Suwon is a great city both to live in or visit. With many things to do, places to see, bars to drink at and social events to get involved in. Incheon is a city which has a lot to offer.
About Suwon, South Korea
Suwon is a city located in the North West of South Korea. It is neighbored by Anyang, Uiwang and Seoul to the North, Ansan to the West, Seongnam and Bundang to the North East. Yongin to the East and Dongtan and Hwaseong to the South. It has a population of around 1.2 million people. Suwon has a strong culture heritage as well as a modern future mainly due the fact it’s home to technology giant Samsung.
Suwon is a pretty large city and is made up of 4 districts (gu) which are Gwonseon, Jangan, Paldal and Yeongtong. Each area has roughly a quarter of the population in each.
Suwon also has 14 universities and therefore a large student population, as well as over 20,000 foreign residents making up around 2% of the cities population.
Places to Go in Suwon
Hwaseong Fortress; is maybe the most famous place in Suwon and is even featured on the city crest. The fortress runs for Xkm and is popular all year around. For more Information please click here.
KBS Television Studios; This is a less well known attraction mainly because you need to book in order to visit. It is home to many drama and periods sets and even has a model town with different streets from different time periods. It is well worth going to see if you have the chance. More Information Here.
Korean Folk Village; This is a bit of a cheat as it’s technically in Yongin however because of the recently opened Bundang line into the Yeongtong area of Suwon it’s only a few stops away. As the name suggests it’s a traditional Korean village with interesting attractions and events. It is a little expensive but worth a visit. More Information Here.
Toilet Museum; We’ve personally never been here but it sounds like a really fun place to visit if a little strange. More Information Here.
Things to Do in Suwon
Sports:
Watch Suwon Bluewings (Football / Soccer), currently playing in the K League Classic (the top division of Korean Football). in the top 4 last season and so far this season have been pretty well and are currently playing for the championship. More information on the team, tickets and the World Cup Stadium can be found here and 2014 Fixtures Here.
Suwon City FC (Football / Soccer), this is the second team of Suwon and currently play in the K League Classic (promoted in 2015). The quality might not be the same as Suwon Bluewings but tickets are cheaper (around 8000). They play their games at the Suwon Sports Complex in the North of the city. (More Information Here – In Korean)
Suwon KT Wiz (Baseball), around a year ago Suwon was given an expansion slot for the KBO (Korean Baseball League). In 2014 they will play in the Korean Future League before joining the main KBO league in 2015. games will be played at the Baseball Stadium (at the Suwon Sports Complex also home to Suwon City FC). It is in the north of the city close to the boarder with Uiwang. Official Homepage (in Korean)
Also; Suwon is home to two volleyball teams Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm (men) and Suwon Hyundai Engineering (women) (Links in Korean). Both teams play games at the Suwon Gymnasium located at the Sports Complex. Suwon used to also have Basketball however the teams were moved to Seoul (men) and Yongin (women).
Others:
Hiking; there are many small mountains and hiking trails around Suwon however the area around Hwaseong Fortress and Gwanggyosan are the most popular.
These things are pretty specific to Suwon, however similar things are available in other South Korea cities. Also yes some of the things to see and some of the things to do are a little interchangeable.
Western Bars / Pubs in Suwon
Suwon is a large city of around 1.2 million people and a large expat population. Therefore there are a number of Western Bars / Pubs to enjoy, here are just a few (directions available via the links):
Sam Ryan’s (Suwon Station) Maybe the most popular western bar in Suwon, it is part of the chain which is also in Itaewon. A great range of western foods and drinks a well as events. Facebook Page
Big Chill (Paldal) A most established bar which runs fun weekly events as well as drink specials. Also offers free pool and darts. Facebook Page
Harry’s Beer House (Yeongtong) Opened in Summer 2015 and foreign owned. Darts, Cocktails and of course Beer is just a small slice of what this place has to offer. Facebook Page
Bulldogs (Suwon Station & Ingaedong) A fun bar with a very western food menu for those looking for some comfort food. 2 Locations Facebook Page
Crazy Duck (Ingaedong) a darts and drinks bar which attracts a younger crowd. A fun place to spend a Friday night. Facebook Page
Tinpan Urban (Yeongtong) A recently reopened bar/club focusing mainly on RnB and Hiphop music. A good range of drinks as well as events such as Beer Pong. Facebook Page Coming Soon
More will be added as and when suggested or found.
Also note the famous western hangout Now Bar which was in Yeongtong closed in 2013 and it now a restaurant.
Top Social Links
Most of the bar pages (above) are good sources for events and social events in Suwon but here are some more:
English Teachers in Suwon – on Facebook
Suwon Humpday Social Club – on Facebook
Summary
To catch up with part one “Living in South Korea” click here.
Also if information about “Living in Incheon” please click here.
Thank you for visiting, if you have any questions about Suwon (or South Korea in general) please feel free to let us know. Either via email or thought one of our social media channels. Have a nice day.
Tim
Modern Seoul
tim@modernseoul.org
Modern Seoul 
Reblogged this on Seoul for my soul and commented:
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Hello,
I am looking for some place to stay in Suwon or in Seoul. I am heading to SKKU (the suwon campus) and dorms are quite expensive (425K Kr for month w/o food) and rules are terrible for young person like me from Europe. I googled and found out, that small one room flat in seoul is about 500K Kr, I believe it is cheapier in Suwon. But I wont be able to find any places for rent in suwon. i found craiglist, but there is only Seoul… So my Question is. Do you have any tips, how to find place to stay in Suwon, or other websites than craiglist?
It is really important, bcz I need to point my place of staying in my visa application, I think and it will take some tie to process visa. I need live somewhere by the end of August.
Thank you very ymuch for your response!
Alisa
The Suwon Newbies Facebook group is maybe a better place to ask, as we don’t live in Suwon and therefore have limited information on the housing market there.
In general a Studio apartment normally costs around W500k per month in Suwon or Seoul. The only cheaper option is a GoShiWon (Google search and a load of sites will come up).
Sorry we can’t advise further.
Hello! I´m in your same situation, can I ask you want did you do finnally?