Hanwha Aqua Planet Yeosu

Hanwha Aqua Planet Yeosu opened alongside Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea. It is the second-largest aquarium in Korea and the first to be built entirely above ground. Walking past tanks home to about 55,000 animals of some 300 species, you look into the sea from above, from the side and from below. It is an easy walk from KTX Yeosu Expo Station, which makes it an especially good indoor option on a rainy day in Yeosu.

An aquarium on the Expo site

Aqua Planet Yeosu was built on the grounds of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea (12 May–12 August 2012), whose theme was "The Living Ocean and Coast". All the tanks sit above ground, and the building was designed to cover most of its energy needs with solar power. It stayed open after the Expo closed and is now the main attraction of the Yeosu Expo area. Hanwha also runs Aqua Planet sites in Jeju, Ilsan and Gwanggyo.

Zone by zone

• Ocean Life: stand in front of the main tank and rays, sharks and shoals of fish glide overhead and past your face. An underwater tunnel runs beneath it so you can look up into the water.
• Marine Life: animals that move between water and land, such as the Baikal seal.
• Aqua Forest: a zone themed on freshwater life of rivers and forests.
• Hands-on zone: a separate area for looking at marine creatures up close and learning about them.

Alongside the displays, the aquarium carries out conservation research on endangered marine species.

Combining it with the Expo area

The aquarium sits inside the former Expo grounds, so it is easy to add the Big-O floating stage and Expo park. A short walk east takes you to the breakwater path onto Odongdo, an island known for its camellias, and the Yeosu Maritime Cable Car, about 700 m away, carries you over the sea to Dolsando. Aquarium and Odongdo by day, cable car and Yeosu's harbour lights – famous from the song "Yeosu Night Sea" – by night makes for a tidy itinerary. With Yeosu Expo Station right next door, even a KTX day trip lets you walk from the aquarium to Odongdo.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: 90 minutes to 2.5 hours to see everything properly; if there are feedings or talks that day, check the times on site and plan around them.
• Fees and hours: ticket prices and opening hours change with the season and events, so check the official website. Buying online in advance is often cheaper.
• Getting there: about 1.3 km, or a 15–20-minute walk, from Yeosu Expo Station, the terminus for KTX and SRT; the station, at the end of the Jeolla Line, was renamed from Yeosu Station in 2011 ahead of the Expo. Drivers can use the Expo car parks.
• Busy times: weekends, school holidays and rainy afternoons are crowded; weekday mornings are calmest.
• Combine it with: Odongdo and the Yeosu Maritime Cable Car are within walking distance, and Yi Sun-sin Square and the Nangman Pocha street-food strip in town are not far.