Changwon

Changwon is the first of South Korea's few planned cities. Developed in the 1970s, it was designed to be the new capital for Gyeongsangnam-do and an alternative capital for the country should Seoul be invaded. The city is surrounded by mountains which provides protection. A missile defense station sits on top of the southern mountain range. Changwon boasts of the longest straight road in the nation (Changwon Main Road - Changwondae-no) which is over 12 km long. If necessary the road can be used as a landing runway.
The city is home to many high-technology and machine industries, including LG, Samsung, GM Daewoo, and their employees in a high-quality urban space. Changwon Main Road divides the town with the industries mostly being on the western side and the urban environment mostly being on the eastern side.
The neighboring cities Jinhae and Masan have since 2010 administratively been parts of Changwon.
Changwon is a planned city based on public works and a center of South Gyeongsangnam-do. Among non-capital areas, Changwon has the largest population including capital areas, Changwon followed by Suwon, Goyang and Yongin.
The climate of Changwon has a very similar climate to Busan nearby Changwon. Changwon is very hot in the summer and is also the place where tropical nights are observed very frequently in Korea. On the other hand, it is not very cold in winter and it snows rarely. There is not much snow in Changwon generally, so traffic is often paralyed if it barely snows in Changwon.

Changwon is to the west of Busan, and most travel to Changwon is via this international hub. Located in the southeastern part of Gyeongsangnam-do, it is located in Gangseo-gu in Busan and Gimhae to the east, bordering Miryang and Changnyeong-gun on the Nakdong River to the north, Haman-gun, Jinju, Goseong-gun to the west, and Geoje City to the south. There is Masan Bay in the center of the city and Jinhae Bay in the south.

By plane

The nearest airport is Gimhae International Airport. (PUS) in Busan, the neighboring town to the east.

By train

The Mugunghwa, Saemaeul and KTX (Korea Train Express) trains arrive at the Changwon Train Station in the north part of the urban area of town. There are KTX stops at Changwon Train station, Changwonjungang Train station, and Masan Train station. You can travel directly to Changwon from Seoul Station without any transfers or connections.

By bus

Buses connect Changwon to most of the other cities in Gyeongsangnam-do via the Express bus terminal. Some buses connect with Changwon at the Namsan terminal in the south part of town, including buses for Busan. Express buses connect directly to Seoul several times a day.
Buses from Busan mainly depart from the Seobu bus station in Sasang-gu. It's a short walk from the Sasang subway station to Seobu. The fare is about ₩3500.
Masan's intercity bus terminal serves destinations in the vicinity. There are frequent buses to Busan and Jinju (₩4,000 and one hour), as well as longer routes serving Tongyeong and far southern Geoje.

There are two types of city buses; express and normal. The express bus costs a little more but have fewer stops. The normal bus stops at every stop and most routes run into neighboring towns Jinhae and Masan. Current cash price is ₩1,300 for a normal bus and ₩1,800 for an express. When using a transportation card(T-money card) for payment, price is ₩1,250 for a normal bus and ₩1,750 for an express. Taxis are also a very common mode of transportation. Taxis can almost always be flagged down within a couple minutes on any semi-major to major road. All taxis (including black) start at ₩3,300 during the day but the starting rate goes up to ₩3,960‬ after midnight. And you can use the bike rental service. One of the best places to ride bicycles in Korea is the old Changwon city area. This is due to bicycle lanes installed on all major roads in the city. Nubiza is a combination of Nubida and Bicycle, which is a public bicycle service that is loaned from Changwon City. It is also South Korea's first public bike that began on October 22, 2004. Nubiza's terminals are located in many places in the city like bus stops, each with kiosks. If you pay a reasonable price, you can rent a bicycle, but if you rent it and don't return it for an hour and a half, you'll get a call to return it quickly. In this case, you can return it and rent it again. The Nubiza bike has a speedometer so you can check the mileage, time, etc. And it has headlights and rear lights, so there's no problem with night driving.

• dott Island the nation's first marine amusement park. It is operated as a small recreation park.

• Junam reservoir

• Cherry blossom festival(gun-hang-jae)

  address: In the district of Jinhae
  There are possibly more cherry blossom trees to be seen here than in any other location in Korea, and although there are a couple of popular, groomed places for visitors to see them, you can find them strewn throughout the hillsides surrounding the town of Jinhae. During this period, some areas of the designated military navigation system will be opened to the public. Photographing inside the naval base is prohibited in principle, but it is possible to take pictures under the Cherry Blossom Road unless the base building or other military facilities are taken openly. A private car can come in but cannot be parked inside. There are two primary locations that visitors go to see them. One is the train tracks just next to the high school that is a major bus stop. If you wait long enough, trains will come through this spot at a very low speed, making some idyllic photo shots as they roll through the cherry blossom lane. The other location is at Yeo-jwa Stream in the downtown section of Jinhae, located a 30 minute walk north of the bus station. The deck is fully equipped for walking, and you can feel as if you are walking in the air while being hit by a flower petal rain. It is decorated with LED lights, so it is good to see at night. At this location there is a small stream lined with cherry blossom trees on both sides that tourists are sure to be flocking around. The location marked on the map is Yeo-jwa Stream.

• Masan Fish market

  address: In the district of Masan
  There is a fish market near the bay of Masan. It is a market with a tradition of 230 years. It is the nation's largest fish market, with an average of 3-50,000 people daily. Fish Street (Jin-dong Street) is closed on the third Sunday of every month. The most representative scenery of the fish market is the sushi restaurants lined up along the coastal road. Unlike typical sushi restaurants, the price varies depending on the type of fish. When you choose the fish you want, you can scoop it up and wrap it or eat it at a restaurant. You can eat a lot of sashimi at a reasonable price. In particular, Gizzard shad fish festival is held here in autumn.

• Yong-ji Lake ParkThere are the Changwon Citizen's Charter and Saeyoung Nampo Temple. In addition, the three-story stone pagoda of the Bulmo Mountain Dongsa Temple site excavated from Mt. Bulmo is restored in a circular form, and a music fountain is installed. The music fountain starts at 19:00. It does not occur between December and early March when the lake is prone to freezing. The Changwon Municipal Library is located in the park.

• Changwon Center Square

• HikingHike around the many mountains that surround the city and catch wonderful views.

• SportsWatch and bet on bicycle races, basketball (LG Sakers, based at LG Champion's Park), soccer (Gyeongnam FC, based at Changwon Football Center) or baseball (NC Dinos, based at Changwon NC Park). Play badminton on one of many public courts.

• Dotseom IslandTake a ferry out to Dotseom Island, which has a carnival and circus in Masan Bay.

• MuhaksanHike up Muhaksan, a 700m mountain near Masan's city center.

• Changwon College

• Changwon Moonsung University

Most foreign workers hold positions as either engineers or English teachers.

Changwon is known for its watermelons and persimmons. If you're cooking for more than one person, check out the traditional markets for fresh fruits and veggies at great prices.
For the shoppers out there, Changwon has a Lotte Mart, Lotte Dept Store, and an Emart all centrally located by the Rotary across from City Hall. Daedong Dept Store's not too far from the Rotary as well. There's also a Home Plus and New Core Outlet near the bus terminal, and City 7 beside Changwon's Pullman Hotel.

• LotteMart

  phone: +82 55 541-2500
  address: 762 Jinhae-daero, Jinhae-gu, Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do
  It is the first large discount store in the beautiful city of Jinhae. Jinhae Citizens can pursue abundant life in a convenient store with a variety of products including fresh, kitchen, fashion, consumer electronics, stationery, and toys, as well as a variety of customer convenience facilities (such as oriental medicine clinics, dental clinics, and animal hospitals), as well as a cultural center with 655 spacious parking lots.

• various kinds of seafood Because there is a huge fish market, the quality of seafood, including fish, is as good as that of high-end department stores.

• Benningan's

• Bombay

  phone: +82 55 2634111
  address: 98-3 Jugang Dong, Chagwon
  Bombay is a nice Indian restaurant. Friendly staff and quick service. Prices are reasonable.

• Roll's RiceColorful dine-in sushi options and fusion dishes (think pastas, pilaf, omu-rice).

• Brown Hands

  phone: +82 55-243-0050
  address: 109, Gaposunhwan-ro, Masanhappo-gu
  This is where the old cafe was reborn as a garage. If you go there, you can see the former garage.

• peloapelo

  phone: +82 55-299-6264
  address: 137-1, Synagogi-gil, Masan-gu
  This cafe sells various kinds of pancakes.

• O'Briens Irish Bar & Restaurant

  phone: +82 55-286-6547

• Westin Avenue

• Monster Bar

  phone: +82 55-603-0510
  address: #206, 78, Yongji-ro, Seongsan-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea
  A western-orientated bar with a cool interior, good food and drink, and an owner who speaks great English. Intimate. Has games like pop up pirate to play if the conversation lulls! Good meal deals on Friday nights.
  There are #206, NS hotel, Changwon city.

• BK Bar

• Hollywood Bar

• London Pub

• Bicaschy

Budget

• Nambu Sauna and Jjimjilbang

  address: C:nus building, 4F
  A jjimjilbang within 100m of the Nambu intercity bus terminal. Expect sauna access, cotton pajamas and a pile of blankets to sleep on the heated communal floor. Has an ice room in addition to the usual array of heated rooms with decor a tiny bit more diverse than the usual warm-cube-coated-in-amethysts.

Mid-range

• Changwon Hotel

• Canberra Hotel

Splurge

• Pullman Ambassador Changwon City 7

  phone: +82 55-6000700
  address: 122 Daewon-dong, 641-210 Changwon
  By far the most luxurious hotel in Changwon.

There are no special considerations beyond those described in the South Korea article.

There are no special connection considerations beyond those described in the South Korea article.

For media, see South Korea#Cope.

• Busan is the main regional city