I spent the weekend in Gwangju. It was my first visit to southwestern South Korea. Chris was in town to show me his old stomping grounds, and we both enjoyed staying at Pedro’s House.

As the sixth largest city in South Korea, there’s plenty to do in Gwangju. Below is a quick list of things I’d recommend.

1. Gwangju has a fun niche foreigner scene. I ate and drank at The First Alleyway, Speakeasy, and Tequilaz. Easy enough area to get to from the subway. If you get to one of them, they’ll tell you how to walk to the others.
2. Take the inner-city bus to Mudeungsan National Park (무등산) and hike around to several temples.
3. We did a scavenger hunt at Gwangju Biennale (광주비엔날레) during the Kimchi Festival. It’s a really nice and huge place to walk around. We traveled to and from here by taxi.
4. Yangdong Market is a nice Korean traditional market. I didn’t find much to buy (who needs a live chicken?), but looking around is fun.
5. Gwangju has an art community, but I didn’t explore it at all. One can check out The Street of Art, Gwangju Museum of Art, Uijae Museum of Korean Art, and WooJaeGil Art Museum.