Tongyeong travel guide: Dongpirang, the cable car and island ferries

Where to stay: the old harbour or Mireukdo

Gangguan Port and Jungang-dong are the base for almost everyone without a car. Jungang Market, Dongpirang and the honey-bread shops are side by side here, and VisitKorea describes the port itself as lined with moored fishing boats and Chungmu gimbap restaurants. The passenger ferry terminal for Hansando, Yokjido and the other islands is close by: VisitKorea's listing for the Chungmu Beach Hotel on Jungang-ro puts the ferry terminal about five minutes' walk from the hotel.

Donam-dong on Mireukdo is the resort side. VisitKorea describes the Donam Tourist Complex there as having a cruise terminal, a yacht marina, a water-sports centre, a resort and the Tongyeong Traditional Craft Museum, and the cable car's lower station is also in Donam-dong. Mireukdo is joined to the town by an undersea tunnel and two bridges, Chungmu Bridge and Tongyeong Bridge, so it is not remote, but you will rely on taxis or buses to reach the old harbour for dinner.

Note that the Tongyeong Bus Terminal is not in the centre: the same hotel listing gives about 15 minutes by car from the intercity bus terminal to downtown. Plan a taxi or local bus for the last stretch.

Gangguan, Jungang Market and the mural hills

Start at Gangguan Port, the small inner harbour where replicas of Admiral Yi's turtle ships (geobukseon) are moored. Behind it, Tongyeong Jungang Market has, according to VisitKorea, almost 400 years of history; fresh and dried fish dominate, with mother-of-pearl inlaid ware, quilted goods and rice cakes alongside. The open square in front, Munhwa Madang, recalls the old berth where warships were moored.

Dongpirang rises directly behind the market. The name joins *dong* (east) and *birang*, Tongyeong dialect for a hill. In October 2007 the Tongyeong Agenda 21 association invited people from across the country to paint murals on its lanes, and the participants' paintings turned the hillside into a village revitalised by art. The paintings change over the years; what stays is the climb through narrow alleys to a view over Gangguan Port and the sea. It is a residential neighbourhood, open around the clock — keep voices down and do not photograph into homes.

On the opposite side of the harbour, Seopirang Park (the 'west hill') is quieter: VisitKorea describes walking trails, 99 stairs, piano stairs and murals on the way up, and Seoporu pavilion at the top with a panorama of Tongyeong Bay. It is lit from sunset to midnight, which makes it a good second climb in the early evening. In the market lanes near Munhwa Madang, look for kkulppang Street, the row of honey-bread shops described below.

The cable car and Mireuksan

The Tongyeong Cable Car climbs Mireuksan on Mireukdo, the island just south of the town centre. VisitKorea gives it as 1,975 metres long, with eight-person gondolas that circulate without stopping and a ride of about nine to ten minutes; a VisitKorea feature calls it the longest cable car in Korea. From the upper station a walk continues to the top of Mireuksan (458.4 metres), with views over the island-studded water of Hallyeohaesang National Park and Tongyeong Harbour; on a clear day, VisitKorea notes, you can even see Japan's Tsushima.

When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed the cable car as open 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 18:00 at weekends, with last tickets 50 minutes before closing and closures on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. It listed adult fares of 17,000 won return and 13,500 won one way. Hours change with the weather — wind stops it — so check the operator's site (cablecar.ttdc.kr) on the day. Go early on weekends and holidays, when the queues are longest.

If you prefer to walk, VisitKorea describes the most travelled trail as starting from Yonghwasa Temple and passing Mireukjae Pass to the summit, then returning past Miraesa Temple. On the road up to Yonghwasa, the Jeon Hyuck Lim Museum of Art stands on the site of the painter's home, its walls covered with his work reproduced on about 7,500 ceramic tiles. When we checked, VisitKorea listed it as closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Tongyeong

Sebyeonggwan sits at the foot of Yeohwangsan above the market. It was built in 1605 by Lee Kyung-jun, the sixth commander of the Tongjeyeong naval headquarters, whose remains stand beside it, and VisitKorea counts it among the widest buildings of the Joseon period, with Gyeonghoeru in Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jinnamgwan in Yeosu. Its name refers to washing the weapons of war clean — a hall built for peace after the Imjin War. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed it as open 09:00 to 18:00 from March to October and 09:00 to 17:00 from November to February, with adult admission of 3,000 won for the naval headquarters site and the hall.

On Yeohwang-ro, Chungnyeolsa Shrine is dedicated to the admiral himself, with his spirit tablet and portrait in the main shrine, an exhibition hall of artefacts from the 1592 invasion, and ceremonies still held every spring and autumn. VisitKorea suggests about 30 minutes there and listed adult admission at 1,000 won when we checked.

For the sea that made his name, go to Yi Sun-sin Park at the foot of Mangilbong, formerly the Hansan Battle Memorial Park, with his statue and a lookout over the water. It is free and open at all hours. The Battle of Hansan in 1592 was fought off Hansando, and each August the Tongyeong Hansan Battle Festival commemorates it with a battle re-enactment, fireworks and street parades; VisitKorea listed the 2026 dates as 12 to 16 August.

Island ferries: Hansando, Bijindo and further out

Tongyeong's islands make up a large part of the Tongyeong district of Hallyeohaesang National Park, which VisitKorea says covers Bijindo, the Haegeumgang islets and the Maemuldo islands among others. Passenger boats leave from the ferry terminal near the old harbour; the Korea Shipping Association's booking site (island.theksa.co.kr) lists Hansando, Bijindo, Yokjido and Maemuldo among its destinations. We could not read an official timetable or fare, so we give none: check sailings there or at the terminal, and treat the last boat back as fixed.

Hansando is the closest and the most historic: Admiral Yi commanded his fleets from here for most of the Imjin War (1592–1598), and Jeseungdang on the island honours him. It is also forested and quiet enough for an easy half-day. Bijindo, 13 kilometres from Tongyeong Port, is the beach island: a 550-metre beach on a sand bar joins two halves of the island, with sand on the west side and pebbles on the east, so you can watch both sunrise and sunset from it.

With a third day, go further. Yokjido is known for its sweet potatoes and its coastal road from the pier to Yapo; Yeonhwado, 24 kilometres out, takes about two hours by boat according to VisitKorea and is known for Yongmeori (Dragon Head) Rock near sunset; on Somaemuldo you can walk across to the lighthouse islet at low tide. In winter, Jangsado Sea Park, about 45 minutes by ferry from the Tongyeong Ferry Terminal, is a camellia garden island. The national park notes that areas can close abruptly in bad weather.

Evenings in Tongyeong

Gangguan Port is at its best after dark. VisitKorea describes its night scenery, and the city's U TOUR programme has added a digital-signage installation, a bridge fountain and lit play yards around the inner harbour. It costs nothing to walk the waterfront after dinner and climb Seopirang while it is lit.

DPIRANG is the ticketed option: a night-time digital theme park in Nammangsan Park, telling the story of the murals that have vanished from Dongpirang and Seopirang through media art and light along 1.3 kilometres of trails. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed winter hours (October to February) of 19:00 to midnight with last admission at 22:00, closures on Wednesdays, 1 January and Chuseok day, and adult tickets at 15,000 won. Book or check the official site (dpirang.com) before you go.

A workable two- or three-night plan

This is an editorial suggestion, not a timetable. Confirm the bus, ferry and cable-car times for your dates.

• Day 1 — Old harbour: arrive by bus, check in near Gangguan, Chungmu gimbap for lunch, then Jungang Market, Dongpirang and Sebyeonggwan; evening on the waterfront, Seopirang or DPIRANG.
• Day 2 — Mireukdo and the admiral: an early cable car up Mireuksan, oysters near Donam if in season, then Chungnyeolsa and Yi Sun-sin Park; or swap the afternoon for a ferry to Hansando.
• Day 3 — An island: Bijindo in summer, Jangsado in camellia season, or Yokjido, Yeonhwado or Somaemuldo for a full day at sea.
• Onward: Tongyeong sits between Geoje to the east and Namhae and Yeosu to the west, which makes it a natural stop on a south-coast route.