Intro
For those who don’t know, my husband and I are on our sabbatical, exploring different places across Korea right now. This past month we stayed in Yangyang, and absolutely fell in love with the p;ace.
For context, this chapter wasn’t meant to be active explorations or travel (unlike our 45 day U.S. road trip). We set up our home office and mostly worked on our own projects (writing, consulting, coding, and learning). We had a dedicated hiking day once a week and then the rest were small walks to various beach towns and forests. Even with the slow pace and passive exploration, I was lucky to come across beautiful nature spots and businesses across Yangyang.
As I look back on our time in Yangyang, I decided to share a pretty simple list of the spots I enjoyed. If you’re someone who loves nature, good aesthetics, food, and coffee then you may enjoy these spots as well.
Below is a postcard I made of all the sketches from Yangyang, that I plan to print and share.
What I love about Yangyang
First I’ll unpack my love for Yangyang a bit and give a quick overview. What I love most about Yangyang is the harmony of mountains and beaches. This place is heaven for all kinds of outdoor activities from surfing, cycling along the coastal trails, and hiking around mountains, forests and lakes.
Then there’s the co-living of the untouched beauty of small villages and the sporadic creative touches of the next generation of entrepreneurs. Even within the young surf towns, the businesses are quite harmonious with the existing landscape. ‘Yang’ in Chinese can mean ‘both sides.’ Seeing the beautiful balances in this town makes me think the name is quite fitting!
Top 10 Places
All the beaches
There are beautiful stretches of beaches and ports all along Yangyang’s coast. My personal favorite spots are Jukdo, Dongho, and Hajo beaches. Jukdo seems to be the most popular spot for surfers so it’s been a fun spot to just grab a coffee (at Salty Cabin) and watch them catch waves. Dongho beach stretches very long so you get a panoramic view of the deep blue ocean water. You can even enjoy this on a swing that’s right on the beach. Sidamo cafe is a good place to sit and work on your laptop with strong wifi, caffeine, and an ocean view. Check out Surfy (Hajo) Beach for the mountain views in the back. It was so picturesque that we witnessed a Korean singer shoot a music video.
Baebae Gelato
“Bae’ in Korean means pears. This gelato place seems to be owned by siblings whose family farm grows walnuts, pears, and persimmons. Along with the freshly picked fruits they utilize other local ingredients such as rice, and beans to create unique Korean flavors. From the cafe, you have a view of the pear farm and you’ll also spot pear tree flowers scattered across the shop. The flowers are picked to keep the flavors and health of the pears, and used as decorations for the cafe. They were kind enough to offer me a branch when I asked for one, so this little guy lit up my home office. (Instagram @baebae_gelato)
Yeounpori Bakery
The bakery is a hidden gem situated between a small village and endless farm fields, with a view of mountain ridges far away. Their ciabattas have local and seasonal ingredients – this time they had local mushrooms, and seasonal namul (naeng-i). The owner offered us a free chocolate ciabatta that they were experimenting with as a prototype. I think they will be their latest hit soon! (Instagram @yeounpori_bakery)
Mural villages
The bakery above is named after a village called Yeounpori. As soon as you enter the village, you notice the modest traditional houses frozen in time and the fresh murals that give them new vibrance. It’s a tiny town with big soulful beauty.
In downtown Yangyang you’ll find more pockets of mural alleys. The one we stumbled upon is a Korean flag mural alley created in memory of the Korean independence revolutionists.
Yangyang 5-day Market
If you want to experience buying local and seasonal vegetables from old ladies who forage on their own or bring from their non-industrialized farms, check out the ‘5-day-market’ (Oh-il-jang). This traditional farmers’ market is open every 5 days (specifically days that end on either 4 or 9). Here you can try local produce, seafood, and also some traditional street food options. With my parents, I tried a fish-shaped red bean-filled bread (붕어빵), and two types of fish tempura that are caught in a local stream.
Singlefin Aleworks
Having lived in Chicago for a few years, I must say this is nowhere near the authentic Chicago style, but the taste and vibes will provide a solid dining experience. The beer selection, surf-style decor and music inside, and the view of the beach are what got me. My brother is an avid surfer, so while he was still in California, my family felt my brother’s presence during that dinner. (Instagram @singlefin_aleworks)
Small parks and pine forests
One of the best panoramic views of the mountain ridges can be spotted during a walk in Namdaechun park. At the time of our visit, the cherry blossom trees were at their peak so the layers of the indigo-hued ridges, a line of pink flower trees, and the golden field of reeds were quite picture-perfect. If you’re lucky you can also spot jumping fish from the stream, that sparkle so brightly in the sun.
Hyunsan Park in downtown Yangyang was the best place to spot all kinds of spring flowers and mountains in the background.
Lastly, you can’t go wrong with any pine tree forests. They are everywhere along the coast. Our personal favorite was Namsan simply because the trailhead was 2 min from our place. You can also spot them outside Cafe Log (below) in Jukdo beach by Salty Cabin Cafe.
Cafe Log Book Cafe
If you want a quiet time for yourself during your stay in Yangyang, you can grab a coffee and read at this book cafe that has hundreds of books to offer. They have an impressive sound system for music that will provide a perfect soundtrack for your rest with a view. If you need a quick walk or meditation, you can step outside to the pine forest. (Instagram @_cafe_log)
Reifen Coffee Shop
The cafe above is good for vibes, but if you want some serious craft coffee experience, then you might need to drive out to reach Reifen. Located in a local residential town of Sokcho, this small cafe and roastery offers great drip coffee selections. We’ve picked up beans from here during the first week of our stay and enjoyed their regular and decaf coffee from home. (Instagram @reifencoffee)
Seorak National Park
This is also technically not in Yangyang, but is a must-visit when in Yangyang. Seorak National Park has the 3rd tallest peak in South Korea. It’s only 25 min drive from the main entrance, and there is a wide range of trails for all hikers. While we were here, most trails were closed so we got to hike only three, Ulsan-Bawi trail where you go to the peak of the Ulsan rock, Shinsun-bawi trail where you can have a view of Ulsan Bawi from the nearby peak, and a small trail along the valley called Bisundae. If you can’t hike for whatever reason, you can enjoy Ulsan-bawi from Ambrosia cafe like we did when we were sick.
We’ll be back!
We’ll be back. One month in Yangyang personally was a confirmation of the lifestyle I enjoy. Nature, quietness, and occasional venues for creativity and design taste are the keys to my heart. And since it’s close enough to Seoul for my family to visit easily, this stay overall was a 10 out of 10 for me.
P.S. Though, all of this quietness is during the off-season. I’m curious to see Yangyang in the summertime.