Gwangju

Understand

The city has an interesting claim to fame as having the largest and most modern bus terminal (called U-Square) and possibly the largest single pedestrian drinking, dining and clubbing district in the country. This is reflective of the city in general, which holds a much more modern and cleaner appearance than anywhere else in the country, save perhaps Busan. In Korea, Gwangju is famous for its cuisine as is the province of Jeolla. The entire area had been considered the breadbasket of Korea historically. On the practical side, food is generally tastier and easier on the wallet throughout this province.

Gwangju is well known in South Korea for the Gwangju Massacre (aka the Gwangju Uprising, the May 18 Democratic Uprising or the Gwangju Democratization Movement) of May 18, 1980, in which at least 207 (or far higher depending on whom you ask) demonstrators were killed by the army in the course of suppressing a pro-democracy demonstration. Gwangju was seen as the forefront of the democracy movement in South Korea. The people of the city are proud of the uprising and tend to be at the forefront of any political upheaval in the country.

Climate Gwangju lies between a subtropical and humid continental climate zones. November to April tend to be more continental, while warmer months are more subtropical with hot, humid summers. There are monsoon conditions in June and July and an average of nonheavy snow during winter. As of mid-November 2022, Gwangju Metropolitan City and Jeollanam-do have been confirmed to have fallen below 30% due to the worst drought since 1973, and some parts of Jeollanam-do have not been able to supply normal water for more than six months, so they are living with limited water supply or transportation. As a result, all 12 cities and counties across Gwangju and Jeollanam-do are complaining of water conservation by reaching the "warning" stage, which is the fourth of the five stages of drought for living water, and Gwangju is likely to receive limited water in 30 years around January to March 2023.[1][2]

Orientation Gwangju sits roughly 267 km (165 miles) the south of Seoul and about 202 km (125 miles) the west of Busan. Chungjang-ro and Geumnam-ro streets to the center are Gwangju's conventional shopping and entertainment downtown and the main office building area. U-Square (Gwangju Bus Terminal) area, Chonnam National University Back Gate Area, and Cheomdan & Suwan & Pungam Districts are transportation nodes, comparatively new shopping areas and entertainment downtowns, while Sangmu district is the new office building area. Mudeung

Getting there

By plane 1 Gwangju Airport (KWJ IATA) (in the suburbs), ☏ +82 1661-2626. It has domestic flights from Seoul (Gimpo Int’l Airport) and Jeju Int’l Airport. The airport operates 12 regular flights from Jeju and 3 regular flights from Gimpo (Seoul). The average price of standard class adult tickets ranges between ₩27,200 and ₩139,200 (May 2017). Muan Int’l Airport (MWX IATA) is in the west Jeolla province area, near Gwangju. There is the only one flight from Jeju per day. Its average price ranges between ₩64,100 and ₩76,200 (May 2017) As an international airport, Muan Airport operates some direct international routes from Shanghai and Beijing, China. Some travelers find it easier and cheaper to take a direct bus from Incheon International Airport instead (about 4 hours), Gimhae International Airport in Busan (under 3 hours), and Muan Int’l Airport (about 35 min) as well. Gwangju Airport is a military airport, so taking photos and videos is strictly prohibited.

By train Korail's KTX trains or SR, Inc.'s SRT run from Seoul 20~23 times a day and are the quickest option for travelers wanting to go to Gwangju from Seoul. The trip takes 1½-3 hours and the cost is ₩46,800-65,500. In the case of SRT, it takes 1½ hours, the cost is ₩40,400-58,800. There are several stations to go to Gwangju from Seoul metropolitan city areas, such as Incheon Int’l Airport Station, Yongsan Station, Seoul station, Suseo Station, and Gwangmyeong Station. Incheon Int’l Airport operates Airport Railroad and Airport Limousine Bus from Incheon Int’l Airport to these stations. The homepage of SRT (SR, Inc) is not supported for other languages yet (May 2017) For foreigners, the tickets can be purchased on site or use Korail trains. Trains mainly depart from Yongsan or Suseo Station in Seoul, not the main Seoul Station. The KTX Honam line takes you from Seoul to Gwangju in 90 minutes. For more details about SRT, check Koject's article out.

2 Gwangju Songjeong station (광주송정역), ☏ +82 1544-7788. (updated Sep 2019) 3 Gwangju station. (updated Sep 2019) KTX Reservations, ☏ +82 1544-8545.

By bus Gwangju has a highly developed bus network because of Kumho Express, which is headquartered in Gwangju. Express buses between Seoul and Gwangju depart every 5 to 15 minutes all day long. Buses from major cities throughout the country arrive and depart from “U-Square” (Gwangju Bus Terminal), a large, fancy bus terminal near the geographic center of the city. The largest and fanciest in the country to be precise: this place looks like an airport. Every taxi driver in Gwangju knows the bus termin

Getting around

Getting around in Gwangju is really quite easy, though rush hour significantly adds to travel time. There are two basic options: buses and taxis. Taxis are generally cheap but buses are frequent and more or less comfortable. Gwangju Subway line stretches from the southeast near downtown to the west-southwest, forming an arc with the northernmost point being near the bus terminal at Nongseong Station (농성역 - Nongseong Yeok). The subway line is not spread over the city, but the trains go through some busy streets. Moreover, Gwangju subway is never overcrowded as much as Seoul.

By subway The subway is also cheap - ₩1400 in cash and ₩1250 in transportation card to any location (March 2017). The four main stops on the subway (though there are 20 in total) are the Culture Center (Munhwajeondang, former Provincial Office), Geumnamno-4 & 5 (pedestrian downtown), and Sangmu (the unofficial commercial center and western-style downtown area). To get to the bus terminal, exit at Nongseong Station (농성역 - Nongseong Yeok) and walk straight north (10 minutes) past E-Mart and Shinsegae department store. The bus terminal is juxtaposed to those two buildings. To take a train, take the subway to Songjeong-ni station and follow the signs for the train station. The second subway line that will eventually form a circle around the city will break ground towards the end of 2025. Eventually, there will be three lines in Gwangju.

By bus Intra-city bus fare is the same as the subway: ₩1400 in cash and ₩1250 in transportation card. Buses are arranged by colors. Red buses are express buses, running often, making very few stops, and covering large parts of the city. Bus number 순환01 (Sunhwan01) connects Sangmu area to the train station to Chosun University. Buses 풍암06 (Pungam06), 진월07 (Jinwol07), and 첨단09 (Cheomdan09) cover the rest of the city making large squares that intersect in important locations. 좌석02 (Jwaseok02) connects Jeungsimsa Temple to Asia Culture Center to Gwangju & Jeonnam Joint Innovation City and passes through Gwangju's main commercial areas, such as Geumnamno street, Songjeong Station, and Sangmu district. 좌석02 is a little bit expensive than the other buses: ₩1800 in cash and ₩1700 in transportation card. Yellow buses are standard buses that run every 10 – 20 minutes. Green buses are village buses that connect smaller communities and rural areas to transfer points. Purple buses are district circulator buses, generally going to the outskirts of the city. Every neighborhood (동 - dong) to main locations around the city. Especially during peak hours, bus drivers m

See

Travelers coming to Gwangju can experience a slower paced experience than Seoul, despite still feeling the Ppalli Ppalli (빨리 빨리 - hurry hurry) lifestyle of Korea. Gwangju also serves well as a good hub for touring the surrounding province of South Jeolla.

Dong-Gu (동구, East District) 1 Asia Culture Center (국립아시아문화전당) (Culture Center Metro Station). You can see art exhibitions and musical performances at this national art complex. It's one of the largest museums in South Korea, but most of the facilities are built in the basement. Old South Jeolla Provincial Hall, where the Gwangju Uprising started in 1980, is involved in this area. You can also buy Korean-style souvenirs here.It is a place with a very beautiful night view. For this reason, it becomes a popular walking place, dating course, and friendship street for Gwangju citizens at night. However, the location in charge of the city is similar to that of the National Theater + Sejong Center for the Performing Arts + Seoul Arts Center, so there are not many people interested in culture and art, so it is lame during the day.However, as the Gwangju Fringe Festival, which has been promoted since late 2015, was held in connection with the Cultural Center, it quickly emerged as Gwangju's first landmark as many people began to flock as the Cultural Center succeeded in promoting it. It is the largest cultural theme complex in the country, and it is easy to fall off while walking if you get lost. (updated Dec 2022) 2 Art Street (예술의거리 (Yesuruigeori)) (From the YMCA, cross the street, pass the KEB bank, and turn left when you see the white arches and cobblestone road (Keep going straight for a delicious vegetarian restaurant on your right).). A back street near downtown spanning approximately three blocks. It is full of artists and their works in galleries and nicely decorated store windows. In the evenings, it is lit up especially beautiful and provides a nice quaint walk a stone's throw from the most hectic pedestrian area in town. For artists seeking supplies, many of the stores also carry very affordable materials. On every Saturday from April to October, an art party is held in Art Street. The festival features a variety of programs for citizens and children to enjoy, such as puppet show, magic show, bubble show, and more. Over 40 participatory events with free admission include 3D printing, flower art, plaster hand printing, leather crafts, art therapy, music therapy, etc. 3 Jeungsimsa Temple (증심사). Jeungsimsa Temple, one of Gwangju’s main Buddhist temples, is located at the western foot of Mudeungsan M

Do

1 Geumnam-ro and Chungjang-ro Streets (금남로 & 충장로). These two streets form the pedestrian area of downtown, which is large when compared to other downtown areas with the exception of Seoul and Busan. Any given night these streets will be packed, though the crowds die out around midnight. From restaurants to karaoke rooms, to DVD rooms, pool halls, clubs, bars, movie theaters, and shopping can be done here. Several foreign food restaurants have established themselves here too and two foreign grocers (Western products and a Philippine market) are in this area too. Just about neighborhood has a bus that eventually ends here and taxi drivers will understand "Geumnam-ro". The main landmark is the YMCA, which is handy to ask for as well if using a taxi. The subway makes three stops (Geumnamno 4&5 and Asia Culture Center) all within a short distance, covering the two ends and the middle of the downtown district. Don't miss the underground shopping areas, which spans those three subway stops as well. 2 Gwangju Biennale & Design Biennale (광주비엔날레). Gwangju Biennale is one of the famed art exhibitions in the world. The city celebrates art every second year with international pieces on varying themes. The exhibition runs in even-numbered years. The sister festival to this is the Gwangju Design Festival which runs in odd numbered years and focuses on interior and exterior design elements. Even if you are not interested in the arts, you may be captivated by the pieces. 3 Ice skating. In Winter. Ice skating is available at the Pungam World Cup Stadium athletics center for approximately ₩6500. In the front of Gwangju city hall, temporary outdoor ice skating rink will be open in winter, with the price only ₩1000. 4 Baseball. A modern ballpark (KIA Champion's field) has been constructed next to the former stadium. Gwangju is also one of the baseball-love city, people have big interested in baseball as well. KIA Tigers is the Gwangju-based team and very strong and influential club in S.Korea. If you like baseball, just come and enjoy the energetic atmosphere of the baseball fans. Don’t be afraid about hooligans, they don’t live and die for the games. Regular ticket price is from ₩8,000 to 15,000 and can be purchased on site or online.The first-team baseball stadium was completed on February 28, 2014. It is the main stadium of Mudeung Stadium, and it is a baseball stadium right next to Mudeung Baseball Stadium. It has been used as the home stadium for the KIA Tigers since the 2014 season. It received great attention because it was the first-tier main stadium in 12 years

Eat

As the nickname, ‘The City of Gourmets’, Gwangju features numerous special cuisines for visitors. The reason why there are no 'King' restaurants in Gwangju is all of them are well known in the country and placed higher than standard quality basically.

Local specialties There are dishes you should try in Gwangju that is not typically available in other parts of Korea.

1 Songjeong Tteokgal-bi (송정 떡갈비). 11:00-21:00. Tteok-galbi is a local specialty with an area dedicated to it near Songjeong-ri subway station. Tteok-galbi is minced beef ribs made into patties and served in the typical meat and leaves barbecue that embodies much of Korean cuisine. It's a bit on the pricey side for Korean restaurants. ₩11,000-16,000. (updated May 2017) You can find occasionally restaurants dealing in Tteok-galbi in downtown, but mainly located in the front of Songjeoung Station. It is quite close to the stores from the station but can be a little bit hard to find to a first-time visitor. The phrase “Tteok-galbi-jip eodie is-seoyo? (떡갈비집 어디에 있어요?)”, means “Where is the Tteok-galbi store?”, or alternatively 'Tteok-galbi-jip chat-go-is-seoyo. (떡갈비집 찾고 있어요.)' has the same meaning. The pedestrian will help you gladly. 2 Ori-tang (오리탕; duck stew). Gwangju duck stew is a special cuisine which is not easy to taste in the other parts of South Korea. Gwangju and Jeolla Province’s duck stew contains chili pepper powder, water parsley, and roasted perilla seeds to thicken the dish. It served with a rice porridge made with jujube, glutinous rice, ginseng, chestnut, and so forth. It contains chili pepper powder, but it is the right amount of spicy because roasted perilla seeds neutralize its hot taste. You will find dedicated restaurants for this at the front area of Gwangju station (Not Gwangju Songjeoung Station). Duck Stew: ½ duck ₩28,000 (for 2-3 people), whole duck ₩45,000 (for 3-4 people). (updated May 2017) 3 Sangchu-Twigim (상추튀김). It is an unused concept. It is pretty similar to Ssam (eat something wrapped in leaves of lettuce), but the contents are deep-fried food or something like fritters. Pick the fried food, dipped in soy sauce, wrapped in leaves of lettuce, and devour it. It sounds weird but, the leaves of lettuce help to get rid of greasiness of fried food, and it is a sublime combination of flavors. The dedicated stores are located in central Sangmu district; at the front intersection of Sejeong Outlet (세정 아울렛). Meals from about ₩4,000. (updated May 2017)

4 Yuk-jeon (육전; Beef Pancake), From the post office in downtown, heading to the direction of Gwangju stream. At the

Drink & nightlife

There are several major "Good-to-Carouse" areas in Gwangju. In Gu-sicheong (구시청; next to ACC and Chungjang district) you can hang out with young people, mostly early to mid-twenties. However, the place is regarded as a meat-market. You should not expect to speak in English in that area. Some pubs or bars are “clean”, but it will take some pains to find out. Sangmu district is also considered as a meat-market, but Friday night and weekend only. Late 20s to early 30s office workers are the main users. Chonnam National University's back gate is a bendering & amusement place. The users consist of students mainly. The back gate of Chosun Univ. is almost the same, but the scale of the former one is bigger. Suwan, Cheomdan, and Yongbong district are entertainment districts as well, but that are somewhat far from the downtown. The following are several popular foreigner-friendly bars (though all will cater to foreign customers) in Gwangju.

1 Speakeasy (when looking out the front of Burger King go left for about 30-40 m and Speakeasy is at the end of the alleyway on the top two floors). Th-Su 19:00-Late. - Visit the website for a map and details of events. Drinks for all budgets. 2 LOFT28, 38, Hodong-ro 43beon-gil, Buk-gu (next to Yongbong Park, building at the corner, the third floor). 17:00-02:00. (House party & club style) The owner and staff are foreigners. ₩15,000 per person for food, drinks from ₩5,000. (updated May 2017) 3 Coboc & Reboot (커볶 앤 리부트), 161-7, Jiho-ro, Dong-gu (in the foot of Mt. Mudeungsan, next to Mudeung Park Hotel). 10:00-21:00. Cozy chairs and a good view. Drinks from ₩5,500. (updated May 2017) 4 Kkotpineun-Chunsamwol (꽃피는 춘삼월; Efflorescing Pleasant Spring Day), 50, Seongyo-ro, Dong-gu. Traditional Korean style cafe. The cafe is on the outskirts of the city. Using public transit would be uncomfortable. Drinks or ice flakes with syrup from ₩5,500. (updated May 2017) 5 Amble (앰블), 8, Munhwajeondang-ro 35beon-gil, Dong-gu (from the center of Gu-sicheong which is located in Gwangju Folly (yellow one, titled “The Open Box”, was designed by Dominique Perrault), heading to the ACC direction’s alley; about 100 m, you can see the ‘red building’ on your left). 1950s style in Western, coffee & beer with snacks. (updated May 2017) 6 GetSome (겟썸), 41, Sangmubeonyeong-ro, Seo-gu (in Sangmu district, next to Hotel B). Lounge bar. (updated May 2017) 7 CORONA (코로나), 9, Hodong-ro 15beon-gil, Buk-gu (in Chonnam University back gate area; from ‘THEFACESHOP’, go straight into ‘ARTBOX’‘s direction. At the end of the road, about 150 m, the store is on second

Sleep

Budget The cheapest place to sleep anywhere in Korea is at the local Jjimjil-bang (찜질방; Korean dry sauna). This is a kind of public bathhouse that has a communal room for sleeping on the heated floor. Expect sauna access, cotton pyjamas, a locker to put your stuff in and a price under ₩10,000. There's a bare possibility that is robbed by the thief when you're sleeping but, Be Vigilant at least.

1 Welbing Geongang Laendeu (웰빙건강랜드 (Wellbeing Health Land)), 116, Baekseo-ro, Dong-gu (minimum cab fare from downtown, say “Welbing-geon-gang-laendeu-ro gajuseyo (Wellbeing Health Land, Please)”; or on foot, from the ACC, go to the river, turn left, and walk two bridges down; it's on the corner). With both Jjimjil-bangs in the Geumnamno shut down, this is the closest one left. Unique in that it truly embodies the rebellious spirit of Gwangju by daring to provide a sufficient number of sleeping mats. Your eyes are not deceiving you! On the flip side, it pays lip service to the Korean running-gag by providing an abysmally low number of headrest cubes. They can't all be winners kid. ₩9,000. 2 Hwanggeum-Seupabaelli (황금스파밸리 (Golden Spa Valley)), 92, Gwangsan-ro, Gwangsan-gu (take the subway to Songjeong Park, exit #2; there is ‘Hana Hospital’ on your left, turn around, and go to right side’s alley; go straight about 200 m, you can find a white building). ₩6,000. (updated May 2017) 3 Starbax Sauna (스타박스 사우나), 7th floor, 96, Sangmujungang-ro, Seo-gu (in central Sangmu district area in the W Wedding Convention (W웨딩컨벤션) building). ₩8,000. (updated May 2017) 4 Oasita Hostel (오아시타 호스텔), 20, Dongmyeong-ro 20beon-gil, Dong-gu. There is English explanation on the website. Rooms from ₩22,000. (updated May 2017)

Mid-range Gaudy motels abound in Korea, and this is no less true in Gwangju. The main concentration of motels is in and around Sangmu district, between the Sangmu and Uncheon subway stops, or at the front of Gwangju station, and Cheomdan district, near the Lotte Mart. Motels can range from ₩30,000-50,000 and tend to be very seedy. One can judge the quality of a "love" motel by the movie selection usually proudly displayed near the cashier and the vending machines located throughout the motel. If you want ‘Not-bad-Motel’, check 'Goodstay' accommodation lists out that is endorsed by the Korea Tourism Organization.

5 Windmill Motel (윈드밀 호텔). This is a reasonably priced motel right beside the downtown pedestrian area. It can be easily spotted along the river with a large windmill on top. It has a selection of rooms including a large group room which is perfect for a

Go next

Head north, to Jeonju, the birthplace of bibimbap, to see it's well-preserved Hanok village, or perhaps take a train or bus south to the coastal towns of Mokpo and Yeosu respectively. If in the season, the iconic world famous green tea plantations of Boseong are also a very short hop away to the west. You've likely seen this place on someone's computer desktop. Unjusa, about 40 km south of Gwangju, is one of the most famous temples in Korea.

31 Piram-seowon (NW of Gwangju). A Confucian academy, one of nine components in the world heritage site Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies. (updated Jul 2019)