Yeosu & Suncheon

Harbor night views and a sea cable car made famous by the song "Yeosu Night Sea," paired with the reed beds of Suncheon Bay Wetland, the National Garden and Naganeupseong Folk Village.

Yeosu and Suncheon lie in southeastern Jeollanam-do, South Korea, facing each other across Gwangyang Bay about 40 minutes apart by car, and are often visited together. Yeosu is a port city within Dadohaehaesang National Park, known for its sea views, night scenery and seafood; Suncheon, known for Suncheon Bay Wetland, its National Garden and ancient temples, bills itself as Korea's "ecological capital."

Seasons: camellias on Odongdo Island from Dec to Mar; the Gwangyang Maehwa (plum blossom) Festival and Seonamsa Temple's ancient plum trees in Mar; spring flowers at the National Garden and the new green tea harvest in Boseong in Apr–May; beaches and night outings in summer; golden reeds at Suncheon Bay and autumn leaves at the old temples in Oct–Nov; and wintering hooded cranes in winter. Jul–Sep is typhoon season, when boats and the cable car may be suspended.

Areas to explore: ① central Yeosu – the Maritime Cable Car, Odongdo Island, the Expo site and aquarium, Yi Sun-sin Square and Romantic Pojangmacha Street; ② Dolsando Island – Hyangiram Hermitage and Art Land, plus a ferry to Geumodo Island for its clifftop trail; ③ Suncheon – Suncheon Bay Wetland and National Garden, Waon Beach, Naganeupseong Folk Village and the drama filming set; ④ Jogyesan Mountain – Songgwangsa and Seonamsa temples; ⑤ further afield – Gwangyang's plum blossom village and the Boseong tea plantations.

Getting there: the KTX from Seoul's Yongsan Station takes about 3 hr to Suncheon, then about 20 min more to Yeosu-EXPO Station; Yeosu Airport has flights to and from Seoul Gimpo. KTX trains and buses run between the two cities, but rural sights are poorly served by buses, so renting a car or joining a city tour bus is recommended. Allow 3 days: 1.5 days in Yeosu and 1.5 days in Suncheon. Don't miss Yeosu's soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang), mustard leaf kimchi and the seafood samhap.

Top sights

• Yeosu Maritime Cable Car – Korea's first cable car across the sea, linking Dolsan Park and Jasan Park. Glass-floored crystal cabins offer views of Yeosu Harbor at nig…
• Odongdo Island – The camellia island, connected to the mainland by a breakwater. About 3,000 camellia trees cover the islet, and the loop trail passes sea c…
• Hyangiram Hermitage – A Guanyin shrine built into the cliffs at the southern tip of Dolsan Island, on Geumo Mountain. Climb through rock crevices and stone steps…
• Suncheonman Bay Wetland – One of Korea's largest reed wetlands. Boardwalks wind through golden reed beds, and Yongsan Observatory offers a sunset view of the S-shape…
• Yeosu Night Sea & Nangman Pocha Street – A harbor night scene made famous by the song “Yeosu Night Sea.” Along the shore of Jongpo Ocean Park, numbered tent-wagon stalls serve seaf…
• Yi Sun-sin Square & Jinnamgwan – A square in central Yeosu honoring General Yi Sun-sin, with a replica turtle ship on display. Behind it, Jinnamgwan is a timber building de…
• Yeosu Expo Park & Aqua Planet Yeosu – The former site of the 2012 Yeosu Expo. The Aqua Planet aquarium has beluga whales, and the offshore Big-O structure puts on a light-and-wa…
• Yeosu Art Land – A sculpture park and resort on the sea cliffs of Dolsan Island. The giant “Hand of Midas” suspended over the water is a popular photo spot.
• Geumodo Bireong Trail – A coastal cliff trail on Geumodo, an island off Yeosu. Five sections total about 18.5 km, and it is rated one of Korea's most beautiful tra…
• Manseongri Black Sand Beach – A rare black-sand beach on the north side of central Yeosu. Locals enjoy sand-burial baths, and the Yeosu Ocean Rail Bike runs alongside.
• Suncheonman Bay National Garden – Korea's first national garden, converted from the venue of the 2013 International Garden Expo. It features international theme gardens and…
• Waon Beach – A tidal-flat sunset spot on the east shore of Suncheon Bay, where the setting sun lights up the mudflats and an offshore islet. It is a pop…
• Naganeupseong Folk Village – A Joseon-era walled town where people still live. The stone wall encloses hundreds of thatched houses, and you can climb the wall for views…
• Songgwangsa Temple – The “Sangbo” temple, the Sangha Jewel among Korea's Three Jewel Temples. A major monastery on the western slope of Mount Jogye, it produced…
• Seonamsa Temple – One of the UNESCO-listed “Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea.” The Seungseon Bridge over the stream and its reflection form Kore…
• Suncheon Open Film Set – A large film location recreating Suncheon's streets from the 1950s to the 1980s, along with Seoul's Moon Village. You can rent school unifo…
• Gwangyang Maehwa Village – A plum-blossom village on the hillsides along the Seomjin River. White plum trees cover the slopes every March, creating Korea's earliest s…
• Boseong Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation – The best-known tea estate in Boseong, Korea's largest green tea region. Terraced tea rows cover the hillsides, and the entrance is lined wi…

Where to eat

• Hwangso Sikdang – A popular old restaurant on Crab Sauce Street in Bongsan-dong, Yeosu, serving soy-marinated and spicy stone crab with a…
• Geumbin Hoegwan – A well-known meat patty set meal restaurant opposite Suncheon City Hall; each set comes with a patty, steamed egg, soup…
• Gubaek Sikdang – A century-old shop beside Yeosu's passenger ship terminal, the original home of seodaehoe raw sole salad, with grilled…
• Geonbong Gukbap – An old soup rice shop beside Suncheon's Lower Market for over thirty years; pork head and offal soup rice with homemade…

Itineraries

• Southern Coast Road Trip: Busan to Mokpo – Drive west along the Dadohae (Archipelago) coast, from Geoje and Tongyeong to Namhae, Yeosu, Suncheon, and Mokpo.