From
Send to

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Feb. 23, 2024 - 09:01 By Choi Si-young

Jeju Canola Flower Festival

Canola flowers on Jeju Island herald the start of spring. Following the winter camellia festival, the resort island now invites visitors to its canola flower festival, which will run until the end of April.

At Hueree Park, visitors won’t just find a field of yellow canola flowers. Red plum blossoms and hydrangea, set to bloom as early as April, will render a more spring-like atmosphere. Pets on leashes are allowed.

Admission costs 13,000 won for adults, 11,000 won for middle and high schoolers and 10,000 won for children in elementary school and below. Admission is free for those 2 years old and under. Visit m.hueree.com for updates.

Taean Nature World Light Show

Taean, South Chungcheong Province, was the first in the province to hold an all-year-round light show, known since 2013 as an escape from the stress of the capital region.

Nature World gets lit up at a little past sunset. Admission for adults 20 and older is 10,000 won 8,000 won for those younger. Seniors 65 and above, veterans, people with disabilities and those on group tours get discounts.

The park is open between 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. The last entry is at 9:30 p.m., and lighting shows are subject to weather conditions. Find more details at ffestival.co.kr.

Royal desserts at Korea House

If you have yet to check out the royal desserts special at Korea House, the offer lasts through February.

The snacks associated with the Joseon era (1392-1910) include rice cakes and jeonggwa -- a sweet prepared by boiling dried fruit such as apples or edible plants like ginseng in honey. Citron stuffed with jujubes or pomegranates, also braised with honey, is also part of the assortment of royal desserts served with mandarin orange tea.

A single order is priced at 25,000 won. Guests can stay up to two hours and seats fill up quickly, so reservations are required at booking.naver.com/booking/12/bizes/375663.

Pink light at Pocheon Herb Island

At 6 p.m. every day except Wednesdays, botanical garden Herb Island in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, is bathed in pink lights.

The pink lighting is meant to emulate fireflies and lightning bugs and the green-turned-pink park at night is made all the more memorable with a train ride across the compound. Bumper car racing is also available.

The park is open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, staying open for another two hours on Fridays. It’s open from noon to midnight on Saturdays and holidays, closing two hours early on Sundays.

Admission for high schoolers and older is 10,000 won, for middle schoolers or younger, it’s 8,000 won and for those 65 and older as well as veterans, it’s 8,000 won. Weekend and holiday visits cost an additional 2,000 won per person. The festival runs through March. Go to herbisland.co.kr for more information.

Plum blossoms in Gwangyang

A 10-day festival for plum blossoms will take place March 8-17 in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. It is one of the most-visited spring flower festivals in the country.

Admission to the 33-square-meter grove of plum blossom trees in Seomjingang Village, home to the largest number of such fragrant trees in the country, is priced at 5,000 won for those aged between 19 and 64. Those between 7 and 18 are charged 4,000 won.

Fees are waived for seniors aged 65 and above, Gwangyang residents aged 18 and below, veterans, people with disabilities and basic income recipients upon presenting ID.

Visitors will be able to shop for food and souvenirs with vouchers worth the price of their admission tickets. Go to gwangyang.go.kr/tour for more details.

Travel Bits