Korea’s South Coast: A Digital Archive

Our end-of-year Roadtrip along the South Coast of Korea will remain one of the most enjoyable trips I have ever been on. Good food, interesting culture, and most importantly… the best company!

Myself and two of my friends I met in Korea had decided to take a 2 week trip around the South Coast of Korea at the end of our second semester abroad. We’d been talking about this for months, but didn’t end up booking anything until around two weeks before we left for our first destination. Even with the last-minute rush, it was well worth it!

Gwangju, 광주

Our first destination was a culturally and historically rich area on the South West of Korea.
Gwangju was home to one of Korea’s biggest modern-day massacres – The Gwangju Uprising on 18th May 1980 (You can read a bit about this in my other blog: https://manchesterontheroad.com/2025/07/18/dealing-with-political-unrest-while-abroad/ )
My friends and I spent the first day wandering around the area outside our hostel – well, I suppose it was actually a love motel… we’d accidentally booked a love motel for each of the destinations but one of our road trip… but in all honesty? They were cheap, comfortable and discreet. So we didn’t mind too much. Every room was sound-proofed too, so our sleep was restful 😉

The next day, we went around the museums and tributes to the Gwangju Uprising, before strolling through the nearby markets, and coming to the youth district – an area fulls of shops, restaurants and… a KPop walkway?!

The final day was spent looking down over Gwangju with an almost birdseye view – we went to the Mudeungsan Lift and Monorail – I’ll be honest, it felt like we were on a broken rollercoaster from the 1950s – but it was perfectly safe (obviously) and actually a lot of fun. The views were breathtaking! We then grabbed a final meal at a well-known bakery (we europeans missed our bread!) before catching the bus to our next destination: Mokpo

Mokpo, 목포

We arrived in Mokpo, a bustling port-city late in the evening, checked into our hotel and went out to grab some food before bed. We found a wonderful all-you-can-eat buffet – WITH VEGGIE OPTIONS!! – something incredibly rare in Korea. The food was delicious and we went back for an early night before a busy day of studying – we still had some essays due for our final semester ㅠㅠ.

The next day was mostly spent in a lovely cat cafe, where the owners rescue the stray cats of Mokpo before finding them new homes, allowing them to socialise with people and other cats. Alas, we had our essays to finish, and so most of the day was spent here, before we finally called it, and explored the area. Mokpo is a port city, and as such has a multitude of traditional seafood dishes, as well as many attractions near the harbour and is famous for its’ cable car up Yudalsan, the mountain inside the city.
For the afternoon, we took the cable car up Yudalsan, enjoying views of the city, the port, the famous Mokpo bridge and further out to the sea itself. After the cable car trip ended, we walked down to the beach to end the evening watching a water fountain show.

Our bus the next day was early, so we headed to a cafe outside the bus station for breakfast and to (finally) submit our essays, before catching the bus and setting off to Yeosu.

Yeosu, 여수

Yeosu is one of my favourite places in Korea, with so much to do on a relatively small island. There was so much I wanted to do, but barely any time to do it all. I know I’ll definitely be going back!
Our first day started in a brunch cafe, looking out at the coast. The weather wasn’t too nice, so we stopped off at a convenience store and bought some anoraks, as we planned to bike ride along the coastline. While my friend still had an essay to complete, the two of us left her in the cafe, and went to get ourselves a bike. The weather turned and it was raining a bit more – the sort of rain where you don’t think you’re getting wet, but suddenly every inch of you is soaking (those anoraks saved us!) – but in all honesty, the rain made it more exciting. We cycled along the coast and then over a bridge to a little island just off Yeosu itself.
When we cycled back, it was time for us to get warm and head indoors, so we went to an interactive art museum for the final hour before they closed.

The next day, the weather cleared up and my friend and I decided to spend our time at a place called ‘Yeosu Art Land’ on the south part of the Island. The place was a tour of interesting statues and platforms to look out over the south coast. One such look-out point is a huge carving of Midas’ Hand.. and you can go up and stand on the palm. We then went to a famous cafe known for it’s fun structures that you go and take pictures with – it’s basically a huge photoshoot! We spend the day on the southern section of Yeosu, before meeting our friend and heading to the bus station to get to our next destination, Gyeongju.

Gyeongju, 경주

Gyeongju is a very famous city in South Korea, for it houses the tombs of Royals. Our first day there, we walked around the Tombs of Kings and Queens long since passed, completely in awe of the enormity of them. As we walked through the park, we read about the people buried in the tombs. There was even a museum about one that had been excavated, but we decided to walk to the old city walls and gatehouses. After that, we went back through the park and saw the famous Cheomsongdae Observatory, before spending the evening walking around the Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond, a 674 CE palace complex of the ancient Silla dynasty.

The next day, we headed over to the Bulguksa Temple. The rain had returned, but it just added to the beauty of the temple. I must say, there is something really magical about a remote temple in the mountains in the rain. The atmosphere became much more spiritual. I have no religion, and I wouldn’t say I’m crazily spiritual, but even I couldn’t help but feel small, in the best way possible, when walking around that temple. The majesty of it cannot be compared. When we had finished, we grabbed some food, and had a nice chat with the locals while we waited out the rain. He reccommended that we visit Seokguram, just a short bus ride away from Bulguksa Temple. We took his advice, and headed over.

By this point, the rain had become terrential, and we had so much fun laughing about how soaked we were getting. The rain slowed when we reached Seokguram, and had turned to mist, making everything appear quiet and deserted. It felt like we were somewhere incredibly special.

Pohang, 포항

We arrived in Pohang in the evening, our hostel just a short walk away from the bus terminal. We spent the evening doing our laundry and resting, before the final two days of our roadtrip (ㅠㅠ) In the morning we woke early and headed over to a cafe for breakfast, before wandering around the streets along the inner section of Pohang. The walls were covered in pretty murals, and the houses were very pretty. We then headed over to the traditional market, to have a wander around the stalls and see all the fresh fruit, veggies and fish available. Pohang is a coastal town, so the local cuisine is usually all seafood-based. We bought some fresh nectarines and walked over to the beach, where there was a live band playing and ships coming into the port. We spent the rest of the day playing on the beach, walking along the coast and exploring the edge of Pohang. We came across a seafront Pagoda-style building called the Yeongilgyo Bridge, that justs out over the water, similar to a pier.

The next day was spent at a famous German-style cafe on the seafront called ‘Oh! Bremen’ (my friends are German) – the food there was delicious, but a little bit more expensive than usual – still totally worth it! We then walked back along the coastline before spending the rest of our time on the sand, and then we headed back to the bus terminal, and back to Seoul.

Thus, our wonderful 2-week roadtrip along Korea’s South Coast came to an end. I hope you enjoyed reading, and maybe, if you are ever in Korea, you too will see these places for yourselves!

Thank you for reading, and, as always, happy travels!

Mallie x