Hahoe in Andong: tiled roofs, thatched houses and a river bend
At Hahoe in Andong, look at the arrangement of tiled and thatched houses alongside the Nakdonggang River that curves around the village. You can appreciate its distinctive setting without entering every inhabited historic house.
Hahoe in Andong: tiled roofs, thatched houses and a river bend
A Hahoe lane with tiled and thatched roofs, photographed in August 2018.
At Hahoe, start by looking at how the houses sit together. Low thatched roofs stand beside larger tiled houses, while the Nakdonggang River curves around the village. If you want old houses and a riverside setting on your Andong trip, you can see much of what makes this place distinctive without visiting every historic house interior.
Hahoe developed as a clan village associated with the Pungsan Ryu family, and people still live here. Walls and gates mark the boundaries of homes as well as heritage buildings. Make the roofscape, house arrangement and relationship with the river the focus of your visit, entering only spaces clearly open to visitors.
A village inside the river's curve
The name Hahoe refers to water turning as it flows. The Nakdonggang makes an S-shaped course around the village's eastern, southern and western sides. Rather than treating the river as a separate attraction, think of it as the edge of the land on which the village stands.
In the lanes, walls and nearby roofs fill your view. In open areas toward the riverside, you can consider the relationship between the settlement and the water. You do not need to see the entire bend from one spot. Compare the village shape on the visitor map with the stretch of river in front of you. The panorama below was taken from a high viewpoint, not from a village lane.
A September 2012 panorama showing Hahoe and the river bend together.
A viewpoint overlooking the whole river, or a trip to the opposite bank, does not have to be part of your visit. You can concentrate on open paths and riverside spaces on the village side. Follow local barriers and notices near the water rather than choosing an informal way down to a sandbar or the river's edge.
Look at tiled and thatched houses together
The Korea Heritage Service's interpretive text explains that houses face toward the river around the central Samsindang zelkova tree, so their orientations differ. It also describes thatched houses arranged around larger tiled houses in a circular pattern.
Instead of photographing only one house's front, look at the height and direction of neighboring roofs. Notice how a long tiled roof sits beside a rounded thatched one, and how walls divide the spaces between them. Thinking of the village as a neat row of houses all facing the same way would miss this part of its layout.
An October 2022 roofscape showing tiled buildings and surrounding thatched houses.
You can observe different rooflines from the lanes without reproducing the elevated view in the photograph. If a particular house interests you, read its name and explanation on the sign. You need not memorize house names or visit every celebrated residence; understanding the settlement as a whole is a worthwhile focus.
The thatched buildings matter to that picture too. Compare the rounded roof, the wall and timber beneath its eaves, and the tiles along the adjoining wall. These are details you can appreciate without stepping inside.
A thatched roof and gate photographed in August 2018.
Start outside the homes where people live
The heritage portal notes that viewing may be restricted by an owner's personal circumstances. An open gate is not an invitation into the courtyard or rooms: follow visitor-access signs and local instructions. Take photographs from public paths, and ask permission before photographing a resident's face or a home's interior. Keep doorways and narrow passages clear.
Life continues beneath the traditional roofs, so modern household objects are not out of place. Look at Hahoe as old houses used by people living today. Rather than expecting residents to reenact an earlier way of life, enjoy the village's spaces while respecting the daily life beyond the walls.
During the October festival, ask about that day's spaces
The 2026 Andong World Heritage Festival is announced for October 9–25, with Hahoe among its venues. The village's posted festival map marks installations and a gathering space around Hwasudang, and busking at Mansongjeong, among uses of places you may otherwise encounter while exploring the village. If you visit during this period, ask at the general information office which paths and spaces you can use that day.
A program marked on the map does not mean every historic house is open or every event is covered by village admission. If you want a performance or activity, check that event's hours and participation conditions separately. A visit for the houses and river does not need a performance attached to it.
Address and admission times
Save the destination as “Andong Hahoe Village.” The Korea Tourism Organization's English listing gives 186 Jeonseo-ro, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do; the Korean address on the same page gives 186-8. Use the village name and ticket-office signs alongside the address rather than relying on the building number alone.
• Standard individual adult admission: 5,000 won
• October–March: listed visiting hours 09:00–17:00; last admission 16:30
• April–September: listed visiting hours 09:00–18:00; last admission 17:30
• Ticket-office inquiries: +82-54-840-3801
• Inquiry number listed by the Korea Tourism Organization: +82-54-840-3795
In October, 16:30 is the last-admission time. Arriving before 17:00 does not mean you can still enter, so plan to reach the entrance before 16:30. The seasonal times and standard adult fee were compared with the tourism organization's listing and the preservation society's information on October 10, 2026. Reduced or free admission depends on eligibility and documentation; the society's free-entry provision for people aged 65 and over is for Korean nationals, so foreign visitors should not assume it applies to them.
If you use a wheelchair or stroller, ask the information office about the spaces you wish to see and the route from the entrance. Access conditions vary at house thresholds and along riverside paths. Check separate, visit-date operating information if you plan to use a bus or shuttle.
Official information
• Korea Tourism Organization: visiting Hahoe Village
• Korea Heritage Service: Hahoe's description and interpretive text
• Korea Heritage Agency: 2026 World Heritage Festival schedule
Photo credits
• Cover, village lane: De-Shao Liu (Terry850324), August 31, 2018 · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons-supplied 1280-pixel preview; no further edits.
• River panorama: Petra Reiss & Götz Becker (Macmarvin), September 5, 2012 · Source · CC BY 2.0 · Commons-supplied 1280-pixel preview; no further edits.
• Roof arrangement: Bernard Gagnon, October 8, 2022 · Source · CC0 1.0 · Commons-supplied 1280-pixel preview; no further edits.
• Thatched gate: De-Shao Liu (Terry850324), August 31, 2018 · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons-supplied 1280-pixel preview; no further edits.