Suncheon – Day 10 of a 14-Day Trip in South Korea
Suncheon is a great base to visit the Nagan Eupseong Folk Village as well as the Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation. It is definitely easier to visit these spots with a car, but it is possible with public transport and taxis. There is also a daily Suncheon City Tour bus that stops at the main attractions, but it does not run on Mondays, which was exactly the day we visited. There are two routes for the tour – Songgwansa Temple or Seonamsa Temple. Depending on the tour day, the bus will stop at one of the temples, then the remaining stops are the same – Nagan Eupseong Folk Village, the Suncheon Bay National Garden, and the Suncheon Wetlands Reserve. I’m actually glad that we split the big attractions in two days as that let us spend more time at each.
Day 10
Suncheon
Our day started with picking up kimbap from a small store near Suncheon Station, then we caught the bus to Nagan Eupseong Folk Village. Note check the bus times at the Suncheon Tourist Information Center beside the station as buses are infrequent.
The bus ride to Nagan Eupseong Folk Village took about 50 minutes from Suncheon Station. You can get a 50% discount on your admission if you have your ticket from the Suncheon Bay National Garden. The village is still home to locals, so be respectful when you visit. The homes consist of stone walls and thatched roofs and is within a walled community. It is amazing how well preserved everything is especially since the village’s history goes back to the 1300s!
Next was the Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation. We tried to call an uber, but due to our location, we could not get a driver confirmed. We were able to catch a taxi however as there was one waiting outside the village. The taxi ride was ~$40 CAD and was a 30 minute ride. You can also take a bus, but you will need to transfer buses at Boseong Station. The trip takes about 1.5 hours to Boseong Station, then a 20 minutes bus to the plantation. If you are considering lunch, then it would be a good option to stop at Boseong Station. We were tight on time (late morning), so we skipped lunch and took the taxi to save time. The Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation is absolutely beautiful with its hills and many rows of tea trees. The tea plantation was originally founded in the late 1930’s when Japan ruled over Korea. It was abandoned after Korea’s liberation in 1945 and it was not until 1957 when it was bought by Korean entrepreneurs who then transformed it to what it is today. We really enjoyed exploring the tea farm and hiked up to the highest viewpoint, which made the green tea ice cream at the end even more rewarding. There are a other tea plantations in the area as well, but Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation is by far the most well known and most visited in this area.
The tea plantation also has a bamboo forest near the entrance – it was quiet and serene, most visitors don’t stop at the bamboo forest. We headed to the bus stop to catch the bus to Boseong Station, but had to wait a bit as the bus came every hour. At Boseong Station, we bought our train station for the 5pm train to Suncheon. Note check the train times ahead as this train is infrequent, you can also buy your tickets ahead of time on the Korail website. The 5pm train was the last train of the day when we visited.
We had some time before the train came and were hungry, so we went to Mom’s Touch near Boseong Station, a fast food restaurant specializing in fried chicken. We ordered a half order of the yangnyeom (sweet and spicy gojuchang flavour) fried chicken to share.
The train back to Suncheon Station took about an hour and half. We were boarded promptly. Once we arrived at Suncheon Station, it was time for dinner. We picked a Japanese restaurant called Sseunami as I wanted pork katsu. We made the mistake of ordering two dishes (pork katsu and cheese katsu) however, as we were still full from the fried chicken and it was just a lot of fried food. The food was yummy though. We also ordered beer, which was cool and refreshing, but filling. After dinner, we walked home to the Airbnb. The streets were quiet as the markets were closed.
Complete Day 10 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Kakao or Naver Maps for most accurate travel details.
8:00am: Pick up kimbap at the shop across from the Suncheon Station.
9:00am: Bus to Nagan Eupseong Folk Village (50 minute bus from Suncheon Station).
11:00am: Bus to Boseong Station (1.5 hour bus from Nagan Eupseong Folk Village). Have tteokgalbi for lunch at 보성녹차떡갈비원조.
1:00pm: Visit the Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation (20 minute bus from Boseong Station).
3:30pm: Bus back to Boseong Station (20 minute bus from Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation). Take the train back to Suncheon Station (1.5 hour train from Boseong Station).
7:00pm: Have dinner at Sseunami (5 minute walk from Suncheon Station).
14-Day South Korea Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 14-Day South Korea Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip!
Travels with Carolyne 
Oh really lovely places.
I recall my memory there from this post.
Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation looks so beautiful.
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Yes, they are absolutely beautiful!
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Indeed.
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