Naju

Naju (나주,羅州) is a city in South Jeolla, South Korea.

Understand
Naju is located in the mid-western part of Jeollanam-do. It is bordered by Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do to the east, Muan-gun and Hampyeong-gun to the west, Yeongam-gun to the south, and Gwangju Metropolitan City to the north. The area is 608.37㎢, accounting for 4.9% of the total area of Jeollanam-do. As of 2020, the population was 118,251, accounting for 6.3% of the total population of Jeollanam-do.

Get in
You can get in by bus, train or plane.

By bus
There are several daily express buses from Seoul. The trip takes about 4 hours. From Gwangju, the express buses run every 30 minutes or so and lasts 45 minutes. You can also take various city buses, like the 180 that runs every 5–10 minutes and several of the 160 routes go to Naju as well.

By train
By train, the fastest route is the KTX. From Seoul it takes just under 3 hours. You can also take a slower, cheaper train. There are over a dozen leaving from Seoul every day. Almost all trains that go on to Mokpo will make a stop in Naju.

By plane
Gwangju has the nearest airport. From there you can catch the 180. Or a taxi from Gwangju will cost you between ₩25,000 to ₩50,000 (depending on the time of day and your haggling skills).

Get around
Taxis are really cheap. You can get anywhere in Naju for under ₩7,000. Or you can take the 160 bus for ₩1,000. It goes to all points of interest across Naju.

Do
If you want to get a driver's licence in South Jeolla, you have to do it in Naju (specifically in Yeongsanpo).

Buy
Every five days, the five day market rolls into Naju. Haggle with the old women for their fruits, vegetables, and various unrecognizable seafoods.

Eat
Naju is known across the country for its pear called the Naju pear. It's very large with the consistency of an apple and the taste of a pear. Very refreshing in the summer. Yeongsanpo, an area of Naju, is famous for its fermented skate fish. Try it at your own risk.

Sleep
There are tons of love motels in every area of Naju. Some are less sketchy than others.

Go next

 * Naju Lake is a sort of water park. You can get there by one of the 160 routes.
 * Mokpo is less than an hour away by express bus or train.
 * Gwangju is even closer and more accessible by bus.