The Andong Hahoe (pronounced ha-hwe) village is known for its traditional mask dance, which you can read about here.

But it’s also a really special part of Korea where the traditional homes have been preserved for up to 400 years. That makes it the perfect setting for historical dramas like Arang and the Magistrate (starring Lee Joon-ki and Shin Min-ah).

If you can get up the cliff across the river, you can get a great birds-eye-view of the Hahoe village. There is supposed to be a ferryman who will take you across, but he was not around when I visited, so I had to hike for an hour to get around and across via a pedestrian bridge. Thankfully, I managed to hitchhike back to the bus terminal. Seoul and Busan are both several hours away by bus.

Hahoe village is pretty small and worth about half a day to visit, although it is also possible to book accomodation there. But with fairly large numbers of tourists passing through daily, it wouldn’t be my recommendation for a ‘quiet getaway in the countryside’. Try Gyeongju or Yeosu instead, as they are much more sprawling and more peaceful.

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Prices provided in Korean won or US dollars.