Gwangju travel info

Gwangju is the centre of the Honam region, and it comes at visitors with two faces. One is the city of May 1980: around Geumnam-ro and the old South Jeolla Provincial Office the traces of that uprising are still visible, and the May 18th National Cemetery draws visitors every year. The other is the city of southern Korean tables, where one town can give you a han-jeongsik with more side dishes than you can finish, charcoal-grilled Songjeong tteokgalbi, and thin beef pancakes dipped in egg.

Mudeungsan, a national park reachable by city bus, sits on the eastern edge, and its summit-side basalt columns are the mountain's signature. On the cultural side, the Asia Culture Center is a huge exhibition complex built partly underground next to the former provincial office. Yangnim-dong has 100-year-old missionary houses mixed in with small cafés, and the Daein Market night market lights up after dark.

From Seoul it takes about two hours by train. The KTX stops at Gwangju-Songjeong Station on the west side, so you need one more metro ride to reach the centre. There is only one metro line, so the system is simple. Once you know which stretches are walkable and which need a taxi, two days cover it.

From Seoul (KTX)

From Busan, Daegu and nearby (BUS)

From the airport (AIR)