If you have been seeking for some activities to relax yourself over the weekend after a long tired week, a budget friendly trip, or simply just too lazy to plan on your own, you are more than welcome to follow my Gangneung City Random 1 Day Trip courses!
A little bit of history
Gangneung is a city located in the Gangwon-do Province, east coast of South Korea. This city was were Yemaek people lived from ancient times. In 1945, some areas of Gangneung has been incorporated into YangYang and this place was established as Gangneung City with Gangneung and Myeongju merged in the year of 1995. Today, Gangneung has become the economic centre of Yeongdong region of Gangwong-do with many popular tourist attractions. This city is also known for hosting all ice events during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Random 1 Day trip to Gangneung City
On the previous Chuseok(Korean Thanksgiving festival), my friend and I have decided to go for a one-day random trip to Gangneung City . It was a spontaneous trip and we did not planned everything in detail. Despite having most of the restaurants and shops closed on a public holiday, we were lucky enough to find some open for business and enjoyed our trip very well by visiting some of the attractions with beautiful scenery.
1. Gangneung Jungang Market
Our first destination to visit was Gangneung Jungang Market in order to grab some food for lunch before heading for the following attractions.
At the bus station right in front of the terminal, there are many buses that can bring you to the market, some of the buses you can take are 202-1,202-2,206,207,227,228, etc. It only take 5 stops and we got down at ์ ์๊ทน์ฅ ์ ๋ฅ์ฅ. The market is just a few minutes of walks away.
We were quite surprised as the number of stalls opened for business were more than expected. We tried a few stalls and all of the food were very delicious! This croquette stall located at the center of the market gained our attention due to the long line of people waiting. Their croquettes are made of minced fish and comes in a variety of flavors.
Next, We followed the crowd and were brought to this stall selling pork rolls. The vegetable stuffed pork rolls were pan fried to perfection before drizzled with a specially made secret barbecue sauce.
Lastly, we grabbed some sikhye(Korean sweet rice drink) before leaving the market. This drink was sold at KRW2000 each and is perfect for dessert after a delicious meal.
2. Gyeongpo Beach
After that, Our next stop was Gyeongpo Beach, a popular beach on the east coast of South Korea. By riding bus number 202 from nearby the market, it took about 40 minutes to arrive Gyeongpo Beach(๊ฐ๋ฆ ๊ฒฝํฌ์์์ฅ).
It is a good idea to grab some snacks from convenient stores nearby and have a mini picnic by the ocean, dine at the restaurants by the beach while enjoying some salty breeze or even have a swim in the pristine water. This was the climax of our trip as we get to enjoy the beach with emerald blue water and white soft sand.
3. Seongyojang House
From Gyeongpo Beach, Seongyojang is 5 stations away by taking the bus 202-2 or 202-1.
Seongyojang House was recognized as the Number 5 National Important Cultural Property in 1965. It was a typical upper-class residence 300 years ago. Furthermore, this traditional house consists of 99 rooms and remains intact in harmony with the beautiful natural environment.
Additionally, due to its well preserved condition, the house is considered a valuable resource in the historical research of living conditions of upper class households during the Joseon dynasty. In fact, there is also daily living artifact exhibition inside the building which we found very interesting to have a look into.
The admission fee is listed as follows
Individuals
- Adults(ages 19-64): 5,000 won
- Teenagers(ages 14-18) & Senior citizens(ages 65 & over): 3,000 won
- Children(ages 8-13): 2,000 won
- Free admission for those using the Traditional Culture Experience Center
Groups(30 people or more)
- Adults: 3,500 won
- Teenagers & Senior citizens: 2,000 won
- Children: 1,000 won
This is an excellent place to visit of you are interested in learning more about the ancient culture in Korea.
Gangneung Express Bus Terminal
By the time we left, it was almost 5pm and we had to catch our bus back to Seoul at 7pm. We took the bus 202-2 in front of Seongyojang House and had a 15mins ride for us to arrive at the bus terminal. We had some light dinner at the convenience store in the bus station as we were still full from lunch.
How to get to Gangneung City
Out of the three choices to travel from Seoul to Gangneung, we decided to travel by bus as it appears to be most budget friendly and does not have much difference with the other two options in terms of travel duration. The interior of the bus was also clean and have provided me a very comfortable trip back and forth between the two cities.
KTX Train
- Duration: 2hrs
- Price range: KRW 26,600 ~ KRW43,800 (2020)
- Depart: Seoul Station
- Arrive: Gangneung Station
- Train Intervals: 1 hour
- Ticket Purchase: Train station or Online
Intercity Bus
- Duration: 2hrs 20mins
- Price range: KRW14,000 ~ KRW22,000
- Depart: Dong Seoul Bus Terminal
- Arrive: Gangneung Express Bus Terminal
- Bus Intervals: 30mins
- Ticket Purchase: Bus Station or Online (https://txbuse.t-money.co.kr/)
Rest Area
The bus will have a stop at rest area for 15 mins to allow everyone to have a toilet break halfway the 2 hrs 20 mins trip. Toilet at the rest area are always clean and bright so there is nothing to be worried about. Many kinds of food and Korean snacks are normally sold at the rest area, be prepared with an empty stomach if you anticipate for some interesting food hunt!
However, most of the websites also recommend travelling by KTX train as they are faster and said to be more comfortable. They also have toilets at the end of each coach. If you are looking forward to try the KTX train in South Korea, this is not a bad option too!
Since it was a one-day trip, we departed from Seoul at 9:30am in the morning and arrived at Gangneung City Express Bus Terminal around noon as scheduled.
Tips for any bus trip
Try to avoid bus schedule that leaves or arrives Seoul at 8-9am or 5-6pm as these are the busiest traffic hour.
Driving
- Duration: 2hrs 24mins
- Estimated fuel cost: KRW31,000~ KRW47,000
Read More: Gangneung- Yongjin Beach
