3 Days in Yeosu and Geumodo
Day 1: Exploring Yeosu
After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we set out on foot to explore the city.
The Harbour & Yi Sun Shin Square
Yeosu is completely walkable, and from the hotel, it's easy to head to the harbour. They have a beautiful wide avenue for walking right along the water that will bring you to Yi Sun Shin square. There's a statue commemorating his military prowess, but they also have a full-size replica of one of his 'turtle ships', complete with costumes and mannequins so you can get the full experience.
Fish Markets
Continuing down the road, you'll come across a few fish markets. These are great places to grab some seafood for lunch and you can sample a variety of local delicacies.
Dolsan Bridge to the Yeosu Cable Car
From the fish markets, you walk up to and then cross the Dolsan bridge. Walk across this iconic bridge to take in the panoramic views of Yeosu and its surroundings. From here, head up to the top of the hill to catch the Yeosu cable car. You can get a one way ticket and disembark at the Jeongja observatory for breathtaking views.
Odongdo Island
Head down the stairs from the Jasan station to Odongdo. This small island is densely forested but has a multitude of walking paths. You can explore several different viewpoints and then make your way to the lighthouse. Enjoy the sunset views before heading back to town.
While I'd like to say that we went and found a delicious local restaurant, we were fairly tired at this point and had the hotel staff order us some fried chicken before calling it a night.
Day 2: Yeosu to Geumodo
Hansan Temple
Start the day off with a visit to the serene Hansan temple, soaking in the tranquility and historical significance of this coastal structure.
Yangnyeom Gejang
Make your way from the temple back down into town. As raw marinated crab afficionados, we were so excited to try Crab First Avenue Kkotdol. This was highly recommended in our internet searches, and for a good reason: you can indulge in the best raw marinated crab you've ever tasted for a much more reasonable price than you get in the states.
To Geumodo!
Don't make the same mistake as us---you cannot even find a ferry staff if you try to book a ticket too early. They don't even show up until like an hour or so before departure time. However, once you can get your ticket booked, it's very punctual process.
There is limited service on the ferry, so make sure that you have your accommodation information saved or downloaded. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Geumodo, so have some snacks and enjoy the views!
Our room was quite far from the ferry station, so we resigned ourselves to walking another hour before our Pension owner found us on the road and drove us the rest of the way.
Hiking/Walking
If you have time, you can try to complete the Geumodo Bireong trail--trail that circles the entire island. If we came back, we would definitely give ourselves enough time to do this. Unfortunately, we only did a small portion of it, but the amazing coastal views and landscapes were worth what time we did have. To end the day, find a perfect spot to watch the sunset, appreciating the remote and serene atmosphere.
Dinner
Our neighbours were grilling at the pension, but we had brought shin ramyeon cup noodles with some protein bars and that was enough for us.
Day 3: Back to Yeosu
Wake up early to catch a stunning sunrise over the island before saying goodbye. The ferry station is quite small, so there may be a line of office workers commuting to the mainland if you leave during the week.
If time permits, continue to explore Yeosu before making your way to the bus terminal or Yeosu airport for your departure. Feel free to stop at the markets first to grab a few snacks or quick bites before you say goodbye to the coastal beauty that is Yeosu.
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