Haeinsa Temple

Haeinsa Temple

Haeinsa Temple
4.5
About
The depository of Tripitaka Koreana, the famous collection of Buddhist texts on woodblocks.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles203 reviews
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119
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67
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15
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macedonboy
Glasgow, UK186,190 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Friends
This place is known for holding a complete version of Tripiáą­aka Koreana carved into wooden blocks, containing a complete version of Buddhist text, and the oldest written in the chinese script used for Korean writing before Hangul. Some of the wooden blocks are visible in the storage, which are buildings built with gaps in between pillars to allow for ventilation and help preserve the blocks.

Directly in front of this building is the Great Hall of Tranquil Light. Despite being the most prominent of the temples in the complex, it does not house an image of the Buddha. The presiding image is of the Vairocana Buddha. Most of the temples exhibit sophisticated architectural style of the Sill period with projecting dougongs, five armed non-load bearing dougongs are the corners and the signature green, blue and red colours associated with Korean architecture of this period. Subsidiary temple honour many other Buddhas of Korean Buddhism, including Amitabh and Nahanjonja etc
Written May 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TravelerTrecker
Houston827 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2019
To me, the visit to the temple of Haeinsa was the highlight of my visit to South Korea. We stayed in Korea for 9 days. we dedicated the last day to visit the Temple of Haeinsa.
We were at the Park Hyatt in Busan. We took a taxi to the train station (30 minutes) and from there, we took the train to Daegu (45 minutes). In Daegu we visited the tourist office outside the train station. The staff was very friendly and gave us clear instructions on how to reach the Temple of Haeinsa. We took the metro to the bus station (30 minutes) and over there we bought bus tickets to the temple (80 minutes). We arrived by 1200 pm. The bus stopped close to the temple. A lovely lady went inside the bus and sold the tickets to visit the temple (very cheap). The bus drove to the temple entrance and the visit started. The temple is magnificent. The colors are bright! The location is stunning in the middle of the forest! There is nothing around the temple just the forest! It was during the fall; the colors were beautiful! The gates are impressive! The shrines are very well kept and really nice. The most spectacular part is in the top where you will find the shrines of the Korean Tripitaka, the Buddhist cannon. The history is fantastic. You can see the Tripitaka though the windows and a small door that was open when we visited.

We visited on a Sunday. We were alone. There were no tours, occasionally we saw independent tourists. We had the temple for ourselves. It was magical just to be alone in such a magnificent place. The weather was perfect with blue skies, warm temperature and minimal humidity. It was mid-September 2019. We had some juice and cookies at the temple; they were delicious and the staff was just lovely.

We went back in the same way. You have to take the bus at the bus stop where there is kiosk with the bus schedule. The kiosk is unattended however, at the time of the bus arrival, the ticket seller arrives to sell you the tickets; do not worry if you do not see anybody at the kiosk. We left by 440 pm. Once at the Busan train station, we took the subway to the Park Hyatt (15 minutes walk from the subway station to the hotel).

It is a UNESCO site.

It is memorable place and time!
Written June 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

berdavmat
Fréjus, France47 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Solo
I have seen a lot of temples in my life, it is certainly one of the most beautiful I have seen.
In an idyllic setting with great walks to take
And although maps does not give good timetables there is a bus every hour from Daegu bus station
Google
Written March 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

muparis
Paris, France127 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2012 • Friends
A wonderful but exhausting experience.
I think you should seriously consider the option of sleeping in haeinsa. It provides a fascinating glimpse inside Korean Buddhist culture. Ceremonies in the evening and during the night (3am) are fantastic, specially the drumming before them that you can't attend during the day. To have these privilege you'll have to share same sex dormitories with traditional sleeping on the floor.
Caution: the temple is 1,5km away from the haeinsa bus terminal and you'll have climb up an hill, which can be pretty exhausting if you have a big suitcase. In that case I highly suggest to take a taxi.
Written November 4, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sosuma
Lisbon, Portugal460 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2013
I did a one night stay at Haeinsa and it was the highlight of my trip to South Korea. The temple is set in a beautiful area with scenic surroundings and other beautiful temples within walking distance. The staff working at the temple are lovely and helpful. The accomodation is simple but clean, bathroom facilities are adequate but not sure if they are suitable for a long term stay. The shower in my dorm room was not working but I believe there are shared facilities within the temple grounds that you can use. There are rules that must be followed if you stay here, but if you do the freestyle program they are pretty basic such as having meals at stipulated times and attending ceremonies, plus you must be as quiet as possible if you stay at the temple, especially during meal times. The food is simple and vegetarian. Its not for everyone but its the experience of eating with the monks that makes it worthwhile. Bedding is thin mattress on floor and duvet, nothing luxurious, but comfortable enough for a nights stay. Make sure you take the time to visit surrounding temples and the grounds as its beautiful, peaceful and a wonderful location. The cafe at the entrance to the temple is slightly expensive but worth a visit, the friendly guy who runs it makes great honey bread and refreshing drinks. His english is excellent and he is good for a chat. Book through the temple stay website.
Written May 27, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tonydalbon
Brighton, UK15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2018 • Solo
I took the bus from Busan to get here in Gayasan National Park. It took a while but it was a very pleasant journey. I took the Bus to Goryeong, from the Sasang Intercity Bus Station; on the Green line. Once in Goryeong bus station I took the direct bus to Haeinsa Temple. The last stop. The village is lovely...surrounded by mountains and woods. I decided to stay 3 nights and I could have stayed more to be honest. It's a perfect place to relax. Also great food, and a couple of nice Cafes. The Sunjae Cafe', right in your way to the temple, is perfect for a coffee break and they sell a lot of local products.
I hope you find this review useful.
Written April 18, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Omusubi
204 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Some say this is the most famous, others say it is one of the three most famous temples in Korea. It is located an hour and 20 minutes by bus from Korea's third largest city Daegu, in the beautiful Kaya Mountains. As the whole area is a national park, from the entrance of the park up to the village where all the inns are, the road goes along a river, and the scenery in autumn must be breathtaking. ( We just missed the foliage and the leaves had all fallen but it was still beautiful.) The village to the Haeinsa Temple is a 15 minute walk uphill. We had come with the intention of staying overnight in the village so we were able to watch the 5:50 p.m. drum (taiko) ritual performed by the monks, and sit in the 6:20 ish p.m. Chanting in the main temple (Daejeokgwangjeon). Haeinsa's storage hall of the Tripitaka Koreana (80,000 wood blocks ) is designated a National Treasure by UNESCO. Our friend who took us there had previously done a temple stay at Haeinsa which she enjoyed tremendously.
Be sure to make the extra effort to also see the Paengnyon Am Temple which is located 20 or 30 minutes on foot further up the mountain from the Haeinsa. It was the most magical and beautiful temple any one of us had EVER seen or visited. We were lucky in that the owner of our lodge had given us a ride up there as the road uphill is very steep, but we would do it on foot again if we have to. This Paengnyon Am temple being perched so high up on the mountain, towering serenely with the backdrop of even taller cliffs make it so so very special. Makes you speechless!
Written November 25, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

swiss3
Switzerland346 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2018 • Couples
It is easy to get by bus here. You have every 40 minutes a bus.
The bus station at Haeinsa is exactly 1.2km away from the temple and is a easy 15 minutes walk. The bus station is on the main street (Gayasan road), where the walking path towards the temple begins. The bus station is near the sales stalls for souvenirs and food and the picknick-area.
The GPS-coordinates for the station are: 35°47'31.7"N 128°05'36.8"E
The bus ticket can be purchased at the bus station Haeinsa (it has a small booth beside the bus stop sign - otherwise also in the bus)
Written May 10, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CirilB
Ljubljana, Slovenia365 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2017 • Friends
The place is in the national park and is part of Unesco world heritage. It is well preserved and maintained. The place stores an important part of Korean history - wooden printing tablets.
Written October 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Italian_kilt
London, UK393 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2013 • Couples
I booked via the temple stay website and was also able to reconfirm the booking direct with the temple.
After checking in we were shown to our room. It was large with an ensuite shower wet room.
There were lots of mattresses and duvets in the room so we could make our own beds.
We did the free style stay as we were travelling around South Korea and couldn't work the scheduled temple program into our travel itinerary.
With this free style stay we were able to have free time to walk around the temple grounds looking at the various buildings plus hiking to nearby hermitages.
At the set time we went for our dinner that we ate in the same dining room with the monks. The food was vegetarian and delicious.
After the meal we watched a drum ceremony plus the monks praying inside a temple. After this we and the other visitors spent some time with a monk talking which was enjoyable.
The next morning we had a delicious breakfast before leaving.
The temple setting was peaceful in a beautiful location. If we visit South Korea we would stay here again but for the scheduled temple stay.
Written April 15, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon-Gun

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