Fresh seafood, beaches, beautiful islands a short ferry ride away, a walking path full of street art, numerous little festivals, fun outdoor activities, a cable car with a small hike for amazing views, cheery blossoms and relaxing nightlife. Welcome to the small costal city of Tongyeong.
Welcome to Tongyeong
The first time I visited Tongyeong was through through the Expat travel company Wink (When in Korea). They were hosting a weekend trip to Tongyeong that included a ridge hike of Saryang-do island. It was one of the most memorial weekend getaways I’ve had since moving to South Korea.
Here are some of the highlights you have to look forward to if you decide to explore Tongyeong for yourself.
Mireuksan Mountain: The Cable Car and Luge
By far the biggest can’t miss thing to do in Tongyeong is to ride the Tongyeong Cable Car! From the base of the Mireuksan mountain (미륵산), you can ride the cable car up the mountain and from the arrival building you can walk an additional 20 minutes to the peak of the mountain.
The trail is not difficult and completely altered to be boardwalk and stairs. As seen in the photo below, there is a viewing deck from the cable car arrival building, but the views are more picturesque after a 10-15 minute stroll up the mountain. The photos were taken during the cherry blossom season, so the lack of foliage gave a clear view of the surrounding landscape.
Regardless of if you go by foot or cable car, the cable car arrival building has a lovely view with seating, and small shops selling cold drinks, ice cream and a selection of ‘korean festival style’ foods.
This spot is perfect for a picnic at one of the benches overlooking the countless islands. I would pick up something before traveling to the mountain. Restaurant or take out food options at the base of the hill are limited and while they sell food on the mountain, its more more food cart snack style than delicious and substantial. Additionally, there is a small souvenir shop located inside and a rooftop viewing area (worth checking out).
Cable Car: A round trip ticket for an adult is 14,000원. The mountain is full of trails so it’s also an option to ride one way and hike the other, one way tickets are 11,000원.
Additionally, from the base is the Skyline Luge. I didn’t ride the Luge but the pricing seemed reasonable and my friends told me they had a great time. It appeared very popular with kids and couples on dates.
Seafood and Oysters
Located on the south coast, Tongyeong has a wide selection of seafood but at much better prices than their sister city Busan. What makes Tongyeong a standout is the affordable and numerous restaurant specializing in Oysters.
As an American from Florida, I’m not unfamiliar with oysters but I’ve only every had them on ice ready to be slurped down in one gulp. Down on the beaches of Tongyeong, they do it a bit differently.
My friends and I visited the set menu restaurant, 동피랑통영굴구이. It was here that I learned there are a ton of different delicious ways that Tongyeongs chefs can prepare oysters. We ordered 7 styles of oysters for 23,000원 per person. This set included cold, steam, cooked into Korean panckaes and many more. We were also given a free half fish for service. There is two other sets are lower prices, 15,000원 and 20,000원, which differed by having fewer oyster styles.
Your table must order at least two servings of the same set “2인 이상” so this isn’t an option for solo travelers.
Nearby Islands ~ Saryang-do Island
A 50 minute ferry ride from the Tongyeong Ferry terminal is Saryang-do island. The island is famous for the hiking trail that runs the course of the island with nearly constant panoramic views of the ocean and neighboring islands. Although there are a. few islands to p
The area surrounding the port has numerous cafes, local family-run restaurants and amenities like a CU. Staying on the island is possible with a few affordable places to pick from.
If you aren’t interested in a long hike but want to see some views the below photo’s view can be reached fairly quickly (maybe 2 hour round trip with a slower pace)
The full hike is medium difficulty and takes an average of 4-6 hours to complete. Buses that run round the island come fairly frequently and this straight-line trail can be directly reached on foot from the ferry. But it’s most common to travel to the far side of the island and hike back toward the port. This is in part because the islands amenities are all centralized around the port and are geared toward feeding and relaxing weary hikers.
For an in-depth review of the hike itself, please check out my post on ridge hike of Saryang-do island.
Festivals
Tongyeong has numerous festival throught the year with topics ranging from nature (like the April cherry blossom festival) to food (like the spring Oyster festival). I would suggest checking to see if your trip here coincides with any festivals. I would add dates but they often change year by year due to weather and ocean conditions so I wouldn’t want to mislead anyone on timing.
Below are some photos I took from the 2019 Tongyeong Cherry Blossom Festival
Wow – stunning beautiful photos! In my country we have also blooming cherry trees. Our name is Hanami:
Hanami in Helsinki
Have a wonderful day!