Taking the Daegu City Theme Tour: Palgongsan Course

Are you planning to visit Daegu or have some friends visiting this summer and want to visit as much places as possible but your time is limited? Why don’t you consider taking the Daegu City Theme Tour? Daegu City Theme Tour is bus tour that goes around Daegu with various courses such as Biseulsan Course, Palgongsan Course, Nakdong River Course, etc. Each course is a whole day trip. 

Recently, I took the Daegu City Theme Tour: Palgongsan Course. As its name suggests, the tour covers the tourist attractions around Mt. Palgong such as the Daegu Bangjja Brassware Museum, Donghwasa Temple, and the DTC Textile Museum.

The pick up and drop off points are at Sinnam Station Exit 2 and in front of Dongdaegu Train Station. I chose Sinnam, because it is a lot easier to get there from our place.

Daegu City Tour Bus at Sinnam Station Exit 2

The pick up time was at 9:30 and arrived 15 minutes in advance. I was surprised to see that the tour bus was already there waiting.

We left Sinnam at exactly 9:30 and headed to Dongdaegu Train Station to pick up more tourists. The tour bus left Dongdaegu at exactly 10:00.

Daegu Bangjja Brassware Museum (방자유기박물관)

Daegu Bangja Yugi Museum

The first stop of this tour is the Daegu Bangja Yugi Museum (방자유기박물관).

A huge gong at Daegu Bangjja Yugi Museum

Daegu Bangjja Yugi Museum is Korea’s first museum that specialized in Korean hand-forged brassware known as “bangjja yugi.”

Beautiful brassware at the Bangjja Museum

Bangjja Yugi are made using a method using the golden ration or the 70:22 alloy ratio, wherein an alloy of copper and tin is pound and hit by several people simultaneously.

Reproduction Room

The museum houses 1,489 items of Korean bronzeware or “yugi” in 275 types which were donated by Mr. Bong-ju Lee, a renowned master craftsman.

Donghwasa Temple (동화사)

Donghwasa Temple

Donghwasa, a temple located on the south side of Mt. Palgong and about 22 km northeast of Daegu.  It was built by Monk Geukdal in AD 493 during the 15th year of King Soji’s reign. It is the most popular Buddhist temple in Daegu which attracts visitors all year round.

Donghwasa Temple Ground

Unlike many temples in Korea, Donghwasa is easier to get to and does not require a long excruciating hike. In fact, walking towards the temple is pretty relaxing, thanks to the sound of the stream vigorously flowing along the path as well as the canopy of the towering trees.

Daeungjeon Hall

A couple of interesting things to see at Donghwasa are the 17-meter high Buddha statue and the Daeungjeon Hall.

Lunch Time

After visiting Donghwasa, the tour bus goes to the place near the Palgongsan Cable Car where most of the restaurants are located. Tour participants are given enough time to have lunch, take the cable car or just relax at the park.

Taking the cable car on a foggy day

DTC Textile Museum (DTC 섬유박물관)

DTC Textile Museum

Daegu Textile Comple (DTC) Textile Museum is the one and only museum in Korea. It was establish to share the history of the Korean textile industry and fashion.

Korean fashion in the 90's

Unknown to many, Daegu is the hub city of the textile and fashion industries which played a great role in the economic growth of South Korea.

The first Korean Air crew uniform

DTC Textile Museum has three permanent exhibition halls (Fashion Hall, Textile Industry Hall and Textile Future Hall) and three exhibition rooms (Children’s Activity Room, Fiber Enterprise Room and Textile Institutes Room). Anybody can view the permanent exhibition free of charge.

Sewing Machines

Ancient textile production equipment

Modern textile production equipment

Joining this tour truly helped me know more about Daegu. It was really worth the time and money I spent.

Daegu City Theme Tour: Palgongsan Course is a perfect trip in summer because most of the destinations are indoor, which means you can explore Daegu without braving the scorching heat of the sun.

So what are you waiting for?

How to book for the Daegu City Theme Tour

There are two ways to book for the Daegu City Theme Tour. The first one is through their homepage (www.daegucitytour.com) and the second one is though phone call (053-627-8900). Booking trips requires basic knowledge of Korean language.

How much does it cost

Adult: 5,000 won

Middle/High School Students:  4,000 won

Children, Senior Citizens: 3,000 won

Exploring A Famous Temple in Daegu, Donghwasa

Donghwasa Temple

A Temple of Paulownia Blossoms, Donghwasa

Nestled in the Dohak-dong Valley and surrounded by Pokpo-gol, Bindae-gol, and Susut-gol Valleys, Donghwasa Temple is a time-honored temple from the Silla Dynasty. It was originally built by Monk Geukdal (Geukdalhwasang) in 493 AD, the 15th year of King Soji’s reign of Silla. It was originally called Yugasa Temple (유가사). It was renamed by Priest Simji (Simjiwangsa) in 832 AD during the reign of King Heungdeok. Inspired by the beauty of the Paulownia trees, locally known as odong namu (오동나무), surrounding the place, Priest Simji renamed the temple Donghwasa (동화사) which means “Paulownia Blossom Temple.”

Being one of the most popular temples in Daegu, I have heard a lot about Donghwasa Temple and I have been wanting to visit it.

Exploring Donghwasa Temple

On May 16th, I finally found myself on the Daegu City Tour bus heading to the temple!

With Buddha’s Birthday around the corner, the road leading to the temple is adorned with colorful lotus lanterns.

Since Donghwamun is still closed, due to the on-going construction of the road, we entered the temple through the Bonghwangmun.

Donghwasa Temple’s Iljumun

After receiving our admission tickets, we walked towards the One Pillar Gate (Iljumun)) which is located right next to the parking area. Before reaching the gate, an image of a seated Buddha surrounded by clouds neatly carved on the rock on the side of the road caught my attention. The carved image is believed to have been made by Priest Simji using a chisel. Priest Simji successfully made the seated Buddha look as if it is smiling tenderly to every temple visitor that passes by.

Seated Buddha Image in front of Iljumun

A few minutes walk from the One Pillar Gate, we found the Information Map of the temple.

Surrounded by the lush green trees, we continued walking on the concrete path, enjoying the sound of the water rushing down the nearby creek. It was so refreshing!

Colorful lanterns along the path leading to the temple

Then before we knew it, we reached this intimidating flight of stairs called 108 Gyedan (108게단) because it has 108 steps. We were all catching our breath when we reached the top.

Baek Pal Gyedan (동화사 108계단)

After catching our breath, we climbed another flight of stairs to the left, a shorter one.. It lead us to the Tongil-daejeon Hall. In front of the Tongil-daejeon Hall is a gigantic Buddha statue called Tongil-daebul Buddha Statue. Completed in 1992, Tongil-daebul Buddha Statue (The Unification Buddha) stands 33-meters high and is 16.5-meters round. It is apparently the largest Buddha Statue in Asia. It is considered as one of the main attractions at Donghwasa Temple.

The Unification Buddha Statue

On the right of the statue, there is a passage way leading to the Buddhist Culture Center. The Buddhist Culture Center is like a tunnel with many rooms. One of the sections was made into a meditation hall which was made to replicate a forest scene with a large rock that has a flat surface and trees. It really made me feel like I was in the forest listening to the bubbly sound of the water flowing and the birds chirping. There was also a room with beautiful paintings and gold and bronze carved images related to Korean Zen Buddhist Culture.

A meditation room at Donghwasa Buddhist Culture Center

Beautiful paintings displayed inside the Buddhist Culture Center

Continuing our exploration of Donghwa Temple, we headed towards the Daeungjeon Main Worship Hall.  On the way, we passed by the Bongseoru Pavilion. Bongseoru Pavilion signifies a phoenix with its tail flowing downward. The rock in the middle of the stairs is the tail and round stones symbolize the phoenix’s eggs.

Phoenix sculpture in front of Bongseoru Pavilion

Vibrantly colored lanterns added beauty to the already beautiful pavilion.

We climbed the Pavilion Stairs (Nugak Gyedan) and were greeted by even more lanterns in front of the Daeungjeon Hall.

Colorful lanterns in front of Daeungjeon Hall

Daeungjeon Hall is believed to have been built between 1727 and 1732, using twisted trees as pillars. Daeungjeon Hall is a three kan (section) wide and three kan (section) long building. It possesses natural beauty. It enshrines the Amitabha Buddha (Amitabul), Shakyamuni Buddha (Seokgamonibul), and Pharmaceutical Buddha (Yaksayeoraebul).

Yet Sunrye Gil, Donghwasa’s Old Pilgrimage Trail

After exploring the temple, we headed back to the parking area. But instead of taking the concrete path again, our tour guide led us to the Old Pilgrimage Trail of Donghwasa (Donghwasa Yet Sunrye Gil). The head of the trail starts from the side of the path leading to Donghwamun Gate. It runs through the thick forest and along the creek. Walking on this trail did not only allow me to enjoy the greenness of nature but also the soothing sound of the water from the creek.  The gentle forest breeze and the subtle fragrant of nature was so refreshing.

Heading down the Old Donghwasa Pilgrimage Trail

While approaching the wooden bridge, I imagined how beautiful that place could be in autumn when all the green leaves turn yellow, orange and red. I was really glad our tour guide introduced us to that hidden gorgeous trail. If you visit Donghwasa with your friends, I highly recommend taking this trail on your way back.

A beautiful wooden bridge over the creek

The Creek

 How to Get to Donghwasa

Option 1: Join Daegu City Tour Theme Course: Palgongsan Course. You can reserve online and pay on-site. It costs 5,000 won. The admission fee at Donghwasa is not included. The tour bus departs at Sinnam Station Exit 2 and Dongdaegu Station. Visit www.daegucitytour.com for more details.

Option 2: Take a city bus from Dongdaegu Station or Subway Line 1: Ayanggyo Station Exit 2, get on Express 1 (Geuphaeng 급행1) and get off at Donghwagyo Stop. Turn right and walk straight until you reach the ticketing booth. Purchase your admission ticket and just follow the concrete road going up.

*Tip: Keep your ticket. You can use it to get a 2,500 won discount when you take the Palgongsan Cable Car.

Tourist Information

Destination: Donghwasa Temple (동화사)

Address: 1, Donghwasa 1-gil, Dong-gu, Daegu (대구 동구 동화사1길1)

Website: www.donghwasa.net (Korean Only)

Telephone #: +82539850980