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Voykit pocket guide · South Korea
Pyeongchang
평창
Go for 2 nights in winter for skiing or the trout festival; in green season come only for Odaesan and the Daegwallyeong ranches, and base in Jinbu.
Pyeongchang is a county, not a compact city: the 2018 Winter Olympic venues, the ski resorts and the temples sit in different valleys 30–60 minutes apart, and the county seat is a small market town. Two nights works if you pick one cluster — Daegwallyeong/Jinbu for resorts and Odaesan, or Bongpyeong for the buckwheat country. Without a car, buses and taxis are slow and thin.
- Country
- South Korea
- Local name
- 평창
- Best months
- Dec–Feb for snow and skiing; May–Jun and Sep–Oct for hiking and the ranches
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heavy rain, muddy trails); late Aug–early Sep festival weekends book out
- 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 ₩60,000–100,000 excl. bed · Mid ₩100,000–180,000 excl. bed · High ₩180,000+ 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 | ₩4,000–6,000 |
| Buckwheat noodles (makguksu) or potato rice cake | ₩9,000–14,000 |
| Beer: draught / convenience-store can | ₩5,000–7,000 / ₩2,500–4,000 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ₩8,000–11,000 |
| Intercity bus Pyeongchang → Wonju | ₩6,000–8,000 |
| Museum or cave entry | ₩2,000–15,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ICN · Incheon International
- Some Gyeonggang Line KTX trains run from Incheon airport toward Jinbu and Pyeongchang stations; check the timetable before you book.
- YNY · Yangyang International
- Domestic flights from Busan and Jeju; about as far from Pyeongchang as Seoul is, so rarely worth it.
- WJU · Wonju
- Closest airport, but only a scheduled Jeju service and no Seoul flights; bus from Wonju is usually faster.
Typical fares
- KTX Seoul → Jinbu
- about ₩25,000, 1 h 30 min
- Taxi in Pyeongchang
- base ₩2,800, then ₩200 per 152 m
- Bus Pyeongchang → Wonju
- ₩6,000–8,000, about 1 h
Get around
The Gyeonggang Line KTX links Seoul (and some Incheon airport departures) to Pyeongchang and Jinbu stations, but the stations are far from the resorts and sights. Local buses are few and infrequent; taxis are the practical option, with a base fare of ₩2,800 plus ₩200 per 152 m. A car turns a frustrating trip into an easy one.
See and do
Known for
- 2018 Winter Olympic venues (Alpensia, Yongpyong)
- Odaesan National Park and Woljeongsa Temple
- Daegwallyeong ranches and the mountain pass
- Buckwheat food and the Hyoseok culture village
- Winter trout festival
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gangneung | KTX from Jinbu or Pyeongchang station, about 20–30 min, or bus over Daegwallyeong | About 1 h |
| Wonju | Intercity bus from Pyeongchang terminal, about 1 h | About 1–1.5 h |
| Chuncheon | Intercity bus from Pyeongchang terminal, about 1 h 30 min | About 2 h |
| Taebaek | Bus or train east via Gangneung, 2 h 30 min+ | 3 h+ |
Sleep
- Daegwallyeong / Alpensia–Yongpyong
- Resort hotels and condos at the Olympic venues; walk to lifts, but almost nothing else on foot.
- Jinbu
- KTX station, biggest market in the county and the bus gateway to Odaesan; the best car-free base.
- Bongpyeong
- Buckwheat country around the Hyoseok culture village; pensions and small motels, quiet at night.
- Pyeongchang-eup
- County seat with the intercity bus terminal and Olympic Market; cheapest beds, fewest sights.
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
- Distances between sights are large: check bus times before you commit to a car-free day.
- Resort slopes close for piste maintenance in the late afternoon and reopen for night skiing; hours change by season.
- Baengnyong Cave visits are guided and capped, with entry in the morning only: book ahead.
- Winter mountain roads ice up; if you are not used to snow driving, take the bus or a taxi.
Very safe for tourists; the real risks are winter driving on icy mountain roads, thin bus service after dark, and long unlit stretches between villages.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pyeongchang yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- 2018 Winter Olympic venues (Alpensia, Yongpyong)
- Odaesan National Park and Woljeongsa Temple
- Daegwallyeong ranches and the mountain pass
- Buckwheat food and the Hyoseok culture village
- Winter trout festival
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Pyeongchang, revision 5267152 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5267152
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Pyeongchang평창
이 주소로 가 주세요
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Pyeongchang; most are in Seoul, with consulates in Busan. US: check the embassy in Seoul.
Tipping is not expected anywhere in South Korea.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/pyeongchang). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.