Danyang

Understand

Perched by the lake, surrounded by three national parks and dotted with caves and temples, Danyang is considered North Chungcheong's top attraction. The modern town of Danyang dates only to 1986, as most of the old city was submerged beneath the waters of the artificial Chungju Lake. Throughout town, you'll see statues, pictures and even lampposts of a guy with huge eyebrows, holding hands with a lady. This is Ondal, a jester in the imperial court, who managed to break through Korea's strict caste system to marry the princess Pyeonggang and become a respected general. Danyang is very known for historical caves in Korea. There are so many historical caves in Danyang, for example you can see the cave 'Danyang Geumgul cave site'. Due to the extensive development of limestone areas, there are many limestone erosion caves such as Gosu Cave, Nodong Cave, Cheondong Cave, and Ondal Cave. The caves are full of mysterious images of the beginning, including stalactites, stalagmites, stalagmites, and lakes.

Climate

Danyang is located in the inland mountainous region and has an inland climate with severe temperature crossings. The average annual temperature is 11.5 °C, and the average maximum temperature is 17.5 °C. In summer, humid weather continues due to high humidity, and the heat gradually decreases from September, stabilizing the average temperature around 20 °C. From November, it becomes colder and autumn rain falls. The temperature from December to February is less than 0 °C on average, and cold waves may come, so be careful.

Tourist office The tourist information office is on the far side of the red bridge from the bus terminal. Some English is spoken, and you can pick up a handy town map from here.[1] Tourism information about Danyang can be found on this site.

Getting there

By plane The sizeable international airport at Cheongju is about 30 km away by road.

By train Danyang is on the eastern Jungang line from Seoul's Cheongnyangni station through Wonju to Andong. There are mugunghwa services every hour or two (3 hr 15 min, ₩10,000), and two saemaeul expresses daily (2 hr 45 min, ₩14,000). The train station is 3 km outside Danyang, but you can take a bus from the stop just outside the station (₩1,000) or a taxi (around ₩5,000). If you go to Danyang from Seoul, you can take the ktx train. It takes about two hours to travel by train from cheonglyangli Station to Danyang Station.

By bus Danyang's clean and modern bus station, on the northern side of town, has hourly express services to Seoul's Express Bus Terminal (2 hr 30 min, ₩14,000) and intercity services to Dong-Seoul terminal (over 3 hours). Most buses from Seoul continue onward to Guinsa (30 minutes, ₩2,600). There are also hourly services to Chungju (1 hr 30 min, ₩6,200) and Jecheon (1 hour), and a few departures daily to Busan and Daejeon. Limousines exist from Incheon Airport to Danyang.

By boat In season, you can take a very scenic cruise across Chungju Lake to Chungju (2 hours, ₩18,000). The ferry terminal is on the riverside, a few blocks south of the bus terminal.

Getting around

Central Danyang can be covered on foot, but taxis are plentiful (starting fare ₩4,800 ).

See

1 Gosu Cave (고수동굴), Gosu Cave 8, Gosu Cave-gil, Danyang-eup (cross the bridge, turn left and walk 10 minutes along the highway), ☏ +82 0507-1388-3072. 09:00-17:00. One of Korea's most famous caves, 1.7 km of twisting, turning limestone caverns have been outfitted with metal walkways and subdued lighting. It's quite a remarkable sight, but claustrophobes and people in need of a diet might want to skip it as some tunnels are quite narrow. ₩4,000. (updated Oct 2024) 2 Cheondong Cave (천동동굴) (continue up the hill past Gosu Cave for several kilometers; a few hundred meters before the road ends, look for small signs and a large parking lot on the left side of the road; the cave entrance is above the parking lot; follow the stone steps up and walk along a sidewalk for several minutes to get there), ☏ +82 043-422-2972. 09:00-17:00. This cave has many ups and downs along with twisty narrow passages. It is perfect for nimble athletic folk. There are some excellent stalactites, stalagmites, fins, and soda straws to be seen. Adult ₩6,000, teenager ₩4,000, child ₩3,000. (updated Oct 2024) 3 Ondal Fortress (온달관광지), Ondal-ro 23, Yeongchun-myeon, ☏ +82 043-423-8820. 09:00-18:00. This complex houses the reconstruction of an old fortress and a limestone cave. The admission ticket gets you into both areas. The fortress has dozens of buildings to walk around and through. For an extra fee, you can dress up in traditional formal clothing and have your picture taken. The cave takes about thirty minutes to tour. (updated Oct 2024)

4 Seongmun Natural Arch (단양 석문), 644-33, Sambong-ro, Maepo-eup. 09:00-18:00. This scenic arch is located near the river. There is a large tourist parking and rest area nearby, with plenty of shops for food and drink. (updated Oct 2024) 5 Danuri Aquarium (다누리아쿠아리움), 111, Waterfront-ro, Danyang-eup, ☏ +82 43-423-4235. 09:00-18:00. Eight scenic spots in Danyang-gun, including Jungseonam, Sainam, Oksunbong, and Dodamsambong, are reproduced as they are. You can see v

Do

There are plenty of hiking opportunities around Danyang, especially in the nearby Sobaeksan National Park and Woraksan National Parks. The easiest option, though, is to head to Mount Daesong (Daesongsan, 380 m), behind the city and covered with easy, well-signposted (in Korean) hiking trails, the main one doing a loop around the base of the hill. There are several trailheads; to reach the most convenient one, walk up the hill from the bus terminal, then turn left after the police station. The "summit" is about one kilometer away.

1 Danyang Paragliding (단양레저 패러글라이딩), Danyang Para Village, 196-52, Doosan-gil, Gagok-myeon (from the bus station, head south for about 600 m; this place is just past GS25), ☏ +82 43-423-4123. 09:00-18:30. Paragliding is what this place does, and they do it well. If you look east from town, you can see an observatory on the hilltop. This shop will take you up there and do tandem jump, so it's perfect for people who want to try paragliding but have never done so before. Little English is spoken, but the people leading the jumps all know the important expressions for safely getting you off the ground and landing at the end. ₩100,000 for a basic jump; more for longer jumps. (updated Nov 2024) 2 Skywalk in the world (만천하스카이워크), 10,000 Skywalk Ticket Office, Clotbawi-gil, Jeokseong-myeon, ☏ +82 43-421-0014. 09:00-17:00. Zipwire is an extreme sport in which two fixed wire ropes of 980 m in length glide down as if they were non-powered. The skywalk offers panoramic views of the city and the Lotus Blossom Pedestal in Sobaeksan Mountain in the distance. The three-finger, 15-meter-long and 2-meter-wide high-intensity triple glass at the Manhakcheonbong Observatory in the form of a horseshoe-shaped observatory provides views of the Namhan River. Admission ₩4000. (updated Nov 202