Asan City reachable by Subway, full of relaxing pleasures for the Winter Spirit.
The winter in Korea is cold. As such, it is a season in which we are prone to huddle up and stay locked indoors. However, we would like to introduce a travel destination in a suburb of Seoul where we you can head out to without any special preparation. Asan City belongs to South Chungcheong Province, and faces the Bay of Asan and Sabgyocheon, serving as a passage for inland areas. Since a subway line exists from Seoul to Asan, it is also easily accessible. Let’s depart to Asan!.
Pinnacleland
Pinnacleland opened following 10 years of preparation and is a well-arranged location on a site measuring 82,644 square meters near the Bay of Asan breakwater. “Pinnacle” means ‘top’, and you can see why it got its name after you see the magnificent scenery of the Bay of Asan and the West Sea spread out before you.
Unique mini-themed gardens, trails, a broad green plaza, friendly animals, an observatory, waterfalls and “greeting of the sun”, structures utilizing light and wind, welcome tourists.
Furthermore, the restaurant at the center of Pinnacleland offers a peerless panoramic view, and is the perfect place for a warm cup of coffee.
With a variety of things to see and enjoy, visitors to Asan are advised not to miss a trip to Pinnacleland.
Gongse-ri Cathedral
The Gongse-ri Cathedral is 120 years old and has been selected as the most beautiful Cathedral construction in Korea.
A cultural property designated by South Chungcheong Province, the Cathedral and the protected old trees around it fool visitors into thinking they are looking at a painting. The Cathedral and its martyrs’ tombs around it alongside surrounding scenery which differs season to season are strikingly picturesque enough to cause anyone to pause and look around.
Since it is equipped with additional facilities, such as a museum of shrines and an exhibition hall, it offers other things to see then the cathedral itself. It has been said that the cathedral has been used as a location in various soap operas and movies.
Tour to Hot Springs
It is the hot springs that people name when asked about what is Asan most famous for. The hot springs in Asan have been well-known from a long time and are said to be good for treating many diseases. Out of all the hot springs (Oncheon in Korean) in Asan, Onyang Oncheon and Dogo Oncheon are considered the most famous.
Onyang Oncheon, particularly during the Joseon dynasty era, had many Kings such as Sejong and Hyeonjong, built secondary palaces and visited here to recuperate or have diseases treated, with King Sejong visiting to have an eye condition treated in January of the 15th lunar year since his accession (1433).
Onyang Oncheon comprises geological features of platform-shaped biotite, amphibole, and granite, with the temperature of the hot spring water gushing out around 58°C, making it is a high temperature thermal spring. The hot spring (Onyang Oncheon), whose water is alkalescent, not only contains an abundant quantity of water, but also well-developed facilities such as accommodation, a shopping mall, restaurants, and entertainment establishments. It is the biggest attraction in the area, with huge numbers of people visiting.
Dogo Oncheon has been noted for its mineral water since the Shilla era, and has been developed as a hot spring since more than 200 years ago.