Gwangju (광주, 光州) (means city of light), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is a metropolitan city in the center of South Jeolla province, South Korea. Gwangju has a thriving youth and arts culture and even a glance down the streets of 'Geumnam-ro' will note a generally more fashion-conscious populace. Further to this, the city has numerous art galleries and hosts a biennial Bienalle.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
The city has an interesting claim to fame as having the largest and most modern bus terminal (called U-Square) and possibly the largest single pedestrian drinking, dining and clubbing district in the country. This is reflective of the city in general, which holds a much more modern and cleaner appearance than anywhere else in the country, save perhaps Busan. In Korea, Gwangju is famous for its cuisine as is the province of Jeolla. The entire area had been considered the breadbasket of Korea historically.
Getting around in Gwangju is really quite easy, though rush hour significantly adds to travel time. There are two basic options: buses and taxis. Taxis are generally cheap but buses are frequent and more or less comfortable. Gwangju Subway line stretches from the southeast near downtown to the west-southwest, forming an arc with the northernmost point being near the bus terminal at Nongseong Station (농성역 - Nongseong Yeok). The subway line is not spread over the city, but the trains go through some busy streets. Moreover, Gwangju subway is never overcrowded as much as Seoul. The subway is also cheap - ₩1400 in cash and ₩1250 in transportation card to any location (March 2017).
Travelers coming to Gwangju can experience a slower paced experience than Seoul, despite still feeling the Ppalli Ppalli (빨리 빨리 - hurry hurry) lifestyle of Korea. Gwangju also serves well as a good hub for touring the surrounding province of South Jeolla. 1 Asia Culture Center (국립아시아문화전당) (Culture Center Metro Station). You can see art exhibitions and musical performances at this national art complex. It's one of the largest museums in South Korea, but most of the facilities are built in the basement. Old South Jeolla Provincial Hall, where the Gwangju Uprising started in 1980, is involved in this area.
1 Geumnam-ro and Chungjang-ro Streets (금남로 & 충장로). These two streets form the pedestrian area of downtown, which is large when compared to other downtown areas with the exception of Seoul and Busan. Any given night these streets will be packed, though the crowds die out around midnight. From restaurants to karaoke rooms, to DVD rooms, pool halls, clubs, bars, movie theaters, and shopping can be done here. Several foreign food restaurants have established themselves here too and two foreign grocers (Western products and a Philippine market) are in this area too. Just about neighborhood has a bus that eventually ends here and taxi drivers will understand "Geumnam-ro".
As the nickname, ‘The City of Gourmets’, Gwangju features numerous special cuisines for visitors. The reason why there are no 'King' restaurants in Gwangju is all of them are well known in the country and placed higher than standard quality basically. There are dishes you should try in Gwangju that is not typically available in other parts of Korea. 1 Songjeong Tteokgal-bi (송정 떡갈비). 11:00-21:00. Tteok-galbi is a local specialty with an area dedicated to it near Songjeong-ri subway station. Tteok-galbi is minced beef ribs made into patties and served in the typical meat and leaves barbecue that embodies much of Korean cuisine. It's a bit on the pricey side for Korean restaurants.
There are several major "Good-to-Carouse" areas in Gwangju. In Gu-sicheong (구시청; next to ACC and Chungjang district) you can hang out with young people, mostly early to mid-twenties. However, the place is regarded as a meat-market. You should not expect to speak in English in that area. Some pubs or bars are “clean”, but it will take some pains to find out. Sangmu district is also considered as a meat-market, but Friday night and weekend only. Late 20s to early 30s office workers are the main users. Chonnam National University's back gate is a bendering & amusement place. The users consist of students mainly. The back gate of Chosun Univ.
Generally speaking, Gwangju is as safe as most places in South Korea, which is to say very safe. Gwangju is especially very safe to roam around freely at night and all day long. There isn't a single dangerous area in town. There is no any gang activity in Gwangju. Sometimes, you can see delinquent pre-high school-aged boys in dim alleys or parks. However, they couldn't care less about you. The boys are just interested in smoking or drinking surreptitiously and chit-chat with themselves. If you are a well-built man or woman, they will just gaze in awe at you.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Gwangju typically sees ~34°C daytime highs and 12 rainy days.
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