Top 4 Things to do in Sokcho

Tucked away in the northern part of the country lies Sokcho—a city with both mountains and beautiful ocean views (more than just the flat sea you can find in other parts of the country). Located in the Gangwan-do province, Sokcho is a destination for many from Seoul and other nearby regions when trying to escape the business of life and wanting peaceful ocean views to recharge, which is one reason why I was so excited to visit. 

I had been finishing a busy couple of months and was stressed and overwhelmed, and planning the trip also had its difficulties. Yet as soon as I reached the shores I felt like I was able to relax almost immediately. The fresh sea breeze and beautiful sunrises were the perfect way to start the days there. We stayed at a campground just north of the main part of the city, commuting around by bus and taxi, but to visit other parts of the region we rented a (very expensive) car that made it a much better experience with the ease of access and quick rides. 

Coming from Jeolla province it was a bit of a headache, which I think is why I was so happy once we finally arrived. Our trio of girls threw together the trip during the Korean Thanksgiving holiday, Chuseok, and I ended up being stressed and tired before it even began trying to get everything set before it was sold out. A great start to a long weekend on the other side of the country. 

We went the camping route since every other accommodation was either booked or way out of our budget. We ended up finding a campground a few minutes’ walk from the beach which was perfect. But we were struggling because we needed a car, and everything was booked out way ahead of time, was crazy expensive, or required a Korean license that had been issued a year before. I had an international driver’s permit that unfortunately expired a week before so I rushed through the process of exchanging for a Korean driver’s license, which became a headache as the clock was ticking. Once I got the license none of the car booking apps worked so after many emails and calls we were finally able to book a car for the last two days of our trip so we could drive back to Sokcho. This meant we had to take a bus up to Seoul and then another bus from Seoul to Sokcho…. at the end of the day it was around 7-8 hours of traveling–exhausting, to say the least, but we made it. So what draws people to Sokcho? Well here are top 4 things you can do in the region: 

1. Camping in Korea: Sokcho Glamping

We stayed at Jjune Caravan Camping , where the first night we stayed in one of their RV trailers and then moved into their mini tent buildings for the remainder of our time there (we never actually ended up using our tent, but we did bring one haha). We had a few mixups about our booking but the couple who ran the campground were kind and quickly worked through it. It was right by the coast so in the mornings we went early to see the sunrise and at night we went to the shore to watch and light off fireworks (one of the highlights of the trip)

2.  Hiking in Korea: Sokcho’s Seoraksan National Park read more about the park in this post

A popular destination for nature lovers, this national park can be enjoyed in almost any kind of weather and is beautiful if you want to go and walk around the wide road paths that are a gentle stroll at the base of the mountain peaks, or if you want more of an adventure workout and go up one of the 30 peaks in the national park. No matter if it’s cloudy or not you can still enjoy something inside the park. 

3. Eating in Korea: Sokcho’s food

Seaside options are plentiful when it comes to trying to figure out where to base your mealtime destinations. Whether it be a cafe, seafood delicacies, or a simple picnic on the beach the options are endless. We visited a few cafes, and the top two I enjoyed were:  Patisserie Cafe at the top of a building with lots of space and a comfortable vibe. Their tree with tiny notes and drawings was super cute and I made myself at home in their book nook. The second The Whales Cafe and Pub (it was kind of difficult to find on the map but was hard to miss when walking by) The whole decor looked like the ocean, so the floor was one of my favorites. As for food, there were so many options it wasn’t hard to find anywhere to eat, but it was hard to pick with so many options. We ended up going along the coast where a lot of restaurants were busy for the night and got a seafood tteokbokki style dinner.

4. Filming sites in Korea: Sokcho’s tourist destinations

BTS bus stop next to the campground was one of the first places we visited and to be honest, I was too eager to finally see the sea to want to wait in line, but I love bus stop pictures and the iconic BTS photo had a short line. There is even a post with a slot to hold your phone so you don’t need to ask the people camping across the street to take a photo of you. (The site is literally in the middle of a campground, so you sometimes have to wait for the cars to pass before you get a good photo—-which is better to take a video and screenshot it so you don’t have to run with a timer haha)

There is also the famous Goblin drama scene filming location down the road as well. 

Compared to the bus stop, you need someone to take your photo when going out. There are two paths out to the sea, but only one of them was used in the popular drama, so pick your preference. When the tide is coming in you can get some awesome splashes in your photos. We sat on the beach eating pizza just before, and it was cute seeing all the friend groups and couples that were posing for pictures–some of whom were bringing red scarves or the popular barley flowers to pose in the scene. In our picture we took some cute poses and then since “goblins” can be different based on culture we did a comical scary pose as well just for fun. 

I loved all that Sokcho had to offer. If you love nature there’s mountains and oceans, and if you want to sit and chill you can do that as well. It’s the perfect vacation place and I can see why it’s popular destination for people, and I would love to visit again for longer next time. 

• Jjune Caravan Camping: 11, Hwawon-gil, Toseong-myeon,, Goseong-gun, Goseong, Gangwon, 24754
• Seoraksan Location:Seoraksan-dong, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do 강원도 속초시 설악동 114-2
• The Whale Cafe Location:[Naver Map] Diweiljeu Cafe & Pub 강원 속초시 영랑해안1길 13 2층
• BTS Bus Stop Location:210 Jumunbuk-ro Jumunjin-eup Gangneung-si Gangwon-do [Naver Map] 강원 강릉시 주문진읍 주문북로 210
• Goblin Kdrama Location: 81-32 Gyohyang-ri, Jumunjin-eup, Gangneung-si, Gangwondo. 주문진, 강원도 강릉시 주문진읍 교항리 81-32 https://naver.me/xcJhYnGS