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Daegu

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all but essential travel to the city of Daegu, and the neighbouring city of Cheongdo, due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

South Korea’s fourth-largest city is a pleasant and progressive place with a fascinating traditional-medicine market; a historic central area packed with heritage, old churches and missionary residences; some excellent eating options; and a humming downtown that’s good fun to explore. The city is a popular place for exchange students and English teachers, and the large student population gives Daegu (대구) a young and carefree feel.

A simple, three-line subway system makes getting around easy, and Daegu (sometimes spelled Taegu) is also a great hub for day trips; including to Haein-sa and Jikji-sa, both of which offer templestays.

The name Daegu means 'Big Hill', deriving from the hanja characters you will see on maps and signs: 大邱.

Explore Daegu

O
Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral
An icon and motif of Daegu, this lovely cruciform church is quite a sight, with its twin spires. Originally constructed in wood, the first incarnation…
D
Daegu Jeil Church
This red brick structure is one of the city's historic churches. Within the church is a fascinating history of the building and a collection of Bibles and…
D
Daegu National Museum
This excellent museum has English labelling throughout most of its collection – and what a collection. Armour, jewellery, Buddhist relics from various…
D
Daegu’s Herbal Medicine Market
This market, west of the central shopping district, has a history as vast as its scope. It dates from 1658, making it Korea’s oldest medicine market and…
B
Bullo-dong Tumuli-gongwon
In the north end of the city, Bullo-dong Tumuli-gongwon is an enormous open space covering some 330,000 sq metres. The grassy hillocks that rise like…
D
Daegu Hyanggyo Confucian School
This tranquil Confucian School at the heart of Daegu is an oasis of introspective calm which dates to 1398 (though it was burned down by the Japanese and…
C
Cheongna Hill
Not far from Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral is this very historic hilly area of Daegu, which contains various early-20th-century missionary houses and…
D
Daegu Arboretum
These superb botanical gardens in the south of town offer shade from the sun and a huge range of trees and plants, as well as several large greenhouses…
D
Daegu Yangnyeongsi Museum of Oriental Medicine
An interactive museum on the upper two levels has re-creations of traditional clinics and video quizzes, but offers a decreasing number of English…

O
Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral
An icon and motif of Daegu, this lovely cruciform church is quite a sight, with its twin spires. Originally constructed in wood, the first incarnation…
D
Daegu Jeil Church
This red brick structure is one of the city's historic churches. Within the church is a fascinating history of the building and a collection of Bibles and…
D
Daegu National Museum
This excellent museum has English labelling throughout most of its collection – and what a collection. Armour, jewellery, Buddhist relics from various…
D
Daegu’s Herbal Medicine Market
This market, west of the central shopping district, has a history as vast as its scope. It dates from 1658, making it Korea’s oldest medicine market and…
B
Bullo-dong Tumuli-gongwon
In the north end of the city, Bullo-dong Tumuli-gongwon is an enormous open space covering some 330,000 sq metres. The grassy hillocks that rise like…
D
Daegu Hyanggyo Confucian School
This tranquil Confucian School at the heart of Daegu is an oasis of introspective calm which dates to 1398 (though it was burned down by the Japanese and…
C
Cheongna Hill
Not far from Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral is this very historic hilly area of Daegu, which contains various early-20th-century missionary houses and…
D
Daegu Arboretum
These superb botanical gardens in the south of town offer shade from the sun and a huge range of trees and plants, as well as several large greenhouses…
D
Daegu Yangnyeongsi Museum of Oriental Medicine
An interactive museum on the upper two levels has re-creations of traditional clinics and video quizzes, but offers a decreasing number of English…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Daegu.

See
Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral
An icon and motif of Daegu, this lovely cruciform church is quite a sight, with its twin spires. Originally constructed in wood, the first incarnation…
See
Daegu Jeil Church
This red brick structure is one of the city's historic churches. Within the church is a fascinating history of the building and a collection of Bibles and…
See
Daegu National Museum
This excellent museum has English labelling throughout most of its collection – and what a collection. Armour, jewellery, Buddhist relics from various…
See
Daegu’s Herbal Medicine Market
This market, west of the central shopping district, has a history as vast as its scope. It dates from 1658, making it Korea’s oldest medicine market and…
See
Bullo-dong Tumuli-gongwon
In the north end of the city, Bullo-dong Tumuli-gongwon is an enormous open space covering some 330,000 sq metres. The grassy hillocks that rise like…
See
Daegu Hyanggyo Confucian School
This tranquil Confucian School at the heart of Daegu is an oasis of introspective calm which dates to 1398 (though it was burned down by the Japanese and…
See
Cheongna Hill
Not far from Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral is this very historic hilly area of Daegu, which contains various early-20th-century missionary houses and…
See
Daegu Arboretum
These superb botanical gardens in the south of town offer shade from the sun and a huge range of trees and plants, as well as several large greenhouses…
See
Daegu Yangnyeongsi Museum of Oriental Medicine
An interactive museum on the upper two levels has re-creations of traditional clinics and video quizzes, but offers a decreasing number of English…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Daegu

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