Yeosu is a city of history and loyalty where the headquarters of South Jeolla Province Navy Base was located, and “a turtle ship” to save the country while serving as the Navy Command when Japan invaded Korea in the16th century.
The city of Yeosu consists of the Yeosu peninsula as well as 317 islands.
Lying about midway along the southern coast of South Korea, Yeosu has cool summers and mild winters thanks to the sea wind and warm current. Its ocean climate also brings Yeosu relatively longer springs and autumns than other regions.
(Reference: https://wikitravel.org/en/Yeosu)
Yeosu has its own airport and KTX station, you can visit by plane or catch the KTX from Seoul. But we are traveling from Geoje island which is about a 2-hour drive to Yeosu.
My List of Thing to do in Yeosu:
1. Hyangiram Hermitage (향일암)
We like to visit temples, and this is absolutely a MUST GO if you are in Yeosu.
The temple itself is located on the sides of a cliff and the entire complex is connected by a series of very thin trails winding their way through tight caves. The temple is way down south, it’s about an hour drive from Yeosu city. There are many Kimchi shops and coffee/gift shops on the way up to the temple.
2. Yeosu Maritime Cable Car (Odong Island (오동도) is one of the most famous small islands in Yeosu. You can drive, or take a cable car to the island)
The Cable car offers you a great view above the sea crossing to/from Dolsan island (Cost about 18,000won-22,000won for the round trip ride.
The Cable car is located in the downtown area, there are many restaurants/markets, even a Lotte Mart when you drive over the bridge.
3. Odong Island(오동도), I was planning to drive to this island because I didn’t know we can do it by cable car. But I’m glad we did the walk from the Cable car station to this island. The island would be much more beautiful during camellia blooming (Mar-May?).
I’ve read “DON’T MISS THE DRAGON CAVE”, but we missed it because they closed the cave on the day we visited (Not sure because it was a slippery day or because of the pandemic, the lighthouse was closed too). But it was nice to walk around the island anyway!
4. The Marae Tunnel 2, this is a mud wall tunnel in Korea.
The tunnel looks like it’s under construction or not finished yet, and it’s only one lane in-out! There is a traffic light on both sides of the tunnel, we have to wait for the green light to drive thru the tunnel to the other side. It’s fun to ride thru the tunnel and see the other cars are waiting for their green light to drive back!
Riding thru the tunnel from the city side, you will reach the Ocean Rail Bike & Black Sand Beach!
5. Ocean Rail Bike (WE MISSED IT!!! it was raining), the rail bike along the coast for about 1 km and they said you will ride to a tunnel with some light shows (sounds fun) You can buy the ticket online if you are planning to do it in Yeosu.
(Picture from https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1998500)
6. Manseongri Black Sand Beach(만성리) is next to the Ocean railbike. The beach is not good for swimming but good for walking around. Along the beach road, there are many local seafood restaurants and shops, this would be a good idea for lunch or dinner if you would like to try Korean Seafood!
7. Bokgaedo Island, this was not on my list but the pension that we stayed in Yeosu was right next to this Island, and we could see the island from the main street. When its high tide, the path to the island is underwater, but when it’s low tide, the sand bridge will appear and we can walk to the island!
We stopped to walk over the island and we can see many Korean people bringing their kids to find the (small) crabs there. So this would be a good outdoor activity idea if you travel with young children. The Island itself is nothing much to see…
Well, there are more things to do in Yeosu, like the Fish Market or Ocean Cruise and Parachute, and Yeosu Aquarium (they said it’s a very nice aquarium to visit), but we had limited time and we planned a day trip to Purple Island!
What to eat???
There are so many restaurants around Yeosu, and more options in the main street in Yeosu downtown including the fish market and the MUST SEE/MUST TRY food on Instagram (example: Yeosu Dang, Ice-cream, and french bread sandwich)….
Yeosu is very famous for its seafood. I’m a big fan of Korean Crab marinated (Kan-Jang-Kay-Jang), this is one of the top 3 to eat in Yeosu!
You will see many crab marinated restaurants but we went to the one that listed as #1 in TripAdvisor “Kkottol Gejang“, (near the Yeosu Downtown) and I was so happy that Tim took me there!
Dolsan Kimchi is one of MUST BUY in Yeosu. It looks like kale kimchi, I bought some back for myself and my Korean friend (Tammy). I think I like the cabbage (normal) kimchi better.
***Good place to buy and try Kimchi is at the Temple #1 Hyangiram Hermitage (향일암), they let you try before you buy it.
Where to stay:
I saw the Seno Calm, the fancy hotel (next to Odongdo Island, Cable Car, Aquarium, Airport, KTX station, and not too far from downtown). I wish I can stay there with my dog (Pets are not allowed.)!!!
One in my list is also 153 HiClass (하이클래스153), this also famous for its Cafe (with High swing).
I was planning to visit the cafe for the swing (you can buy a drink and get a free ticket to ride the swing. There are dresses for rent at 5000won. The review said the infinity pool here is very nice too!
Too bad pets are not allowed!
So we stayed at a Pension, pets are allowed here! The house is located in a small farm (in the countryside), it’s about a 20-minute ride to the main street (for coffee!), and it’s about a 30-minute ride to Yeosu Downtown.
The house has about 3-4 rooms, connecting walls, duplex style. It was nice to stay only 1-2 nights, the owner was nice to us (we asked for early check-in and a little late check-out). It was about 80,000won per night in early September (no extra charge for pets, price depends on the season).
We had stayed in Pension once in Gyeongju, so we knew what we had to pack if we are going to stay at the pension.
So we brought our own pillows, blanket, towels, paper cups, paper plates, plastic spoons, water bottles, iPhone chargers, and all travel bathroom stuff (toothpaste, toothbrushes, shaver etc).
Most of the pensions provide this stuff, but I think I like to use my own.
I was having a hard time with the smell from the AC in the pension when we turned it on, so we stopped at Daiso and get air spray and candle, it helps!
The bed was low and not that comfy (hard), I felt like if we breathed too hard, we can break that bed LOL!
The first night there was a little hard because the next room was 5-6 young Korean guys, they were making BBQ in front of the pension, swimming! They talked and sang in their room until midnight, we could hear them all that thru the wall…it was a nightmare!
Good thing they left in the morning and we had slept on the 2nd night peacefully…
There are more options for Pension with pets that are allowed in Yeosu, you can check on the Airbnb app.
