The annual Jinju Namgang Yudeung (Lantern) Festival (진주 남강유등축제) takes place next month from the 1st to the 13th of October respectfully. Many thousands of people are expected to descend on the city for the yearly spectacular held on the Nam River that flows through the heart of Jinju.

If you’ve never been to Jinju before then below are a few pointers for getting in and staying in the city. The festival itself in centred on the river right in the middle of the city and this makes for easy access to pretty much everything.

If you’re coming by bus then you need to know that there are two terminals in Jinju. The first one is the Intercity Terminal or Shiway and this is ideally located for the festival. If you arrive at this terminal then it’s just a case of following the crowds to the festival site five minutes walk away.

The other bus terminal is Express Terminal which is located a little away from the action. Even so it’s still possible to walk the 20 minutes or so to the river by simply following the traffic/crowds but if you do land up at this terminal then taxi is probably your best option.

Jinju does have a train station and it is on the KTX but it’s a fair distance from the city centre so taxi or even local bus would be needed in this instance.

If you’re looking to stay the night in Jinju then behind the Intercity Terminal overlooking the river bank is a whole street of motels. It Should be fairly easy to find a room and for a little cheaper than bigger city prices. The best of the motels in terms of the view is the Versace Motel (베르싸체 모텔) which sits on the bridge and offers amazing views of all the action. Eden Motel is another place that is  convenient and very foreigner friendly . You can call to book a room at Eden on 055-742-6114 but they don’t speak English, so a Korean speaker is needed for a reservation there.  Other hotel options include the more expensive and exclusive Dongbang Hotel (동방관광호텔) which also sits on the river.

UPDATE > you might well want to book ahead for a room during the festival to be certain as it gets very busy in the city.

On the cheaper side of things if you want to stay in a jimjilbang then Theme Spa Land (테마건강란드) is recommended (see map below). It’s a little way out of the city centre in an area called Sinan-dong but at 10K a night it’s OK for those on a budget.

Places for food and drink are plentiful in the city centre and again you’ll find cheaper prices than say Seoul or Busan. There’s a lively bar and club district called GNU area, Gyeongsang National University (경상대학교) but again this is a taxi or bus ride away from the city centre.

Here is the famous map created by Jinju residents that is very useful and should help you with logistics.

Further info can also be found here  and right  here is bus times for the city .

Images from last year ( photos courtesy of Carl Hedinger and Christina Riley)