Visiting every province and looking for ideas

[Loserburger]

Hi all,
I've recently set a goal for myself to visit every province in South Korea before I leave in September.  And I don't mean just traveling through on my way to somewhere else.  I actually want to set foot and do something in each province.  I'm sitting pretty with four down right now:  Gyeonggi-do, Jeollabuk-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do. 
Here's what I have left:
Gangwon-do
Chungcheongbuk-do
Chungcheongnam-do
Jeollanam-do
Jeju-do

I've already got plans for Jeju, but I have very little-to-no information about the rest of them.  So, I figured I would ask others with experience or residences what city and what activities I should check out in each of these provinces.  Thanks in advance for the help!

[cragesmure]

I live in Yeosu (Jeollanam-do) and there are a few things to see here.  To be honest, you can do it in a day if you come early and go hard.  But look for O-dong do (small island, but a nice walk.  Has a lighthouse and a fountain which is timed to music in the evenings), Seon so (small, but I like it.  Nice views and is of cultural significance, as it was Yi Soon Shin's home turf), Deolsan Park/bridge (also a good view at night), Hyangiram - good place to watch the sunrise and Jinnamgwan (kind of boring when I went - it was being renovated at the time, but it's the largest, single-floor, wooden structure in Asia, or something like that).  Turtle Park is also OK.
I reckon taking the train into Yeocheon train station, and working you way to Yeosu station is the way to go.  Can be done in a day.  However, if you want a more relaxing time, get yourself a tent and jump on a ferry.  There's a load of nice islands and we are coming into the perfect time of year to check them out.  You could island-hop for a month down here and still not be bored.  Just get in before the rainy season.
But that's just Yeosu.  Gwangju and Suncheon are OK, but there's not much of historical significance there.  I've heard Mokpo is nice too, but I haven't been there, so I can't say for sure.  I think there is a ferry from Mokpo to Jeju, so you might be able to make it part of the trip.  If so, let me know how Mokpo is.  I want to get down there at some point.

[Loserburger]

This sounds fantastic.  Thank you so much.  And if I make it to Mokpo, I will definitely give you a review.  Thanks again!

[aramella]

Gangwon-do.. Go to Soeraksan (BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS) but you must spend more than 1 day there.. it is simply too big to see in one day.  It's best to see in the fall months when the leaves change colors.

Enjoy

[KevinA]

stay in Sokcho in Gangwan-do for a weekend, you can use one day to get to Seoraksan and spend the rest of the time on the beach. The beach at Sokcho is fantastic and far less crowded then Busan's Haiundai. I heard about a European style guest house in Sokcho, but right now I don't have much information to go on. A couple friends will be going out there this weekend, I'll pump them for information and see about getting that info if you are interested.

[Loserburger]

Yeah!  That'd be great!  Thanks!

[dmhr25]

You should definitely go to the 5-18 memorial in Gwangju.

[Merryone]

I know you are finished with Gyeongsangnam-do, but you might consider paying the island of Namhae-gun a visit. It offers little in the way of over the top excitement, but loads in terms of natural beauty, a few temples, the sunrise art village, a few interesting museums and a butterfly preserve.

[arachi]

Here are some ideas - definitely recommend the penis park! :)

http://theyeogiyo.com/Travel/inside-korea.php

You might also want to visit the Boseong Tea Fields, Jirisan, or Maisan - pretty unique visuals and fresh air!

[Paul]

Chungbuk: Cheongju Airport's displays suggest Danyang (caves and a little pagoda on a rock in a lake; you'll have seen photos) and Cheongju (historical stuff, Korea's claim to intl fame is inventing a type of printing press so there'll be museums) and to eat and drink a lot. They're pretty specific about that last one actually. I've heard Guinsea temple is nice too -- Wikitravel's article on this is actually one of their best for the whole country, oddly enough -- but I've yet to really explore Chungbuk.

Chungnam: Daejeon, creepy, creepy Daejeon, Gongju or Buyeo (Baekje Dynsasty old capitals, so the equivalent of Sillia's Gyeongju, not as nice mind but interesting; the museum is the highlight) and during mud festival season, Boryeong. In Daejeon, check out the science museum (giant killer robots make for an awesome photo op), have a stroll through the rotting mess that is Expo Park, and if you want a nice mountain, check out the national park near Donghaksa Temple, or the tight ridge on the southwest of town (I forget the name). I hear Mt Daedun is nice, with a cable car and little bridges between the mountain peaks, but buses there are limited.

Cheonan/Asan has some hot springs and the Independence Hall. I forget which of the two provinces its in though, as it straddles the border. Still have to see the hall myself but want to; it's the country's largest museum, privately owned so can say anything, and schoolkids the country over get shipped off there at least once to learn things that perhaps the government couldn't get away with teaching in schools. Sounds fascinating to me.

[Brian]

There's a ton to do in Jeollanam-do it's hard to kind of narrow it down. 

The representative sites are the green tea fields in Boseong, the bamboo forest in Damyang, the 5/18 Cemetery in Gwangju, and Nagan Folk Village in Suncheon.  Three of the four places have / had festivals in May, so that's an ideal time to visit. 

The poster above has a decent itinerary for Yeosu, though I'd just add that Suncheon actually does have some historical significance.  In addition to the Folk Village there are two of the area's biggest and most significant temples: Songgwangsa and Seonnamsa (the latter is more worth the visit, IMO).  But, really you can visit temples all over the country, and if you're making the special trip to Jeollanam-do I'd recommend going around  Yeosu and heading out to the green tea fields in Boseong if you can make it.  Gwangju is a nice enough place to live (I miss it), but it's not really a memorable weekend trip, so I'd say just stay there Saturday night (if you're going for a weekend) and use it as the hub for your bus trips around the province.

Actually, if I could spend a weekend in Jeollanam-do, after revisiting old friends and old haunts I'd take a trip to some of the smaller outlying islands in Shinan and Yeosu counties.  That'd be a memorable, unique Jeollanam-do experience, too.  Google around for Bigeum-do, Geomun-do, and Cheongsan-do for more information on three of the best-known.

[cassimira]

How will you be traveling? By car, or using the public transport system?

I know of a few really awesome out of the way places in Chungbuk that most foreigners don't get to see, but you'd need a car for most of them... (such as small fishing lakes, out of the way art-galleries, etc.)

as for things that are a bit more accessible...
I second the recommendation for danyang... you can  take a ferry across chungju lake between danyang and chungju, which is really incredibly lovely trip.

There are also two national parks... Woraksan (which has a nearby spa resort in the town of suanbo) and songnisan.... both of which have really nice, cheap camping options and TONS of trails.

As far as cities, I currently live in a very small town about halfway between Chungju and cheongju, and  honestly have never been too impressed with cheongju.. I really prefer the atmosphere of chungju.... but I'd be hard pressed to say why... really more of a nature person, i suppose.

[wayofdan]

Gangwon Province, specifically Seokcho is great for hiking.  Getting to the top of Seoraksan Mountain is a trip.

[drewhpowell]

Cheonan/Asan has some hot springs and the Independence Hall. I forget which of the two provinces its in though, as it straddles the border. Still have to see the hall myself but want to; it's the country's largest museum, privately owned so can say anything, and schoolkids the country over get shipped off there at least once to learn things that perhaps the government couldn't get away with teaching in schools. Sounds fascinating to me.

Independence Hall is really fantastic, unless you go with Kindergarteners.  My 5 year olds and I walked through a Korean War scene, took peace sign pictures with a dummy whose leg had been blown off, and posed for a picture with a soldier on fire.

[jaybird]

Anmyeon-do, Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do

Beaches. They fly you around in a small plane. There's also ATVs, and mountain/street warfare paintball.