How to spend 2 days, 1 night in Andong, South Korea
While Andong is located in the same province as Gyeongju, the feel could not be more different. There are no palaces and no crowns, but perfectly preserved and original villages and houses from over 500 years ago.
SIGHTSEEING
DAY 1
Dosanseowon Confucian Academy (도산서원)
This is the headquarters of the man on the 1,000 won bill! Toegye Yi Hwang was an extremely well-regarded scholar in the 16th century who spent many years instructing his male protege in the way of Confucianism. As this is the original, you can even see the man’s own hand-carved hanja sign on his living quarters.
I really thought this place had been abandoned. You must snake your way through a few buildings to actually find the entrance to the museum.
When you exit the museum, take a right to enter the VR center. If you have kids, there are some big screen games. In the hallways on the first and second floor you can look through glass windows and see the preserved wooden tablets of ancient books as well as house plaques. You can read more about the techniques to make these on the second floor. There are no English translations.
Time: 1 hour
Andong Gunja Village (Historic Site of Ocheon) 안동 군자마을(오천유적지)
This village was originally located closer to the river but with the construction of the Andong Dam, all houses were carefully moved higher up. You can read about the residents and even rent a house here for upwards of $250 per night. As a bonus, scenes from the drama Mr. Queen were also filmed here. If you wander to the far end of the premises, there is also a cafe.
Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
This bridge is best viewed at night. There are also boat rentals and other water activities near the bridge.
On the strip across from the bridge, there are a few restaurants to choose from. I recommend 호반정. The ladies were quite nice and I enjoyed Andong guksu and acorn jelly salad which was big enough for three people. Wasted food is the one downside of solo travel!
Time: 30 minutes
DAY 2
Andong Hahoe Village (안동 하회마을)
The village itself is extensive and sprawling; built over 200 years ago, it contains houses of both common and noble people. Families of the ancestors still live in these homes, as the owner of the hanok I slept in explained to me.
I highly recommend that you spend the night here. You can find accommodations at AirBnB.
Hahoe village faces this cliff; if you follow the outermost walkway, you can easily see it.
Just a few hundred meters from the entrance of the Hahoe Village is the mask museum. Not only does it have masks from Korea along with explanations for the various plays used to critique the hypocrisies of the noble class, it also has a collection of masks from around the world from Congo to Native Americans. There is also a surprisingly large gift shop.
Time: 1 hour
Andong Soju & Traditional Food Museum (안동소주·전통음식 박물관)
This museum is located in an industrial area. If you pull up to an empty shed, you have arrived! It’s quite small and not the fanciest but I enjoyed the three rooms. You can see a few dioramas and many food replicas of various famous meals, such as a typical royal meal or the exact food served to Queen Elizabeth when she came. I was told that out of all the cities she visited in Korea, Andong was her favorite!
My hat goes off to the translator of the explanations; I was really impressed by the care given to thorough and comprehensible English explanations.
This museum might not be for everyone but I quite enjoyed it. You can also buy special Andong liquor on your way out.
Time: 30 minutes, 1 hour if you linger
Andong Folk Museum (안동민속박물관) and Andong Folk Village (안동민속촌)
At the entrance to the village there are a few cafes serving traditional drinks and snacks. Sadly for me, they were not open as it was a Monday.
The museum is closer to the main road while the village is through the park entrance and up the mountain. The museum has so many dioramas which spoke to me personally. I didn’t venture far into the village but if you follow the path you will find a large stone gate, similar to Gwanghamun in Seoul.
Time: 3-4 hours
Byeongsanseowon Confucian Academy (병산서원)
This was by far my favorite location. I nearly popped all four tires off my compact car driving down the 3km road made entirely of potholes.
If you miss Buyongdae cliff, you’re in luck. I found the natural sites to be even more impressive here. The rainy drizzle also added to the mood, though it didn’t keep other tourists from trekking through the mud to wander around the small grounds.
Time: 1 hour
Additional Locations:
- Traditional Culture Contents Museum (전통문화콘텐츠박물관)
- Carved Buddha
- Head House of the Tapdong Branch of the Goseong Yi Clan (법흥동 고성이씨탑동파종택)
- Manhyujeong Pavilion; a scene from the drama Mr. Sunshine was filmed here.
ACCOMODATION
Try staying at one of the houses in the UNESCO Hahoe Village. You can find a lot of privately hosted homes, usually by the ancestors of the builders themselves, on AirBnB.
INSPIRATION