Yeosu vs Tongyeong: Which Should You Choose for a First Trip?

The short answer

Yeosu is a port city on Korea's south coast. Odongdo, a camellia island, a cable car over the sea, Hyangiram Hermitage, known for sunrise, and Jinnamgwan Hall, a National Treasure, are all in one city, and the night sea at Dolsan Bridge and Jongpo Marine Park is famous.

Tongyeong is also a south coast port city, with the sea and islands of Hallyeohaesang National Park, the Samdo Sugun Tongjeyeong naval headquarters with its National Treasure Sebyeonggwan Hall, and Hansando Island, linked to Admiral Yi Sun-sin. The two cities share a national park: designated Korea's first marine national park in 1968, Hallyeohaesang stretches from Jisimdo in Geoje to Odongdo in Yeosu, and 76% of its area is sea.

Best for: Yeosu suits travelers who want to arrive by KTX train for camellia-island walks, a cable car over the sea, night views, sunrise and seafood meals such as gejang baekban. Tongyeong suits travelers who come by bus for a walkable town, views from Mireuksan and island day trips.

• Full Yeosu travel guide →
• Full Tongyeong travel guide →

Getting there and into town

For Yeosu, take the KTX from Seoul or Yongsan Station to Yeosu EXPO Station; it takes about 3 hours to 3 hours 20 minutes from Seoul Station, and ITX-Saemaeul, ITX-Maeum and Mugunghwa trains also run. Express and intercity buses arrive at Yeosu Integrated Bus Terminal, and there is also Yeosu Airport (RSU). Flight schedules and bus routes change by season, so check official information.

Tongyeong City's transport guide lists only flights, buses and cars, with no rail route. Korea Tourism Organization says express buses leave from Seoul Express Bus Terminal and intercity buses from Seoul Nambu and Dong Seoul terminals for Tongyeong Bus Terminal. The city tourism site lists routes linking the terminal with Busan, Gimhae International Airport, Incheon International Airport and more, and there is a bus to Sacheon Airport in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

Express and intercity buses to the same place may use different terminals. Check train fares with Korail, and bus timetables and booking on official sites such as the national express bus booking site.

• Yeosu KTX (Seoul Station → Yeosu EXPO Station): about 3 hr to 3 hr 20 min; check fares and seats with Korail
• Yeosu Airport → town: city bus about 20 min to Yeocheon Station, about 1 hr to the Yeosu EXPO Station area
• Yeosu city buses: KRW 1,700 cash, KRW 1,600 by transit card
• Tongyeong terminal → town: city buses (Nos. 100, 200, 300, 401, 500, 600) about 15 min to Buksin Market; KRW 1,650 by card (KRW 1,700 cash)
• Tongyeong terminal → cable car: bus No. 141; a taxi takes about 20 minutes and costs around KRW 10,000 when traffic is light

How many days, and what it costs

The Yeosu guide suggests 2 days or more (Korea Tourism Organization also suggests a one-day course in the city centre). Its plan runs Odongdo, the cable car and the night sea on day 1, Hyangiram and Jinnamgwan on day 2, and the Yeosu Expo site on day 3. For Tongyeong, the guide suggests 2 days for the town centre (Gangguan, Sebyeonggwan, Dongpirang) and the Mireuksan cable car, plus at least one more day for islands such as Hansando, Somaemuldo or Yokjido.

Neither guide gives a daily total; both list transport and admission costs, and both say accommodation is most of the budget, so compare prices for your dates on booking sites. A standard adult round trip costs KRW 17,000 on both the Yeosu Maritime Cable Car and the Tongyeong Cable Car.

• City buses: Yeosu KRW 1,700 cash / KRW 1,600 by card; Tongyeong KRW 1,650 by card / KRW 1,700 cash (fares from 1 September 2025, with one free transfer within 30 minutes by card)
• Cable cars: Yeosu standard cabin adults KRW 17,000 round trip / 14,000 one way (crystal cabin KRW 24,000 / 19,000); Tongyeong adults KRW 17,000 round trip / 13,500 one way
• Free: Odongdo in Yeosu (Dongbaek Train KRW 1,000); Dongpirang, Gangguan and Jeseungdang on Hansando in Tongyeong
• Paid sight: Sebyeonggwan in Tongyeong, adults KRW 3,000 (free on the last Wednesday of each month, 'Culture Day')

Weather by month, side by side

Both guides' 'when to go' notes focus on food seasons and events. In Yeosu, Odongdo's camellias start blooming in February and peak in March (per Yeosu City), and many people climb to Hyangiram for the New Year sunrise; oysters are in season November–February. In Tongyeong, oysters are in season November to March, dodari ssukguk is served for about two months in early spring, and the Tongyeong International Music Festival runs every year from late March to early April.

The figures below are Korea Meteorological Administration 30-year normals for 1991–2020, from Yeosu station for Yeosu and Tongyeong station for Tongyeong. Each line shows average high / average low / monthly rainfall.

Temperatures and rainfall are similar. In both Yeosu and Tongyeong, November to March gets less rain than the monthly average for the year, and the January average low is 0°C in Yeosu and -1°C in Tongyeong. The wettest month in both is July (277 mm in Yeosu, 289 mm in Tongyeong). Island ferries and cable cars depend on the day's weather, so check before you set out.

• November: Yeosu 15°C / 8°C / 47 mm, Tongyeong 16°C / 7°C / 49 mm
• December: Yeosu 9°C / 2°C / 26 mm, Tongyeong 10°C / 1°C / 32 mm
• January: Yeosu 7°C / 0°C / 25 mm, Tongyeong 8°C / -1°C / 32 mm
• February: Yeosu 9°C / 1°C / 45 mm, Tongyeong 10°C / 1°C / 50 mm
• March: Yeosu 12°C / 5°C / 84 mm, Tongyeong 13°C / 5°C / 92 mm
• April: Yeosu 17°C / 10°C / 125 mm, Tongyeong 18°C / 9°C / 139 mm

What you do there

In Yeosu, the highlights are Odongdo Island with about 3,000 camellia trees (free, open 24 hours), the 1.5 km Maritime Cable Car between Dolsan Park and Jasan Park, Hyangiram Hermitage on the cliffs of Geumosan at the tip of Dolsan Island, and Jinnamgwan Hall, a National Treasure built in 1599. Visits to Jinnamgwan have been limited during repair works, so check official information. In the evening, walk about 1.5 km along the sea from Yi Sun-sin Square to Jongpo Marine Park, and see Dolsan Bridge lit up from Dolsan Park. Dolsan gat kimchi, gejang baekban, seodae-hoe muchim and grilled oysters (November–February) make up Yeosu's seafood table.

In Tongyeong, you link the town on foot: Samdo Sugun Tongjeyeong and Sebyeonggwan, Dongpirang about a 10-minute walk away, and Gangguan Port and Jungang Market below it. Sebyeonggwan is ranked with Gyeonghoeru Pavilion in Gyeongbokgung and Jinnamgwan in Yeosu among the largest Joseon wooden buildings, so it also links the two cities. The cable car takes about 9 minutes to the upper station on Mireuksan (461 m), and from the top you look over the islands of the Hallyeosu waterway. Ferries from Tongyeong Port go to Jeseungdang on Hansando. Chungmu gimbap, kkulppang (honey bread) and oyster dishes (November to March) are the local favorites.

• Yeosu, Hyangiram: take bus 111 or 111-1. Each route has a fixed number of runs a day, so check the timetable first.
• Yeosu, Odongdo: about a 15-minute walk along the 768 m breakwater; the Dongbaek Train costs KRW 1,000.
• Yeosu Maritime Cable Car: no reservations; tickets are sold on the day only.
• Tongyeong Cable Car: closed on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month, and ticket sales may close early, so go in the morning.
• Tongyeong island ferries: sailings change with the weather, so check your return boat too. Part of the Somaemuldo lighthouse trail (the section down to Yeolmokgae) has been closed since 3 October 2025 until further notice, so you may not be able to reach the lighthouse islet (city tourism site, checked 5 October 2026).

How to choose, or do both

If you want to arrive by KTX for camellia-island walks, a cable car over the sea, night views and sunrise, Yeosu fits well. If you want a walkable town, Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Hansando, views from Mireuksan and island day trips, and don't mind the bus, Tongyeong fits.

To visit both, plan around each guide's suggested length (Yeosu 2 days or more; Tongyeong 2 days for the town, plus at least one more day for islands). The guides don't cover travel between Yeosu and Tongyeong, so check transport options with official sources.

Korean citizens traveling domestically need no entry procedure. For foreign visitors, entry rules for Korea depend on your nationality, so check official Korean government information before you travel.

• Full Yeosu travel guide →
• Full Tongyeong travel guide →

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