Bongjeongsa Temple

봉정사

Mountain temple with Korea's oldest wooden hall

Address

222 Bongjeongsa-gil, Seohu-myeon, Andong

Past a long forest road under Mt. Cheondeung, stairs rise beneath the Manseru pavilion, and the small Geungnakjeon sits low in the courtyard above. It ranks among the oldest surviving wooden buildings in Korea, so you end up studying each pillar. Next to the main hall, Yeongsanam has stone walls and pines arranged so one courtyard feels like a garden. The whole temple is part of the UNESCO-listed Sansa mountain monasteries.