Cheongju

Built right beside the site of Heungdeoksa, where Jikji was printed in 1377. The original Jikji is in the National Library of France, so here you see a replica and how the metal type was cast. Behind the museum, the temple site has been laid out again.

A Joseon stone fortress following the ridge east of town for a little over 4km around. Walking the whole wall takes about two hours. A small village sits inside, and locals make a weekend of the circuit followed by fermented bean stew or boiled chicken.

A presidential summer retreat on a peninsula in Daecheong Lake, opened to the public in 2003. Trails named after former presidents and their working quarters remain as they were. Closed Mondays; the lakeside grounds are large, so wear comfortable shoes.

A hillside neighbourhood settled by Korean War refugees, known since murals went up on its walls in the late 2000s. The drama King of Baking, Kim Takgu was shot in these lanes. The top cafe strip overlooks the city; these are homes, so keep voices low.

A branch of the national modern art museum, opened in 2018 in the converted old tobacco factory. Unlike other galleries, it lets you look through glass into the rooms where the collection is stored. The lower floors are the Culture Factory, with craft shops.

A Goryeo flagpole of stacked iron cylinders rises from the centre of the Seongan-gil shopping street. Its temple has vanished, leaving the pole alone; an inscription on it dates its raising to 962. Most passers-by walk past without a glance.

At Chojeong, where carbonated mineral water bubbles up, the temporary palace where King Sejong stayed to treat his eyes has been rebuilt. You can stay a night in its hanok rooms and taste the fizzy water nearby. It is about 30 minutes from the city by car.

A square wall of rammed earth survives almost whole among rice fields. A few pines stand on top, and photographers gather at sunset for their silhouettes. With almost no shade anywhere on it, a midday walk is tough.

A stream through the heart of the city, both banks lined with long rows of cherry trees. When they flower in early April, crowds spill down onto the road below. Outside blossom season, the riverside cycle path is an easy way across the city.

The hanok and garden where Kim Ki-chang, the painter of King Sejong's portrait on the 10,000-won note, spent his last years. A childhood fever had taken his hearing; his studio and works remain inside. It is in Naesu, north of the city, easier by car than bus.

Old houses, steles and dolmens from Munui-myeon, moved uphill before the Daecheong Dam flooded the area, now overlook Daecheong Lake. Thatched and tiled homes are furnished with old household goods. Cheongnamdae is further down the same road, an easy add-on.

Opened in 1987 on the slope of Uamsan in Myeongam-dong, designed by the architect Kim Swoo-geun. Its low halls step down the hillside like a cluster of hanok. Bronze Age and Baekje finds from North Chungcheong fill the rooms, and admission costs nothing.

A city zoo under Uamsan that has focused on treating injured wildlife and taking in rescued animals. It drew national attention in 2023 when an old male lion, found ribs-showing thin at a private zoo in Gimhae, was moved here. It runs no shows or feeding.

A provincial arboretum in a Miwon-myeon valley, with a forest science museum and broad woodland paths. Entry and parking are free. The loop up the valley is fairly long; with half a day set aside you can take it slowly.