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Heyri or Imjingak?

Both bases are in Paju, and they suit different trips. Heyri and Paju Book City put you among galleries, workshops, publishers and bookshops; Imjingak and Munsan put you at the DMZ, by the Peace Tour ticket office, the Peace Gondola and the Korean War bridges. Here is how to choose.

The verdict

For the DMZ, choose Imjingak: Paju City sells DMZ Peace Tour tickets only there, from 09:00 to 14:30, and Munsan Station is about an hour from Seoul Station on the Gyeongui–Jungang Line and about 13 minutes from Imjingak by taxi, VisitKorea says. It is also the base for travelling by train and for the Paju Jangdan Bean Festival, from 27 to 29 November 2026. For galleries, books and museums, choose Heyri: VisitKorea lists free entry and free parking at Heyri Art Valley, and Paju Book City's publishers, bookstores and Forest of Wisdom fill the rest of the day. Two nights? Take Heyri first, then Munsan the night before the tour.

Side by side

Heyri & Paju Book City and Imjingak & the DMZ, side by side
Heyri & Paju Book CityImjingak & the DMZ
Getting thereBy car, with free parking at Heyri (VisitKorea); by rail to Geumchon Station on the Gyeongui Line and a local bus (Heyri's own guide, 2022).Gyeongui–Jungang Line from Seoul Station to Munsan, about an hour (VisitKorea, 2025), then about 13 minutes by taxi.
From Incheon AirportNight bus N5700 to Geumchon Station, 90 minutes from Terminal 1 at 00:30 and 04:10 (Incheon Airport).AREX to Hongik Univ. or Gongdeok, then the Gyeongui–Jungang Line to Munsan.
BusesPaju City split the direct bus route from Seoul into two routes on 29 November 2025; directions written before then describe the old route.Route 9710 from the Sungnyemun stop near Seoul Station Exit 3, up to 1 hour 50 minutes; community bus 058B from Munsan, about 31 minutes (VisitKorea, 2025).
Best forGalleries, books, museums and travelling by car.The DMZ Peace Tour, Korean War history, travelling by train and the Bean Festival.
The DMZA separate trip: DMZ Peace Tour tickets are sold only at Imjingak.On the doorstep: the ticket office opens at 09:00, and the tour runs to the 3rd Tunnel and Dora Observatory.
Opening hoursEach gallery and shop in Heyri sets its own hours and closing days (VisitKorea).Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park open 24 hours; the Peace Gondola to 18:00 on weekdays and 19:00 at weekends and on holidays, closed the first Monday of March, June, September and December; the DMZ Peace Tour, Camp Greaves and Dokgae Bridge closed on Mondays.
Sightseeing within reachHeyri Art Valley, the Heyri Museum of Modern History of Korea, Paju Book City, the Forest of Wisdom and the Letterpress Museum.Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park, the Peace Gondola, Camp Greaves, Dokgae Bridge, DMZ LIVE, the 3rd Tunnel, Dora Observatory and Dorasan Station.
Onward travelNight bus N5700 from Geumchon Station to Incheon Airport at 21:30 and 00:10 (Incheon Airport).Gyeongui–Jungang Line from Munsan to Seoul Station, about an hour, with changes for AREX at Hongik Univ. and Gongdeok.
FeelAn artists' village and a publishers' town.A border park: Korean War bridges, pinwheels on the Hill of Wind and a gondola over the Civilian Control Zone.

Choose Heyri & Paju Book City if

  • You are travelling by car
  • Galleries and artists' workshops are the point of the trip
  • You want bookshops, publishers and the Forest of Wisdom
  • You are doing the DMZ on a different day, or not at all

Choose Imjingak & the DMZ if

  • You are doing the DMZ Peace Tour
  • You are travelling by train
  • You want the Peace Gondola and Camp Greaves
  • You are coming for the Paju Jangdan Bean Festival

Questions visitors ask

Is Heyri or Imjingak better for the DMZ Peace Tour?

Imjingak. Paju City sells DMZ Peace Tour tickets only at the Imjingak DMZ Ticket Office, from 09:00 to 14:30, to people who are there in person with an original ID, and closes early once the day's tickets are sold out. Munsan is about 13 minutes from Imjingak by taxi, VisitKorea says, so a night there puts you at the window for 09:00.

Which is better without a car?

Imjingak and Munsan. Munsan Station is about an hour from Seoul Station on the Gyeongui–Jungang Line, VisitKorea says, with a taxi of about 13 minutes or community bus 058B to Imjingak. Heyri is easiest by car: VisitKorea lists free parking, and Paju City split the direct bus route from Seoul on 29 November 2025.

Can I see Heyri and the DMZ on one trip?

Yes, over two nights. Spend the first in Heyri and Book City for the galleries, bookshops and the Forest of Wisdom, then move to Munsan for the second, so you are at the Imjingak DMZ Ticket Office when it opens at 09:00. Avoid a Monday for the DMZ day: Paju City closes the DMZ Peace Tour every Monday.

Read both in full.

Heyri & Paju Book City guideImjingak & the DMZ guide

Sources & review

Editorial review: · Korea Standard Time