Nested in Changwon, Jinhae hosts one of Korea’s most sought after spring festivals annually without fail. Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival is sometimes known as Jinhae Gunhangje (진해군항제) which translates to Naval Port Festival. The spring festival runs 10 days of celebration from 1st – 10th April 2019. Thanks to Trazy.com, we managed to visit the highly raved festival a couple of days before it officially kicks start the season with an opening ceremony and the cherry blossoms are fully bloomed in all its glory.
Getting There
Being one of the most popular spring festivals, the traffic in Jinhae will be heavily congested for vehicles and public buses. It is highly advisable to book the bus tickets from booking sites such as Trazy.com to ensure a guaranteed return trip back to your original city. Free and easy bus tours are extremely popular and common during this period where tourists take a chartered bus to the viewing spots and allowed to roam around at their own pace after alighting from the buses. These bus trips usually run from Seoul and Busan.
Gyeonghwa Station (경화역 벚꽃길)
Gyeonghwa Station is one of the two cherry blossom viewing spots of the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival. Spot the tri-colored trains to snap an iconic shot with the pink hues of blooms in the background. While the Gyeonghwa station has discontinued the rail services, tourists are free to walk along the railway tracks to their heart’s content.
Jinhae Station (진해역)
Chartered buses usually allocate one hour at Gyeonghwa Station before the next stop, Jinhae Station (진해역), where the main area of the festival is located. Cross the main road in front of the Jinhae Station and follow the crowd to the roundabout. Vehicles are prohibited from entering the roads branched out from the roundabout as it will be filled with stalls selling food and snacks. Don’t be surprised when you see large grilling roast with a huge pig on it like this!
While you are spoilt for choices with plenty of restaurants whipping up the most authentic Korean cuisines, there are a couple of restaurants serving delicious Noodles in Black Bean Paste (짜장면) and Noodles in Spicy Seafood Soup (짬뽕).
Yeojwacheon Stream (여좌천)
10 minutes walk from the main festival area will lead you to the famous Romance Bridge (로망스 다리) which lies over the Yeojwacheon Stream (여좌천). This another must-visit photo spot to snap photographs of the fully bloomed cherry blossoms in Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival.
DID YOU KNOW: The last kissing scene of the Korean drama That Winter, The Wind Blows was filmed here as well!
Yeojwacheon Starlight Festival steals the spotlight once the sun sets, where the Romance Bridge will be illuminated with bright lights after 7pm. You will be able to find mobile carts selling snacks and drinks along the roadside along with other interesting activities such as live portrait drawings and more!
Are you adding Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival to your bucket list? Book your bus tickets at Trazy.com for a fuss-free experience from Seoul or Busan! Get insiders’ tips on how to explore the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival and where to find the best eats from the English and Mandarin speaking tour guides on the bus!
Do take note that the tour guides will be facilitating the transfers between locations and you are free to explore at your own pace after you have alighted from the chartered buses! Find out more here.
Article by Xuan Lin @ KAvenyou.
