10 things to do in Yeosu
Ranked by one question: if you had a single call here, what would you regret missing? Every entry carries the round-trip time from the berth.
Maritime cable car over the bay
Korea’s first cable car over the sea, opened in 2014: 1.5 km between Jasan Park on the mainland and Dolsan Park on the island. The ride is 13 minutes each way, passing beside the Turtle Ship Bridge. ₩17,000 return, ₩24,000 in a glass-floor cabin; 09:30–21:30 daily, cards taken. It does not go to Odongdo.
Taxi ~7 min to the Jasan Park station, about ₩4,700; or 30 min on footFull guide: The Yeosu Maritime Cable Car →Hyangiram hermitage
A hermitage on the cliffs at the south tip of Dolsan, one of Korea’s four Avalokiteshvara sanctuaries and a sunrise place. Free, sunrise to sunset, every day. The last 15 minutes are steep steps and narrow stone passages; Holland America rates its own tour here strenuous. Not for limited mobility.
Taxi ~42 min each way, 26.6 km; about ₩28,500 on the meter each way, our estimate; ask the driver to waitFull guide: Hyangiram hermitage →Odongdo and its camellias
A national-park islet of more than 3,000 camellia trees, joined to the shore by a 768 m breakwater. A 1952 lighthouse and 2.5 km of forest paths; free, open all hours. The Dongbaek train is ₩1,000, free at 65 and over, and stops 12:00–13:00. The camellias bloom from January and peak in March.
Taxi ~8 min, about ₩4,900, then the breakwater on foot or the ₩1,000 train; or 37 min on foot from the shipFull guide: Odongdo island and its camellias →Gejang lunch on the crab street
Gejang baekban, raw crab marinated in soy and served as a set with rice, is on the city’s official list of ten tastes. Bongsan-dong’s street of gejang houses dates from 2009. Hwangso Sikdang refills the crab once and opens 08:00–20:20 every day, last order 19:40. Bring won; card acceptance is not confirmed.
Taxi ~9 min to Bongsan-dong, about ₩6,200Google Maps →Jinnamgwan and Yi Sun-sin Square
Jinnamgwan, National Treasure No. 304, is the largest single-storey wooden hall in Korea and was the headquarters of the Jeolla Left Naval Command. It reopened at the end of May 2025 after a ten-year dismantle-and-rebuild; 09:00–17:00 in winter, to 18:00 in summer, free. The turtle-ship replica at Yi Sun-sin Square is a short walk below it.
Taxi ~7 min, about ₩4,800; or 35 min on footGoogle Maps →Expo site, Sky Tower and the Big-O
The 2012 Expo grounds surround the berth. The Sky Tower is two former cement silos turned observation tower, remodelled and reopened in March 2025, 10:00–22:00 all year; a fee of about ₩3,000 is listed by a secondary source. The Big-O is the show stage on the water; its night show has its own tickets and a schedule we could not confirm.
On foot: Sky Tower 3 min from the arrival hall, Big-O about 14 minGoogle Maps →Suncheon Bay wetland
Reed beds and tidal flats with hooded cranes in winter, reached by a boardwalk to the Yongsan observatory, with Korea’s first National Garden next door. ₩10,000 each. Both close on the last Monday of the month, and the Skycube between them does not run on Mondays. Holland America counts about 8 km of walking on its tour.
Pre-booked car or ship’s tour; about 51 min each way, 39.7 km; taxi around ₩57,500 each way with the out-of-area surcharge, our estimateGoogle Maps →Seodae-hoe at the Gyodong fish market
Seodae-hoe is raw sole dressed with makgeolli vinegar and mixed into rice, one of Yeosu’s official ten tastes. At the Gyodong fish market you buy downstairs and eat upstairs for a table charge; 06:00–21:00, closed the second and fourth Tuesdays, cards taken. Samhakjip, near Yi Sun-sin Square, serves it for ₩16,000.
Taxi ~8 min, about ₩5,600; 47 min on footGoogle Maps →Dolsan Bridge and the Dolsan Park view
Dolsan Park is the far end of the cable car, on the island above the Dolsan Bridge. The view is back over the strait to the town; free. The bridge is lit at night, which only the Azamara calls departing at 20:00 and 22:00 can see. Jeonggane, a galchi-jorim house, is about 10 minutes on foot from the park (secondary).
Taxi ~10 min to Dolsan Park, about ₩6,400; or the cable car from Jasan ParkFull guide: The Yeosu Maritime Cable Car →
Shore excursion with a guaranteed return
The shared tour written for cruise guests: about 8 hours, from about US$82 per person, with Hyangiram, Jinnamgwan, Yi Sun-sin Square and a market. The operator’s record promises a “100% guaranteed on-time return to Yeosu Port” and staff waiting at the Yeosu Expo Cruise Terminal before the ship docks. The pick-up time is set to the ship’s arrival.
