Naju (나주,羅州) is a city in South Jeolla, South Korea.

Understand

Location of Naju in South Korea

Naju is located in the mid-western part of Jeollanam-do. It is bordered by Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do to the east, Muan-gun and Hampyeong-gun to the west, Yeongam-gun to the south, and Gwangju Metropolitan City to the north. The area is 608.37㎢, accounting for 4.9% of the total area of Jeollanam-do. As of 2020, the population was 118,251, accounting for 6.3% of the total population of Jeollanam-do.

Get in

You can get in by bus, train or plane.

By bus

There are several daily express buses from Seoul. The trip takes about 4 hours. From Gwangju, the express buses run every 30 minutes or so and lasts 45 minutes. You can also take various city buses, like the 180 that runs every 5–10 minutes and several of the 160 routes go to Naju as well.

By train

By train, the fastest route is the KTX. From Seoul it takes just under 3 hours. You can also take a slower, cheaper train. There are over a dozen leaving from Seoul every day. Almost all trains that go on to Mokpo will make a stop in Naju.

By plane

Gwangju has the nearest airport. From there you can catch the 180. Or a taxi from Gwangju will cost you between ₩25,000 to ₩50,000 (depending on the time of day and your haggling skills).

Get around

Taxis are really cheap. You can get anywhere in Naju for under ₩7,000. Or you can take the 160 bus for ₩1,000. It goes to all points of interest across Naju.

See

• Naju Mary. There's a small church near downtown Naju. The woman who runs is to suffer from stigmata. In the church there's a statue of the Virgin Mary that cries blood and secrets oil. It's being investigated by the Vatican. They hold daily services and sometimes overnight mountain vigils. 
• The city gates. There are two beautiful traditional gates in the city, the South Gate and the North Gate. The South Gate is actually used as a roundabout in the city centre, you can't miss it! 
• 1 Naju Pear Museum (나주 배 박물관), Naju Pear Museum, 5838 Yeongsan-ro, Geumcheon-myeon, ☏ +82 61 331 5038. 9:00~18:00. Spend an hour at the Naju Pear Museum. Naju pear museum to promote the history and excellence of Naju pear. 

Do

If you want to get a driver's licence in South Jeolla, you have to do it in Naju (specifically in Yeongsanpo).

Buy

Every five days, the five day market rolls into Naju. Haggle with the old women for their fruits, vegetables, and various unrecognizable seafoods.

Eat

Naju is known across the country for its pear called the Naju pear. It's very large with the consistency of an apple and the taste of a pear. Very refreshing in the summer. Yeongsanpo, an area of Naju, is famous for its fermented skate fish. Try it at your own risk.

Drink

• Bauzen. The best bar in Naju is near Chosun University. It's called Bauzen and is frequented by local students who are very curious to talk to foreigners. Please behave though, the owners will use any excuse to get the foreigners out. Also, you are expected to order a food dish. Besides that, it's actually worth a night out! 

Sleep

There are tons of love motels in every area of Naju. Some are less sketchy than others.

Go next

• Naju Lake is a sort of water park. You can get there by one of the 160 routes.
• Mokpo is less than an hour away by express bus or train.
• Gwangju is even closer and more accessible by bus.

Routes through Naju

Mokpo ←

SW  NE

→ Gwangju Songjeong → Gwangju