Approximately 1hr and 30 minutes away by car and south of the Bay of Asan lies Dangjin-si. A South Chungcheong Province which borders Pyeongtaek, Incheon, Hwaseong by sea, Seosan, Yesan, and Asan by land. With terrific weather year round, Dangjin is a terrific spot to go to for a day trip outside of Seoul, South Korea.
Full disclosure: On this travel guide I will reference separate websites I used for my trip through different travel agencies. I have not been paid or sponsored to post this content. The content below is purely based off my experience during my time there and using the services.
Pre-Trip Essentials
Before you embark on a trip to Dangjin you’ll want to make sure you are able to secure a car rental. A car rental is preferred or else the alternative method is by subway and bus which takes approximately 3 hours one way.
Apps: South Korea uses very specific apps. Below is a list of apps you might want to download just so you can maximize the road trip experience!
- Naver Map
- Kakao Map
- Google Maps (very limited)
Early Morning Drive to 당진 Dangjin
My friends and I started the day super early by meeting up in Seoul and carpooling in one car to Dangjin. As we were approaching the city of Dangjin I am reminded of how different the highways are in South Korea compared to in the United States. Highways in South Korea all require toll payments. Be sure to have cash in hand for the tolls since you’re required to pay them when entering and exiting the city. We decided to get lunch and pick up a couple supplies before heading to our main attractions.
Lunch at 귀락당 Restaurant
Before exploring Dangjin we decided to get lunch first at a dumpling restaurant! It was pretty cheap and affordable. A great way of starting our trip.
📍귀락당 Dumpling Restaurant
Location: Chungcheongnam-do Dangjin-si Eumnae-dong 145-12
Google Maps | Naver Maps
This particular restaurant was chosen because most of the restaurants in the area on the day we were visiting were closed. This one had quite a few locals inside the restaurant already when we showed up. It was quite delicious and cheap! They sell a variety of foods. Their most notable ones were their kalguksu and mandu dumplings. The kalguksu was really tender and easy to chew. You can even see them hand making the noodles and dumplings while you eat which was really cool to see!
The dumplings were juicy and flavorful did I mention they’re also really big
수제독일빵집 1호점 German Bread House
My friend Serah asked me if I ever had twisted style donuts and looked up a famous bakery in Dangjin. We stumbled upon this one and the breads on display all looked so delicious! We packed a couple in case we wanted to eat some on the road.
📍당진 수제독일빵집 1호점 German Bread House
Location: Chungcheongnam-do Dangjin-si Sucheong-dong 997
Google Maps | Naver Maps
The prices of the bread weren’t displayed at the time we went. The only way you could figure out the pricing was when you wanted to check out.
The breads ranged from sugary to plain. The entire store smelled heavenly. I wanted to try so many types of bread when I was there!
AMI Art Museum 아미미술관
When you first pull up to the art museum you’ll think you’re at an elementary school! And that’s because it used to be one. It was abandoned and the artist turned it into a museum. It’s a one of a kind museum that I’ve never really seen in the states. The museum consists of various exhibit halls and even a nice coffee shop run by the museum curator and his wife.
📍AMI Art Museum 아미미술관
Location: 160-1 Seongbuk-ri, Sunseong-myeon, Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do
Admission: 7,000 KRW / Adult | 5,000 KRW / Student | 5,000 KRW / Seniors & Military
Hours: Am 10:00 ~ Pm 18:00 (Last admission 17:30)
Google Maps | Naver Maps | Website
The place was so peaceful and the curation and works of art were tastefully presented. You can tell the husband and wife really put a lot of thought into their craft. I would recommend coming here during the autumn because the colorful leaves surround the entire museum and it’s such a vibe.
As we were walking around and taking pictures the museum owner (curator) and artist himself came out to greet us! We came on a weekday so there wasn’t too much foot traffic. He asked my Korean friends where I was from and then started giving us a guided tour of his workspace! Along the way he showed us the best places to take photos of people at the museum. I trust his judgement and it certainly did not disappoint!
One of the coolest experiences from this trip was definitely being able to tour the restricted area of the workshop! My friend Kenneth told me that there was a sign on the door and that normally visitors would never be able to take a peek inside. Our group felt honored to be able to enter and witness the artist at work. His workspace is what I imagined an artist workspace to be. The natural lighting towards 3pm hit the windows so nicely that it gives the best picturesque opportunities.
We even got to meet the little kittens of the museum! They were so cute!!!
As we were leaving the museum and heading to our next destination we spotted a stray cat just chilling on someone’s car taking a nap. What a sight to see!
Hapdeok Catholic Church 합덕성당
We hopped into our car and drove off to our next location! My friend told me we were going to go visit a church. The church itself felt big but as we got closer it was a little bit small. Nevertheless it was still a pretty sight to see in autumn!
📍Hapdeok Catholic Church 합덕성당
Location: 22 Hapdeokseongdang 2-gil, Hapdeok-eup, Dangjin-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
Google Maps | Naver Maps
But before we stopped at the church we decided to take a selfie at one of those mirrors to see blind spots for cars.
We must have gone on a day when it was both cold and there was no church service going on because it was pretty quiet. We were pretty much the only ones roaming around the church grounds. We even got to see inside the church and it looks really pretty!
A little short walk down the hill from the church and there’s a bunch of small playground equipment and walking paths. It’s such a nice little park!
Sapgyoho Amusement Park 삽교호놀이동산
We decided to drive to our next destination which is an amusement park by the sea! It reminded me somewhat of Santa Monica Pier back at home except this one wasn’t as crowded. The views of the ferris wheel and merry go around were spectacular! We ended up riding the ferris wheel and playing some arcade games. The ferris wheel definitely gave out Toy Story vibes!
📍Sapgyoho Amusement Park 삽교호놀이동산
Location: 15 Sapgyocheon 3-gil, Sinpyeong-myeon, 시 Dangjin-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
Google Maps | Naver Maps
It was honestly nice that it wasn’t as packed even on a weekend. It felt like we had the entire amusement park to ourselves! Admission is free to enter and you pay for rides at the booths.
Dinner at 전망대 종합 어시장 Seafood Market
Before long my friends and I were really hungry so we walked to the Seafood Market which was just beside the amusement park. There’s a lot of restaurants to choose from in this warehouse block.
📍귀전망대 종합 어시장 Seafood Market
Location: 93 Sapgyocheon 3-gil, Sinpyeong-myeon, 시 Dangjin-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
Google Maps | Naver Maps
The coolest part about this market is that you pick and choose the seafood you want to eat and then they’ll cook it for you (for a dining fee). It’s recommended to try and go with Korean friends as it will be easier to haggle the price of live seafood.
We ended up getting some sliced fish / sashimi and live octopus! With all the left over materials they ended up making spicy stewed fish soup! A perfect end to a autumn day trip to Dangjin.
Back to Seoul
Afterwards, we left Dangjin and headed home at around 8:30pm. It definitely took us a while to get back to Seoul because of the night time traffic but nonetheless it was definitely an epic road trip and one for the books! I can definitely recommend you guys to try and venture out to Dangjin!
