By rail
Andong station, ~2 h from Seoul
East Asia · South Korea
Andong, South Korea
Confucian villages and mask dances
Getting there
By air
Incheon (ICN), ~3.5 h
Best time to visit
September to October — the Mask Dance Festival
Don't miss
Hahoe Folk Village
Byeongsan Seowon
Dosan Seowon
Woryeonggyo
Things to do
Staying in a Hahoe hanok
The Mask Dance Festival
The Woryeonggyo bridge at night
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC0
What to pack
Walking shoes
A quieter corner
The Buyongdae cliff, for the view over Hahoe
Questions travellers ask
When is the Mask Dance Festival in Andong?
September to October — plan your visit around it.
How far is Andong from Seoul?
About 2 hours to Andong station. From Incheon (ICN), allow around 3.5 hours.
Where's the best view over Hahoe Folk Village?
From the Buyongdae cliff, which looks out over Hahoe. Stay the night in a Hahoe hanok if you can.
Is there a local dish to try in Andong?
Yes: Andong jjimdak (braised chicken) and heotjesabap. After dinner, see the Woryeonggyo bridge at night.
About Andong
- Riverside
Where it is
Andong lies in North Gyeongsang Province in south-eastern South Korea, on the upper Nakdong River among low mountains, with the Hahoe Folk Village set in a loop of the river west of the city.
History
Andong was a stronghold of Confucian scholarship during the Joseon dynasty; the scholar Yi Hwang taught here in the 16th century, and Dosan Seowon was founded in his honour after his death. The clan village of Hahoe, home of the Pungsan Ryu family, has been lived in for some six centuries and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Yangdong, in 2010.
People
Andong's people speak Korean in the Gyeongsang dialect, and the clan villages here still keep Confucian ancestral rites and head houses. The city is known for Hahoe masks carved from alder wood, the Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori mask drama, Andong hemp cloth and its strong soju, and it hosts a mask dance festival each autumn.
Known for
- The Hahoe Folk Village
- Hahoe masks and the mask dance drama
- Andong jjimdak, braised chicken
- Confucian academies such as Dosan Seowon
- Andong soju
Did you know?
Queen Elizabeth II spent her 73rd birthday at the Hahoe Folk Village in 1999, during her state visit to South Korea.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.