Andong, a quiet city in Gyeongsangbuk-do, is considered one of the cities where Korea's traditional culture flourished and many of its influences remain today.

Being the biggest city by land size in the nation, lots of traditional hanok buildings remain in the city and are scattered throughout.

Lots of hanok buildings have also been newly built to prove the city's fame and pride in maintaining Korea's traditions.

In Andong, you're surely not short of options of things to do, eat, drink and see, and in this blog, we've compiled our favourite hanok architecture that is worth adding to your itinerary.

Andong Hahoe Folk Village
안동하회마을

ATTRACTION  ACCOMMODATION

Address: 경북 안동시 풍천면 전서로 186
186 Jeonseo-ro, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Price:
Staying the night: 40,000 won per night and up
Entrance: 5,000 won and under

This UNESCO world heritage is perfect for taking in the beautiful hanok (traditional Korean) architecture all around while experiencing the historic sites that have been preserved for over 600 years.

Take a stroll around the village, you'll find little games to play with your group and swings to hop on. You'll also find a church, restaurants, shops as well as hanok lodgings.

An indoor-outdoor store selling handmade goods and more.

The store has a separate display room for tal, or traditional masks.

The hanok we stayed at was 50,000 won for one room for two persons with a shared bathroom.

The village gets super quiet at night and spending a night or two in its tranquillity is highly recommended. You can easily find options on Airbnb by searching "Andong Hahoe Village".

Byeongsan Seowon
병산서원

HERITAGE SITE

Address: 경북 안동시 풍천면 병산길 386
386 Byeongsan-gil, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Price: Free

Close to the folk village, you'll find this stunning seowon, otherwise known as Neo-Confucian academies in Korea.

There is a serial property of 9 seowon that makes it a UNESCO world heritage site, Byeongsan Seowon being one of them.

Taking in the beauty of its architecture looking towards nature's backdrop of tall mountains while imagining students from the olden days studying there was especially a unique experience.

The pavillion boasts a long view of the mountains.

Fans of K-dramas may have already noticed this place.

This was the shooting location of tvN's Mr. Queen where Queen Cheorin and King Cheoljong enjoyed their food and drinks.

When we were walking out of the seowon, a local man in a hanbok said his warm words of welcome and appreciation for visiting the valuable historic site.

Mid-range
미드레인지

HANOK  CAFE

Address: 53-14 Taesa-gil, Okjeong-dong, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do
경북 안동시 태사길 53-14

Hours: 11:00-21:00

Price: 4,000 won and up

This downtown hanok cafe was just what we needed after having a mediocre galbi (beef short ribs) meal at an overpriced eatery that was clearly geared to tourists.

This young cafe, which opened its door in 2020, specializes in tea and offers an extensive range of milk tea and regular tea options.

The owner of the store could notice that we were from Seoul right away and was very friendly and welcoming.

The courtyard is simply stunning and serves as the perfect hideaway.

Take advantage of this tiny pavilion on a nice sunny day and have some relaxing afternoon tea time.

Although we wanted to try their specialty tea, we desperately needed our coffee, so we went with a latte (4,500 won) and americano (4,000 won).

This mix of grey industrial looks with wooden structural touches of hanok makes the inside of the cafe cozy and unique as well.

Mammoth Bakery
맘모스 제과

BAKERY  CAFE

Address: 경북 안동시 문화광장길 34
Gyeongsangbuk-do, Andong, Junggu-dong, Munhwagwangjang-gil, 34

Hours: 08:30-22:00

Price: 2,000 won and up

In downtown Andong, you'll also find this bakery with a long story that started all the way back in 1974.

This bakery, its fame as ginormous as its mammalian name, is also considered the nation's 3 best, must-try bakeries.

Although it's not situated in a hanok, we thought its fame was worth mentioning.

The bakery does have a fairly large seating area, but it seemed dingy and dark. The many patrons were all taking their pastries out, so we figured it wasn't much of a sit-down type of place.

We got their popular cream cheese bread (2,300 won each).

Our verdict: It's not worth the many hours of drive, but if you happen to be in the city, then why not?

Jirye Arts Village
지례예술촌

ACCOMMODATION

Address: Gyeongsangbuk-do, Andong, Imdong-myeon, Jiryeyesulchon-gil, 427
경북 안동시 임동면 지례예술촌길 427

Price: 150,000 won per night and up

Jirye Yesulchon, which roughly translates to "Jirye Arts Village", is situated alone in a mountain by a lake on the east end of Andong.

The village chief states that the things you can feel at Jirye are the beauty of nature, peacefulness and tranquillity, and quaintness. Our stay at Jirye was exactly that.

There are over 10 rooms to choose from and ours was located in the building of Jisan Seodang, on the very east of the village.

Our small, humble room came with floor mats, blankets and pillows, as well as amenities including shampoo, toothpaste, towels and a dryer.

The washroom, which we had to ourselves, was renovated and clean.

The owner of the village mentioned that they are usually booked over a year in advance, so reservations need to be planned far ahead.

Jangbudang
예끼마을 장부당

CAFE

Address: 경북 안동시 도산면 선성길 18
18 Seonseong-gil, Dosan-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Hours: 10:00-19:00

Price: 3,000 won and up

Moving northward, you'll find Jangbudang, a cafe located in a small town named Yeggi Village. In the village, you'll find galleries to check out for free and fun paintings that add vibrancy to its small alleys.

Jangbudang is a cafe famous on social media for its maetdol coffee (맷돌 커피), maetdol meaning "hand mill".

A small pavilion located in one corner of the cafe lot.

Dosan Seowon
도산서원

HERITAGE SITE

Address: 경북 안동시 도산면 도산서원길 154
154 Dosanseowon-gil, Dosan-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Prices:
Adults: 1,500 won
Teens: 700 won
Children: 600 won
Parking for small vehicle: 2,000 won
Parking for large vehicle: 4,000 won

Dosan Seowon is another one of the 9 seowon on the UNESCO world heritage list.

The seowon is divided into two parts; Dosan Seodang where Confucian scholar Toegye Yi Hwang educated his disciples and Dosan Seowon which was built to commemorate him.

Toegye Yi Hwang, a civil minister and scholar in the Joseon Dynasty, established Dosan Seodang to educate and cultivate younger generations.

The island in the photo above is actually not an island, it's Sisadan, a special shelter where a special government examination took place and King Jeongjo paid tribute to Yi Hwang.

When the water level is high, the bridge that connects to Sisadan gets submerged, but when the water level lowers, you can walk on the bridge to get to Sisadan.

The exterior of Dosan Seowon

If you're keen on seeing more of Yi Hwang, just a 3-minute car ride from Dosan Seowon, you'll also find Toegye Jongtaek (퇴계종택), Yi Hwang's residence.

Address: 466 Togye-ri, Dosan-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Nongam Jongtaek
농암종택

ACCOMMODATION

Address: 경북 안동시 도산면 가송길 162-133
162-133 Gasong-gil, Dosan-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Price: 50,000 won and up

On the very northern end of Andong, you'll find yet another exquisite hanok residence, owned and preserved by the Lee family for over 6 centuries.

The house is a space open to all those who appreciate the literary works of Lee Hyeon-bo whose nom de plume is Nongam.

Located in the mountains, it's the perfect place to stay the night before or after stopping by places like Dosan Seowon as listed above.

I could find a jangdokdae, or a terrace filled with jars near the kitchen. The family who resides on the premise is said to make their own sauces which are possibly stored in the jars.

Even if you don't stay the night, the residence is open to all visitors for free, but we highly recommend spending a peaceful night here.

Near the parking lot, you'll also find a brewery where you can purchase natural rice wine, Ellyeop Pyunjoo.

The magnificent view from the Nongam Jongtaek residence was the filming location of the drama Mr. Sunshine.

Holly Garden
홀리가든

CAFE  RESERVATION ONLY

Address: 경북 봉화군 명호면 비나리길 172-57
172 Binari-gil, Myeongho-myeon, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Hours: 11:00-18:30
Closed: Wed & Thu

Price: 15,000 won per person

Finally, to wrap up the hanok trip, we stopped by this hideaway cafe located just north of Andong.

The view seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows is simply breathtaking. The interior of the cafe is also nicely decorated with each piece filling up the space with character.

The cafe charges 15,000 won per person, which includes small pastries of scones and cake with coffee or tea.

On the premise, they also offer lodging options, but there isn't much to do around the area, so it would be suitable for those who want to stop by for some quiet time with books and nature.

Overall, it was a tranquil getaway away from Seoul that my friend and I both needed.

When given the chance, we would drive down to Andong again and explore more places filled with history and tradition.

We hope you enjoyed reading the blog. Happy travels!