The main intention of our
5 days in South Korea was to see the fall colours. It is always tricky to plan such trips, as the time of the year when the fall colours reach their peak varies from year to year. Yet one generally needs to book flights and hotels well ahead, in expectation of the high demand of the tourist season. So back in the summer we booked our trip for late October/early November, hoping that mid-autumn would be the right time to see red foliage in its splendor.
We chose the city of Jeonju 全州 to be the first stop, mainly for its proximity to the Naejangsan mountain 內藏山, one of the prime locations to view fall foliage, though Jeonju is a popular tourist destination in its own right, well known for its local Korean food (such as the famed Jeonju bibimbap rice dish) and many historical buildings.
There is a direct bus service (called "Airport Limousine") from Incheon International Airport to Jeonju (
http://daihan.limusine.co.kr/_en/#n). The bus ride takes about three and a half hours, including a short break midway. One may pre-book the bus tickets on-line. But on checking the bus website up to the day before our departure, it appeared that there were plenty of seats available throughout the day. So we decided to buy from the counter at the airport instead. It turned out to be a good move, as we went through immigration and customs very smoothly, so that in the end we took an earlier bus than what we might have booked otherwise.
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| Typical Incheon-Jeonju Airport Limousine time-table |
Still, it was well into the afternoon after we settled in the hotel in Jeonju. We had chosen a hotel within walking distance from the old part of Jeonju, where most tourist attractions are located.
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| Jeonju tourist map |
We spent the time before sunset walking around old Jeonju, seeing the historical Pungnammun Gate 豐南門 and the beautiful Jeongdong Catholic Church 殿洞聖堂. The first meal of our trip was traditional Korean cuisine, including the local Jeonju bibimbap for sure.
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| Giant painting on the wall of a Jeonju building |
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| Pungnammun Gate 豐南門 |
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| Pungnammun Gate 豐南門 |
Just across the street from Pungnammun Gate is the the grand Jeongdong Catholic Church 殿洞聖堂, built in the early 20th century.
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| Jeongdong Catholic Church 殿洞聖堂 |
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| Jeongdong Catholic Church 殿洞聖堂 |
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| Jeongdong Catholic Church 殿洞聖堂 |
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| Jeonju street scene |
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| Gyeonggijeon Shrine 慶基殿 |
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| Jeonju food store at night |
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| First dinner in Korea |
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| The famed rice dish, Jeonju bibimbap |
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