Yeosu

Introduction

Yeosu is a coastal city in Jeonnam-Gwangju, South Korea. Sitting on the coast, it makes an easy base for exploring this part of the country.

Before you go

Yeosu spreads across a peninsula and a chain of islands, with districts separated by mountains and ocean. The compact central business district sits around Jungang-dong and the harbour overlooking Dolsan Bridge. West of the harbour, through a mountain tunnel, Yeoseo-dong is a roughly circular neighbourhood nestled between mountains with a small downtown at its centre, while much further west Ssangbong-dong holds City Hall, a smaller port and tourist hotels. South across Dolsan Bridge, the larger islands of the Yeosu chain are linked in a rough circle by a road well served by public transport, and most of the city's attractions lie along this ring road. East of the harbour is the site of the Yeosu 2012 World Expo, where the Korail train station is located. To the north lies the land access to the city and the industrial areas, and a thin urban corridor between the harbour, Yeoseo-dong and the north holds mostly housing along with an E-mart and the Intercity Bus Terminal.

The city has a history of loyalty: it was home to the headquarters of the South Jeolla Province Navy Base, and Admiral Yi Sun Shin invented the Geobukseon, or turtle ship, while serving as Navy Commander during the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 16th century. Thanks to sea winds and a warm current, Yeosu has cool summers and mild winters, with longer springs and autumns than other regions. It is developing like most of Korea but keeps a small-town charm that is vanishing from the country.

Getting there

Yeosu is served by air, bus and rail. Yeosu Airport (RSU) has Korean Air and Asiana flights to and from Gimpo Airport in Seoul, with up to eight departures a day; Korean Air also flies between Yeosu and Jeju on Fridays and Sundays. The airport has an information desk, a convenience store, cafes and car rental, and buses and inexpensive taxis connect it to the downtown (shinae), a drive of up to an hour.

The express bus terminal links Yeosu with most bus routes across Korea: around 5½ hours to Seoul's Central City terminal and 2 hours to Gwangju. There are two main terminals, one in the middle of the city and one in the Yeocheon neighbourhood on the west end, plus a minor terminal in the Deogyang neighbourhood to the north. By rail, the main station is Yeosu Expo Station, the southernmost stop on the Honam line, with the smaller Yeocheon Station one stop before it. KTX high-speed trains run to Yeosu, taking about 3 hours 20 minutes from Seoul; check the Korail website for schedules, fares and bookings.

Getting around

Yeosu is compact enough that the central business district is easy to cover on foot, and taxis are the simplest way to make short hops within it, since fares are cheap. The complication is the water: the city is split by a bridge, and that crossing shapes every trip. Taxis are strongly discouraged for bridge crossings, because the bottleneck produces some of the worst traffic jams in Korea despite the city's small size. If you end up stuck in a jam in a taxi or on a bus, it can be faster to get out, walk across the bridge, and rejoin public transport on the far side.

The bus system is convenient in coverage but awkward in practice. Bus stops are meant to post the routes serving them and their stops, but most of these postings have been vandalised, and those that survive are strictly in Korean, so a translation app or a local's help is useful. Once you are south of the main bridge, most buses follow a similar route, making it easy to hop on and off in whichever direction you want to go; the exception is a branch where half the buses turn south-east to stop at the hermitage while the rest continue south around the island chain. If you remember only one route, make it the 111, which zig-zags from the Intercity Bus Terminal to Hyangiram Hermitage via Jinnamgwan and the harbour, crossing the Dolsan Bridge and calling at many of the tourism attractions on the southern islands.

Where to stay

For a cheap bed, head to a local jimjilbang (찜질방), a bathhouse with a communal room where you sleep on the floor. Ask a taxi driver for the nearest one. In Yeoseodong, Sporex (스포렉스) sits on the fourth floor of the main nightlife strip, a gym with a tiny jjimjilbang attached. It has showers rather than a spa and only limited lockers, but the sleeping room upstairs is quite pleasant; because it is a smaller place, you can expect a better night's sleep and a greater chance of getting a sleeping mat and headrest cube.

Mid-range hotels cluster around Hak-dong, Chungmu-dong, Konghwa-dong and Soho-dong. Belagio Tourist Hotel in Hak-dong has ocean-view rooms near the Soho-dong yacht marina; Nobles Hotel, also in Hak-dong, has a sky lounge and business centre; Eastern Jewelry Hotel is in Chungmu-dong; and Chambord Hotel in Konghwa-dong is decent, though reviews mention noisy rooms and weak water pressure. Motels are everywhere in the city and reasonably priced, mainly used by locals, and many have modern, clean rooms and suites. For a splurge, The Ocean Resort on Soho-ro in Soho-dong offers condominium-style rooms and overlooks the yacht marina and its own waterpark.

Food & drink

What to see and do

Start at Hyangiram Hermitage, a temple-like complex built into the side of a cliff, where thin trails wind through tight caves and under twisted evergreens on the way to views over the sea and the scattered islands of the peninsula. The turtle is its symbol, drawn from the hexagonal pattern in the rocks, and the monks have carved a small army of stone turtles to match. It sits in a corner of the islands designated as a national park. Near Dolsan Bridge you can walk around the inside of a full-sized replica turtle ship, fitted out with mannequins acting out daily life at sea. Jinnamgwan, Korea's largest single-storey wooden pavilion, has a small museum attached and stands a short climb up the hill from the plaza beside the harbour.

Cross Dolsan Bridge at night for the changing lights and the city's famed night view, then climb to Dolsan Park for an even more striking one; the area around the bridge is thick with seafood restaurants and cafes. Odong Island and the waters off Dolsan Bridge are the departure points for cruises hopping the islands of Hallyeo Ocean Park. In town, West Market has been the largest traditional market in Yeosu for over a century, selling marine products, clothing and meat. For a swim, Manseongri is the country's only black sand beach, lined with restaurants and cafes, and the coast road between it and the train station passes Marae Tunnel, the only natural rock tunnel in Korea. Soho-dong has a yacht marina with restaurants and cafes along the coast, while Mount Gubong in Yeoseo-dong and Jasan Park, with its statue of Yi Sun Shin, both offer views over the city. The Ocean Resort waterpark has indoor and outdoor pools and slides, plus spa, restaurants and shops.

When to go

Yeosu has a humid subtropical climate, so the season you choose shapes your trip considerably. Summer is very warm but far wetter than the rest of the year, with heavy downpours likely to disrupt outdoor plans; pack for wet conditions and keep some flexibility in your itinerary.

Winter is cold, and the coldest spells can bring temperatures well below freezing. It is also the driest stretch of the year, so rain is less of a concern than the chill — bring warm layers if you visit then.

Three days in Yeosu

Day one: Start in Yeosu itself, getting your bearings around the Jungang neighbourhood and the West and Yeoseo districts, where much of the city's everyday life plays out. Walk or ride out to Dolsan Bridge for the crossing to the island side and its coastal views. In the evening, settle into the Yeoseo area for seafood and a slow look at the harbour lights.

Day two: Give the day to the World Expo site and the waterfront around it, then head for the South Jeolla Province Navy Base and the Admiral Yi Sun Shin and Geobukseon displays that tell the story of the Navy Commander and the Japanese invasions of Korea. Round things off near City Hall or in the Ssangbong area, where the streets stay busy into the night.

Day three: Use the morning for anything you missed in the East or South districts, then plan your onward move. Korail trains and intercity buses link Yeosu with Gwangju and the rest of Jeonnam, while Yeosu Airport, served by Korean Air and Asiana, connects to Gimpo Airport, Seoul and Jeju. If you are heading out by bus, the Intercity Bus Terminal and the Central City routes are the ones to check; Yeocheon and Deogyang sit along the way.