Places To Visit in Suncheon

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suncheon bay

There are many places to visit during winter in South Korea. If you are not a ski person, do not enjoy hiking in snow, and maybe find Nami Island too mainstream, perhaps planning a little trip out of Seoul to Jeollabuk-do could be a viable option for you. I visited Jeollado last winter and had 24 hours to cover Suncheon. I read about one-day city tours hosted by the local government and decided to give a try. Basically, these one-day-trips that come with complimentary entrance tickets and transport are organized by the Suncheon local government to promote eco-tourism at extremely affordable price.

UPDATE 2020:

The blog is originally created in 2015 to review the Suncheon City-Tour service by the local government. The tour is currently unavailable. However, I am still keeping this blog here to showcase what is available around Suncheon.

ABOUT SUNCHEON:

Suncheon is a southern coastal city at Jeolla-do province, also an up-and-rising popular travel destination for foreigners. The city is undergoing massive development since it is part of the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone, yet at the same time, some part of the city is strictly protected as an ecological zone to preserve the natural ecosystem.

THE ITINERARY:

Departing from Suncheon Station → Suncheon Open Film Set  → Seonam Temple → Naganeupseong Village → Suncheon Bay Garden → Suncheonman Bay → Back to Suncheon Station

Suncheon Drama City 순천 드라마 세트장

The first stop we visit was Suncheon Drama City, a drama set made according to Bongcheong-dong in Seoul back in the 60s. Various dramas were filmed here at the fairly huge set. (No wonder they call it a ‘city’). It is divided into various sections, including the more westernized town area of the 80s and the neighbourhood area of the 60/70s. We were given about 40 minutes here.

suncheon drama set

suncheon drama set 2

suncheon drama set

Seonam-Sa Temple 선암사

The 2nd stop was Seonam-sa, one of the prettiest temple in South Korea. We walked about 1 km from the entrance to the temple, and then walk another 1km back to the car park. Not recommended for old folks, but a scenic trek in the woods during winter day I must say. I have blogged in detail about this beautiful Seonam-sa temple in another post here.

seonggwangsa temple suncheon

seonggwangsa 1

Lunch at Seonam-Siktang

We dined in at the restaurant located near the car-park of Seonam Temple and it turned out to be a mat-jib! Lunch of the day was Sanche-jeongsik 산채 정식, literally translated as “wild vegetables full course meal”, a typical menu you’ll find in the mountains and near a temple in South Korea, but it is also one of the must-eat when you visit a temple in Suncheon.

It was a down-to-earth yet sumptuous lunch with 27 refillable side dishes. The meal comes with grilled mackerel, steamed eggs and bean paste soup like what you get from usual jeongsik. There are many pickled or marinated dishes of wild vegetables, Deodeok, roots of balloon flowers that I can’t name. They might sound / look weird but oh well, me and my mom enjoyed the lunch very much! Everything for two costed KRW24,000, which was pretty reasonable.

It was a pity we can’t enjoy the meal as much as we usually do as we have to follow the schedule : (  but it was a memorable meal nonetheless.)

Address: Seonam-Sikdang 선암식당
763 Jukhak-ri, Seungju-eup, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do.
선암식당 순천시 승주읍 죽학리  776 (540-802)
Tel. 061-754 5232

선암식당 산채정식 suncheon wild vegetables full course meal

seonam sikdang, suncheon seonam temple lunch

seonam sikdang

선암식당 산채정식

선암식당 산채정식

Naganeupseong 낙안읍성

The Naganeupseong is considered one of the best-preserved town fortress in Korea. It witnessed the wax and wane of Goryo and Joseon Dynasty and remained untouched during the Japanese occupation. All artefacts are painstakingly preserved through the years, enabling its visitor to catch a glimpse of Korea some 600 years ago. Literary a living museum!

We were given about an hour and 20 minutes here at the town fortress. You will see some government office and private housing, also trying out traditional costumes, braiding a grass slipper if you like. The fortress looks different in every season. I have recently covered a blog post about spring at Naganeupseong here. Check it out if you are interested.

naganeupseong fortress

naganeupseong folk village

Suncheon Bay Garden 순천만 정원

A garden built for the Suncheon Garden Expo in 2013, this park provides different mini gardens from many countries including China, Japan, European, Southeast Asian and North American countries. Not a fan of mimicked gardens, I took a very brief tour by taking their tour train and went straight to the Lake Garden located at the center of Suncheon Bay Garden. It is designed by renowned landscape designer Charles Jencks based on the unique topography of Suncheon. Quite an interesting place to take some quirky pictures.

Suncheon Garden 순천만 정원

Suncheon Garden 순천만 정원

suncheon lake garden

suncheon bay garden

Suncheonman Bay 순천만

The final stop for the trip was Suncheonman Bay, where visitors get to see beautiful wetlands and reed fields from an observatory up on a hilltop, which is located 2 KM away from the entrance. We are given an hour + here at Suncheonman. I must say it was already an eventful day, we have been trekking in the mountains, climbing up the steep slope at drama city and the fortress town and etc. A trip to and fro the observatory means a total 4 KM by foot, and all these got to be completed within an hour. I would say it is a mission impossible for an exhausted body. So we decided to just take a stroll at the reef fields and rest at the cafe nearby.

suncheon bay

suncheon bay 2 by pheurontay

suncheon bay 3 by pheuron tay

suncheon bay 5 by pheuron tay

suncheon bay 6 by pheuron tay

Suncheon bay 4 by pheuron tay

suncheon bay 7 by pheuron tay
View from the cafe overseeing the reed fields.

Writer’s Note:

Suncheon is an ideal place to visit in winter. It is exceptionally beautiful when it snows. I have come across some breathtaking pictures of snowy Suncheon taken by some Korean bloggers online. This will give you a brief idea of how a snowy Suncheon should look like.

Too bad it didn’t snow when we visited these places in Suncheon. It only snowed in the middle of the night! Oh well, you may try your luck next winter here at Suncheon. Food is good and people are friendly. If you did your research prior to arrival, I believe your Suncheon trip will turn out a memorable one. ; )

Picture credit: http://blog.ohmynews.com/suncheonman/home.asp?artid=6608
Suncheonman in Winter. Picture credit: http://blog.ohmynews.com/suncheonman/home.asp?artid=6608
Picture Credit: http://blog.daum.net/yyskgm/81
A Snowy Naganeupseong. Picture Credit: http://blog.daum.net/yyskgm/81

OTHER INFORMATION 

mugunghwa train south korea
On The Mugunghwa Train.

Transportation within/ around Suncheon:
While the Suncheon city tour is a convenient way to cover all the places mentioned above, it is no longer available as of the year 2020. If you’d like to do a free & easy tour in Suncheon, you’ll have to spend more time and effort in your planning because public transportation is quite a problem for non-Korean speakers, especially for places outside Seoul. However, I figured their taxi drivers are kind and friendly. If you are the go-with-the-flow kind of traveller and do not like to travel with a tour group, then a taxi is a good choice. However, do note that some secluded places like temples are far away from town and will take you hours to finally hail one.

Transportation from Seoul:
I visited Suncheon right after my Jeonju Trip, stayed over at Suncheon for a night, and travelled back to Seoul via Korail Mugunghwa Train. There are train services that connect Yongsan (Seoul) → Jeonju → Suncheon. However, trains provided every day from Suncheon to Yongsan are of limited frequency and usually ends in the noon so check the train schedule and be punctual.

19 Comments

  1. Hi,

    Would like to check with you, where is the boarding point for the Suncheon Station? Isit Ktx Suncheon station or ?

    Hope to hear from you soon and thanks (:

    • Hi MJ,

      Thanks for asking and I’ve updated my content as well. It is the KTX Suncheon Station 🙂
      Based on my experience back in December 2014, the boarding point is right outside the main gate/exit of the building of KTX Suncheon Station.
      The bus does not park near the KTX station building (there’s a small square in between the main gate and the roadside where the bus stops.)
      but the tour bus is visible from the exit.

  2. Hi there, I came across your blog when I was searching about suncheon online. I tried booking the city tour via the website you recommended but I got stuck at this website: https://www.suncheon.go.kr/total_login/sc_login/member/?returnUrl=%2Fyeyak%2Frsv_pro%2Fstep03%3FproductId%3D0000000049%26rsvFullNum%3D40%26rsvDate%3D2016-12-28&message=로그인+정보가+올바르지+않습니다.&returnUrl=%2Fyeyak%2Frsv_pro%2Fstep03%3FproductId%3D0000000049%26rsvFullNum%3D40%26rsvDate%3D2016-12-28

    How did you book for the tour the previous time?

  3. Hi
    I decided to visit Suncheon after reading your blog. Thanks for the beautiful write-up.
    Can i ask if the city tour needs to be booked in advance? For someone who does not understand Korean, how can this be done? And if we miss the city tour, how else can we get around the places listed on your blog?

  4. Hi,

    Can I check where do you stay overnight in Suncheon? Because I would like to spend a day in Suncheon before going to Jeonju.

    Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you 🙂

    • Hello Atiqah,

      So sorry I couldn’t remember where did I stay when I was at Suncheon. But there’re alot of motel and hotel at Suncheon so you may just search on hotel booking sites? 🙂

  5. Hello Pheuron!

    I know this post is a few years old. I can’t seem to access the link to their official site, and no articles are updated now for me to see if they are still operational.

    After reading this post I got interested in Suncheon and would really like to go on the city tour, since I wouldn’t be driving a car when I visit Korea.

    1. Does Suncheon City Tour still operate as of now?
    2. Did the city tour need reservation prior or I can just go to Suncheon Station before 9:50 (their supposed departure time) and join them?

    Hoping I can get help! Thanks in advance!

    Really nice photos and great, great writing!

    • Hello Bea,

      thanks for commenting. I just checked the website, the tour is still ongoing.
      And a good news for you: there’s no need to do a reservation for foreigners as any reservation prior to arrival will require a local number for login purpose, and a local bank account to pay. You may approach the tourist information counter at Suncheon Station and sign up for the tour. I have also updated the content ;D

      Thank you once again!

      • Awesome stuff! Your blog is big help especially to us DIY travelers! Also liked your post on Goblin shooting sites, now I have some Gangwon tours planned in my itinerary heh. More power! Hwaiting! ^_^

      • I was able to book for my Suncheon city tour only via e-mail. I sent an e-mail inquiry to Suncheon city suncheonsi@korea.kr, and an officer from the city hall replied to me saying he will reserve a tour on my behalf. I provided him the date and received a confirmation the next day! No pre-payments were needed, I was told to just pay in cash once I get to the tour bus 🙂 Cool isn’t it! I thought would be a helpful for your readers!

        • HI Bea/Pheuron
          I just realise the earliest timing of KTX from Yongsan to Suncheon is 5.10am and back to Yongsan the latest timing is 12:21pm. Impossible to do a day trip, may i check how did you girls did it? 🙂

          • Hi dear,

            I did not cover Suncheon in one day. My route goes: Seoul — Jeonju 3D2N –Suncheon 2D1N –Seoul.
            Which means I left Jeonju fairly early in the morning that I am supposed to take this city tour, make sure i reach Suncheon Station before 9am, follow the tour, finished the tour in the evening, check into the hotel for a night and did some night tour in Suncheon myself.

            Hope this help! 🙂

          • Hello Lynn!

            This is still a plan for me as my scheduled trip to Korea is not until October of this year. However, I had to double-check KTX site for the last trip back to Yongsan. Correct as I had remembered, the last trip from Suncheon to Yongsan by KTX is at 22:10, so you still have a bit of a time to catch up after finishing the day tour (which as per Pheuron is until 6pm/7pm. 🙂

            To see the correct departure/arrival time in the KTX site, you might want to use the ‘Hour’ field found beside the month and date in the booking section. Set it to maybe 18hrs (6pm) so it shows you if there are available trains during those times.

            Hope this helps!

            Enjoy your trip!

  6. Hi Bea

    Thanks a lot! I just google the ktx timing, meaning to get to suncheon for the day tour i have to be there by 8:30am. And by leaving the first train from Yongsan to Suncheon (05:10am and reach 07:37am), sounds so tiring haha…i will be heading in sep. Are you doing day tour to suncheon also? 🙂

  7. Thank you for your beautiful writeup on Suncheon, and sharing your experiences. I really like the honesty in your writing, like telling it as it is… It also helped me weigh my options about taking the city tour. It feels like although it’s very convenient, it’s too rushed… to give you that time you want to really immerse and enjoy the sights. Once again, thank you very much. I will be going to Suncheon and Yeosu during the Golden Week holidays (here in Japan).

  8. Hi Pheuron
    Tqvm for introducing Jeongju n SUNCHEON. Wat time is earliest train u took from Jeongju to SUNCHEON ? We have planned 3days2nghts Jeongju 2days 1 night SUNCHEON.
    What time is earliest KTS train from Yongsan Seoul to JEONJU?

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