Yeosu, Want to Cross the Sea in a Glass-Floor Cabin?

Hi, I'm Sudal. Today I want to talk about a way to cross the sea in Yeosu while floating up in the sky. Whether you're visiting Yeosu for the first time or you've lived here for years, you've probably ridden that cable car at least once, right? I wanted to take some time today to tell that story a little more slowly and fully. So, want to imagine together what it actually feels like to float above the sea?

A Path Over the Sea: The Yeosu Cable Car

The Yeosu Cable Car is said to connect Jasan Park and the Dolsan side, where Odongdo is, crossing high above the sea between them. Instead of building a bridge from land to land, it crosses the whole sea through the sky — when you think about it, that's a pretty special way to travel, isn't it? Not by boat, not by walking all the way around, but floating up through the sky to cross the water instead — that feels like an experience unique to Yeosu. The first time I heard about it, I found myself looking at our sea in a whole new way. That sky path I used to just look up at from the breakwater, now I can actually ride a cabin straight through it, and just thinking about that gives me a strange, wonderful feeling. The fact that the ridge by Jasan Park and the sea by Dolsan and Odongdo are connected by a single cable car still feels amazing to me, even after all my years watching over Yeosu.

I've heard there's a boarding station at each end. Some people board from the Jasan Park side, others start from the Dolsan side where Odongdo is, so no matter which direction you're coming from in Yeosu, you get to have the experience of crossing the sea by cable car. Either way, you end up crossing the same stretch of sea, so feel free to pick your starting point based on your route or where you're staying that day. The view from the Jasan Park side and the view from the Dolsan/Odongdo side might feel completely different, too.

If this cable car were just a way to get from one place to another, I probably wouldn't be going on about it like this. The real story is inside the cabin.

Can You Really See the Sea Beneath Your Feet?

The Yeosu Cable Car is known to have something called a Crystal Cabin, with a glass floor. It's a paid option you can choose separately, and I've heard that once you're inside, the rippling sea appears right beneath your feet, completely visible. Doesn't just imagining that make your knees a little wobbly? Even with four feet of my own, just picturing myself standing on that glass floor gives me a little shiver. Watching the waves roll beneath you while feeling like you're floating in midair — that must be quite a feeling. Picture it: just one sheet of glass under your feet, and beneath that, nothing but open sea — it's a little scary, but also the kind of thing that makes you curious enough to want to try it anyway. That said, I can't confidently say exactly how many types of cabins there are, or what the glass-floor option costs — those details seem to vary depending on timing and circumstances, so it's best to check directly before you go. What I can say for sure is that this glass-floor cabin is exactly what makes the Yeosu Cable Car feel so different, so much more special, than an ordinary cable car.

And this cable car isn't just a daytime thing, it turns out.

When Night Falls, Yeosu's Night Sea Unfolds

You can't really talk about Yeosu without mentioning the night sea, right? The Yeosu Cable Car is also known as a course you can ride at night, and looking down at Yeosu's night sea view from up in the sky must feel completely different from looking up at it, or looking at it from the side, down on the ground. All those glittering lights spreading out together with the sea far below your feet — doesn't just imagining it sound amazing? Sitting inside the cabin, taking in that entire night view — that alone sounds like it could become one whole scene of a trip.

The sea you cross during the day and the sea you cross at night surely wear completely different expressions. If you want to experience Yeosu in both daylight and darkness, riding the cable car twice might not be a bad idea at all. If it were me, I'd ride once during the day in the glass-floor cabin to look down at the sea, and once at night to take in the sparkling night sea — I think I'd want to ride it exactly like that, twice. It seems like a course that works whether you come alone or with friends and family, and in the end, this cable car isn't just a way to get from one side to the other — it's a path that lets you meet the city of Yeosu from a whole new angle. Whether you set off from Jasan Park or from the Dolsan side where Odongdo is, for that stretch of time in between, you get to feel yourself floating, completely, above the sea. If you ever come to Yeosu, I hope you'll cross this sea path at least once and take in that same feeling of looking down over the whole sea, just like I do.

🦦 Real Photos, via Sudal