Not to be confused with nearby Chungju Cheongju (청주,淸州), also spelled Chongju, is the capital of North Chungcheong, South Korea. For a domestic traveler however, perhaps Cheongju's most notable asset is that it houses one of Korea's major domestic (with a few international routes) airports, serving Cheongju and the nearby major city of Daejeon.
Cheongju, in addition to being the provincial capital, is also a historic city credited with creating the world's oldest movable metal type print book: jikji. Do not expect to get a glimpse of the UNESCO-registered artifact as the Jikji (or what remains of it) is stored in France. Nonetheless, Cheongju is proud of its place in international history and hailed 2011 as a Jikji celebration year. Cheongju Municipal Government website
Cheongju has an extensive bus system accessible for ₩1450, but it can be difficult to figure out. Taxis are the easiest way to get around, as they are cheap and quick.
1 Osong Lake Park (오송호수공원), 902 Yeonje-ri, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu. Cheongju Osong Park is located about 15-20 minutes' walk from Exit 8 of Osong Station in Cheongju, making it convenient for walking and walking. To match the park's name, you can see five pine trees and it is large. (updated Sep 2024) 2 Sangdangsanseong (상당산성), Yongdam, Myeongam, and Sanseong-dong, Sangdang-gu (to get there from the Intercity Bus Terminal (시외버스터미널) which is on the west side of town take bus 511, 405, 747 or 105 to Cheongju Stadium (청주 체육관). From there take bus 862 to Sangdangsanseong (상당산성). It would be helpful to write theses names out in Korean to show to bus drivers in case the routes change).
1 Spa-Ville (청주힐링스파), 40, Jimdae-ro 72beon-gil, Heungdeok-gu, ☏ +82 507-1387-4548. Always open. This gym/bath house offers some of the finest facilities in the city. Located near the Cheongju bus terminals and inside of Dreamplus, it is easy to spot. Enjoy a workout and a steam for only ₩10,000. Monthly memberships start at ₩100,000 per person. 2 Cheongju Onch'on (spapia) (청주온천 스파피아), 100, Cheongnam-ro 2005, Bunpyeong-dong, Seowon-gu, 40, Jimdae-ro 72beon-gil, Heungdeok-gu, ☏ +82 43-286-5757. Always open. If you want the fatigue recovery of the close relatives body and mind you have to go here. ₩15,000-5,000.
Cheongju's local specialities are chestnuts, and little packets of them are widely available at tourism and convenience stalls across the entire Cheungchong Province. It is also a major growing region for apples, pears and peaches. Cheongju has a reasonably good mix of Korean and Western restaurants. Most of the American fast food chains can be found somewhere in the city. The downtown area is home to McDonalds, KFC, Mr Pizza and Burger King. Chungju is also known for its local specialties and traditional foods. The city produces high-quality rice and soybeans, which are used in various Korean dishes.
The local specialty, Cheongju daechusul(청주대추술) is a type of takju, unrefined liquor fermented from grains. It would be in the same family as the popular makgeolli and its cousin, dongdongju. Carefully brewed with jujubes, glutinous rice, yeast, malt, pine needles and spring water pumped from an underground rock bed daechusul tastes sweet with a bitter aftertaste. The alcohol content is 16 percent. Cheongju has hundreds of drinking establishments scattered across the city.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Aug, Cheongju typically sees ~32°C daytime highs and 12 rainy days.
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