Museum San: How To Get There From Seoul & What You’ll See
Museum San a couple hours from Seoul in Wonju, Korea is an intriguing museum designed by famed architect Tadao Ando. There’s an iconic photo that is posted on Instagram every so often with visitors standing beneath a bright red archway. The red is striking against the natural surroundings. It’s not the easiest museum to get to in Korea, but it’s definitely one of the most interesting as far as architecture and design.
If you’re an architecture enthusiast or a design lover and you’re headed to Seoul, make sure you get this into your itinerary if you’ve got time for a little day trip. Museum San has about 1 million visitors and you should be one of them this year.
Plan your trip to Museum San in Korea:
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What To Know
Museum San (san means mountain in Korean by the way) is settled into a beautiful mountainous region and hugs the curves of the mountain gorgeously. Designed by Tadao Ando, a minimalist architect, the concrete buildings are stark and yet at the same time perfectly suited for the natural surroundings. Museum San is the most popular of the seven Tadao Ando buildings in South Korea.
Opened in May of 2013, it wasn’t officially completed until James Turrell’s work was added. In 2019, the museum was named one of the 100 Must-Visit Tourist Spots in Korea for the third year in a row by the Korea Tourism Organization so it’s no wonder it makes the rounds in articles and on Instagram each year. To be honest, I wouldn’t say the collection of artworks inside was especially appealing, not to me anyway, but I was drawn to the natural surroundings and how the architecture of the building connected with that nature.
Museum San’s slogan is “Disconnect to connect” and this is certainly the best place to do that.
How To Get There From Seoul
Address: 260 Oakvalley 2-gil, Jijeong-myeon, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do
By Car: If you don’t have a car, this might just be the time to rent one. We’ve used Avis in the past and it was super easy and fast. Perfect for day trips from the city. Museum San is by no means easy to get to any other way but more than that, you can add more into your itinerary. Head out to the amazing Youngwol Y Park, a beautiful experiential art complex and then go to Museum San on your way back into the city. OR, visit Museum San and then make a stop at the Illumination Theme Park Ooozooo which is the coolest rest stop in the country and has some brilliant light installations.
Join A Tour: Museum San is NOT the easiest place to get to if you don’t have a car and using public transportation takes quite a few extra hours than you might have. From time to time you’ll see a tour available to Museum San. I recommend joining it if you see it to make it easier.
Basic Info
Hours: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm
Days: Tuesday ~ Sunday
Admission: Basic Museum Ticket: Adults: W18,000; Students W10,000; Preschoolers: FREE; Basic Museum Ticket + the James Turrell Exhibit: Adults: W28,000; Students: W18,000; Preschoolers cannot enter the James Turrell Exhibit; Basic Museum Ticket + Meditation Ticket: Adults: W28,000; Students: W18,000; Preschoolers cannot enter the Meditation Hall. Entrance to all three: Adults: W38,000
What You’ll See At Museum San
Museum Welcome Center
From the parking lot, you’ll immediately enter the Welcome Center to find a desk to buy tickets and doors on either side to go through. You won’t actually present your ticket until you get to the Main Building so make sure you stash it in a pocket or in a bag until you get there as you meander through the Flower Garden and Water Garden. The staff at the entrance strongly urges people to keep an eye on the ticket. It would seem people lose them on the way to the check point fairly often, so remember yours!
The Flower Garden
The Flower Garden is outdoors so despite the name, you won’t find flowers there year round if that’s what you’re expecting. Even in the autumn when the flowers have ceased blooming though, it was quite beautiful. When it is in bloom, it is the flower China pink that blankets the entire ground from late spring into summer. I’ve seen photos of this exact field in the summer and winter and can say it seems every season really is quite beautiful. Continue past the red installation and there is a white birch forest that leads water installations and reflections.
The Water Garden
Once you round the bend, you’ll easily spot the red archway that makes the most iconic photos of the museum. Archway is the outdoor sculpture designed by Alexander Liberman that garners some of the most attention on the grounds. Don’t be surprised if people are taking turns getting their photos beneath it. Take your time, and you’ll get your turn.
Actually, the day we went, it was rather busy and people very efficiently moved in and out allowing each and every one to get their photo should they want it. The reflective pools are calming and if you enjoy from different angles, you’ll see the sky, the trees, and everything around you.
Just a note, if you love the red installation here, check out the red installations at Youngwol Y Park. While they’re not by the same artistic, they are no less striking. Do look into some of the other amazing artistic experiences available here in Korea.
The Main Building
The building feels a bit like a maze as it wraps around and is built in a ‘box and box’ concept. The halls and doors go this way and that and I definitely got turned around a few times, but you’ll easily recognize the triangular spaces, spherical spaces, and rectangular spaces which connect each gallery and lead to windows and cement walls as well as walls done in local Paju stone.
The shapes and materials represent the earth, sky, and human within the building. While there are artworks in the building, I was more drawn to the architecture of the museum itself and most of my companions were as well. I think I could definitely go back again and appreciate completely different angles of the museum.
The artworks inside are housed in the Paper Gallery and the Cheongjo Gallery. The Paper Gallery has a bit of a history museum vibe and showcases how paper is made and inked. The works here make sense considering the museum along with nearby Oak Valley Ski and Golf Resort was funded by the Hansol Group, a company best known for manufacturing paper. The Cheongjo Gallery has a permanent exhibition as well as two special exhibitions each year. Like I said though, we really breezed through the actual exhibitions as we were more in awe of the architecture.
The Stone Garden
I really loved the Stone Garden. Inspired by the ancient Silla tombs which you can see elsewhere in Korea, the nine mounds here are completely covered in stone. There are other works interspersed throughout the garden and trees that stand solo. It was really a beautiful area. It was also one of the quieter spaces in the complex as everyone else seemed to want to sit near the Water Garden or in the cafe near even more reflective pools.
They are of course iconic for this museum, but definitely don’t miss a walk in the Stone Garden when you visit for something different. If you also purchase the ticket for the James Turrell work, then you’ll walk through the garden to that structure.
The Meditation Room
Though we missed the meditation space, it’s definitely something I’d go back for. Only recently opened at the beginning of 2019, Tadao Ando designed the new structure to fit in with the original museum eloquently. You can find the dome shaped building down some steps from the Stone Garden. The Meditation Hall actually resembles the mounds of the Stone Garden purposefully, so you might easily walk by not realizing what is inside.
There is only one source of light in the Meditation Hall, an open slit on the top of the dome. Depending on the weather and time of day, the ambient light coming in changes which means you could go back numerous times and have completely different experiences. Tadao Ando has some really amazing buildings around Korea including down on Jeju Island. Stay in Chuidasun Resort and see the Yumin Art Nouveau Collection to see more of his amazing architecture.
I think Museum San is really gorgeous and worth the trip it takes to get out to it. That said, it’s much more efficient to join a tour rather than try to get out there on your own. My friend went on her own and it took her four hours from Seoul because an hour was just spent waiting for the local bus when she got to Wonju. It’s eye catching and intriguing, but not in the easiest location. All things to consider.
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