✔ Explore the historic Hahoe Village with a local gui
✔ Opportunity to experience an authentic hanok stay
✔ Discover the country’s cultural heart
Day 1 - Welcome to Andong
From Seoul, it takes around four hours to reach Andong, a peaceful town known as the cultural heart of South Korea. The main reason to visit is Hahoe Village, one of the country’s best preserved traditional villages and a wonderful place to experience Korea’s heritage. After arriving, settle into your hotel on the edge of town and take some time to explore at your own pace. Later, enjoy a gentle stroll through the area or head out to a local restaurant to try some of Andong’s traditional dishes.
Day 2 - Discovering the charm of Andong
Today you will explore Andong, starting at the peaceful Andong Dam where calm waters and surrounding hills often sit under a soft morning mist, before continuing to Dosan Seowon, a UNESCO listed Confucian academy set in nature that offers a glimpse into Korea’s past way of life. From here, head to Hahoe Village, a 600 year old settlement where descendants still live today, and take in the view from Buyongdae Cliff where the village curves around the river like a yin yang symbol, before walking through its narrow lanes and traditional hanok houses with your guide, and ending the day at Woryeonggyo Bridge, a quiet spot to soak up the atmosphere of this timeless region.
Day 3 - Departure from Andong
After breakfast, it’s time to leave Andong behind and continue your journey. From here, you can travel to Gyeongju in around five hours by public transport, a city often described as an open air museum, known for its grassy burial mounds, ancient sites and peaceful lotus ponds. If you prefer to break up the journey, you could head to the coast first and spend some time in Busan before continuing on to Gyeongju, with both routes taking a similar amount of time.
Accommodation
For this bite-sized trip we offer the following options
Andong: A journey into South Korea’s past - Upgraded accommodation
For a more special stay, you can spend the night just outside Hahoe Village in a small, traditional style resort. Here, you sleep on a ‘yo’, a thin folding mattress laid over a heated ondol floor, a classic Korean way of sleeping that is surprisingly comfortable, while still having your own modern bathroom for convenience. As you will already be staying right by the village, we do not include a separate excursion here, giving you the time to explore at your own pace. Please note that as this is a small scale property, availability can be limited, and if it is fully booked we will arrange a comfortable alternative hotel in consultation with you.