In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
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)
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.