Nonsan, South Korea: A 2-Day Itinerary for an Off-the-Beaten-Track Adventure

📍Location: Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea ⏰Time: February 20–21, 2025 💰Cost: CNY 800 per person (including transportation, food, and accommodation!) 🛤️A Slow Journey Through Time ✨Day 1: Take the KTX from Seoul Station for a 1.5-hour ride directly to Nonsan! The blue sky and white clouds upon arrival were a balm for the soul. The first stop was Hwang Mountain Hanu Village. The aroma of barbecue wafted through the air along the stone-paved roads. A local "ajumma" (older woman) taught me how to grill snowflake marbled Hanu beef. The juicy, savory explosion of flavor was pure bliss! 🏯In the afternoon, I explored the thousand-year-old Cheonbosa Temple, which was so empty it felt like I had the whole place to myself! The gold-leaf Buddha statues shimmered in the sunlight. I happened upon a monk sweeping the courtyard who offered me a cup of omija tea. As I listened to him recount legends from the Silla era, I felt as if I had traveled back in time. (Tip: The mountain path behind the temple offers stunning sunset views overlooking the entire city!) 🌙I spent the night at the Nonsan Elysee Guesthouse. The owner is a retired painter, and the rooms are adorned with landscape paintings. Soaking in the open-air hot spring under the starry sky while sipping homemade plum wine was the perfect way to end the day!🍶 ✨Day 2: I woke up early and headed to Tapjeong Lake Ecological Park. The lake water was as clear as emerald! I rented a pink bicycle and cycled around the lake, spotting flocks of egrets among the reeds. Every photo I took was wallpaper-worthy.📸 🍜For lunch, I highly recommend Go Doctor's cold buckwheat noodles! The owner's unique chilled broth and spicy sauce mixed with noodles were so good I couldn't stop eating! The local man at the next table saw how much I was enjoying my meal and gave me a plate of pickled perilla leaves.😋 🛍️Finally, I went shopping at Yang Village Sauce Market. I got palm-sized strawberries for CNY 5 and vacuum-packed some Korean drama-style marinated crab. The vendors were so generous with their samples that I almost couldn't walk afterward! 📌Essential Information 🚌Transportation: ✔️Seoul → Nonsan: 6 KTX trains daily (earliest departure at 08:15) ✔️Local bus: Download the "Naver Map" app for real-time bus information. 🏡Accommodation: Art lovers should choose the Elysee Art Museum Guesthouse. Families should stay at the Mountain Hotel, which has a children's play area. ⚠️Things to Avoid: ❌The trendy hangover soup is too salty. The beef hangover soup at the market is a better choice. ❌The CGV movie theater is no different from the ones in Seoul. It's better to spend your time exploring the old villages. 💡Hidden Gems: ✅Every Saturday at 8:00 a.m., there's a tteok (rice cake) making performance at the sauce market, and you can even try making it yourself! ✅Be sure to ask the guesthouse owner for their personal Nonsan night view map. 🌸Post-Trip Reflections My two days in Nonsan felt like stepping into the set of the Korean drama "Little Forest." No hordes of tourists, no internet-famous spots, just rooftops drying chili peppers, grandmothers sharing dried persimmons, and restaurant owners always giving an extra side dish. This small city distills the essence of human warmth into the richest of wines.