Last Updated on September 5, 2024 by Laura
Well-hidden inside the mountainous Danyang county, there is a place that is still spared from the mass tourism’s attention. Guinsa Temple is locally famous for being the largest of Buddhist Temples in South Korea. Indeed, it is said being able to host up to 10,000 resident monks. And you’ll soon understand why. In this guide, I will tell you everything about my, much-awaited, trip to Danyang and will explain you exactly how to visit Guinsa Temple on your own. This includes directions, maps, where to eat and what to look at once in the temple. Ready? 가자!
A Brief history of Guinsa Temple
Differently from many other Buddhist temples around Korea, Guinsa Temple is relatively “new”. Indeed, the current structure was founded only in 1945. Nevertheless, the initial architecture wasn’t that grand. In fact, according to the history records of the temple, ‘Guinsa Temple was a three-room thatched humble temple built by the Grand Patriarch Sangwolwongak under the slogan ” Guinsa Temple for saving myriads of people and all sentient beings”‘.
Cheontae Order of Korea Buddhism
With the foundation of this (initally) humble temple, Grand Patriarch Sangwolwongak brought back to Korea an ancient discipline called Cheontae. This was founded in China in the 6th century by the Buddhist Great Priest Tiantainmaster Zhiyiof and introduced in Korea during the Koryo Dynasty in the 11th century. The discipline mixes the two axis of Buddha’s teaching: Zen and Teaching. This was abolished in Korea during the rise of Confucianism and forgot for hundreds of years.
Guinsa Temple has succeeded in the mission of reintroduction of the Cheontaeorder into Korea and it now consists of a 50 buildings able to host about 10,000 people. Initially under the guide of its Grand Patriarc, Guinsa Temple has become the Headquarter of the Cheontae Order of Korea Buddhism. At the centre of its principles there is the foundation of self-sufficient economy based on day-time work and night-time self-discipline observed by its residents.
Cultural Korean Heritage Treasures Owned by Guinsa Temple
When Cheontae was still practiced during the Koryo Dynasty (1055-1101), Buddhist scriptures of great monks were collected by the order from all over East Asia. Now, thousands of historical scriptures and invaluable artefacts are property of Guinsa Temple and registered by the Korean Government as National Treasure. These treasures includes scripts from the Koryo Dynasty and paintings from the Joseon Dynasty.
Where is Guinsa Temple
Visit Guinsa Temple – Aerial view of the temple in the mountain
Guinsa Temple is located in the Danyang County. Precisely at the feet of Sobaeksan (Mt. Sobaek) a mountain part of the Sobaek Mountains range. It’s a very peaceful and scenic location that is still pretty unknown to international tourism in South Korea.
Getting to Guinsa Temple from Seoul
Getting to Guinsa Temple from Seoul is doable (we did it), but given its (mostly remote) location, a car is preferable to public transport. Indeed, because there is no direct connection to the temple via public transport, renting a car in Seoul will save you a lot of hassle. Nevertheless, I will present here both scenarios so you can easily decide what of the two ways is better for you.
Driving to Guinsa Temple from Seoul
Guinsa Temple is far 196 Km from Seoul via the fastest Yeongdong Express Road. If there is no traffic, it would take about 2 hours and 30 mins to reach Guinsa Temple from central points like the Seoul Central Station. The reality is that getting out of Seoul, even at early morning takes ages because of traffic. Therefore, you can honestly expect to drive for about 3 hours at best.
To note that you can’t use Google Maps in Korea and I warmly recommend you to download Naver Map.
READ MORE: Discover the must-have apps for your trip to South Korea.
We booked our car with LOTTE Rent a Car from Seoul Central Station and I can’t recommend this provider enough! Everything is covered in the main rate, they set up your navigation map on the car and they also give you water and chewing gums for the trip!
You can choose LOTTE Rent a Car from Rentalcars.com here!
CLICK HERE FOR THE NAVER DIRECTIONS TO GUINSA TEMPLE FROM SEOUL
Parking at Guinsa Temple
Due to the location of Guinsa Temple, you’ll need to park the car at the bottom of the hill and proceed either on foot or with a partial ride by minibus. Parking fee is KRW 3,000 and includes the minibus ride.
Heading to Guinsa Temple by public transport from Seoul
As I said before, getting to Guinsa Temple by public traffic is a bit tricky, but not impossible. It’s quite a lengthy journey so I wouldn’t recommend it as a day trip (unless you are REALLY determined to visit this place!). However, if you are thinking to explore the Danyang county for a couple of days, moving by public transport might be worthy.
To note that the quickest way through public transport takes about 4 hours and 27 mins.
Here are some directions:
- From Seoul Central Station take Line 2 (Green) and get off at Gangbyeon Station (29 stops, 1h and 5 mins).
- Proceed toward Exit n. 4 and go towards the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (4 mins walk)
- At Dong Seoul Terminal there is a direct coach to Guinsa. (travel time 3 hours). This will leave you at Guinsa Bus Station/Main Parking. From here you have to walk up to the temple (15/20 mins uphill)
- Optional: At Guinsa temple bus station you can take a minibus that will leave you half-way. This cost KRW 3,000.
The ticket booth at Dong Seoul Bus Terminal is located on the first floor.
Not budget-friendly option: Heading to Guinsa Temple by taxi from Seoul
There is a third, not very cheap, option that I don’t recommend unless you are very desperate and can’t go with any other means. This is getting a taxi ride from Seoul.
Travelling time is still the same as driving (2 hours 40 mins/ 3 hours) but the cost is not budget-friendly. Indeed, a one-way taxi ride to Guinsa Temple has a base cost of KRW 177,000 (about £100) cost might be higher depending on the company. Not all the taxi companies head that far, so I would recommend checking the Kakao T app (for taxi) to see which one is the best.
Getting to Guinsa Temple from Danyang City
If you are already in Danyang and want to get to Guinsa Temple, the best way is heading towards the Danyang City Station. From here, you can take bus 624 that will take you directly to Guinsa bus station in about 1 hour and 10 mins.
When is the best season to Visit Guinsa Temple
Guinsa temple is open to visitors all-year-around. Therefore, you can plan a visit at any moment. Nevertheless be mindful of its location. Indeed, being at the foot of Mt. Sobek, during winter it can be very cold or even icy. Indeed, due to the peculiar location of the temple, which is built literally inside the ridge of the mountain on a steep hill, winter visit might have a different impact on accessibility and your experience.
From a photogenic perspective, Autumn is probably the best season to visit because the foliage in this area of South Korea is nothing short than spectacular. Shoulder seasons in general, could offer a better experience for your hike compared to summer and winter. In fact, we visited mid June and it was very hot and humid. This made our hike a little miserable due to the high temperatures and sweat. To note also that from late June to early September the monsoon can carry heavy rain and hiking in this temple is not recommended due to possible flash floods.
If you are travelling during full summer, always check the weather forecast before venturing to this mountainous area.
Visit Guinsa Temple things to know in advance
From our visit to Guinsa Temple we learned a few things that could be possibly useful for your trip. I listed them below.
Accessibility
Visit Guinsa Temple – Some of the staircases at Guinsa Temple
The temple is unfortunately not accessible. Because the temple stretches vertically up into the mountain, visiting include climbing very steep roads and uncountable flights of staircases. People with accessibility issues could have problems or might not be able to visit at all.
There are A LOT of stairs. When I say a “lot” is not just 2, 3 flights. I mean that you will climb staircases continuously up to the very end. During summer this climb can be particularly strenuous.
Don’t get shocked if you see a lot of ajumma and ajussi hiking (Korean Grandmas/Grandpas) at the speed of light. They basically do these hikes as routine and you will feel quite out of shape compared to them.
Peculiar architecture
Visit Guinsa Temple – Final terrace/viewpoint in Guinsa Temple
Because it’s built within a tight mountain pass, the architecture of Guinsa Temple is slightly different. In fact, all the buildings are vertically risen rather than expand on the ground as the classical Buddhist architecture expects. Indeed, pagodas and buildings within the temples grounds have usually a maximum of 2 story, while at Guinsa Temple pagodas are even 4 story tall! This is one of the fewest examples of this type in South Korea.
You can eat with the monks for free
Guinsa Temple can host up to 10,000 people. One of the principles of this temple is that everyone is welcome. No matter if foreign, Buddhist or from another religion. If you happen to be there at lunchtime it is great courtesy from monks to feed you. And you better finish what is on your plate. In fact, one rules of the Buddhist Temples in Korea in relation to food is “take only what you can eat”. We learnt this during our Temple Stay at Golgulsa Temple and we really loved this principle.
During shoulder season peak visits, the huge kitchen of the temple is able to prepare lunch for even 3,000 visitors at time! Lunch is free and you will get to experience a very unique atmosphere.
Our original plan was to have lunch with the monks, but unfortunately we were late due to traffic.
Take some coins for the vending machines
You might possibly end up out of water during the hike. There are various vending machines around the complex but unfortunately they accept only coins. As there are no places where to exchange money, take some coins with you before the trip.
There is an implicit sense of the visit
Although is not specified anywhere and you can visit randomly the buildings on your way, we noted an “implicit sense of the visit” that will make the tour smoother. Indeed, I believe you can have a more comprehensive visit if you keep your hike all on your right hand side going forward and then you do the descent from the opposite side. We sticked to the right for our ascent and did the other side for the descent and the view we had was completely different!
Visit Guinsa Temple. Guided hike step by step
In this part of the blog, I will guide you step by step to the hike at Guinsa Temple from the parking space to the last building up in the mountain. Here below you will find a small infographic on what to expect from the hike.
Arrival, Parking and start of the hike
Naver Map will take you to the main parking/bus station of Guinsa Temple. Here you will find also two small restaurants in case you arrive out of the free monk lunch time (as we did). See below for more details on this. Once you park, there is only one road going up. You have two options. Pay for your parking space (KRW 3000 cards accepted) and going up on foot. Or pay for your parking and take the minibus that goes midway to the hike before the temple.
Visit Guinsa Temple – Guinsa Temple minibus
Two things to note. The bus will leave you at another bus check-point mid way. There is still 10-12 mins walk up to the entrance gate but you save a big chunk of the road. Cars (except the ones belonging to the monks) can’t go up to the temple.
Either you taking the minibus or not, you’ll need to pay the parking fee. The last minibus is at 5 PM.
Iljoomun Gate
Visit Guinsa Temple – Iljoomun Gate
Guinsa Temple’s entrance is marked by the Iljoomun Gate. This is a simple structure consisting of two pillars and an elaborated rooftop. It’s name means “One Mind” because this is the symbolic spirit in which people should approach their entering to the temple. A mind devoid of any distraction. Which clearly didn’t applied to me since I was taking two thousand pictures and videos. LOL. Anyway, once you pass this lovely gate, you’ll see what is probably the steepest road of the temple. It’s steep enough that they have put a hand railing for visitors to avoid them rolling down the hill (particularly on the way back). Appreciated the thought!
Sacheonwangum Gate
Visit Guinsa Temple – Sacheonwangum Gate
After your first road climbing, you’ll find yourself in front of another gate. This is called Sacheonwangum Gate. This has an architecture that vaguely reminds me the Namdaemun in Seoul. Nevertheless, differently from its bigger brother in the capital, this gate has this name because it keeps the Sacheonwang, aka the Four Heavenly Kings. If you are new to Buddhism, the Sacheonwang are four Deva (a type of celestial god) that are believed to watch at the four different cardinal directions of the world. In Buddhist architecture these are usually found in temple’s gates to protect the teaching of Buddha, observing the good and bad and leading the Buddhists to the right way. This gate marks the official entrance of Guinsa Temple.
Preaching Treasure Hall
Visit Guinsa Temple – Preaching Treasure Hall
Continue with your uphill walk until you find a covered gallery. Don’t bother to visit just now as you will pass through on your way back. Just before this gallery on the right, there is a huge five story building. This is called Preaching Treasure Hall and it’s the very first building of the Guinsa Temple. The current construction, dating 1980, replaced the original three-room thatched hall built in 1945 by the temple’s founder. At the moment, the first four floors of the building are used by the monks for their religious practice. The fifth floor, keeps the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and other paintings.
Cafeteria
Visit Guinsa Temple – Cafeteria
Midway to your walk, just after the covered gallery, you will find the Cafeteria. This building is open only during meal times. Indeed, it’s here that you can grab your free breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the time we visited the building was closed. There is however a nice balcony where you can see the road you did (and the one you still need to climb up!).
Please note that meals at Guinsa Temple are served at the following times:
6:30-7:00 breakfast, 11:30-13:30 lunch, 18:30 dinner
Gwaneumjeon Hall
Visit Guinsa Temple – Gwaneumjeon Hall
Almost in front of the Cafeteria, there is another building that carries the name Gwaneumjeon Hall. This is regarded as one of the most important building in the complex because of the statue of Gwaneum Bodhissatva, the Sutra of the Lotus. This statue is made of precious gems and stones. Not sure if this building has some special opening times but it was closed during our visit.
Kwangmyungjeon Hall
Visit Guinsa Temple – Kwangmyungjeon Hall
After the cafeteria, there is quite a steep climb up. You will pass a staircase under a covered passage where you can see with your own eyes how these building were built over the rocks of the mountains! There is even a small stream passing through! After what it seems a never-ending climb you will spot one of the biggest buildings of the temple area. This is called Kwangmyngjeon Hall. This building occupies an area of 11,936 square metres and can host 7,000 people. It has a total of 5 floors (of which 2 underground) and about 10,000 statues of Buddha in the main altar of the temple. It’s one of the most outstanding structures I’ve seen in South Korea! Photos are not allowed inside, particularly in the preaching areas but from the photo above, you can see scale of this incredible place!
Kwangmyngjeon Hall will be the last building on your route before reaching the top of the hill for the temple itself.
Daejosajeon Grand Teacher Hall
Visit Guinsa Temple – Grand Teacher Hall
After climbing a few other staircases flights from Kwangmyngjeon Hall, you’ll see a large terrace. This is the final point of the hike, where the Great Teacher Hall is located. The terrace is also made of two different sides. On the right hand side, you’ll see the Great Teacher Hall. This is the shrine of the Grand Patriarc Sangwolwongak who re-established Korea’s Chaeontae order. This is a majestic 3-story pagoda which is made of an optical illusion. Indeed, the pagoda seems a three-story building from the outside, but once inside is actually one big floor! This architecture is one of the very rare examples in Korea!
Visit Guinsa Temple – Aerial view of Guinsa Temple and Mt. Sobaek (shot by me with my drone from down the valley).
The shrine’s roof includes more than 40,000 pieces of golden glazed tiles similar to the ones you can find in the Forbidden City in Bejing. The building took 9 years to be completed (1992-2000). Photos are strictly not allowed inside (there are even monks who will check on you). Indeed, the shrine includes a few very precious National Treasures of Korea that are not possible to photograph along with the Grand Patriarch altar.
On the other side of the terrace, you will find the most incredible view on the valley! Here, you can realise how much you walked to arrive up there and understand that it was actually very worthy! In this terrace, you can find also some seasonal additional decorations depending on the celebrations that are going on in the temple.
Historical Great Teachers Hall
Visit Guinsa Temple – Historical Teachers Hall
Take your time to visit the Daejosajeon Grand Teacher Hall. When you want to get down, take the staircase on the right hand side (with your shoulder facing the shrine). This will give you the opportunity to see the temple’s area from another perspective. The first building you’ll see is the only other construction featuring the golden glazed rooftop similar to the temples in China. This is called Historical Great Teachers Hall. The name is down to the fact that here the knowledge and tradition of the Chaeontae Order is passed from a teacher to another. On the first floor, monks trains for their order whil on the second floor you can find the sacred 17 images of the Chinese Tiantais school and the 18 teachers of the Korean Chaeontae Order.
The Covered Gallery
Visit Guinsa Temple – Covered Gallery at Guinsa Temple
Midway in the temple area, there is a lovely covered gallery. We spotted this while climbing up but we decided to leave it for the descent in order to take a few pictures with calm. The gallery connects the Sambodang Hall to the Preaching Treasure Hall.
Three-story stone Pagoda of Buddha Relics
Visit Guinsa Temple- Three story stone pagoda
Walking down the covered passage you will see a 3-story stone pagoda. This is very important for the temple because it contains the relics of Buddha. Indeed, it seems that the second Head of the Cheontae Order, Master Namdaechoong brought them from his pilgrimage in India.
Office of the General Affairs
Visit Guinsa Temple – Office of the General Affairs
The last strikingly appealing building you will find on your way back is the Office of the General Affairs. Being the Headquarters of the Cheonteae Order, the Guinsa Temple has a lot of responsibilities. This building is where all the general affairs are controlled and the including all the bureaucracy. Nothing fancy to see on the inside but it is has a very photogenic facade!
You made it! You completed your Guinsa Temple visit! Now you have just to have walk back down to the parking and grab a well-deserved Pocari Sweat! To note the shuttle bus goes only up but not down. There might be a few taxis on the coach parking. These cost KRW 4,000.
Where to eat near Guinsa Temple
If, like us, you are not in time for the monks’ free lunch but you need to eat, you can check a few places along the way. Directly in front of the parking, there are two restaurants. One is quite small and is bigger with the wooden table outside (see picture above). Both restaurants seemed closed but the bigger one’s owner invited us to seat (love Korean hospitality!). We ordered a traditional seafood pajeon that was delicious and very cheap.
I struggled to translate the name of the restaurant and Naver map seems to know have it on the directions but it’s the one up in the picture above. After you finish your visit, if you want a snack or a fresh drink, we found a little shop in the coach car park. This shop is directly managed by the temple.
Stay in Danyang
If you are thinking of an overnight stay in the Danyang county, you have to keep in mind that this area of South Korea is not very much used to foreign tourist. In fact, is pretty much untouched by international tourism at all. For this reason, there are not many hotels or accommodations available and the ones available are quite basic. A decent hotel where to stay in the area is Sono Moon Danyang. This is located at a good distance to many attractions in the area and is not too bad to reach Guinsa Temple. Moreover, rooms are also quite cheap.
Temple Stay at Guinsa Temple
If you are up for something more adventurous and definitely a once in a lifetime experience, I would recommend checking the program Temple Stay at Guinsa Temple. This will allow you to stay one or more nights at the temple and experience a bit of the monks life and traditions. We did this experience at Golgulsa Temple and we really enjoyed it!
To note that each temple stay in Korea is different so no temple has the same program!
Temple Stay programs are usually divided into “Experience Stay” and “Free-style Stay”. On the Experience Stay (as the word says) you get to experience activities and the life of the monks (including their timetable). On the Free-Style one, you have no timing obligations or specific programs.
Guinsa Temple’s Stay programs are of experiential type. They are focused on meditation and resting (while the one in the temple we went was focused on martial arts!). There are two different types of programs of 1 night (2 days) at the moment:
How to book Temple Stay at Guinsa Temple
To note that Temple Stay in Guinsa Temple (and other temples in Korea) is available only on specific days around the week and certain months during the year.
The cost of participation is KRW 60,000 (about $ 45). This includes accommodation (in shared room), dinner, breakfast and activities for the 2 days of your permanence. A private room is available for an additional KRW 40,000 per day on top of the participation cost.
You can pre-book your stay online here Templestay > Reservations > Select Area > Chungbuk > Guinsa
Explore Danyang County
Visit Guinsa Temple – Dodamsambong Peaks, Danyang
Danyang County is one of the most beautiful and pristine places I’ve visited in Korea. The fact that is still pretty much unknown to tourism makes it really really special! If you have time on your itinerary, I do recommend staying 3-4 days because there is a lot to do here!
One of my favourite places was actually in Danyang City. It’s called Dodamsambong Peaks. It’s very scenic and it could totally be one of those wonderful mystic places in China for its peculiar landscape.
Danyang is also famous for Paragliding. If you loved Crash Landing on You, well this is the place where you can have a Yoon Se-ri adventure! Hopefully without landing in North Korea. Indeed, you can book a paragliding experience over the mountains and river of the county and it looks like a wonderful activity!
Among other fantastic things to do in Danyang you can add also a walk in the scenic Danyanggang Jando Trail and a visit to the impressive Gosu Cave.
Suggested organised tours to visit Danyang and Guinsa Temple
If you don’t feel to drive yourself but still want to visit Danyang, these organised tours are just right for your visit.
Plan your trip to South Korea
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