Jeollanam-do
Sandy walking trails wend through this bamboo grove, past pavilions and film locations for Korean dramas. It's one of the area's most popular attractions鈥
Must-see attractions in Jeollanam-do
Mokpo
This is the only museum in Korea dedicated to the country鈥檚 maritime history. The highlights are two shipwrecks, one dating from the 11th century and the鈥
Gwangju
Overlooking Gwangju, Mudeungsan National Park is a gorgeous green mountain range with a spiderweb of well-signed trails leading to the peak, Cheonwang鈥
Jeollanam-do
Legend has it that Unju-sa originally housed 1000 Buddhas and 1000 pagodas, built because, according to traditional geomancy, the southwest of the country鈥
Jeollanam-do
This is the most popular and beautiful of the islands west of Mokpo. Some 6km long and 2.5km wide, it rises precipitously from the sea and is bounded by鈥
Jeollanam-do
South Korea may have developed at a breakneck speed, but it was also the first Asian country to sign on to the international cittaslow, or 'slow city'鈥
Jeollanam-do
Among Korea鈥檚 many folk villages, Nagan is unique for its setting, surrounded by 1410m of Joseon-period fortress walls, built to protect the inhabitants鈥
Jeollanam-do
A Buddhist hermitage with a 1350-year heritage, Hyangir-am has an enviable location perched halfway up a mountain at the tip of Dolsando, an island鈥
Mokpo
Right on the coast, this park is filled with rocky cliffs and pavilions, with views across the island-scattered sea. Follow the main path for about 45鈥
Jeollanam-do
Elsewhere traditional markets may be losing out to newer shopping centres, but the Jeongnamjin Saturday Market in Jangheung (鞛ロ潵) is definitely a happening鈥
Jeollanam-do
Songgwang-sa is considered one of the three jewels of Korean Buddhism (along with Tongdo-sa and Haein-sa, in Gyeongsangnam-do). Featured in the Little鈥
Jeollanam-do
Picturesque views of Korea's southern coastline reward hikers who scale the rocky path up to the peak, Duryun-bong (630m). The hike, which begins just鈥
Gwangju
This gallery displays landscape, flower and bird paintings by the famed Heo Baek-ryeon (1891鈥1977), whose pen name was Uijae. His rebuilt house is a short鈥
Jeollanam-do
One of Korea's most iconic sights, the Boseong Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation is spectacularly set on a hillside covered with curvy row after row of鈥
Jeollanam-do
The southern coast's best beach is a nearly 4km stretch of golden sand backed by a boardwalk and pine trees. There's a popular campground (20 June to 31鈥
Gwangju
Learn about traditional life in Jeollanam-do through the somewhat retro-looking dioramas and models here, which cover everything from kimchi and clothing鈥
Gwangju
By the early 2000s, this traditional market in the city centre was nearly shuttered. As part of the 2008 Gwangju Biennale, artists added colourful murals,鈥
Mokpo
A grand four-floor atrium building that displays the work of local artists who work in all genres 鈥 from traditional ink to colourful modern splodges,鈥
Gwangju
Opened in 1997, this is the final burial place for victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980, one of the most tragic incidents in modern Korean鈥
Jeollanam-do
Though it's just 42 sq km in size, Korea鈥檚 smallest national park has crags, spires and unusually shaped rocks around every corner, as well as an 8m鈥
Jeollanam-do
At this coastal estuary, inscribed on the Ramsar list of protected wetlands, you can follow walkways through rustling reeds up to an observation hut on a鈥
Jeollanam-do
Views of scattered specks of land from the peaks of Heuksando show why Dadohae Haesang means 鈥榤arine archipelago鈥. This island, on the way to Hongdo, is鈥
Jeollanam-do
This major Zen temple is thought to date back a millenia, but it remained relatively unknown until it became associated with Seosan, a warrior monk who鈥
Jeollanam-do
This small, craggy island, a favourite destination for locals, is covered in bamboo groves and camellia trees. Walking paths wend round the island in鈥
Jeollanam-do
The exquisite 800-year-old examples of Goryeo-dynasty celadon on display here look startlingly contemporary. At the back are pottery workshops (Monday to鈥
Mokpo
This area, 4km east of downtown, has a swathe of museums. Just past the museums are the riverside Gatbawi Rocks, which have been heavily eroded into鈥
Gwangju
Managed by the same folks who put on the Gwangju Biennale, this art museum shows up-and-coming Korean artists along with more established local names,鈥
Jeollanam-do
Seonam-sa is a quiet hermitage dating back to AD 529, where the monks study and try to preserve the old ways. Below Seonam-sa is Seungseongyo, one of鈥
Gwangju
The Gwangju National Museum鈥檚 collection traces the region鈥檚 cultural history, from its prehistorical beginnings through the Joseon period (1392鈥1897),鈥
Jeollanam-do
On Wando鈥檚 south coast is a tiny park that offers views of distant cliffs and offshore islands, a pebbly beach, and a 1km nature trail that runs through a鈥
Gwangju
This arts complex houses galleries, performance spaces, a library and plazas 鈥 all designed to boost Gwangju's capital in the art world. It's located on鈥
Mokpo
This museum is aimed at children, with large dinosaur skeletons, live lizards and fish, and thousands of colourful-but-dead butterflies.
Jeollanam-do
Here you can learn more than you ever thought you needed to know about tea, both in Korea and around the world, and also take part in a traditional tea鈥
Mokpo
This hall contains a collection of paintings by five generations of the Huh family, including work by Huh Gun, a master of Namjonghwa, a Korean art style鈥
Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall
Gwangju
Located in the Jung-oe Park Culture Center, this 8100-sq-metre exhibition hall is the setting for the Gwangju Biennale (and in odd-numbered years, the鈥
Jeollanam-do
In the centre of town stands this national treasure, Korea鈥檚 largest single-storey wooden structure (75m long and 14m high). The beautiful pavilion, first鈥
Mokpo
This museum is housed in the Mokpo branch of the Japanese Oriental Colonization Company, a building from the 1920s. It takes a hard look at the Japanese鈥
Mokpo Ceramic Livingware Museum
Mokpo
Traces the history and uses of Korean ceramics, from ancient pottery to biotechnology.
Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea Memorial Hall
Jeollanam-do
Originally the Korea Pavilion for Yeosu's 2012 World's Fair International Exposition, this museum showcases the latest in Korean maritime technology, such鈥
