Top Things to do in Yangyang-gun
What to do and see in Yangyang-gun, South Korea: The Best Places and Tips
Discover the best top things to do in Yangyang-gun, South Korea including Naksansa Temple, Naksan Beach, Hajodae, Hyuhyuam, Uisangdae Pavilion, Namae Port, Osaek Carbonated Hot Springs, Osan-ri Prehistory Museum, Micheongol Valley, Jangan Temple.
Restaurants in Yangyang-gun
1. Naksansa Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 121 reviews
Reviewed By nlaykhim - Singapore
The Uisangdae Pavilion is under construction; what a pity!
Nevertheless our guide recommended that we visit Hongryeonam (small temple built in a stone cave) instead. The grounds were serene and peaceful, but the views were not exactly what I had been expecting. All my photos had evidence of the construction works going on. So if you are visiting for the views, perhaps do check when the construction will be completed.
We spent some time in the tea house instead. Hmmm...Korean tea has a strong taste, and takes a while to be accustomed to. I tried two different flavours and didn't like either of them.
2. Naksan Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 52 reviews
Reviewed By Katja_nsk - Suwon, South Korea
THE BEACH/WATER
The beach is lovely - wide and long with pine trees planted alongside and Mountains of Seoraksan National Park as a backdrop. The water is clean and transparent, and is of beautiful color. However, the slope is steep, the water is cold (July), and the waves are strong. That one is a real sea, very different from the Korean West coast (shallow Yellow sea). We were here before in May and in October, and assumed that the water was cold off-season. But in mid-July we were sorry to find it still cold... I mean, it is fine to just run in and out, but not much more. Anyway, the waves would not let one to swim... It was the case when the presence of lifeguards on the beach was fully justified.
ACCOMODATION/FOOD
There are plenty of accommodation options, including hotels, motels, and condos. We had a room in Beachvill Condotel, next to a more expensive Naksan Beach Hotel, in the quieter portion of the beach. We had a kitchen and a balcony with sea view, so we ate all our meals there and did not bother to check the restaurants. But from what I could spot, they serve mainly Korean-style seafood. There are several cafes across the street, facing the beach. 7/11s and GS25 are there, too.
ATTRACTIONS NEARBY
You can walk to a very interesting and beautiful temple of Naksansa from the beach (around 3-4 km). The statue of Buddha on the mountain is seen from the beach, just go into that direction and you will get to the entrance.
FACILITIES
In spite of the quietness and lack of people, the area is well-maintained. Apparently, all this is for 2-3 weeks of Korean vacation in later July-early August... There are wooden walking paths along the shore, color lighting in the evening, swings and benches on the sand under pine trees, toilets, etc. Our baby enjoyed a ride on a horse carriage.
At the time of our visit (July 18-19) Naksan Beach was very peaceful and did not feel very touristy. We could sit on the beach privately without many people around. That same beach, however, is photographed on ads as fully packed with people, parasols, banana boats etc. where you can hardly see the water and sand... Luckily, we missed that. That must have been later in July when most locals have vacations. (God only knows why they put such horrible photos on the banners, the beach is nice when it is empty!).
More "action" is around the central area (where Pebble Beach pension, GS25, 7/11 and parking are). In the evening the dead-looking amusement park went alive with some noise. Still, 5 minutes away in our hotel it was quiet.
3. Hajodae
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 34 reviews
Reviewed By FOL-1003 - Berlin, Ohio
There is a small 6corner lookout temple that gives shelter in rainy times. The sotry is poetic and apparently quite present in the education of Korean children with fairy tales and songs.
Its about 600y old beautyful spot and you can see waves and stones washed by waves.
Not as boring as it sounds
Of course - take lots of pictures!!
4. Hyuhyuam
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 21 reviews
Reviewed By CanisHan - Guri, South Korea
CY + cg ( 2017.05.21 )
This temple was good place to see beach and religious facilities. Most temple was worship Buddha, but main building of this temple was worship the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. I admired splendid statue and mural of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, and there was many place to enjoy. Especially, Big statue was very good and beautiful. As unique temple shape, there was worth to visit.
5. Uisangdae Pavilion
Overall Ratings
4 based on 22 reviews
Reviewed By CanisHan - Guri, South Korea
CYC ( 2014.01.17 ) There was a good place to enjoy view of sea, and had good atmosphere. There was certain of good attraction, but a part of Naksan-temple. There would be include Naksan-temple, I think.
6. Namae Port
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By Ye0hang - Bucheon, South Korea
Not too much crowd If you wanna feel calm and silence, I recommend this place Especially, Raw fish is Awesome. I visited 경기횟집(restaurant), Their food was very delicious. and All guys in there, very kind.
7. Osaek Carbonated Hot Springs
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By papertowel27 - Duluth, Minnesota
I've visited several natural spas (oncheon/온천) in Korea, and this one is my favorite. I'd say it compares to mid-range Japanese mountain resort onsens in variety and quality. It's also cleaner than any other spa I've visited in Korea, although it could be cleaner. There are two tiers for pricing: the base price allows entries to the baths only, while the higher price allows entry to the baths and a selection of co-ed dry saunas. Note that the carbonated spring itself is actually not hot, but there are several hot baths to warm up in (mugwort bath, hinoki bath, pine needle bath, alkali bath, etc). The spa is connected to the Greenyard Hotel, but anyone can use the spa. You can get here via an approximately 40-minute ride on bus number 1 from Yangyang, which picks up every 60 to 90 minutes across from Yangyang traditional market (among other places).
8. Osan-ri Prehistory Museum
Overall Ratings
4 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By 인선 황
날도 춥고 갈데도 마땅치 않아서 들렀는데~생각보다 괜찮구요 사람이 없어서 좋았어요~한 번 가셔도 좋을듯~
9. Micheongol Valley
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By YCHong - Seoul, South Korea
Micheongol means rice-water valley in Korean. About one thousand years ago, there used to be a temple named Seonlimwon, which was such a big one with many monks that every morning the valley water became white from rice-washing for their meal. Recently, the oldest bronze buddha in Korea has been excavated from this site and proved the value of this temple.
Other than Seonlimwon ruin, the valley itself is worth visiting. It runs more than 10km up from the entrance, accompanied by mostly unpaved road along which I run for excercise every morning during my visit. Water is crystal clean but might be felt too cold for swimming even in summer.(I'll try) An ideal place for trekking along the valley and in the forest. One more thing. there is a mireral water spring named "Bulbaragi" near at the upper end of the valley, but it's a long long way to get there.
For boarding, you can use some inns including "Bulbaragi" and "Monvijou". If you have Korean friends, it might be good to ask them to book camp sites or lodges of Korean Forest Service but they are hard to book.
10. Jangan Temple
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Nelson P - Busan, South Korea
Reviews we read online about Jangan Temple promised a huge, golden, reclining Buddha. Well, that's no longer truth. We looked and looked and even asked one of the staff members about it. They said we've confused this temple with another one. However, given that we'd seen many online reviews of the Buddha (all dated 2012 and earlier), we can only assume that it has been removed.
That's OK! While Jangan Temple isn't necessarily a "must-see" if you're in Busan for a few days, it's a nice place to get away from the city, and it's not that hard to get to if you don't mind walking or waiting for the shuttle (in Korean, "maeul" or "마을") bus (Bus 9 from Gijang Sijang Station, among other stops) that comes by once every 45 minutes or so. We went in the fall - mid-November gets a little chilly, but still bearable. The display put on by leaves changing colors was a spectacular backdrop!
If you're ever in eastern Busan (the Gi-jang area) and don't want to put up with the crowds at Hae-dong Yong-gung Temple, Jangansa is a nice alternative.
