Gukje Market

South Korea

　　West of Nampo-dong, this traditional market has hundreds of small booths with a staggering selection of items, from leather goods to Korean drums. ...

Gwangju Kia Champions Field

South Korea

　　Catch the Kia Tigers professional baseball team in action from April through November. Stock up on snacks from the street vendors outside the stadium, where prices are cheaper. You’re permitted to bring in food, beer, coolers and cameras. Games usually start at 5pm or 6.30pm. 　　Get the bus from in...

Juknokwon

South Korea

　　Sandy walking trails wend through this bamboo grove, past pavilions and film locations for Korean dramas. It's one of the area's most popular attractions and can get crowded on weekends. But if you get a quiet moment – enough to hear the wind rustle the leaves – it can be...

Korea Tea Museum

South Korea

　　Here you can learn more than you ever thought you needed to know about tea, both in Korea and around the world, and also take part in a traditional tea service (₩2000). The museum is a 1km walk up the hill from the parking lot behind the bus stop. ...

Hwaseong

South Korea

　　The World Heritage–listed fortress wall that encloses the original town of Suwon is what brings most travellers to the city. Snaking up and down Paldal-san (143m), the fortification wall stretches a scenic 5.7km past four majestic gates, command posts, pavilions, observation towers and fire-beacon platforms. Built by King Jeongjo and...

Saryangdo

South Korea

　　Jagged ridges, 400m-high peaks, ropes, ladders and awe-inspiring views await travellers looking for a challenging hike. Most travellers disembark the ferry (return ₩10,000, 40 minutes, departs 7.30am, 9.30am, noon, 2pm and 4.10pm) on Saryandgo and catch a bus to the other side of the island to begin the five-hour trek....

Ssanggye-sa

South Korea

　　The visual imagery of this temple is a feast for the eyes and, like any exquisite dinner, should be savoured with deliberation. Stone walls supporting multiple levels of buildings notched into the mountainside, combined with mature trees and a trickling creek, create a pleasant sensory experience. Three gates mark the...

Seongsan Ilchul-bong

South Korea

　　This majestic 182m-high, extinct tuff volcano, shaped like a giant punchbowl, is one of Jeju-do's most impressive sights and a Unesco World Heritage site. The forested crater is ringed by jagged rocks, though there’s no lake because the rock is porous. From the entrance, climbing the steep stairs to the...

Seobok Exhibition Hall

Southern Jeju-do

　　This exhibition hall is dedicated to Seobok, who was an envoy of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang, and chronicles his visits to Halla-san in search of a rare elixir. Pull up a bench for good sea views. ...

Saeyeon-gyo

Southern Jeju-do

　　The attractive cable-stayed Saeyeon-gyo is a bridge at the mouth of Seogwipo Harbour, providing access to Saeseom (Sod Island), and is nicely illuminated at night. The design is based on tewu (traditional log boats of Jeju) with a sail at its centre. ...

Oedolgae

Southern Jeju-do

　　This unusual volcanic basalt pillar juts out 20m from the sea and has served as a filming location for a number of Korean dramas and TV shows. The walk to this 'lonely rock', by pine trees in Sammae-bong Park to a stunning cliffside, is half the pleasure. 　　It's at the...

World Cup Stadium

Southern Jeju-do

　　Six kilometres west of central Seogwipo, this graceful soccer stadium built for the 2002 World Cup is the centrepiece of an entertainment complex that includes a multiplex cinema, E-Mart discount store, a family water park, a paper doll museum and World Eros Museum, one of Jeju’s trio of museums devoted...

Lee Jung-Seop Art Gallery & Park

Southern Jeju-do

　　On the street that is named after him and decorated with images from his distinctive paintings and drawings (in Fauvism style with exaggerated brush strokes and colours), is this small museum devoted to Lee Jung-Seop (1916–56). Outside nearby, in a rocky garden with fragrant trees, is the traditional Jeju house...

World Eros Museum

Southern Jeju-do

　　The smallest of Jeju-do's sex-themed museums and perhaps the most artful and serious. There's a collection of world erotic art, though the lack of English signage makes it a bit inaccessible. The adult-only museum is on the 2nd floor of Seogwipo's World Cup Stadium. 　　In Seogwipo, frequent local buses run...

Jeongbang Pokpo

Southern Jeju-do

　　A favourite with photographers, this 23m-high waterfall is a 15-minute walk east of the town centre. At times less dramatic than the island's other waterfalls, its claim to fame is that it's the only waterfall in Asia that falls into the ocean. Enter from the pathway next to Seobok Exhibition...

Cheonjiyeon Pokpo

Southern Jeju-do

　　This popular 22m-high waterfall is reached after a 10-minute walk through a beautifully forested, steep gorge. The waterfall can be impressive following heavy rain; at other times it’s more noisy than wide. Well worth visiting in the evening, too, when the illuminated gorge takes on a romantic atmosphere. The falls...

Jeonju Hanji Museum

Jeonju

　　Adjacent to a modern-day paper factory, this museum covers the history and processes involved in making hanji (traditional Korean paper) and also shows some of the impressive things that can be created with it. At the end, you get to try making your own. 　　A 20-minute northbound bus ride from...

Jeondong Catholic Church

Jeonju

　　The easiest landmark to find around the hanok village is a tall, red-brick church built by French missionary Xavier Baudounet where Korean Catholics were executed in 1781 and 1801. It's closed to the public except during mass, when you can respectfully peek at the stained-glass windows. 　　Those executed here were...

Cheongyeonru Gazebo

Jeonju

　　Grab some street food and bring it here for a picnic in this large, public gazebo on the river. ...

Pungnam-mun

Jeonju

　　This stone-and-wood gateway is all that remains of Jeonju’s fortress wall. First built in 1398 but renovated many times since, it's now the ornate centrepiece of a busy roundabout. It's also a useful landmark for two sights: the Nambu market, a couple of blocks south, and the road north to...

Deokjin Park

Jeonju

　　Join Korean couples who hire paddle boats in this charming park; particularly nice are the views of lotus lilies in July. 　　Buses run here from the Jeondong Catholic Church bus stop. ...

Gyeonggijeon

Jeonju

　　This palace is home to shrines, storehouses and guardrooms relating to the Confucian rituals once held here. There is also a replica portrait of Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), whose family came from Jeonju. Teeming with antiquity, the palace – originally constructed in 1410 and reconstructed...

Jaman Village

Jeonju

　　Eclectic, colourful murals adorn the walls of this shantytown, on a hill overlooking Jeonju's hanok maeul. It's slowly gentrifying, meaning several spots are now home to galleries and cafes, the best of which is Kkojittappong, a terrace cafe that looks like a child's dream house. ...

Jeonju Hanok Maeul

Jeonju

　　This maeul (village) has more than 800 hanok (traditional wooden homes), making it one of the largest such concentrations in the country. Virtually all of them contain guesthouses, restaurants, cafes, and hanbok (traditional clothing) rental shops. Though super-duper touristy, the cobblestone lanes and unusual architectural lines coupled with wisps of...

Daegu Arboretum

Daegu

　　These superb botanical gardens in the south of town offer shade from the sun and a huge range of trees and plants, as well as several large greenhouses that contain more exotic specimens. It's a 1.4km walk to the arboretum from the metro station. ...

Cheongna Hill

Daegu

　　Not far from Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral is this very historic hilly area of Daegu, which contains various early-20th-century missionary houses and residences; it's a charming diversion into the city's European-style history and heritage. Note the colossal modern church right alongside the area. ...

Daegu Hyanggyo Confucian School

Daegu

　　This tranquil Confucian School at the heart of Daegu is an oasis of introspective calm which dates to 1398 (though it was burned down by the Japanese and rebuilt in the late 16th century). The main hall containing the portrait of Confucius is not generally open to visitors, but you...

Bullo-dong Tumuli-gongwon

Daegu

　　In the north end of the city, Bullo-dong Tumuli-gongwon is an enormous open space covering some 330,000 sq metres. The grassy hillocks that rise like bumps across the valley are tumuli (burial mounds, similar to those in Gyeongju). Dating from the 2nd to the 6th century AD, the tumuli are...

Daegu’s Herbal Medicine Market

Daegu

　　This market, west of the central shopping district, has a history as vast as its scope. It dates from 1658, making it Korea’s oldest medicine market and still one of its largest. The stores spill onto the street with fragrant curiosities from lizards’ tails to magic mushrooms (the latter only...

Daegu National Museum

Daegu

　　This excellent museum has English labelling throughout most of its collection – and what a collection. Armour, jewellery, Buddhist relics from various different eras, Confucian manuscripts, clothing and textiles are all beautifully displayed in well-lit glass cases, and there’s normally at least a couple of temporary exhibits as well. From...

Daegu Jeil Church

Daegu

　　This red brick structure is one of the city's historic churches. Within the church is a fascinating history of the building and a collection of Bibles and Christian material in Korean, as well as numerous historic photographs. Look out for the fascinating examples of Korean Christmas cards from the early...

Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral

Daegu

　　An icon and motif of Daegu, this lovely cruciform church is quite a sight, with its twin spires. Originally constructed in wood, the first incarnation went up in flames in 1899. A brick-and-stone replacement was quickly completed by 1902. Check out the interior, with its still extant luminous stained glass,...

Lake Bomun Resort

Gyeongju

　　Bomun is a tourist district around an artificial lake 5km east of central Gyeongju. Tradition-seekers will find the tandem bikes, paddle boats, conference centres and such less appealing, but it is home to Gyeongju’s most luxurious lodgings. The lake and extensive parklands are lovely for strolling or cycling, though the...

Cheomseongdae

Gyeongju

　　Southeast of Tumuli-gongwon in the attractive sprawl of Wolseong-gongwon is the Far East’s oldest astrological observatory, constructed between AD 632 and 646. Its design conceals amazing sophistication: the 12 stones of its base symbolise the months of the year. From top to bottom there are 30 layers – one for...

Anapji Pond

Gyeongju

　　This is a very popular spot for couples to take pre-wedding photos, especially from June to early August when magnificent lotus blossoms seem to fill the horizon of this small pond. In the past, this was a pleasure garden to commemorate the unification of the Korean Peninsula under Silla; the...

Gyeongju National Museum

Gyeongju

　　Arguably the best history museum in Korea, the Gyeongju National Museum is where you can appreciate the significance of this ancient city in one fell swoop. The main archaeological hall has dazzling displays of jewellery, weaponry and other ceremonial items from the Silla dynasty, including a 5th-century gold crown that...

Seokguram

Gyeongju

　　In the mountains above Bulguk-sa is this world-famous Unesco-listed Buddhist grotto, a magical place when rain and mists envelop the mountaintops and chipmunks dance in the thick woods. Sitting within its rotunda is a statue of Buddha surrounded by over three dozen guardians and lesser deities, including an 11-faced Gwan-eum...

Bokdu-am Hermitage

Gyeongju

　　Close to the summit of the thickly forested Obong-san (640m), Bokdu-am features a huge rock face out of which 19 niches have been carved. The three central niches hold a figure of the historical Buddha flanked by two bodhisattva (Munsu and Bohyeon); the remainder house the 16 nahan (arhat) monks...

Bulguk-sa

Gyeongju

　　On a series of stone terraces about 16km southeast of Gyeongju, set among gnarled pines and iris gardens, this historic temple is the crowning glory of Silla architecture and is on the Unesco World Cultural Heritage list, although much was destroyed by the Japanese in 1593 and has been rebuilt....

Bonghwangdae

Gyeongju

　　Sprouting huge trees of vast girth, this is the largest extant Silla tomb – 22m high, with a 250m circumference. It's quite a picture at any time put particularly at sunset, if you get the right light and the sun going down behind the hillock. Make sure you don't climb...

Noseo-dong Tombs

Gyeongju

　　Near the main shopping area is the Noseo-dong district, where you'll find Silla tombs. Seobongchong and Geumgwanchong are adjacent tombs built between the 4th and 5th centuries. They were excavated between 1921 and 1946; the finds included two gold crowns. Across the road is Bonghwadae, with huge trees poking out...

Tumuli-gongwon

Gyeongju

　　The huge, walled park has 23 tombs of Silla monarchs and family members. From the outside, they resemble substantial grassy hillocks that echo the mountains outside town. Many of the tumuli have yielded fabulous treasures, on display at the Gyeongju National Museum. One tomb, Cheonmachong, is open to visitors, but...

Jeju Stone Park

Jeju-si

　　Creating a park dedicated to rocks on a rock-littered island might sound a snooze, but you’ll quickly reassess that opinion after touring this beguiling sculpture park. Three walking trails (between 560m and 970m in length) snake past outdoor exhibits, ranging from replicas of the original 47 dolharubang (grandfather rocks) to...

Iho Tewoo Beach

Jeju-si

　　The nearest beach to Jeju-si is blessed with an unusual mixture of yellow and grey sand, which means you can build two-tone sandcastles. It's also bookended by two tones of horse-shaped lighthouses, one red, one white. There’s shallow water that makes for safe swimming. 　　Buses from Jeju-si (₩1200, every 20...

Saryeoni Forest

Jeju-si

　　On the eastern border of Hallasan National Park, this is a popular weekend walking destination with 15km of forest paths shaded by maples, oaks and cedars, with the occasional roaming deer. Plan on four hours to walk the entire path between the two roadside entrances. 　　It's on Rtes 1112 and...