Discover places worth seeing — from historic sites to mountain trails.
Coast & islands
강릉시
Sageunjin Beach runs straight on from the northern end of Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung. Rocks of all sizes rise out of the sand and the water is very clear, so it is a good choice when you want a quieter stretch of sea away from the Gyeongp…
Coast & islands
통영시
Saryangdo belongs to Saryang-myeon in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, and is made up of two main islands that face each other about 1.5 km apart, Sangdo (Upper Island) and Hado (Lower Island), plus the smaller Suudo. For its size the…
Nature
제주시
In the mid-mountain belt on the eastern flank of Hallasan, at about 500–600 m above sea level, a path of red volcanic scoria runs for miles between tall cedars and cypresses. Saryeoni Forest Path stretches roughly 15 km from Bijarim-ro tow…
Mountains & peaks
서귀포시
Rising like a bell from the flat fields of southwest Jeju, Sanbangsan is a 395 m mountain made of a single mass of lava. It is counted among Jeju's three great mountains alongside Hallasan and Seongsan Ilchulbong, and a Buddha is enshrined…
Nature
산청군
Hidden behind Bancheon-ri in Sicheon-myeon, on the eastern flank of Jirisan, Goundonggyegok Valley is named after the Silla scholar Choe Chi-won, whose pen name was Goun. Tradition says the scenery was fine enough for him to stay here on h…
Historic sites & memorials
산청군
On the slopes of Wangsan, east of Jirisan, a huge mound of stones rises in seven tiers up the hillside. It is the Tomb of King Guhyeong, Sancheong, traditionally said to be the grave of the last king of Gaya. It looks nothing like the eart…
Churches & monasteries
안양시
Sammaksa sits high on the slopes of Samseongsan, the mountain shared by Anyang and Seoul's Gwanak and Geumcheon districts, at the end of a long forest climb. It is not a large temple, but within one compound you find a late Joseon Buddha t…
Mountains & peaks
춘천시
West of Chuncheon, overlooking Uiamho Lake, Samaksan (654 m) lives up to its name, "mountain of three rugged peaks". It is not tall, but its gorges hold a chain of waterfalls and the summit looks over the lake and the whole city. Since a c…
Nature
평창군
High on the Daegwallyeong plateau, between 850 and 1,470 m above sea level, this ranch covers about 6 million pyeong (roughly 20 km²) of grassland. Giant wind turbines turn along the ridges while sheep and cattle graze the slopes below. Th…
Historic sites & memorials
삼척시
Jukseoru is a pavilion perched on the cliffs of the Osipcheon River, which loops through central Samcheok. Of the Eight Scenic Views of Gwandong praised by Jeong Cheol in his "Gwandong Byeolgok", all the other pavilions overlook the sea; J…
Caves
삼척시
Deep in the mountains of Daei-ri in Singi-myeon, Samcheok, about 820 m above sea level, a 10 m high cave mouth opens in the hillside. Hwanseongul is one of Korea's largest limestone caves, with 6.2 km of passages mapped so far and an estim…
Historic sites & memorials
영암군
Today it is a quiet pond ringed by cherry trees and lotus, but Sangdaepo was once the international harbour of Gurim village in Yeongam, where ships came and went to China and Japan. Tradition holds that the Baekje scholar Wangin sailed fr…
Fortresses
상주시
In Hwabuk-myeon, Sangju, on the road towards Munjangdae peak in Songnisan, a stone wall rings the summit of Jangbawisan (about 541 m). This is Gyeonhwonsanseong, named after Gyeon Hwon, founder of Later Baekje. The builders used the rock c…
Nature
상주시
On the northern slopes of Songnisan, in the village of Sango-ri in Hwabuk-myeon, Sangju, stands a grove of pine trees several centuries old. Every August the ground beneath them is carpeted with the purple flowers of lilyturf (maengmundong…
Gardens & parks
보령시
Sanghwawon turns an entire small island, Jukdo at the end of the Nampo Seawall in Boryeong, into a garden. A roofed corridor runs right round the island, so you can walk the shoreline even in the rain, and tucked inside it are old hanok ho…
Coast & islands
부안군
The Saemangeum Seawall is a 33.9-kilometre dyke built straight across the sea between Buan and Gunsan in North Jeolla. It is 1.4 km longer than the Afsluitdijk in the Netherlands (32.5 km), which earned it a Guinness World Record as the lo…
Mountains & peaks
제주시
Drive along the Pyeonghwa-ro road across western Jeju and a rounded hill rising from the open fields catches your eye. Saebyeol Oreum in Bongseong-ri, Aewol, is a small volcanic cone whose slopes turn into a sea of silver grass in autumn,…
Coast & islands
완도군
Floating in the sea east of Wando, this island is written with the characters for "birthday" (生日), which is why it is known as Birthday Island. A giant birthday-cake sculpture greets you at Seoseong Port, and a coastal trail leads past bla…
Coast & islands
서귀포시
The highest point on the island is barely 20 m above sea level. Wherever you stand on Gapado you can see the sea, and in spring, beyond the barley fields that cover most of the island, Sanbangsan, Songaksan and on clear days even Hallasan…
Museums
서귀포시
This public museum is devoted to a single fruit, the citrus that Jeju is famous for. Galleries cover its history, cultivation and industry, while a glasshouse behind the building shows citrus varieties from around the world bearing fruit i…
Coast & islands
서귀포시
On the coast just west of central Seogwipo, at the end of a path through pine woods, a lone pillar of rock rises out of the sea. Oedolgae means "the solitary rock", a name earned by the way it stands alone in the water. This stack, about 2…
Waterfalls
서귀포시
Walk down the steps onto a shore of round boulders and you see water falling from the top of the cliff, crossing a rock pool and mixing straight into the waves. Jeongbang Waterfall lies about 1.5 km south-east of central Seogwipo, and the…
Nature
서귀포시
On the southern slopes of Hallasan, between 320 and 760 m above sea level, Seogwipo Healing Forest is a public forest designed so that walking itself is a form of rest. It contains several stands of Japanese cypress averaging more than 60…
Other
서귀포시
Under the arcade roof in the middle of old Seogwipo, an artificial stream with fish and water plants runs down the centre of the market lane. Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market is the largest and oldest permanent market in Seogwipo, where tangerin…