안동 하회마을
Andong Hahoe Village is a single-clan village where the Pungsan Ryu clan has lived generation after generation for more than 600 years. The name Hahoe (河回) comes from the Nakdonggang River flowing around the village in an S shape. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, and the Korea Heritage Service protects the whole village as a National Folklore Cultural Heritage. It was selected 6 times for the Korea Tourism 100 Selections 2025–2026.
Buy at the gate — no booking needed.
The Korea Heritage Service presumes that clans such as the Heo and the An lived here before the Pungsan Ryu clan formed a community. The Andong City tourism guide says that about 600 years ago Ryu Jong-hye, a Gongjo Jeonseo, cleared the site, and his descendants have lived here ever since. The brothers Ryu Un-ryong and Ryu Seong-ryong are introduced as the ones who established the clan base seen today, and their descendants are sometimes called the Gyeomam line and the Seoae line.
The village's long story is held in its masks. The Hahoe masks and Byeongsan masks were used in Byeolsingut rituals and were designated a National Treasure in 1964. The Korea Heritage Service explains that these are rare surviving wooden masks, presumed to have been made around the late Goryeo period. The exact maker and date are unknown, and the village tells a legend that Heo Do-ryeong made them. The mask play, Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori, was designated a National Intangible Heritage in 1980, and it has 8 scenes, from the Gaksi's Mudong scene to the Sinbang scene.
The whole village was designated in 1984, and in 2010 it became a World Heritage Site. The Andong City tourism guide also tells us that in 2022 Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. It is a place valued not only for its buildings but also for the life and play that the villagers have carried on.
The main road coming from Pungsan crosses the middle of the village from east to west, and the north of the road is called Bukchon and the south Namchon. In the center of the village stand the great tile-roofed houses of the Ryu family, surrounded by thatched houses that keep their original form. You can also see small mud-wall houses built with nothing but clay, which Andong City introduces as the most primitive way of building a folk house. On the village side the riverbank is a sandy beach, and opposite it are layered rock cliffs. According to the Andong City guide, the river is at most about 300 m wide and 5 m deep.
It is a village where residents still live. The preservation association that looks after the village asks visitors for consideration and understanding toward the residents.
According to the Andong City guide, Hahoe Village is open all year round. Entry closes at 17:30 from April to September and at 16:30 from October to March. It is said to take about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes to see the whole village.
As of the viewing date (2026-10-10), admission is 5,000 won for an individual adult (19 to 64), 2,500 won for a youth (13 to 18) and 1,500 won for a child (7 to 12). For groups of 30 or more it is 4,000 won for adults, 2,000 won for youth and 1,200 won for children. Age 6 and under, and Korean nationals aged 65 and over, are free. The guide says parking and the shuttle bus are free.
By public transport, take bus No. 210 from opposite Kyobo Life in downtown Andong. Andong City says Express No. 2, No. 210, Pungcheon No. 2 and the Hahoe shuttle stop at Hahoe Village. The bus fare is 1,500 won, and if you tap your transit card on the exit reader you get a free transfer within 1 hour. From Seoul to Andong you can take an express bus (Gyeongbu, Gangnam direction, 2 hours 40 minutes, premium class 24,400 won) or the KTX-Eum train on the Jungang Line.
In front of the Hahoe Village general information center you can hear on-site commentary from a cultural and tourism guide at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 sharp. Commentary booked in advance is available only for groups of 10 or more.