Korea hidden attractions _ Namhansanseong Fortress Trail Parking Lot Haenggung Palace

A Gentle Walk Through Namhansanseong Fortress

If the charm of Suwon Hwaseong lies in its beautiful castle walls and the cozy cafés tucked inside the village,
then the charm of Namhansanseong Fortress must be the tall, ancient trees standing at the mountaintop and the wide fortress trail that winds quietly beneath their shade.

The entire course takes about two hours.
Wear comfortable walking shoes, and if you sweat easily, packing an extra shirt isn’t a bad idea.

There are several restrooms along the trail, but since they’re up in the mountain, there’s no place to wash your hands.
Bringing wet tissues will make your walk more comfortable.

Here was our day:

• Park at the public parking lot at 11:00
• Walk Namhansanseong Course 1 for about 2 hours
• Visit the Haenggung Palace for about 30 minutes
• Enjoy a simple lunch for 40–50 minutes

All together, it’s about a 3 to 4 hour trip.

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Parking at Namhansanseong Fortress

We arrived around 11 a.m. on a Saturday and waited about 15 minutes to get into the public parking lot.

As we parked and walked toward the South Gate, cars were steadily lining up behind us.
It seemed like many visitors were arriving around lunchtime.

If you're visiting on a Saturday, it’s best to arrive at least an hour before lunch
to find a spot in the public parking lot without stress.

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A Quiet Haenggung Palace — Namhansanseong Temporary Palace

The king’s residence during wartime was called Haenggung.

Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung is usually crowded with visitors, so it’s hard to find a peaceful moment there.

Namhansanseong Haenggung, however, feels different.
You simply take off your shoes and step onto the old wooden floor.

The quaint wooden floor,

the sky you see when you look up,
the cool mountain breeze,

and the familiar scent of wood that reminds you of your grandmother’s countryside house…

I just sat there in the quiet for a while.

Next to the building stands a large tree, like the ones you might see in a rural village square.
The sky was so beautiful that I felt as if I were standing in another time.

Looking at the old traditional houses and tiled roofs, I felt my mind slowly calm down.

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Namhansanseong Fortress Trail — Course 1 (3.8km / About 80 Minutes)

We chose Course 1, a circular trail of about 3.8km that takes roughly 80 minutes.

The starting point, the South Gate (Nammun), looks like this:

Once you pass the gate, a wide dirt road opens up.

After a short while, the trail turns into a lush green forest path.
It’s the kind of trail where you naturally slow down and simply enjoy walking.

In some sections, you can also walk along the fortress walls beside the main road,
feeling both the history and the calm of the mountain at the same time.

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Lunch — Famous for Tofu, but We Wanted Mackerel

Namhansanseong is known for its tofu dishes.

By the time we finished the walk through the trail and visited the Haenggung Palace, we were hungry.
There were tofu restaurants everywhere, each one looking quite inviting.

But for some reason, that day I really wanted to eat mackerel instead of tofu.
So we looked around a bit more and found a place that served grilled mackerel and had our lunch there.

All in all, Namhansanseong is a perfect place for a 2–3 hour walk followed by a simple, satisfying meal.