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Voykit pocket guide · South Korea
Gangneung
강릉
Give Gangneung 2 nights: one for Gyeongpo lake and beach, one for Jeongdongjin and the coast. Skip it if you only have 3 nights in Korea.
Gangneung is the largest city on South Korea's east coast, 2 hours from Seoul by KTX, and the ice-sports host city of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Sights split into three clusters — Gyeongpo, Jeongdongjin and the Daegwallyeong pass — so a car or taxi day is what makes the trip work. Most visitors come for the beach in July–August, the coffee street, and a sunrise at Jeongdongjin.
- Country
- South Korea
- Local name
- 강릉
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, peak hotel prices), Jan–Feb (cold, windy coast)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- KRW
- Money
- Cards work almost everywhere, including taxis, convenience stores and many market stalls; carry ₩30,000–50,000 in cash for street food, small markets and temple donations.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₩60,000–95,000 excl. bed · Mid ₩95,000–170,000 excl. bed · High ₩170,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ sell tourist SIMs and eSIMs at airport arrivals; a passport is required, and data-only plans are cheapest.
- Emergency
- Police 112 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Korea Travel Hotline (24 h, English) 1330
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 60 Hz · Round two-pin European plugs fit; US and UK plugs need an adapter, and US-only appliances need a converter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and cafés: No tip; a service charge appears only in top hotels.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Hotel porter: Not expected; ₩1,000–2,000 in luxury hotels if you want.; Private guide or driver: Not expected; ₩10,000–20,000 or a meal is a thank-you.
- Water
- Officially safe from the tap; most people drink filtered water, and restaurants serve it free. Bottles cost ₩800–1,500 at convenience stores.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in every subway station; paper goes in the toilet in new buildings, in the bin where a sign asks. Bidets are common.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee on the Coffee Street strip | ₩4,000–7,000 |
| Bowl of noodles or a set lunch | ₩8,000–15,000 |
| Raw-fish meal at Jumunjin market | ₩30,000–60,000 |
| Taxi across downtown | ₩4,000–7,000 |
| Museum entry (Arte, Charmsori, aquarium) | ₩10,000–17,000 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₩15,000–30,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ICN · Incheon International
- Airport limousine from Gangneung bus terminal, about 4 h via Gimpo; ₩30,000 (check)
- YNY · Yangyang International
- Closest airport, about 1 h by road; few scheduled routes (check)
Typical fares
- KTX Seoul → Gangneung
- about ₩27,600, 2 h (check)
- KTX Cheongnyangni → Gangneung
- about ₩26,000, 1 h 30 min (check)
- Taxi downtown → Gyeongpo Beach
- ₩10,000–14,000 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Downtown is walkable end to end in about 15 minutes. City buses are a flat ₩1,300 cash, with a 10% card discount and one free transfer within 40 minutes if you tag on and off. Taxis meter from ₩3,800 and are the practical way to reach Gyeongpo, Jeongdongjin or the pass; Kakao Taxi works. A car is worth it for the Daegwallyeong and Jumunjin loops.
See and do
Known for
- Gyeongpo Beach and Gyeongpoho Lake
- Ojukheon House
- Jeongdongjin sunrise and the hourglass park
- Coffee Street and Anmok Beach
- 2018 Winter Olympics ice venues
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Jeongdongjin | KTX or Donghae-line train from Gangneung Station, about 20 min, then walk | About 1 h |
| Jumunjin | Bus or taxi north along the coast, about 40 min by road | About 1 h |
| Daegwallyeong pass | Car or taxi up the old road, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Pyeongchang | Car or intercity bus over the pass, about 1 h | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Gyeongpo
- Beach, lake and Ojukheon within a short taxi ride; the pick for a summer trip.
- Downtown (Gangneung Station / bus terminal)
- Cheapest beds, KTX and intercity buses at the door; 15 min by taxi to the beach.
- Anmok / Coffee Street
- Sea-view cafés and a quieter beach; good for a couple of nights with a car.
- Jeongdongjin
- Sleep here only if you want the sunrise without a pre-dawn taxi from town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 안녕하세요annyeonghaseyo |
| Thank you | 감사합니다gamsahamnida |
| This one, please | 이거 주세요igeo juseyo |
| How much is it? | 얼마예요?eolmayeyo |
| Can I pay by card? | 카드 돼요?kadeu dwaeyo |
| Where is the toilet? | 화장실이 어디예요?hwajangsiri eodiyeyo |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A slight bow with a 'annyeonghaseyo'; handshake with the right hand, left hand touching the right forearm; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses with people you have just met
- Age and rank: Expect to be asked your age; it sets how people speak to you. Let the eldest sit and start first; avoid: Calling older people by their given name
- Handing things: Two hands for money, cards, gifts and drinks; avoid: Passing things with one hand to older people
- Subway: Quiet voices, bags off seats, queue at the marked lines; avoid: Priority and pink pregnancy seats, even when empty
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or a boxed gift; refuse once before accepting; avoid: Writing names in red ink — it is used for the dead
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees; bow at the main hall; avoid: Stepping on thresholds; loud talk; pointing at Buddha statues
- Numbers: Know that 4 is unlucky; buildings may show F instead of a fourth floor; avoid: Giving gifts in sets of four
- Sensitive topics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Comparing Korea with Japan or China casually; jokes about the North, the Japanese colonial era, or plastic surgery
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer weekends: the single expressway from Seoul jams hard on Friday in and Sunday out — take the KTX instead.
- Gyeongpo Beach is a summer-season beach; swimming is outside the flagged season only at your own risk.
- Jeongdongjin sunrise draws crowds year-round: arrive 40 minutes early for a rail-side spot.
- Museum and park hours change by season and some close Mondays — check before you travel out.
Very safe for tourists; the real risks are summer rip currents, unlit coastal roads at night and the Friday/Sunday expressway crush. Keep the 1330 travel hotline saved.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Gangneung yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gyeongpo Beach and Gyeongpoho Lake
- Ojukheon House
- Jeongdongjin sunrise and the hourglass park
- Coffee Street and Anmok Beach
- 2018 Winter Olympics ice venues
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Gangneung culture and tourism: www.gn.go.kr/entour/index.do
- Korail (KTX tickets and timetable): www.letskorail.com/ebizbf/EbizbfForeign_pr16100.do?gubun=1
- Wikivoyage: Gangneung, revision 5300701 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5300701
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Gangneung강릉
이 주소로 가 주세요
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Gangneung; most are in Seoul. US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish missions: Seoul (check addresses).
Tipping is not expected. Carry a little cash for markets; cards work almost everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/gangneung). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.