Things to do in Daejeon

Food · Jung-gu

A bakery founded by a refugee family in 1956 that has never opened a branch outside Daejeon, and is treated by the city as a landmark rather than a shop.

Local tip: The main Eunhaeng-dong store queues down the street at weekends; the Daejeon station branch is faster and sells the same things. The fried soboro bun is the one everyone means, but the seasonal fruit cakes are what locals actually queue for. Cash and card both fine, and take a box to any Korean house you visit.

Landmark · Yuseong-gu

The 1973 research district — institute campuses, KAIST and the 1993 Expo site on the Gapcheon river, now a science park and bridge promenade.

Local tip: The Expo Bridge and the Hanbit Tower are pleasant enough, but the real reason to come is the riverside path between Expo Park and the Gapcheon confluence at dusk, which is where the whole district walks. In spring the Gapcheon cherry tunnel is one of the best in Korea and almost entirely local.

Nature · Seo-gu

A large city-run arboretum in the middle of Dunsan, laid out in two halves either side of the arts complex, and free to enter.

Local tip: Free, open year-round, and the tropical glasshouse is the reason to come in January. It sits between the art museum and the concert hall, so it works as the middle of a day rather than a destination. Weekday mornings it is nearly empty.

Culture · Yuseong-gu

A hot-spring quarter that predates the modern city, with public bathhouses, hotel spas and a free foot-bath in the middle of the street.

Local tip: The free public foot bath by the station is genuinely good and costs nothing. For a proper bath, the older neighbourhood houses charge a fraction of the hotel spas and are where residents go. Go on a weekday evening; weekends bring visitors from Seoul.

Nature · West of the city, shared with Gongju

A national park on Daejeon's western edge, with Donghaksa and Gapsa temples on opposite sides of the ridge and a long history as a centre of Korean folk religion.

Local tip: The classic route crosses from Donghaksa to Gapsa over the ridge in about five hours, and city buses reach both trailheads. Autumn is the famous season and the trails are packed; late spring is nearly as good and nearly empty.

Nature · Seo-gu, southern edge

A municipal forest of towering metasequoias with a canopy skywalk built up into them, an hour from downtown by bus.

Local tip: The skywalk through the metasequoia crowns is the bit people photograph, but the lower loop through the mist in the early morning is better and free of the queue. Most visitors to Daejeon have never heard of it and most residents have been at least once.