Gangneung & Sokcho

Korea's east coast east of Seoul: Gangneung's coffee street and Gyeongpo Beach, Sokcho's Seoraksan National Park and seafood market, down to sunrise at Chuam Candlestick Rock in Donghae.

Gangneung and Sokcho both belong to Gangwon State, in the Yeongdong region of Korea's east coast, with the Taebaek Mountains behind and the East Sea in front, about 200 km from Seoul. Gangneung is Yeongdong's central city, known for Gyeongpo Pavilion and Gyeongpo Beach, Anmok Coffee Street, Ojukheon and sunrise at Jeongdongjin; it also hosted the ice events of the 2018 Winter Olympics and is a filming location for K-dramas such as Goblin. About 60 km to the north, Sokcho is the gateway to Seoraksan National Park, with the Seorak cable car, Ulsan Rock, Sokcho Central Market and Abai Village. Between the two lie the Jumunjin breakwater, Yangyang's surf beaches and Naksansa Temple; about 30–40 km south of Gangneung, Donghae has Mukho Lighthouse, Nongol Damgil and Chuam Candlestick Rock. You can plan the trip as: a Gangneung day (Gyeongpo Pavilion–Anmok Coffee Street–Chodang Tofu Village–Central Market), a Sokcho day (Seorak cable car and Sinheungsa–Central Market–Abai Village), a Seoraksan hiking day (Ulsan Rock or Biryong Falls), and a Donghae–Jeongdongjin southern route day. Best seasons: July–August is peak swimming season; mid-to-late October brings Seoraksan's autumn leaves, the earliest and most famous in Korea and extremely crowded on weekends; cherry blossoms around Gyeongpo Lake in April; and in winter, sunrises with few people. Getting there: the KTX from Seoul's Cheongnyangni Station reaches Gangneung in about 2 hours, with KTX also stopping at Jeongdongjin, Mukho and Donghae; express buses from Seoul to Sokcho take about 2.5 hours; buses between Gangneung and Sokcho take about 1 hour. Suggested length: 2–3 days. Notes: during leaf season, accommodation and cable cars are tight, and cable car tickets are sold by time slot. The East Sea is on the cool side, so swim only in areas with lifeguards.

Top sights

Seoraksan National Park – Korea's most beautiful mountain, famed for its granite peaks and autumn foliage; take a 10-minute cable car from the small park to Gwongeum…
Ulsanbawi Rock – Seoraksan's most spectacular cluster of six granite giants, about 4 km around and several hundred metres high; climb roughly 800 steep stee…
Anmok Coffee Street – A row of cafés facing the East Sea beside Gangneung Port, the signature street of Gangneung, the “coffee city” that began with vending-mach…
Sokcho Central Market – Sokcho's food hub, with squid sundae, grilled fish cakes, fried chicken and a basement fish market selling sashimi; the perfect place for d…
Jumunjin Beach & Breakwater – The breakwater from Goblin and the liveliest fishing port on the East Coast. A one-stop spot north of Gangneung for beach photos and sashim…
Gyeongpodae Pavilion, Lake & Beach – A lakeside pavilion ranked among the Eight Scenic Views of Gwandong, overlooking Gyeongpo Lake, famous for its 'five moons,' and Gyeongpo B…
Jeongdongjin – The 'closest train station to the sea,' where you can watch the East Sea sunrise from the platform. With the hilltop Sand Clock Park and cr…
Ojukheon – The former home of the Confucian scholar Yi I and his mother, named for its black bamboo. Yi I and his mother appear on South Korea's 5,000…
Seongyojang House – A late-Joseon yangban mansion with 102 rooms, called one of Korea's most beautiful old houses. The Hwalnaejeong pavilion over the lotus pon…
Gangneung Jungang Market – Gangneung's largest traditional market. Dakgangjeong (sweet-and-spicy fried chicken bites), potato pancakes, squid sundae and sashimi are m…
Chodang Sundubu Village – The birthplace of Gangneung's Chodang tofu, which is curdled with East Sea water. Dozens of tofu shops cluster here, with soft tofu soup an…
Haslla Art World – An art theme park and museum on the seaside cliff beside Jeongdongjin, with outdoor sculptures facing the East Sea and Pinocchio and puppet…
Jeongdong-Simgok Badabuchae-gil Trail – A roughly 2.9 km cliff-top boardwalk between Jeongdongjin and Simgok Port, with coastal terraces and rock formations. It opened to the publ…
ARTE MUSEUM Gangneung – An immersive media art museum by d'strict, with large projection rooms themed on waves, flowers and waterfalls. A good option on rainy days.
Anbandegi – A highland cabbage-field village at about 1,100 m elevation, where rolling fields, wind turbines and a night sky full of stars make it Gang…
Abai Village & Gaetbae Ferry – A fishing village founded by northern refugees during the Korean War, where a hand-pulled cable ferry called the gaetbae crosses the river…
Yeongnangho Lake – A lagoon north of Sokcho with a roughly 7.8 km loop trail and bike path. A floating bridge over the lake frames Seoraksan in the distance.
Sokcho Beach & Sokcho Eye – A white-sand beach beside downtown Sokcho. The seaside Ferris wheel Sokcho Eye lets you see both the East Sea and Seoraksan, and it has bea…
Yeonggeumjeong – A pavilion on rocks at Sokcho Harbor, where the waves crash like music. It is Sokcho's landmark for sunrise and sea views.
Daepo Port – A fishing port and seafood street in southern Sokcho, lined with stalls selling fried shrimp, sashimi and king crab. It is a must-stop on t…
Sinheungsa Temple – A thousand-year-old temple at the entrance to Seoraksan, with a bronze Unification Buddha about 14.6 m tall seated in front. It is a must-s…
Biryong Falls & Towangseong Falls Observatory – One of the easiest valley routes in Seoraksan. It is about 2.4 km to Biryong Falls, then a climb to an observation deck with a view of the…
Naksansa Temple – An ancient temple on a seaside cliff in Yangyang. Its seawater Guanyin statue overlooks the East Sea, and Uisangdae is a well-known sunrise…
Jukdo & Ingu Beach (Yangyang Surfing) – The center of Korean surf culture. Jukdo and Ingu beaches are lined with surf schools, beach bars and cafés, and summer nights bring a live…
Hajodae – A rocky headland on the Yangyang coast, with pine forests, a small pavilion and a lone pine on a sea rock. It forms a classic East Coast sc…
Goseong Unification Observatory – The northernmost East Coast observation deck in South Korea. It overlooks North Korea's Haegeumgang and Mount Geumgang across the DMZ, and…
Chuam Candlestick Rock – Candlestick-shaped stone pillars standing in the sea off Donghae City. They are the sunrise setting of the South Korean national anthem foo…
Mukho Lighthouse & Nongoldam-gil – A white lighthouse on the hill above Mukho Port, and a village alley with murals overlooking the East Sea. The Simgok Sky Valley glass walk…

Where to eat

Donghwa Garden (Chodang Tofu Village) – The most popular old restaurant in Gangneung's Chodang Tofu Village, credited with the spicy seafood soft tofu soup, ma…
88 Grilled Fish – A charcoal-grilled fish favorite at Sokcho Central Pier, where staff grill several kinds of sea fish right at your tabl…
Wonjo Gangneung Gyodong Restaurant – A Gangneung spicy seafood noodle institution, known as one of Korea's 'Five Great Jjamppong.' The menu is just jjamppon…
Bongpo Diver's House – One of Sokcho's three top mulhoe restaurants, serving chilled, tangy raw fish soup loaded with seafood by Yeongrang Bea…
Dancheon Sikdang – A long-running Abai sundae restaurant in Abai Village, run by three generations. It serves Hamgyong flavors brought sou…
Manseok Dakgangjeong (Expo Main Branch) – Sokcho's most famous sweet-spicy crispy chicken bites. Mostly sold for takeout, and they taste good both cold and hot.

Itineraries

Sokcho, Mount Seoraksan & Gangneung East Coast – Drive from Seoul to the East Coast, hike Mount Seoraksan, and head south along National Route 7 to Gangneung.
Gangwon-do Road Trip: Lakes, Mountains & Coast – A complete loop of Gangwon-do, connecting Nami Island, Mount Seoraksan, the East Coast, and the highlands of Jeongseon…