Daejeon is the 5th largest city in South Korea and one of our favorite places in the world. Located in the center of South Korea, Daejeon is a special administration city. It is known for its natural beauty, surrounded by forests, rivers, and mountains, as well as its science and technology, with some of the best colleges in the country. Daejeon is often called “no-jam city” meaning there’s nothing to do. However, we think that reputation is undeserved. We’ve picked out our top 10 experiences in Daejeon, from sports, food, nature, and entertainment. We have included the price and accessibility of each activity. Let’s see what Daejeon has going on.
1: Daejeon Hanbat Arboretum and Science Park
Cost: Free
Transit: Bus
Time: 1-4 Hours
Many Korean cities have an “expo park” where they show off everything their city has to offer, and Daejeon’s is our favorite. There are two sections to the Expo area on both sides of the river: Science Park, and Hanbat Arboretum.
Hanbat Arboretum is a massive park with many plazas, water features, sitting areas, and flowers. You could spend hours roaming through the beautiful grounds. There’s a large covered area where events are held throughout the season, such as concerts, water parks, and skating rinks. Additionally, the park is also home to several museums, the Daejeon Museum of Art, the Lee Ungno Museum, an insect ecological center, and several more. This is the perfect picnic spot and a great place to hang out and pass the time in the summer.
Science Park is just across the iconic Expo Bridge. The park has a massive plaza, a reflection pool, the Hanbit Tower, and several other science and convention centers. The park really comes alive in the warm months, when the center of the park hosts a water and laser light show.
The fountains dance over 25 ft in the air synced to popular music, and it is a super cool sight. There are also sometimes food trucks around, making it a great way to end the day. Between Science Park and Hanbat Arboretum, you could easily spend all day.
2: Daedong Sky Park
Cost: Free
Transit: Bus + Walk
Time: 1-2 Hours
Daedong Sky Park is an area located on the east mountain, making it the perfect way to watch the sunset in Daejeon. It’s a bit of a walk, but it’s worth it because there are alleys with cool graffiti on the way up.
At the top are several cafes, but the one we like is 5%, which has great drinks and a huge area to watch the sunset, either on the rooftop or inside. At the top of the hill is the sky park with lots of cool areas, including a windmill and more viewing areas for the sunset. The park is free, but public transport can only take you a 15-minute uphill walk away, making it semi-accessible.
3: Sungsimdang Bakery
Cost: $
Transit: Train & Bus
Time: 1 Hour
Sungsimdang Bakery is famous all over South Korea for its amazing bakery items. There are several locations, but the main branch is near the east of downtown Daejeon. The area is called sky road, and has a lot of shops and restaurants, as well as an underground shopping mall.
The store is known for generously providing free fresh baked bread to those in need and is dedicated to serving the people of Korea, which we think is pretty neat. Their most famous bread is the 1000 won red bean-filled bread. It’s okay, but we also recommend you try the garlic bread and squid ink bread.
4: Yuseong Foot Spa
Cost: Free
Transit: Train & Bus
Time: 1 Hour
This is one of the main attractions of Daejeon and for good reason. This spa uses real underground hot spring water to relax and rejuvenate. The water is alkaline, and it’s said that it has healing properties for the skin.
It is an incredibly relaxing and calm way to wake up in the morning, or hang out in the evening. It is usually quite busy and popular with locals, but there’s plenty of room. When you’re done, they have an air-powered drying station.
Additionally, there is a long pathway to walk up and down the road. Yuseong is one of the most popular areas in the city, being right next to several of the country’s main universities. There are a few festivals held here throughout the year in the spring and fall, making this a lively area.
5: Daejeon Pro Sports
Cost: $$
Transit: Train & Bus
Time: 2-4 Hours
If you’re a sports fan, you’re in luck! Daejeon has a few ways to enjoy games.
There is a semi-professional football team, Daejeon Hana Citizen, that plays out of the Fifa World Cup Stadium in Yuseong. The team is admittedly not the largest, but the players are good and the fans are dedicated, making it a super fun way to spend an afternoon.
There is also a pro baseball team, the Hanwha Eagles, that play at Hanbat Sports Complex. They are a KBO team (Korean equivalent of MLB). If you didn’t already know, east Asia takes baseball very seriously. Be prepared to grab a beer and some chicken, scream, and dance all night while rooting for your team.
If you’re lucky, they might show you on the screen, if you’re even luckier, they might even bring you on stage for a game, and if you’re REALLY lucky, they might select you as fans of the game, and let you interview the baseball teams captain, who won an upset with a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning.
6: Gyejeoksan Daejeon
Cost: Free
Transit: Bus
Time: 2-4 Hours
Gyejeoksan is a mountain just outside the city. It is famous for its red clay barefoot hiking. This trail lets you climb up to the mountain barefoot on soft, cool red clay. The clay is said to have many healing properties and is a mentally relaxing experience that helps you get closer to nature.
At the top of the mountain is Gyejeoksanseong fortress, an ancient fortress from the three-kingdoms period of Korea. The fortress is large with steep walls and several outstanding views of downtown Daejeon. It’s a great place to relax after a hard hike, take some awesome pictures, and appreciate the beauty of the city of Daejeon.
7: PPuri park
Cost: Free
Transit: Bus
Time: 1-2 Hours
The far south of Daejeon has several great attractions, one of which is Ppuri Park. This lovely park has hundreds of statues. In Korean culture, the family is incredibly important, and the statues are there to represent that concept. The statues show the lineage of many Korean last names. There is also a nice bridge, sitting area, and river.
But the park really comes alive at night, when beautiful lights burst with color, and the trails along the hill become a melancholy wonderland of relaxing paths and sitting areas. This is a great place to unwind.
8: O-World
Cost: $$
Transit: Bus
Time: 2-6 Hours
Just next to Ppuri Park is O-world. This local amusement park is not the largest or the greatest, we had a ton of fun here, spending nearly the entire day roaming the park. There are several rides like a log flume, spinning mouse, viking ship, and a few others.
There is also a surprisingly large zoo with a ton of animals. We counted at least 70 enclosures. They have reptiles, birds, sea animals, farm animals, and even tigers and bears!
But one of the highlights is the safari bus, which gets you up close to several large animals. There is a tiger, lion, and bear enclosure included in the bus tour. The Asian black bears were apparently trained because they loved to stand up, give paw, and spin for treats.
Let’s be honest, O-world is not the greatest theme park ever. We went during peak covid, so we had the park to ourselves and we had a great time. Considering the price, it’s a great way to spend a summer day, especially if you love animals.
9: Daejeon Jangtaesan Forest
Cost: Free
Transit: Bus
Time: 2-3 Hours
This is one of the most beautiful places in the Daejeon administrative zone, only a short bus ride out of the city. The park is covered in large ginkgo trees and red pines and has many areas to hike and relax. The air up in the hills feels fresh, and the valley has some beautiful nature views!
The park features a large skywalk that meanders through the trees several stories above the ground. At the end is a large spiral leading to a platform with a great view of the valley. Additionally there is a suspension bridge that leads to more hiking trails with an iconic view from above.
Jangaetsan is a popular spot in the fall as well, as the forest lights up spectacularly. We have yet to visit in autumn, but in summer it is still one of my favorite spots in Korea. There are several ponds and streams that are very relaxing as well, along with cafes and food stands.
10: Daejeon Sintanjin Dam
Cost: Free
Transit: Train & Bus
Time: 1-3 Hours
Sintanjin is a sleepy suburb on the north side of Daejeon. There are a few things to do here, but the most notable place is the dam that holds Daejeon’s water. A boardwalk and bike path meander along the incredibly scenic river up to the dam. There are several quaint cafes along the river as well, making this the perfect place to rent a bike and take a ride. If you’re looking to get out of the city without fully leaving, Sintanjin is a relaxing place.
Admittedly, Sintanjin has almost nothing else to do. This is on the outskirts of Daejeon surrounded by mountains and countryside on all sides. However, just across the river is Cheongnamdae, the presidential summer home, which is another lovely location. We talk more about it in our cherry blossoms blog here.
Bonus Items
That’s all for the main list, but here are a few bonus items!
Coffee Interview
Coffee Interview is one of our favorite cafes in Daejeon. If you know anything about me, you know I’m incredibly picky with my coffee, and this place does not disappoint. There are several locations, all with excellent atmospheres with lots of greenery. We love the location closest to Chungnam University.
Burgiz
Daejeon has a lot of great food, but our favorite Western food is Burgiz. This burger joint near the government complex is genuinely our favorite burger place in the world. 20 countries and counting, and 5 years later this is still the best burger we’ve ever had. Yemisi loves the Godfather burger, and Michael loves the Hangover. The garlic butter fries are amazing and a nice Dr. Pepper to top it off is the best thing you’ll put in your stomach in years.
Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed the article, and are inspired to explore Daejeon. There are still so many things we left out. Let us know if we missed your favorite attraction, and maybe we will make a follow-up blog. Now go forth, and complain of boredom no more!