Where are the best places for fall colors in Daejeon? Pretty soon summer is coming to an end and that means that the fall season will be entering in full force. With that in mind, I wanted to write about some of my favorite spots in Daejeon and just around Daejeon that are fantastic for fall foliage and colors.
Fall Colors in Daejeon
Bomunsan Observatory
Bomunsan is a small sized mountain on the south city of Daejeon. The summit is around 450m high and from a lot of points on the mountain you can get a great cityscape view of the cities many buildings. But, the benefit of Bomunsan as well is that there are lots of hiking paths criss-crossing over the mountain and a lot of the trees on the mountain change color in the fall time.
One particular path that I enjoy and recommend during the fall season is walking from the Daejeon Aquarium up to the observatory/observation deck that overlooks the city. In late fall, around the end of October, lots of the trees along this path change color and is such a beautiful, peaceful hike in an otherwise rather busy city.
Near the observation deck there are benches to sit down and take it all in and if you time it right around sunset, it’s beautiful as the sunlight enters through the trees.
As a bonus, you can stay there past sunset and watch the city light up below you from the observation deck. Learn more about the best places to see the city lights in Daejeon here!
To find out where the Daejeon Aquarium is and the path up to the observatory, please take a look at the map below:
Daejeon National Cemetery
One place that may not come up on your radar as a place to see the fall/autumn colors in Daejeon is the National Cemetery. However, this is a great location for enjoying nature and also paying respect to those who are laid to rest here.
Since it is a cemetery, please be respectful when touring the area and look for areas that are restricted and avoid those. However, with that said, there is a big section of the cemetery that has a pond and gazebo that are really beautiful in the fall time and a nice place to photograph.
I also recommend just taking a walk around the grounds and seeing the scenery around you. As it is relatively near to Gyeryongsan National Park, it is quite mountainous and hilly and a great backdrop for the cemetery.
To get to the national cemetery is quite easy. Just get on the Daejeon Subway line and head for the National Cemetery stop (현충원). The stop is still about 2km away from the Cemetery though, so probably best from there to take a taxi from Exit 3 of the subway stop or you could also take bus 107. Below is a map of the location for the Daejeon National Cemetery.
Buljanggol Reservoir (불장골 저수지)
This location is not well known among foreigners and even among some Koreans, however, if you love photography, I highly recommend this location. Also, technically, this is no longer in Daejeon as its in the countryside of Gongju, but it’s easy enough to get to from Daejeon that I’ve included it in this list.
Also, pretty much the only way to get here is by driving yourself or by taking a taxi. Taking a taxi from Daejeon would probably run you anywhere between 15-30,000KRW depending from where you are coming within the city.
The great thing about this location though, is that in the morning time during sunrise and during fall time, a fog develops over the reservoir and makes for ideal photo taking.
In fact, the morning I was there (which wasn’t even a weekend), I was joined by at least 20 other photographers who wanted to take the same shot. Don’t let that sway you though, as this location is really beautiful and in the fall time has lots of maple trees that change color.
Below is a map if you want the exact area to let a taxi drive know or to find directions for yourself.
Gongju Gingko Tree Road (공주 은행나무길)
This location is also outside of Daejeon located in Gongju. This is best accessed by your own transporation again as it’s a bit far outside of Daejeon by public transportation. However, if driving, it’s about 30 to 40 minutes away.
All this place is, is a road lined with Gingko trees. If you’ve never experienced Gingko trees, they are both beautiful and be quite smelly. In the fall/autumn time their leaves change to a bright yellow color. They also drop these small nuts/fruit, that when you step on them, they omit a really strong, semi unpleasant odor.
When you find roads or paths though with the trees lined up like they are on this street, they are a sight to behold and beautiful to photograph.
Typically the gingko trees change color first in the fall time here in Korea and then the maple trees follow suit. So it’s nice to have the different timings to enjoy the season longer.
On the map below, I’ve tried to roughly show where this road is so you can check it out as well.
Where to Stay in Daejeon
If you are going to Daejeon for a few days to see some fall colors, I would highly recommend staying in the Yuseong Area. This is located on the west side of town, is an up and coming area which has lots of restaurant/bars and cafes and is also quite close to the national cemetery, bomunsan, and gyeryongsan (the national park nearby). I’ll list 2 or 3 hotels below which I recommend:
Ramada by Wyndham – This is one of the newest hotels in Daejeon and the fact that it’s Ramada means that you know you will get the same quality as Ramada’s worldwide. It’s a little pricey for the city, but really good quality and a great location not from the center of Yuseong area.
Le Stendal Motel – A 4 star hotel located in the heart of Yuseong near the Yuseong Spa with spacious rooms and free breakfast usually included for 1.
Guesthouse Sky Garden – Not located in Yuseong, however, it’s close to the subway and Daejeon station. If you are on a budget, I highly recommend a stay in one of their dorm rooms. At less than 20,000krw per night, its hard to go wrong here.
So there you have 4 recommendations for fall colors in Daejeon. What are some of your favorite locations for autumn colors? Let us know in the comments below and if you have any questions, please put them there too.
