Located in the southern part of the Korean peninsula, Yeosu is a city located on the coast of Jeollanam-do, right beside the city of Suncheon. The city is also well known because of a particular song titled Yeosu Night Sea (여수밤바다 in Korean) which highlights the beauty of Yeosu at night.
How To Go To Yeosu
There are several ways you can travel to Yeosu from Seoul.
Yeosu is home to one of the many domestic airports in Korea, and there are flights from Gimpo Airport to Yeosu Airport via airlines like Asiana or Jin Air. However, flights to Yeosu are more limited as compared to destinations like Busan or Jeju.
Another way to go to Yeosu from Seoul is to take the train. There are direct KTX trains from Seoul station that will bring you to Yeosu-Expo station, which is actually near quite a few Yeosu attractions!
You can also opt for an intercity express bus from the Express Bus Terminal, but as mentioned previously in our Sokcho Travel Guide, tickets can usually only be purchased on the day itself for foreigners, since we don’t have access to local credit card payments.
Driving is also an option if you have an international driving license, and cars can easily be rented via platforms like Klook.
Since Yeosu is located in the Jeollanam-do region, it is also a great spot for a day trip if you’re spending it in areas like Gwangju or Mokpo.
Must-Visit Yeosu Attractions
If you’re thinking of heading to the port city, here are 5 things to do in Yeosu!
Yeosu Art Land
Located right by the ocean, Yeosu Art Land (여수예술랜드) is home to not only a sculpture park, but attractions like a AR 3D Trick Art Museum, a resort, and activities like swings hanging over the ocean!
Here, the thing you shouldn’t miss is the sculpture park (entrance fee 15,000won), which has a sculpture known as Midas’ Hand. It looks similar to the one in Pohang, but here you can climb all the way up to the palm of the hand, and it honestly makes a great photo spot with the ocean as the background.
Within the park, there are also activities such as a swing that sits near the edge, swinging you right above the ocean. There’s also a “high” element activity, where you can walk along the edge of the sculpture park.
Yeosu Art Land (여수예술랜드)
142-1 Musulmok-gil, Dolsan-eup, Yeosu-si
전남 여수시 돌산읍 무술목길 142-1
Mon-Sun, 9am to 6pm
Yeosu Arte Museum
You might have heard of the Arte Museum in Jeju before, and yes, there’s one in Yeosu!
The Yeosu Arte Museum (여수 아르떼뮤지엄), which opened back in Aug 2021, is the 2nd of the line of Arte Museums in Korea. The Jeju outlet has an island theme, while the Yeosu one is ocean themed.
There’s also a third outlet in Gangneung.
The Media Art Museum is filled with lots of photo spots and interactive exhibitions, with most of them surrounding the theme of the ocean.
Entrance fee is 17,000won for adults, 13,000won for youths aged 14 to 19, and 10,000won for kids aged 8 to 13.
Yeosu Arte Museum (여수 아르떼뮤지엄)
전남 여수시 박람회길 1 국제관 A동 3층
Mon-Sun, 10am-8pm, Last Ticket Sales at 7pm
Gosodong 1004 Mural Village
Also known as the Angel Mural Village (천사벽화마을), this village is filled with wall paintings, with styles ranging from webtoon, cartoon, and illustrations! Through these murals, you can learn more about the history and discover some stories.
There are multiple areas in the mural village, each with its own kind of mural, along with cafes and viewpoints that provide a gorgeous view of the neighbourhood, similar to Gamcheon Village in Busan!
Gosodong 1004 Mural Village (천사벽화마을)
268 Gosodong, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do
전남 여수시 고소동 268
Mon-Sun, Open 24hrs
Nangman Pocha
Located right below a bridge is Nangman Pocha, an area filled with lots of iconic, red-tented food stalls, also known as Pochas. Apart from the area below the bridge, the entire street is also packed with pocha-styled restaurants, so it’s quite easy to find a spot to drink and dine.
Hamel Lighthouse is also a short walk away from Nangman Pocha Street, and it’s a great spot to witness the night view of Yeosu.
Nangman Pocha Street (낭만포차거리)
102 Hamel-ro, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do (Right below Geobukseon Bridge)
전남 여수시 하멜로 102 거북선대교아래
Mon-Sun, 6pm-1am (timing differs for stalls along the street)
Yeosu Dolsan Bridge
Known as Yeosu Dolsandaegyo in Korean, the Dolsan Bridge is one of the most representative attractions of Yeosu. At night, the bridge is lit up in multiple colours and many local tourists head to Dolsan park for the best view of the bridge.
Nearby the observatory at Dolsan Park is also Nora Station of the Yeosu Maritime Cable Car, so a popular course is to alight from the cable car and head to the observatory after.
Dolsan Bridge Spot (돌산공원전망좋은곳)
368-25 Udu-ri, Dolsan-eup, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do
전남 여수시 돌산읍 우두리 산368-25
Open 24 hours
What To Do In Yeosu
We hope these 5 Yeosu attractions have given you a rough idea of what to expect when you visit. Here are some other places to consider visiting when in Jeollanam-do:
- Suncheon Travel Guide
- Day Trip to Mokpo
- What To Do in Gwangju
- Gangjin Travel Guide: Farm Stay in Korea
*Special thanks to Korea Tourism Organisation for making this article possible.
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