At the end of May, we visited a friend in Tongyeong (통영시) for...

Enjoying the turtle ships


Reenactment of a battle on a turtle ship


Reenactment of a battle on a turtle ship


Concert Hall


Outside the Concert Hall


Outside the Concert Hall


Having an Italian meal at Trattoria del Arte, located on the second floor of the Tongyeong Concert Hall.


Taking the cable car up Mireuk Mountain (미륵산) at Hallyeosudo (한려수도조망 케이블카).


Taking the cable car up Mireuk Mountain (미륵산) at Hallyeosudo (한려수도조망 케이블카).


On Mireuk Mountain (미륵산)

At the end of May, we visited a friend in Tongyeong (통영시) for the weekend. It’s a two-hour bus ride from the Busan West Intercity Bus Terminal in Sasang (9,800₩). Tongyeong isn’t exactly a bustling metropolis with a population of about 140,000 people, but it’s got its gems, as well as being a great jumping-off point for adventures in other cities. 

I’ve compiled a list of things to do, in no particular order.

1. Take a 40-minute ferry ride to Bijindo for 6,700₩. Be mindful of the ferry and bus times out of there. Ferries leave from Tongyeong only three times a day (at 7:00, 11:00 and 2:00 p.m.).

2. Try the regional foods just once. There’s gulbbang (꿀빵), which is a bread-like dessert that has red bean paste inside it and is covered in honey, For something more savory, you could try chungmu gimbab (충무김밥), a plan Korean snack of simple seaweed and rice. I didn’t appreciated either edible, but I didn’t want to leave the city without trying food that originated there.

3. Korean naval commander, Admiral Yi Sun-Sin is well respected in the city. See monuments and turtle ships around the city. Check out the beautiful harbors and try to decipher the city’s self-given nickname of “The Naples of Korea.”

4. Have an Italian meal at Trattoria del Arte, located on the second floor of the Tongyeong Concert Hall. The view at sunset really is beautiful and, even though it’s expensive, I enjoyed the food. (Also, where is foreign food not expensive in Korea?)

5. Take the cable car up Mireuk Mountain (미륵산) at Hallyeosudo (한려수도조망 케이블카).

A taxi ride from one end of the city to the other probably isn’t more than 10,000₩, so we shared taxis to each location. I’ve heard that it’s worth traveling to the city for the International Music Festival in late-March and The Great Battle of Hansan Festival (통영 한산대첩축제) in mid-August.