Hwaseong Day Trip: Jebudo Sea Road, Royal Tombs & Seafood

Search “Hwaseong” and you will get a fortress. That fortress is in Suwon. Hwaseong City is the large, mostly rural place that wraps around Suwon on the south and west, and it has the fortress’s name for a reason. In 1789 King Jeongjo moved the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado, to a hill here. The old county seat sat on that spot, so he moved the town north and built a walled city to protect it — Hwaseong. When modern Suwon became a city in 1949, the countryside left over took the fortress’s name.

So the fortress is in Suwon, and the father it was built for is buried in Hwaseong. Add a long stretch of west-coast mudflats, an island you can walk to at low tide, and a city that became Korea’s newest special city in 2025, and you have a day trip that has little to do with Suwon at all.

Is Hwaseong the same as Hwaseong Fortress?

No — they are neighbours that share a name and a king. The fortress (華城) and its palace, Hwaseong Haenggung, are in central Suwon; see our Suwon guide and Hwaseong night tour comparison. Hwaseong City (화성시) uses the same characters, but it is a separate city of over a million people with its own city hall in Namyang.

The city describes itself in numbers: the youngest average age of any Korean local government (40.0), the most births (8,116 in 2025), and the largest economy, built on factories including Samsung Electronics. Most of that is in Dongtan and Byeongjeom in the east. The west is fishing ports, farmland and mudflats — and it is where you want to go.

How do you get to Hwaseong from Seoul?

By intercity bus to the coast, by Line 1 to the royal tombs, and by car if you want both in one day. The coast and the tombs are on opposite sides of the city, with no direct public transport between them.

🚌 Seoul to Hwaseong (Seohaerang cable car directions page and Hwaseong city)

Destination	From	Route	Time / frequency
Jeongok Port (cable car, Jebudo)	Sadang Station (Lines 2 and 4)	Bus 1002 via Namyang and Seosin	1.5–2 hours; every 40–60 minutes
Jeongok Port	Suwon Station (Line 1, Suin-Bundang Line)	Bus 1004-1	Check Naver Map
Yungneung & Geolleung, Yongjusa	Byeongjeom Station (Line 1)	Local bus or a short taxi ride	Check Naver Map
Dongtan new town	Suseo Station	SRT or GTX-A to Dongtan Station	Fast, but not a sightseeing area
Coast and tombs together	Anywhere	Rental car or car with driver	Coast parking fills up on weekends

If you drive, read our rental car guide for foreigners first. The cable car operator notes that the Jebudo station has more and easier parking than the Jeongok station.

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What should you see in Hwaseong?

The tide and the tombs. Spend one half of the day on the coast around Jebudo, Jeongok and Gungpyeong, and the other at the royal tombs and Yongjusa, or give the coast a full day and come back at sunset.

Jebudo Sea Road (Seosin-myeon) — Twice a day the sea covers the road to Jebudo; the rest of the time you can drive or walk across the mudflats, keeping to the left side on foot. Hwaseong city posts a month-by-month table of crossing times, built from national tide forecasts, and the on-site sign can be about 30 minutes off. On the island, an 860 m seaside boardwalk (20–25 minutes) and a short hill trail up Tapjaesan link the port to the beach and Maebawi, the island’s landmark rock.

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Seohaerang Cable Car (Jeongok–Jebudo) — The easy way across when the tide is in. From the cabin you see the sea road, Nuesom islet and the offshore wind turbines. The operator says the line was named one of the Korea Tourism Organization’s 100 must-visit places for 2025–2026. Round-trip tickets are valid only on the day of purchase.

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Jeongok Port (Seosin-myeon) — Built for families displaced by the Sihwa sea wall and chosen as Korea’s first pilot leisure fishing port; a breakwater toward Daebudo means boats can come and go at any tide. Expect white yachts, cheap raw fish and island cruises. The Hwaseong Boat Festival is held here from late May into early June and was named a 2026 Culture and Tourism Festival by the Ministry of Culture.

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Gungpyeong Port (Seosin-myeon) — A national fishing port since 2008, best known for its sunset — the Korea Tourism Organization listing counts it among Hwaseong’s eight scenic views. There is a fish market, a fishing pier, a 2 km beach and a grove of pines more than a hundred years old. The fishing-village centre rents gear for mudflat digging for a fee.

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Yungneung and Geolleung (Annyeong-dong, Byeongjeom-gu) — Two royal tombs, inscribed as part of the UNESCO Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty in 2009. Turn right for Yungneung, where Crown Prince Sado — locked in a rice chest by his own father, King Yeongjo, in 1762 — lies with Lady Hyegyeong. Turn left for Geolleung, the tomb of Jeongjo and Queen Hyoui. The paths are mostly unpaved forest trails. Ancestral rites are held at Yungneung in April and at Geolleung in May.

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Yongjusa Temple (Songsan-dong) — Jeongjo built this temple near his father’s tomb to console his spirit; it is said he dreamed of a dragon rising with a pearl the night before the main hall was finished, hence Yongju, “dragon pearl.” The poet Jo Ji-hun is said to have watched the monks’ dance here in 1938 before writing his poem “Seungmu.” Templestays are offered. Medium and small dogs are allowed outside the halls on a leash and muzzle or in a carrier.

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🎫 Visitor information (Hwaseong city and operator pages, checked October 2026)

Place	Hours	Price	Notes
Jebudo Sea Road	Changes daily with the tide	Free; public parking 1,000 won for 5 hours, 3,000 won all day	Monthly timetable on the city website; Jebudo office 031-355-3924
Seohaerang Cable Car	Weekdays 09:00–19:00 (last boarding 18:30); weekends and holidays 09:00–20:00 (last boarding 19:30)	Round trip 22,000 won adults, 18,000 won children; one way 19,000 / 16,000 won	Under 36 months free; may stop in bad weather
Yungneung & Geolleung	From 09:00; closing time varies by season (as late as 18:30)	1,000 won (ages 25–64)	Closed Mondays; English and Japanese guides on request
Gungpyeong mudflat experience	Tide-dependent	Fee plus equipment rental at the village centre	Village centre 031-356-7339

Two more stops if you have a car: the Gojeong-ri dinosaur egg fossil site, a Natural Monument on the reclaimed flats of Songsan-myeon, and Maehyang-ri, a village that was a US Air Force bombing range for 54 years until 2005 and now has a peace memorial.

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Where do locals eat in Hwaseong?

On the coast it is live octopus and raw fish; by the royal tombs it is kalguksu. Hours below are from Korea Tourism Organization listings updated in 2025; for autumn seafood in general, see our guide to jeoneo, daeha and kkotge.

Ihwa Hoetjip (Maehwa-gil 2, Ujeong-eup) — A 백년가게 (a “century shop,” the government’s label for long-running family businesses), opened in 1980 by its first-generation owner, in a converted house with plenty of parking. Order nakji jeongol (live octopus hotpot) or yeonpotang, a clear octopus soup; the side dishes taste like home cooking. Open 10:00–19:00 (last order 18:00); closed the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month.

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Gungpyeong Nakjo Hoetjip (Sumungae-gil 81-29, Gungpyeong) — The name means “Gungpyeong sunset raw-fish house,” and the second-floor dining room faces the sunset. There is no fixed menu: it serves whatever wild-caught fish is in season, and in the autumn prawn season salt-grilled daeha is the popular order. Open daily 09:00–21:00.

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Namyang Yetnal Bul-nakji (Namyangseongji-ro 227, Namyang) — An octopus-only kitchen about 1 km from the Namyang Marian shrine. The signature bul-nakji is live octopus stir-fried in a fiery sauce, cooked where you can watch; there is also octopus rice bowl and yeonpotang. Weekdays 10:00–21:00 with a 15:00–16:30 break, Sundays 10:00–15:00; closed Saturdays.

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Jeong Pro Haemul Kalguksu (Annyeong-gil 3, Annyeong-dong) — About 200 m from the royal tombs. The pot arrives heaped with clams and shellfish — the listing says around 1 kg of seafood per serving — and you eat the seafood first, then cook the house-made noodles in the broth. Order the seafood kalguksu or the mixed-clam kalguksu, with a seafood pancake on the side. Open daily 10:30–20:50 (last order 20:10).

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Lee Doo-hyeong Hongdukkae Kalguksu (Sejaro 426, Annyeong-dong) — The noodles are rolled out with a long wooden hongdukkae pin where you can see it, and the dumplings are made daily. Order bajirak kalguksu (Manila-clam noodle soup) or seafood kalguksu; a small bowl of barley rice with kimchi comes first. Open 10:30–21:00 with a 15:00–17:00 break; closed the 2nd and 4th Tuesday.

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🍽️ Hwaseong local eats at a glance (Korea Tourism Organization listings, 2025)

Place	Area	Order this	Pairs with	Closed
Ihwa Hoetjip	Ujeong (south coast)	Nakji jeongol, yeonpotang	Maehyang-ri	1st and 3rd Monday
Gungpyeong Nakjo Hoetjip	Gungpyeong	Seasonal wild raw fish, grilled daeha in autumn	Gungpyeong sunset	Open daily
Namyang Yetnal Bul-nakji	Namyang	Bul-nakji	Namyang Marian shrine	Saturdays
Jeong Pro Haemul Kalguksu	Royal tombs	Seafood or mixed-clam kalguksu	Yungneung & Geolleung	Open daily
Lee Doo-hyeong Hongdukkae Kalguksu	Royal tombs	Bajirak kalguksu, dumplings	Yongjusa	2nd and 4th Tuesday

How do you plan a day in Hwaseong?

Check the tide table first, then build the day around it. Arrive at Jebudo while the road is open if you want to walk it, and save the cable car for the return.

• By car, tombs to sunset: Yungneung and Geolleung at 09:00 → Yongjusa → clam kalguksu next to the tombs → drive west across the city to Jebudo → walk the sea road or ride the cable car → Gungpyeong for sunset and raw fish.
• By bus, coast only: bus 1002 from Sadang Station to Jeongok Port → cable car to Jebudo → boardwalk and Maebawi → back across by cable car → seafood at Jeongok before the bus home.
• Tombs only, half day: Line 1 to Byeongjeom → bus or taxi to Yungneung and Geolleung → Yongjusa → kalguksu → back to Seoul, or on to Suwon's fortress for the evening.