In case you miss the first part of this post, you can find it here. In this second part, I will be sharing where we went in Tongyeong, a city that is an hour away from Geoje at the southern tip of South Korea.
Where to go in Tongyeong
Dongpirang Mural Village (동피랑마을)
The word “Dong” in Dongpirang, means east in Korean while the word “Pirang”, meaning hill in Tongyeong dialect. The village became a must-see in Tongyeong since 2007 when an association in Tongyeong gathered people to paint murals on Dongpirang street. This area was then given a new look, revitalised by art and now there are many cute and colourful murals that you can see there.
Although it sounds similar to Gamcheon Cultural Village in Busan or Ihwa Mural Village in Seoul, this place is relatively less crowded and is located in a more concentrated area (not much walking!). The stunning view overlooking the sea and Gangguan Port here is something you will not get in the aforementioned places as well.
Yi Sun Sin Park (이순신공원)
Yi Sun Sin was a Korean naval commander who is known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. The park immortalizes the great war commander in statue form at the center of a complex featuring a traditional arts hall, pavilions and a beautiful viewing deck.
If you visit, be prepared with comfortable foot wear as the park is located at the side of a hill. The sea view from this park makes the visit worth while though!
Miraesa Temple and Pine Forest (미래사)
We came across this temple by accident while looking for a pine trail that was recommended by our guest house host. It was one of the most colourful temples I have seen – just look at how vibrant the colours of the temple were, no editing was done.
Right opposite the entrance to this hidden temple at the side of Mireuksan Mountain was the pine trail we were looking for. The trail continued through a short pine forest and led us to a view point where we found a small buddha statue and a nice view of the ocean. It was as if we travelled through time to a more quiet, peaceful place.
Next to the temple’s entrance was a small (dubious looking) trail that says it leads to Mireuksan Peak, around 2 kilometers away.
My adventurous friends decided to go ahead and follow the trail and it led them to…
Mireuksan (미륵산)
According to my friends who climbed up to the peak, the hike took around 25 minutes from the temple entrance. If you love hiking, you can also choose to climb from the bottom of the mountain since the temple is already pretty near the top. The trails is expected to take around 2.5 hours one way.
Alternatively, you can also take a scenic ride on Hallyeosudo Viewing Ropeway (한려수도 조망케이블카) cable car. Once you get off the cable car, you will still need to climb for another 20 minutes to reach the peak, similar to the one at Seoraksan. 2-way tickets cost 10,000 KRW per adult.
From the peak of Mireuksan you will be able to see Tongyeong city and on a clear day, some islands in Japan.
Tongyeong Bridge (통영대교)
If you can, stay in Tongyeong until after sunset and enjoy the beautiful night view of Tongyeong Bridge. The bridge is lighted up and changes colour every few minutes at night and creates a spectacular view. This view was recently shown in the recent K-drama ‘Hospital Ship’ starring Kang Min Hyuk and Ha Ji Won in episode 7 (below) too.
Take a nice leisure stroll along the Tongyeong canal at night – the perfect ending to a fun day in Tongyeong!
You can refer to this map to find the different attractions mentioned in this post and the previous post about Geoje:
We stayed in a guesthouse in Tongyeong and I will post up a separate review on it soon! Stay tune!
Hi! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I’m planning to visit Tongyeong for day trip from Busan before going back to Seoul on the same day. Do you think it’s possible to cover the Hallyeosudo cable car + trekking to Mireuksan peak as well as go to Jungang market in one afternoon? Thank you beforehand!