Yeosu by KTX: Day Trip from Yeosu EXPO Station

Yeosu EXPO Station is where the Jeolla Line runs out of land. The tracks end a few minutes’ walk from the water, next to the site of the 2012 World Expo, and the city has built its tourist map around that fact: the station, the Expo seafront, the causeway to Odongdo island and the lower station of the cable car all sit within one stretch of shore.

That makes Yeosu unusual among KTX day trips. In several cities in this series the station is out on the edge of town and the first question is which bus to take. Here you can step off the train and walk straight to the sea. The old downtown, with Yi Sun-sin Square and the crab restaurants, is a short ride away, and the famous night views arrive just when you need to think about the last train.

How long is the KTX from Seoul to Yeosu?

It is the longest trip in this series, so take the exact time for your train from KORAIL+ and leave early. Every Jeolla Line KTX runs through Iksan, Jeonju and Suncheon before it reaches the coast, and the number of stops varies from train to train.

🚄 Seoul to Yeosu by KTX (timetables change; figures from KORAIL+)

From	Line	Arrive at	Time	Notes
Yongsan Station	Jeolla Line	Yeosu EXPO Station	Check KORAIL+	Long-standing starting point for Jeolla trains
Seoul Station	Jeolla Line	Yeosu EXPO Station	Check KORAIL+	More Jeolla services from Seoul Station since the 2026 merger
Suseo Station	Jeolla Line	Yeosu EXPO Station	Check KORAIL+	Former SRT services, now sold as KTX

Because Yeosu is the end of the line, you cannot overshoot your stop, but the ride is long. If the ride feels too long for one day, Suncheon is two stops back up the line (after Yeocheon), and since 1 September 2026 a new express bus, ALL-TA 3002, links the two cities in about 70 minutes, according to Suncheon City.

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How do you get from Yeosu EXPO Station to Odongdo and the old town?

Walk to the sea, then use the city’s two-storey bus or a taxi for the old town. The station is in Deokchung-dong, on the north side of the old Expo site. Odongdo, the cable car’s mainland station and the Expo seafront are all on foot from there. Yi Sun-sin Square and the restaurant streets are further west along the harbour.

🚶 From Yeosu EXPO Station to the main sights

To	How	Notes
Expo seafront	Walk	Directly in front of the station
Odongdo	Walk, then the 768 m breakwater	About 15 minutes across the breakwater (Yeosu City); camellia train available
Cable car, mainland station	Walk	By the Odongdo entrance car park
Yi Sun-sin Square	Two-storey city bus or taxi	Bus from 10:30, six departures a day (Yeosu City timetable as reported by travel guides, Sept 2026)
Romantic Pocha Street	Taxi or walk from Yi Sun-sin Square	Under Geobukseon Bridge, open from late afternoon

The two-storey daytime bus is the tourist’s answer to the city bus network. Travel guides citing Yeosu City’s timetable (Sept 2026) list a circular route of about 11 km that leaves Yeosu EXPO Station at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 14:30, 15:30 and 16:30, takes about 35 minutes per loop and passes Yi Sun-sin Square and the cable car. The fare is ₩5,000 for adults, paid on board, and one ticket covers up to six boardings. It does not run on the first and third Monday of each month.

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What should you see in Yeosu?

Odongdo — Yeosu’s symbol. A breakwater of 768 m, first built in 1935, connects it to the mainland, and the island is part of Hallyeohaesang National Park. Yeosu City counts more than 3,000 camellia trees on it; the first flowers open in January and the island is at its reddest in March. Paths loop through the woods to sea cliffs and a 25 m lighthouse that has been working since 1952. Yi Sun-sin is said to have trained his troops here.

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Yeosu Maritime Cable Car — Cabins cross the water between Jasan on the mainland and Dolsan Park on Dolsan island. There are 50 of them: 35 standard and 15 crystal cabins with glass floors. Starting from the mainland side, near the Odongdo entrance, fits a station-based day. It runs until 21:30, which makes it one of the easiest ways to see the harbour lit up at night.

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Yi Sun-sin Square — Built on the site of the shipyard of the Jeolla Left Naval Command, where one of Admiral Yi’s turtle ships was made during the Imjin War. A full-size turtle-ship replica stands on the square and you can go inside; a mural along one side tells the story of the war. The Geobukseon Festival is held here every May. Restaurants line the streets behind it.

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Jinnamgwan — The great hall of the naval command, up the slope from the square. It is 15 bays wide, and Dong-A Ilbo describes it as the largest single-storey wooden building among Korea’s old local government offices. A full dismantling repair begun in December 2015 restored the original 70 columns, and Yeosu City reopened the hall to visitors on 30 May 2025.

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🎫 Visitor basics (VisitKorea listings and Yeosu City, 2026)

Place	Cost	Hours	Notes
Odongdo	—	Island paths; camellia train 09:30–17:50 (Mar–Oct), 09:30–17:00 (Nov–Feb)	Train ₩1,000 one way, break 12:00–13:00
Cable car, standard cabin	₩17,000 round trip, ₩14,000 one way (adult)	09:30–21:30, tickets until 21:00	Child ₩12,000 / ₩9,000
Cable car, crystal cabin	₩24,000 round trip, ₩19,000 one way (adult)	09:30–21:30, tickets until 21:00	Glass floor; child ₩19,000 / ₩14,000
Yi Sun-sin Square	Free	Always open	Turtle-ship replica
Jinnamgwan	—	Check before visiting	Reopened 30 May 2025 after a ten-year repair

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Where do locals eat in Yeosu?

Crab in Bongsan-dong, seodae-hoe by the square, and the pocha street after dark. Yeosu is a seafood town, and the dish that brings Koreans here is 게장 gejang, raw crab marinated either in soy sauce or in a red chilli dressing, eaten with rice. Bongsan-dong, on the waterfront south-west of the old town near Dolsan Bridge, has a whole street of crab restaurants.

Hwangso Sikdang (Bongsan-nam 3-gil 2) — One of the best-known names on the Bongsan-dong crab street. Order the set with both blue crab and stone crab marinade; the braised hairtail is the other favourite. VisitKorea’s listing notes plenty of side dishes and one refill of the crab, and gives hours of 08:00–20:20 with last orders at 19:40, open every day. Expect a queue at mealtimes.

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Pungsan Sikdang (Jungang-ro 72-26) — Beside Yi Sun-sin Square on the Jwasuyeong food street. The dish to order is 서대회 seodae-hoe, slices of raw sole dressed in a sharp, sweet-sour chilli sauce that Yeosu people mix into rice. The monkfish stew needs two people. VisitKorea lists 08:00–20:00 with last orders at 19:00, closed on Mondays and on Seollal and Chuseok.

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Romantic Pocha Street (Hamel-ro 102) — Eighteen tented stalls in the open space under Geobukseon Bridge, cooking seafood dishes to eat by the water with the harbour lights. It is where the “Yeosu night sea” of the well-known song turns into dinner. VisitKorea lists 18:00–01:00 from March to October and 17:00–24:00 from November to February, closed on the first Wednesday of the month except in April–June, August–October and holiday periods. Prices vary by stall.

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🍽️ Yeosu local eats at a glance (VisitKorea listings, 2026)

Place	Area	Order	Why locals go
Hwangso Sikdang	Bongsan-dong crab street	Blue crab and stone crab gejang set	A name everyone knows; crab refill
Pungsan Sikdang	Yi Sun-sin Square	Seodae-hoe, monkfish stew	Yeosu’s sour-spicy fish salad
Romantic Pocha Street	Under Geobukseon Bridge	Seafood from the stalls	Dinner with the night sea

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What does a day in Yeosu look like?

• 10:30 — Arrive at Yeosu EXPO Station. Walk across the Expo seafront to the Odongdo breakwater.
• 11:00 — Odongdo. The camellia woods, the cliffs and the lighthouse; ride the camellia train back if your legs need it.
• 13:00 — Lunch in Bongsan-dong. Taxi to the crab street for gejang.
• 15:00 — Yi Sun-sin Square. The turtle ship, then up the slope to Jinnamgwan.
• 17:30 — Cable car at dusk. Ride over the harbour as the lights come on.
• 19:00 — Romantic Pocha Street or seodae-hoe, then a taxi back to the station.