Paju

Paju (dead link: December 2020) (ko: 파주시, Paju-Si) is a city in Gyeonggi-do Province in South Korea, northwest of the capital city, Seoul.

Understand

Location of Paju in South Korea

Paju-Si is known as a historical city with a rich background of past events, even some dating back to the ancient era. Today, Paju-Si is a growing city with the population of more than 250,000. It is quite close to the DMZ, which is on the border with North Korea.

Get in

By car

Paju is a 90-minute drive from Seoul. There are car rentals available in Korea (for instance at the Incheon International Airport and Seoul), where cars can be rented for an unlimited time.

By bus

From the Hapjeong Station, take bus No. 2200. The bus should take passengers to Odusan Unification Observatory, where passengers should get off at the entry. The first bus leaves Seoul at 7:50, while the last bus leaves at 23:00 for Gyeonggi. This bus ride will take 45 minutes, and will bring passengers straight to Gyeonggi, where Paju city is in.

By train

From Seoul, take the Gyeongui line to Geuchom Station - the ride takes about one hour. From there, take a local bus, either number 2 or 3. The bus ride should only take 30 minutes. The trip altogether should take ninety minutes. The train and bus rides will take you straight to Gyeonggi, where Paju city is.

By plane

South Korea's main airport, Incheon International Airport, is close to Paju.

Get around

Although there are no restrictions on visits to the city of Paju, access to the areas to the north towards the DMZ may be restricted.

See

Mosan Faem, 347 Chukhyeon2-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, +82 31-942-6480. 10:30 - 16:00. A famous family attraction for children to learn more about cows. The tour package includes the chance to feed, milk and get a photo with a cow. The children will have the chance to ride a tractor around the farm that was once named Gyoya Farm.
Woonong Ostrich Farm, Dongpae-ri, Gyoha-Eup, Paju-Si, Gyeonggi-Do 616-3, +82 31-948-5630. 10:00 - 21:00, the farm is also open on holidays. Another family friendly attraction in Paju-Si. The farm will educate children, students and even adults about birds, specifically ostriches. Visitors will have the chance to feed some ostriches, too! Reservations can be made online, with a bonus of a discount.
Heyri Art Valley, 1652 Beopheung-Ri Tanhyeon-Myeon, Paju, 37.7923°, 126.6958°. The Heyri Art Valley is opened 24 hours, but generally the museums and exhibitions’ opening hours are from 10:00 to 19:00. Keep in mind though; the art valley is closed on Mondays.. Presents various national artists like writers, painters, architects and musicians. There are over 40 spaces such as museums, exhibitions, concert halls and etc, for tourists to visits the pieces of art. The valley is a part of the 2200 bus route so passengers can travel directly to the entrance gate from Seoul.
Odusan Unification Observatory. The observatory is closed for the months of December and January but is opened the rest of the year. One of most popular attraction in Paju and the entire nation. The Odusan Unification Observatory gives visitors a clear of North Korea, as well. Products from North Korea are also sold here.
Camp Greaves Visitor Center (캠프 그리브스), Paju-si, Gunnae-myeon, Baegyeon-ri, 357 1, 37.896737°, 126.731126°, +82 31-953-6984. Former US army base near the DMZ, used since the armistice until 2007. Now functions as an art gallery and interesting to explore the other abandoned facilities. 2018-11-25

Do

Pyeong Hwa Land. A children's theme park located just 100 meters from the DMZ. It boasts 18 different rides and 2 millions visitors a year who can have fun and learn about the Korean war, which is an unusual combination.
Paju Hwangpo Sailboat, Duji-ri, Jeokseong-Myeon, Paju-Si, Gyeonggi-Do 216-5, +82 31-958-2557. Sailboats were the mode of transportation during the Chosun Dynasty. Today, tourists will have the opportunity to get on the Hwangpo sailboat to enjoy the scenery from the Imjin River Dojiri to Jajangri. The 40 minutes boat ride is ₩8,000

Buy

Paju Premium Outlets. Simon Property opened Paju's Premium Outlet on March 18th, 2011. The outlet is beautifully designed, with a European feel to it with the fountain and clock tower. It’s recommended to visit to enjoy the beautiful view, especially at night. The outlets is also a great place for shopping with a total of 165 stores. Some include International brands such as Jil Sanders, Tory Burch, Levi, Armani, Calvin Klein and local brands like Time, Mine and Buckaro. Since it’s an outlet, shoppers can easily find sales up to 60 – 80 percent.

Eat

Paju-Si is full of restaurants for the residents, visitors and travelers. The restaurants vary from traditional Korean to Japanese, Chinese and even some famous Western food chains such as McDonalds.

Hao Binh (호아빈). Vietnamese restaurant specializing in Pho noodle soup with beef, but offering other dishes such as fried rice and noodle soups as well. The restaurant also offers vegetarian options.
Joy’s (조이스). Is recognized a national chain of family Korean restaurants whose specialties include meals with ribs, chicken and steaks.

Sleep

Paju-Si offers a large selection for their tourists to pick from in the city. There are hotels available for all kinds of tourists – tourists looking for the cheapest rooms (budget), a decent and comfortable hotel room (mid-range) or the most luxurious hotel (splurge).

Budget

Hotel Mirage, Yeaulgok-Ri, Papyeong-Myeon, Paju-Si, Gyeonggi-Do 477-5. Recommended for anyone who is looking to rest and rejuvenate. The price of the hotel rooms are roughly $40 (₩40,000), depending on the season. Off season are typically cheaper.

Mid-range

Hotel M. The hotel is conveniently located in the city center. The hotel provides their guests private bathrooms, air-conditioning, refrigerator, high-speed internet access and tea and coffee making facilities to help make your time at Paju-Si a “home-away-from-home”.

Splurge

Wiz Hotel, 679-4 Sungdong-ri Tanhyun-myun. The hotel is conveniently located by numerous tourist attractions such as the Korea History Museum, Paju Unification Dongsan and Provence Village. The hotel also offers various types of rooms from Deluxe to Luxury Suite.
The Plaza Hotel, 23 2-ka Taipyung-ro Chung-ku, 100-102, Myeong-dong. This hotel is only recommended if the traveler is planning to visit Paju-Si for a day trip from Seoul. The ride between the two cities is only about 90 minutes. Some of the hotel amenities includes the newspaper sent to your room every morning, satellite television to keep you entertained while you’re inside, a spa and massage to help make your stay a relaxing one and many more.

Paju - city in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea