Paju travel info

Paju sits just south of the Demilitarized Zone. At Imjingak a rusted steam locomotive stops at the end of a broken rail line, and the railings of Freedom Bridge are tied thick with ribbons. Drive a little south and the mood changes completely: Heyri Art Valley packs galleries and workshops into a village, and Paju Book City is the place to buy a book and pick a café to read it in. Tension and slowness, both in one day, inside one city.

Food here starts with beans. Jangdan beans grown in and around the civilian control zone become tofu, soft tofu and doenjang. Old restaurants along the Imjin River serve freshwater fish stew, river-crab dishes and grilled eel. In autumn the Jangdan Bean Festival fills the square at Imjingak.

From Seoul, the Gyeongui-Jungang Line reaches Munsan in about an hour. Paju is long, though, and Imjingak, Heyri and Book City are well apart. One subway line won't cover it all, so plan on two places a day. Having a car helps a lot.

From Seoul (TRN)

From Munsan to Imjingak (BUS)

From Incheon Airport (ICN)