What to Do in Yeosu
I will say this first, I did enjoy my time in Yeosu. However, I kind of wish I would have spent the majority of my time in neighboring Suncheon as opposed to Yeosu. Oh well, more on that in the upcoming Suncheon post. Here is What to do in Yeosu!
Island Hopping
I would say this is the main highlight of Yeosu. Yeosu is pretty well connected (unlike Tongyeong, another city with a lot of islands nearby). The easiest island to get to is Odongdo, you can literally walk there from the mainland. It’s the one most known to have Camellia flowers, it’s one of the few places I saw a couple in bloom during my time.
Beautiful Camellias! One of my favorite flowers, but sadly they were only just starting to bloom at this time.
Another island that’s easy to get to is Dolsan. This one has a really nice bridge you can take a bus across, or you can opt for the (frankly easier) cable car from Yeosu to Dolsan. It’s pretty short but it offers some lovely views. I highly, highly recommend that if you go for it, buy a return ticket (only 3k won more). The nearest bus stop is at the bottom of the giant hill and the bus is very infrequent. Don’t be like me and be forced to re-climb the stupid hill and beg for a discounted return ticket. They were super nice and helpful (it probably happens a lot) but it was an inconvenience and I was exhausted from the unexpected climb.
A view of Odongdo on the way to Dolsan 🙂
Although I didn’t have time to visit, the islands of Geumodo and Sado look fun too! An additional stop I really, really wish I would have had time for is on Dolsan. If you can squeeze it in, go to Hyangiram, a temple on the coast with gorgeous views through rock formations. I was fully planning to go here, but after my hike back up Dolsan I simply couldn’t manage.
Head to the Beach!
There are several beaches in Yeosu, but I headed for Manseong-ri that was further away and less likely to be crowded. Additionally it was a black sand beach, which I had never seen before so I was intrigued. Turns out “black sand” is code for “basically dirt.” But it is pretty cool and the views were made all the more gloomy and misty. There was literally no one there so I really enjoyed my 30 minute hangout! Some of the other beach options are Mossageum and Jangdeung, both more popular although the latter is quite far away from the central area (about an hour?).
The absolutely gorgeous black sand beach on a misty morning.
Yi Sun Shin Everything
This is the hometown of Yi Sun Shin, probably the second most famous figure in Korea after King Sejong. Check out this video series to understand how cool he was! If you are interested in visiting more places connected to General Yi, Tongyeong also has a lot of stuff as he spent a lot of time planning the Korean defenses against the Japanese there.
Anywho. The central area known as Yi Sun Shin Square is worth a look around. There’s not a ton to do, but you can look around the inside of the famed Turtle Ships. You’ll also likely run into it at some point if you are wandering around Yeosu 🙂
A last minute walkthrough of Yeosu led me here, an actually rather impressive statue of Yi Sun Shin
Cool Winding Villages with Cafes GaloreÂ
Cheonsabyeokhwa Village was definitely the highlight of my trip to Yeosu. I’ve recently come to really love these small well-preserved villages that, to me, give a much better glimpse at the Korean way of life up until very recently. Tongyeong also has a similarly excellent village.
Yeosu by night, from a lovely cafe window!
Head to one of the many cafes in this area and get some gorgeous rooftop and window views. They’re also really peaceful and ripe for introspection (which I should generally avoid but hey :P).
I hope this has given you an idea of what to do in Yeosu!
Check out my other posts!
Korea’s Pyramids? Gyeongju in a Weekend!
Hanging Out and Drinking in Cognac, France
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