Things to do in Suwon

Landmark · Paldal-gu

A 5.7 km circuit of 1790s walls, gates and command posts running straight through the modern city, on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1997.

Local tip: Walk the full circuit anti-clockwise from Janganmun in the early evening — it takes about two hours and the western hill section over Paldalsan has the view. The fortress was rebuilt after the Korean War from the original construction record, which is why it is so complete; the archery range by Yeonmudae is open to the public.

Neighborhood · Paldal-gu

The low-rise old town inside the fortress walls, where height limits preserved a grid of small houses that is now full of cafés, workshops and independent shops.

Local tip: The regeneration is real but it is still a residential neighbourhood, so keep the noise down in the back lanes. The mural alley behind the palace is the photographed part; the streets north of it toward Janganmun are where the interesting workshops are.

Culture · Paldal-gu

The detached palace inside the fortress, rebuilt over decades after being almost entirely destroyed, with martial-arts and changing-of-the-guard performances at weekends.

Local tip: Go for a weekend performance rather than a weekday walk-through — the 24 martial arts demonstration is genuinely good and it is included with the ticket. Combine it with the walls; the entrance is a five-minute walk from Janganmun.

Nature · Yeongtong-gu

Two linked reservoirs turned into a large park below the provincial government complex, with wooden boardwalks over the water and towers behind them.

Local tip: The loop is about four kilometres and is the city's default evening walk. The southern lake is quieter than the northern one and the boardwalk over the reeds is best just before sunset. Sinbundang line to Gwanggyo Jungang and it is a five-minute walk.

Food · Paldal-gu

An alley of whole-fried-chicken shops beside Jidong Market, several of them decades old, frying in oil rather than sauce.

Local tip: This is old-style Korean fried chicken — whole birds, no sauce, eaten with the vinegar-pickled radish — and it is different from the franchise version. Get it from a shop with a queue of locals rather than the one with English signage, and take it to the market seating rather than eating in.

Nature · Yeongtong-gu

A quiet park built around excavated Joseon-era tombs and structures uncovered when the Gwanggyo new town was developed, left in place among the housing.

Local tip: Almost nobody visits, including people who live in the towers overlooking it. It is a strange and good place to sit — a Joseon burial site preserved in the middle of a 2010s new town — and it connects on foot to the lake park loop if you want a longer walk.