Tongyeong travel info

Tongyeong is a port town on the southern tip of South Gyeongsang, and the harbour sits right in the middle of it. At Gangguan Cove a turtle-ship replica floats in front of rows of moored fishing boats, and Jungang Market is a few steps away. In the market lanes they slice live fish to order, and on the gimbap street near Munhwamadang the rice and the squid side dish are sold packed apart. Admiral Yi Sun-sin based his navy command here, which is why the city was long called Chungmu, and why the local gimbap still goes by Chungmu gimbap.

By day you climb the mural lanes of Dongpirang hill and ride the Mireuksan cable car for a view over the islands of the Hallyeo waterway. Near dusk, people head to Dal-a Park to watch the sun go down between islands. After dark the Tongyeong Bridge lights up, and the raw-fish restaurants and dajji bars around the harbour switch on their signs. In 2022 Tongyeong was named Korea's first specialised night-tourism city. Islands such as Hansando and Yokjido are reached by ferry from the Tongyeong Port passenger terminal.

From Seoul it takes a little over four hours by express bus. There is no train station, and the bus terminal is up in Jungnim, north of the harbour district, so you need a bus or taxi to get into town. Once you settle around Gangguan, most sights and restaurants are within walking distance.

From Seoul (BUS)

From Busan, Jinju and nearby by bus (BUS)

From the ferry terminal (to the islands) (SEA)