthew is an excellent tour guide. He was funny, knowledgeable and guided us in excellent English throughout the suwon tour.
Truly great tour. Focused on the historical sites yet efficient and very interesting. Sophie is a great guide and added colorful stories about the royal family internal affairs that placed the sites in a broader context.
Most informative, our guide Mathew had wonderful family stories that helped us get a feel for the culture. Also a really funny guy. Well presented tour, succinct as well as informative. Highly recommended!!
Beautiful sightseeing! Dragon’s knowledge about the place (and plants) was amazing!
Our tour guide Dragon was polite excellent and a great photographer
My partner and I had a wonderful time walking around the Suwon Fortress, hearing the history and cultural context of the people behind it from our guide Matthew
Such a fun and educational day visiting Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and the Korean Folk Village! Our tour guide, Leo, piqued our interest on the way over with a quick history lesson and movie clips, really helping to bring the fortress to life. We started with the visit to the east gate and even got some archery practice in. There was an impressive martial arts performance outside the fortress that may have been the highlight of the visit. Lunch was delicious Korean BBQ, finished off with a little plum tea. We ended the day at the Korean Folk Village, where we got to watch a traditional wedding procession. Highly recommend!
Matthew was and excellent tour guide!! And Mr. Kim was a perfect driver. The morning we spent at Suwon Fortress and the afternoon at the Korean Village. We learned so much and enjoyed every minute. Thank you Matthew!!
This was our very first tour on our trip to Korea and we are so happy Dragon was our first! He was great in explaining the background Hwaseong and pointed out great places we would have otherwise missed. He helped with pictures and shared about visiting in the different seasons. I wish we could bring him on the rest of our trip! We got to see a lot of the fortress and caught some great reinactments and learned the story of the temporary palace. I cannot recommend this tour enough!
This was a great half-day trip from Seoul! It was a refreshing change of pace and a nice opportunity to experience a part of Korea outside of Seoul. Matthew, our guide, was funny, knowledgeable, and an engaging storyteller. Matthew has a real talent for bringing the history of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress to life in a way that is both informative and entertaining for both history enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. Throughout the trip, Matthew was also very thoughtful and considerate of our group’s pace and the weather, which made the experience very comfortable. We would highly recommend adding this tour to your itinerary, and if you have the opportunity, having Matthew as your guide!
Dragon brought us around the wonderful city of Suwon, the fortress and the palace. He gave us a lot of historical background to Korea and Suwon. A highly recommended tour!
Our guild Nicole was fantastic, informative and extremely friendly
We thoroughly enjoyed our Suwon tour with Sophie she was very knowledgeable and friendly. The pace of the tour was perfect.
The tour was great. Sophie is an amazing guide. She made this a great experience. It will be a great memory.
Nicole was great! She was very personable and also knowledgeable! Would definitely book with her again :)
Henry was a wonderful guide — excellent English, knowledgeable, attentive. Useful historical background, beautiful sights at the fortress, and a highly recommended experience at the folk village: we saw faithfully reproduced traditional buildings, complete with costumed residents attending to various tasks, learned about life of the period, and watched a colorful performance in the village center. We could really feel the Koreans' pride in their heritage. Thanks Henry!
Henry is an excellente guide, very kind and he knows really well the history. Thanks for this unforgettable experience
Wonderful trip with Henry. With his knowledge and passion Made our visit wonderful
Nara was an amazing tour guide! She brings the experience to life with her deep understanding of history and charming nature.
Strong tour flexibility, working around difficult weather and the different needs of your group members! Tour guide (Nara) was informative, with strong English skills, keeping our group entertained and educated throughout the experience.
My tour guide named Dong wok was a great guide. He also goes by Henry.
Matthew not only was a great tour guide, but also a great singer. Explained everything very well.
Awesome day outside of Seoul exploring the fortress and walls from the Joseon dynasty. Our guide Nicole was amazing. It was the perfect half day trip.
Matthew was a terrific guide, very informative on all things history. The fort was interesting and I really enjoyed the smaller palace which had physical displays showing a few aspects of royal life in a number of rooms. The area is also very beautiful. The final part of the trip - the martial arts display was excellent. It was a good half day.
Henry, most experienced, nice tour guide.
Henry was an incredible tour guide! He went above and beyond to make the tour a wonderful experience for our family.
We had half day trip to Suwon. Our guide Henry was extremely pleasant and informative. He wasn’t just a great guide, he was great company!
It was an incredible experience. Our guide, Rachel, was very attentive.
Henry is a very passionate guide and brought the history of Sidon to life . A good way to spend half a day
guide Grace from i love seoul tour was really nice and friendly. Her humor also uplifted us and made us feel comfortable
My mum and I had an amazing experience with Henry in Suwon. We were initially worried about the language barrier in Korea, but Henry immediately put us at ease and made the entire day feel very personalized and stress-free. He went above and beyond throughout the tour. During lunch, he helped us understand the menu and even placed our order for us, something he didn't have to do but which we greatly appreciated. He also got us a fantastic VIP viewing spot for the performance at the Korean Folk Village, which we absolutely loved and which saved us a lot of time. Henry was incredibly knowledgeable about Suwon Fortress, the Korean Folk Village, hanoks, and Korean history. The stories and insights he shared made the experience so much richer than simply visiting the sites on our own. His kindness, patience, and attention to detail made our day truly memorable. Henry didn't just guide us he genuinely took care of us. Highly recommend! Thank you, Henry, for making our trip so special. Wishing you all the very best and continued success in the future!
We spent a wonderful morning with our guide Henry (aka Ruby) exploring the castle of Suwon. Henry is a lovely mix of entertainment and information. The tour finished with an exciting display of martial arts. Highly recommended.
Henry our guide made our tour so much fun. Great historical stories shared and so knowledgeable. We had a great day
Dragon was a great guide and very informative! Excellent job we had a fun day and learned a lot about Hwaseong Fortress
We had a fantastic time with our tour guy Leo. We did the night tour and I only can recommend it to everyone. The inner city of the fortress was so lively and charming. A perfect place for family and couples. Thank you.
Dragon, the tour guide for us, was very helpful and cheerful for the whole experience! Since we paid the fee in advance, we didn’t need to pay them. It was a 2-hour long tour and we didn’t get bored at all!! He not only showed the castle and its wall, but also introduced a nice cafe in this area. Highly recommended:)
It was a really nice trip to Suwon. Our tourguide Nara was so nice, she told us a lot of history and showed us all the important sightseeing. I would definitely recommend this tour!
The tour was fantastic and Matthew, our guide, is a nice and friendly guy. He explained very well and was patient throughout the tour experience. Ask him any questions and he is happy to answer them. Would love to join their other local tours the next time I visit. Thank you!
Henry made a very good, private trip. He is very well in history We were very thankfull for such a great tour and would book him again
If you have the chance, book this tour! We had a lovely half day today with Shin in a comfortable van with a small group. Suwon Hwaseon fortress is often overlooked by the big crowds, so it was a very relaxed experience. We walked part of the city walls (which are magnificent and super impressive), came by a beautiful park, and visited the temporary palace, and the martial arts performance by the guards which was MUCH MUCH better than the changing of the guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung palace. Shin gave us a lot of information and was very kind and attentive. We even received a traditional Joseon era cookie on the way back. So happy we did this.
Our visit to the Hwaseong Fortress and the temporary palace in Suwon with our guide Shin was absolutely unforgettable. Shin is passionate, warm, and extremely knowledgeable. Thanks to his explanations and kindness, we discovered so much more than we would have on our own. I highly recommend this experience to anyone who wants to discover Korean history and culture in an authentic way. Thank you again, Shin, for this wonderful tour.
Grace did a great job on our tour
The tour was very good i even extended to a full Day tour on the day . Our Guide Shin was excellent lots of knowledge on the History . Such a beautiful side. Can only recommend this tour100 %
Henry was a great tour guide. He knows a lot of history and fun facts and he explained in a funny and simple way and it made our understanding easy. Also when he didn't know the answer he would go after in order to have one
We had an amazing experience with Henry. He was very knowledgeable providing information throughout the tour
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