Gangneung
Revered as the birthplace of the paragon of Korean womanhood, Sin Saimdang (1504–51), and her son, the philosopher and government official Yi Yulgok (1536…
Must-see attractions in Gangwon-do
Gangwon-do
Of all the things you’d expect to find in a fishing village like Sinnam (신남), a ‘penis park’ is probably not one of them. There are more than 50 phallic…
Gangwon-do
Sangwon-sa's intricately decorated bronze bell was cast in AD 725 and is the oldest bell in Korea (and one of the largest as well). Another prized object…
Gangwon-do
This temple was originally established in AD 671 and enjoys a glorious perspective overlooking the sea. Also facing the sea is a majestic (but modern,…
Gangwon-do
One of South Korea's most beloved and beautiful national parks, and a Unesco Biosphere Protection site, Seoraksan is most celebrated for its oddly shaped…
Gangwon-do
Scenic and mountainous Chiaksan (the name means 'Pheasant Peak Mountain') National Park is home to the lovely Guryong-sa and a host of other temples, and…
Gangwon-do
Taebaek-san (Big White Mountain) is, for shamanists, one of the most sacred mountains in Korea. Five year-round hiking trails snake up through the park to…
Gyeongpo-ho & Gyeongpodae Pavilion
Gangneung
Immediately behind Gyeongpo Beach is Gyeongpo-ho, which attracts local residents looking for a little peace and quiet. There’s a 4km bicycle path along…
Gangwon-do
Set among the verdant hills of Chiaksan National Park, this colourful and vibrant temple is a beauty, its main courtyard festooned with vibrantly coloured…
Gangneung
Dating to the late Joseon dynasty, this national cultural property was for 300 years the home of a yangban (aristocratic) family. It was built for a…
Chamsori Gramophone & Edison Museum
Gangneung
This whimsical museum is a sheer delight. It combines the two loves of private collector Son Sung-Mok: gramophones and Thomas Edison. There are hundreds…
Gangwon-do
One of the largest caves in Asia, with almost 2km of steel stairways that take visitors through cathedral-sized caverns, up, down and around its varied…
Gangwon-do
Sitting atop a hill, this park has contemporary Korean sculptures set amid a pleasant 11-hectare garden with winding paths and boardwalks. On a clear day,…
Gangwon-do
This Silla-era temple was founded in AD 645 by the Zen Master Jajang to enshrine relics of the historical Buddha. Although it fell victim to fires and was…
Gangwon-do
Maengbang Beach is about 12km south of town. It’s less frantic than Samcheok Beach and has no buildings, although tented stalls spring up during beach…
Gangwon-do
Located just one kilometre from the DMZ, this viewing platform has coin-operated binoculars for gazing at North Korea and its ‘propaganda village’…
Gangwon-do
Samcheok Beach is found immediately to the north of town. The beach has shallow waters, making it popular with families, and there's the usual assortment…
Gangneung
The largest beach on the east coast, and the third-busiest in South Korea, has 1.8km of flat, white sand bordered by pine trees and pleasant waters. It’s…
Gangwon-do
This interesting museum is dedicated to an intriguing range of beetles, butterflies and other insects from around the world. Captions are in Korean and…
Seoraksan National Park
This cave hollowed into the rock of Seorak-san offers worthwhile views of the valley. The 23 sq m cave was once used as a place to worship the stone…
Seoraksan National Park
This temple complex that has stood on this site since AD 652 but has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. At the entrance are the Four Heavenly Kings …
Former Labor Party Headquarters
Gangwon-do
After passing a few battle-scarred buildings, most tours of Cheorwon end here, at the former Labor Party (that is, Communist Party) HQ. The surviving…
Gangwon-do
Dug by North Korea in 1975, about 1km of this tunnel lies in South Korea and it’s large enough for purportedly 16,000 soldiers to stream through per hour…
Gangwon-do
This small but well-formed museum inside Taebaeksan Provincial Park documents the history of coal mining in Korea and the Taebaek region, which used to be…
Gangneung
This fine beach strewn with golden sand and shells is framed between the blue, blue sea and a long line of cafes; it's a lovely place for a stroll, to…
Gangwon-do
Below Naksan-sa is this beach, one of the best on the east coast and of course, busy in summer, when accommodation prices can triple. At other times it’s…
Gangwon-do
In a building that resembles a wedding cake dripping with various colours of icing on the south side of the river, exhibits here (some in English) contain…
Seoraksan National Park
This elegant, traditional Korean house was originally built in the pine forest for people to pray for fallen soldiers in the Korean War. Nowadays people…
Seoraksan National Park
This massive 16-tonne boulder is balanced on the edge of a rocky ledge and can be rocked to and fro by a small group of people. It’s a lookout on the way…
Gangwon-do
This temple was built by the Buddhist monk Ja Jang (590–658) in 643, rebuilt in 705, burnt down in 1946 and restored again in 1947. The oldest remains is…
Seoraksan National Park
These remains of a fortress are thought to date to the 13th century. The easiest and quickest way to get here is to take the cable car.
Seoraksan National Park
This spectacular granite cliff stands at 873m and is a popular destination for hikers making the strenuous, two-hour, 4.3km hike from the Seoraksan…
Seoraksan National Park
A Buddhist temple built in 1957, though originally constructed in the 7th century in the Silla Kingdom. It's worth walking over its wooden bridge, which…
Seoraksan National Park
A hermitage en route to Ulsan Bawi, Gyejo-am is a human-made cave where you can sometimes hear Buddhist monks chanting just before reaching the boulder of…
Seoraksan National Park
This long, thin 40m-high waterfall in Seorak-san National Park gushes into a picturesque pool and and is a 2km climb up from the Seoraksan National Park…
Gangwon-do
The ship-shaped Fishing Village Folk Museum focuses on the history of fishing and shamanist rituals in the region, and sexual iconography in other…
Gangwon-do
This temple is named after and dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy (Gwaneum), worshipped by those seeking consolation or by women wanting children.
Gangwon-do
A group of nine waterfalls, each representing a dragon that occupied it, according to one of the legends that swirls about.
Seoraksan National Park
A launching point to hike up Daecheong-bong. Carbonated, iron-rich water springs from three base rocks at a brook.
Gangwon-do
This temple is dedicated to Gwaneum, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy who 'listens to the cries of the world'.
