I believe I might be the only person since Els who visited both villages (at least among the reviewers). I visited Hahoe (Andong) in 2011, just after inscription and now I've completed the set with a visit to Yangdong (Gyeongju) in 2025. I will only cover the two villages, as the key associated Seowon (Oksan, Byeongsan) were inscribed again in 2019. Yangdong has been made modestly accessible to visitors (visitor center / museum), while maintaining its traditional character. Tourist trap, Yangdong is surely not. When you have infrequent buses in Korea, this will prevent the vast majority of city-dwellers from venturing out to the countryside. Therefore, I believe Yangdong specifically will not be overwhelmed by tourism in the foreseeable future. Moreover, the iconic sites of Gyeongju are nearby, which pre-occupies most domestic tourists.

Once you receive your ticket (WHS memento) at either village, you will be given a map. My advice (which is reflected in other reviews as well) is mark a couple key places as destinations to walk toward and then simply go explore. You might not see all of the best-preserved historic houses (if your time is restricted to 1-2 hours), but you will surely get a sense of the village and what makes it special.

Some of the best Yangban houses have been designated as treasures, making them ideal destinations within the village.

Treasure Designations

Yangdong Village

Mucheomdang House (Treasure)

Hyangdan House (Treasure)

Gwangajeong House (Treasure)

Hahoe Village

Yangjindang House (Treasure)

Chunghyodang House (Treasure)

Yangdong Bus Schedule (area highlighted in RED is most important as those times are the buses departing Yangdong back to Gyeongju, don't miss it!)

Flickr Album