Today, after traveling to Gongju, South Chungcheong Province with Loah.
I wanted to share some of the places I would recommend to my foreign friends.
We just got back to Seoul a few days ago after spending 7 days in Gongju!
Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, was the capital of the Baekje Dynasty.
It is a great place for foreign tourists to experience history, as you can see traces of various kings and historically important cultural properties.
This time, we were joined by my dad, mom, Loah, and my cousin Yunwoo.
We will introduce the most recommended places for foreign tourists on a one-day and two-night course.
Let’s go!
●Intro (Gongju)
Gongju is about a 3-hour drive from Seoul,
or about an hour by KTX from Seoul Station.
Gongju is a more sedate tourist destination than an active one.
It’s a great place to visit if you’re interested in history and tradition.
It’s also a great place to visit with kids, like the Loah family.
https://www.gongju.go.kr/en/index.do <–Gongju City Hall English Homepage
●Magoksa First day 11 A.M. (Gongju)
Address : 966 Magoksa-ro, Sagok-myeon, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do
Googlemap : https://maps.app.goo.gl/1M27pjvKs9uEheok8
Admission fees : Free
Opening Days : Always
Hours : ~18:00
Viewing point : Beautiful temples and surrounding nature. UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Estimated time required : Usually 1 hour, (we took 2 hours)
Features when visiting with children: Stroller x, nursing room x.
In small towns in South Korea, public transportation is not recommended for tourists.
You can take a tourist taxi in front of the KTX station to
It takes about 40 minutes to get to Magoksa.
Expect to pay around 50,000 won.
Gongju is also a city known for its chestnuts.
So you can buy delicious chestnuts, and there are a variety of chestnut foods.
Gongju is a city with many UNESCO-designated cultural heritage sites.
Magoksa Temple is also an important cultural heritage site.
They’re already selling chestnut desserts at the entrance.
I personally didn’t find it very flavorful,
but it was very popular.
((In the past, my wife and I were dessert experts))
Let’s enter the Chunwang Gate~.
In fact, you won’t find many foreign tourists here.
off the beaten path.
But the temples are so beautiful and the scenery is stunning!!!
You can also come in the spring
summer, fall, and winter, it’s a beautiful place to visit in any season.
A famous Korean independence activist spent time here in the past.
There are plenty of places to take pictures with the kids as you wander around the temple.
A quick tour will take you about an hour,
If you take your time, like we did, it will take about 2 hours.
We were in 4 degree Celsius weather, which was a bit chilly.
This was in mid-November.
After seeing the beautiful temples, we’ll now move on to the center of Gongju City.
●Gongju Gongsanseong Fortress 3 P.M. (Gongju)
It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is an important historical and cultural property of the Baekje period.
Address : 280 Ungjin-ro, Ungjin-dong, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do
Googlemap : https://maps.app.goo.gl/drCzywo7SCDpUFVx9
Admission fees :
- Adult 3,000 won
- 14 years old 2,000 won
- 8 years old and above 1,000 won
- Under 8 years old free
Opening Days : Always
Hours :
- 9 am to 6 pm
- From December through February, it closes at 5pm.
Viewing point :
A giant castle to ward off invasion
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Estimated time required : Approximately 40 to 60 minutes
Infant information : nursing room
Although it might be a little dangerous to bring with a small child,
not bad.
Because historically significant artifacts are still coming up out of the ground, it’s important to remember that the
so it’s a great way to educate kids.
They’re still digging up cultural artifacts.
There are restrooms everywhere,
The building looks like this, with a nursing room and a place to take a break.
Lactation rooms and break rooms are separate.
It’s very basic.
Continue exploring the castle.
If you have a small baby, this is not a stroller-friendly area.
You’ll have to carry your baby in a carrier or carry them.
It’s a beautiful place, too.
I recommend visiting on a nice day.
Of course, there are plenty of places you can get to with a stroller.
But when you’re exploring a castle like we were, stroller maneuverability can be a challenge.
((There are also plenty of flat spots.))
It’s different for everyone, but we spend about an hour exploring the castle before heading to a restaurant that specializes in chestnut desserts.
●Chestnut Dessert Shop 4 P.M. (Gongju)
Gongju City is famous for chestnuts.
chestnut desserts are also famous.
There is ice cream made with chestnuts, various drinks, pies, etc.
There are a lot of different stores, so no matter where you go
you won’t be disappointed.
coffee with smooth, sweet ice cream,
or soft-serve ice cream.
The shop next door is famous for its chestnut pie.
I am personally a huge fan of desserts made with chestnuts.
The chestnut pie I ate in my post “Hadong” is a bit more delicious hahahaha.
Is that too blunt?
This is the contents of the last post~.
After a short walk along the nearby Metasequoia street, we’ll head back to the hotel.
●Hotel recommendations
We have a few recommendations for places to stay.
1. Gongu Moonlight Guesthouse reviews
The first is a relatively cheap and clean place to stay in a hanok building.
Clicking on the picture will take you to the screen where the discount code is applied.
2. Courtyard Sejong reviews
The second is a luxury hotel in the nearby metropolis of Sejong.
This one is also clean and in good condition.
Clicking on the picture will take you to the screen where the discount code is applied.
●Gongju Hanok Village Day 2, 10am (Gongju)
Famous hanok villages in Korea are Bukchon, Namsan, and Jeonju Hanok Village in Seoul.
However, Gongju Hanok Village offers a unique experience that we’d like to share with you.
Address : 12 Gwangwangdanji-gil, 웅진동 Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do
Googlemap : https://maps.app.goo.gl/sEteRHM1aiTopNgq7
Admission fees :
- Free
- There are costs for different experiences
Opening Days : Always
Hours :
- No set hours, but most end after 6pm
Viewing point :
Very quiet compared to Seoul and Jeonju
A variety of cultural activities
Estimated time required : Approximately 1~2 Hour
Web site : https://www.gongju.go.kr/hanok/
Ask at the information desk at the entrance and they’ll be able to help you with accommodation and other activities.
The first experience I would recommend is the
Baekje period costume experience.
You can try it on for about an hour and the price is 10,000 won per person.
It’s fun to walk around the hanok village and take pictures!
It’s not very well known, so there aren’t many tourists!
The second experience I would recommend is the
foot bath experience.
It offer free hot spring water for your health,
towels are also provided.
Please wash your feet thoroughly before entering.
It’s free, but the quality is very good.
Please try it~.
Other activities include a giant sliding scale and making traditional sweets.
Now go to the next place.
Now go to the Tomb of King Muryeong of Baekje.
●Muryeongwangneung Tomb of King Muryeong 2pm (Gongju)
Address : 35 Wangneung-ro, 웅진동 Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do
Googlemap : https://maps.app.goo.gl/v8bXBr5unx7gx6yU6
Admission fees :
- Adult 3,000 won
- 14 years old 2,000 won
- 8 years old and above 1,000 won
- Under 8 years old free
Opening Days : Always
Hours :
- 9 am to 6 pm
- From December through February, it closes at 5pm.
Viewing point :
You can see the tomb of King Muryeong of Baekje.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Estimated time required : Approximately 1 Hour~
Infant information : nursing room. Stroller Rentals
Web site : https://tour.gongju.go.kr/tour/sub01_01_03.do
We go to see the tomb of King Muryeong, a king from the Baekje Dynasty.
It’s very clean, well organized, and
easy to move the stroller around.
You can even walk into a recreated tomb.
Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we couldn’t go into the actual tomb.
But I could see the artifacts being unearthed right in front of me.
There was also a history game to keep us from getting bored in between.
It’s a very nice royal museum that you can easily spend an hour or so exploring.
●Wrapping Up
Together with Loah and Yunwoo, we spent 7 days traveling Gongju country,
and condensed a few of the best places to introduce to foreigners into a
one-day and two-night courses.
We didn’t do as many activities as we would have liked because we had a baby and small children with us,
If you don’t have a baby, you might want to do something different.
In Korea, public transportation is very convenient and useful in big cities like Seoul,
other areas of the country are difficult for foreigners to use public transportation.
So when I was planning my itinerary, I tried to keep each course as close to each as possible.
Seoul is a very important city for traveling in Korea, but there are many other great places to visit
My family will introduce you to them.
Now we’re moving on to the next place to introduce you to.
Stay tuned! Nice Gongju
●Recommended trips to nearby small towns
●withloah Official YouTube Channel
●Travel stories from other parts of the province
Traveling to jeju-island
