Buyeo one-week stay: a rice-field farmhouse in Baekje's last capital
"Is there a quiet place in Korea where I can live in a real country house for a week, not just visit one?"
"Can I see Baekje history without rushing back to Seoul the same day?"
"Will an old Korean house be warm enough in late autumn?"
"What would I even do in the countryside for six nights?"
Most visitors see Buyeo (부여) on a day trip: a bus from Seoul, a walk around a fortress and a lotus pond, then the long ride back. That is a shame, because this small county in Chungcheongnam-do (충청남도) was the last royal capital of the Baekje (백제) kingdom, and its real charm shows up slowly. A Buyeo one-week stay in a countryside house lets you see the UNESCO sites on calm weekdays and come home to a lawn yard and open rice fields every evening.
This guide covers what a week in rural Buyeo looks like in late autumn and early winter, how to get there and around, and one real short-term rental, a remodelled farmhouse between Buyeo and Nonsan (논산).
Why a week in Buyeo instead of a day trip
Buyeo, then called Sabi, was the capital of Baekje from 538 to 660. Its fortress, temple site and royal tombs are part of the Baekje Historic Areas, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. On a single day trip you see the highlights, but you spend most of the day on a bus.
With a week, history becomes something you visit in the morning, not something you race through.
The rest of the time, rural Buyeo is simply peaceful. Rice paddies, low tiled roofs and quiet village lanes make it a good fit for people taking a career break, couples who want to slow down, or friends who want a shared house with a yard. If you have ever wanted to try Korean countryside living before committing to anything bigger, this is an easy place to test it.
Where the house sits, and how to get there
The house featured below is in a farming village in southern Buyeo County, close to the border with Nonsan. Buyeo town is about 20 minutes by car, and downtown Nonsan is about 10 minutes. The nearest convenience store is around 4 km away, so this is a true countryside location rather than a town flat.
Plan on a car, or at least a few days of one.
Intercity buses from Seoul reach Buyeo in roughly 2 hours, and trains from Yongsan Station stop at Nonsan Station (논산역) on the Honam Line. From either town you can take a taxi to the house, but a rental car makes daily life and day trips much simpler. Foreign drivers will need an International Driving Permit. The host also notes there is an army aviation school nearby, so you may hear the occasional helicopter.
Baekje day trips from your front door
According to the host, Buyeo, Gongju (공주) and Nonsan are all within roughly 20–30 minutes by car. That means you can plan one easy outing a day and still be home for an early dinner in the yard.
① Buyeo town: the heart of the old capital.
Walk up Busosanseong Fortress (부소산성) to Nakhwaam Rock (낙화암), which looks down on the Baengmagang River (백마강). In town, the five-story stone pagoda at Jeongnimsa Temple Site (정림사지) is one of the oldest in Korea, and Gungnamji Pond (궁남지) is a 7th-century royal pond that is lovely for an evening walk. Baekje Cultural Land (백제문화단지) recreates a Baekje palace and village on a large scale.
② Gongju: the earlier Baekje capital.
Gongsanseong Fortress (공산성) wraps around a hill above the Geumgang River (금강), and the walk along its walls is one of the best in the region. Gongju was Baekje's capital before Buyeo, so the two towns tell one continuous story.
③ Nonsan: temples, a lake and a big market.
Gwanchoksa Temple (관촉사) is known for its huge stone Buddha statue, and Tapjeong Lake (탑정호) has a long suspension bridge over the water. Several guests also used the house as a base for longer trips to Gunsan (군산) and Sejong (세종).
Living like a local: markets, cooking and a fire pit
The best part of a countryside week is often the time you spend at home. Hwaji Central Market (화지중앙시장) in Nonsan is about 10 minutes away by car, and guests describe it as bigger than they expected. Buy vegetables, fish and side dishes, then cook in a full kitchen instead of eating out three times a day.
Here, the view from the yard is the cafe.
The house has a barbecue setup and a fire pit on the lawn, so evenings often end with grilled meat and a slow fire. Try Buyeo's local specialty, yeonnip-bap (연잎밥), rice steamed in a lotus leaf, at least once in town. After dinner, the farm roads between the paddies make a quiet loop for a sunset walk.
Late autumn and early winter in a Korean country house
In November, daytime highs in this part of Chungcheongnam-do are usually around 10 °C, and nights can drop close to freezing. Korean homes are heated through the floor with ondol (온돌), a traditional underfloor heating system, and many rural houses run it on an oil boiler. A guest who stayed in early winter found the house comfortable thanks to electric blankets, but noted that the floors in some spots felt cool.
A few small preparations make a winter week much cosier.
✔️ Pack warm indoor slippers, or buy a pair at a local market
✔️ Bring or buy firewood in advance if you want to use the fire pit, since it is hard to find near the market
✔️ Check that heating and utilities are included in the total price
✔️ Make sure the house has a washing machine and enough bedding for cold nights
✔️ Confirm the internet speed if you plan to work remotely (the host says Wi-Fi here is strong)
✔️ Read recent reviews from guests who stayed in the same season
From December, Nonsan's strawberry farms start their season, which gives you one more reason to stay a little longer.
One week vs one month: what the numbers look like
Short-term rentals in Korea are priced by length of stay, so the nightly rate drops as you stay longer. For the house featured below, a 6-night stay comes to KRW 600,000 (approx. USD 440) with utilities included. That is about KRW 100,000 (approx. USD 74) per night for a whole house with two bedrooms and a yard.
Stay 30 nights and the nightly cost falls by almost a third.
The same house for 30 nights is KRW 2,100,000 (approx. USD 1,560) with utilities included, or about KRW 70,000 (approx. USD 52) per night. Split between two or three friends and combined with home cooking, a month of rural living can cost less than many people expect.
A real short-term rental in Buyeo — guest review
[Country living] Lawn-yard private house, countryside healing stay (Listing ID : 4893)
Deposit KRW 300,000 (approx. USD 220) for 6 nights or more (same for 30 nights or more)
KRW 600,000 (approx. USD 440) for 6 nights (utilities included), about KRW 100,000 (approx. USD 74) per night
KRW 2,100,000 (approx. USD 1,560) for 30 nights (utilities included), about KRW 70,000 (approx. USD 52) per night
⭐ 4.9 rating from 36 reviews
approx. 73 ㎡ (22 pyeong) | detached single-storey house | 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 bathroom | 1 queen bed and 2 single beds
This is an old village house that the owner remodelled and decorated, keeping the exposed wooden rafters and a wooden veranda along the front. The host recommends it for people who want a quiet rest, a taste of farm life before moving to the countryside, or a grandparents' house experience for children.
🌿 A private house with its own lawn yard, a vegetable patch and space for a fire pit.
🌿 Strong internet, a water purifier and a barbecue setup, so it works for a workation too.
🌿 Each bedroom has its own air conditioner, and pets may be allowed on request.
The village is quiet and safe, and on summer nights you can hear frogs in the paddies. Guests mention spotless kitchen and bathroom, plenty of dishes, and a kind host who answers questions quickly.
For a slow week in Baekje country, this house puts the rice fields right outside your door.
📍 Recent guest review (October 2026 · 원** · ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, translated from Korean)
Three of us stayed here for ten days, and the sunny yard and wide-open rice-field view made us smile the moment we arrived. We took day trips to Gongju, Buyeo, Nonsan and even Gunsan and Sejong, but the house itself was such a good view spot that we skipped most cafes and spent our evenings grilling, sitting by the fire and walking the paddy paths.
Finding a short-term rental in Buyeo on Liveanywhere
Liveanywhere is a Korean short-term rental platform built for stays of one week or longer. Most homes are fully furnished with a kitchen, washing machine and bedding, and contracts are signed electronically, so you can book before you land in Korea.
You choose your own dates beyond the one-week minimum, and the platform-wide average deposit is around KRW 300,000 (approx. USD 220). That makes it easy to compare a farmhouse in Buyeo with a flat in Gongju or a house closer to Nonsan.
Wake up to the fields, spend the morning in a 1,400-year-old capital, and come home to a fire in your own yard.