Best Things to Do in Sokcho Beyond Seoraksan: Beaches, Seafood & More

💰 Click here to see Korea Budget Breakdown

💰 Prices updated: 2026-10-01. Budget figures are estimates — always verify before travel.

Exchange Rate: $1 USD = 1,356 KRW

Daily Budget (per person) • Pricing updated as of 2026-10-01

Daily Budget

Shoestring: 60,000 KRW - 95,000 KRW ($44.25 – $70.06)

Mid-range: 130,000 KRW - 250,000 KRW ($95.87 – $184.37)

Comfortable: 350,000 KRW - 550,000 KRW ($258.11 – $405.60)

Accommodation (per night)

Hostel/guesthouse: 25,000 KRW - 65,000 KRW ($18.44 – $47.94)

Mid-range hotel: 90,000 KRW - 165,000 KRW ($66.37 – $121.68)

Food (per meal)

Budget meal (street food): 9,000 KRW ($6.64)

Mid-range meal (restaurant): 22,000 KRW ($16.22)

Upscale meal: 65,000 KRW ($47.94)

Transport

Single subway/bus trip: 1,600 KRW ($1.18)

Climate Card (30-day unlimited): 67,000 KRW ($49.41)

Most visitors to Sokcho treat the city as a launching pad — arrive, sleep, hike Seoraksan, leave. That’s a shame, because Sokcho itself has a character that takes time to reveal: a working port city with lagoon bike paths, a village frozen in Korean War history, and some of the freshest raw seafood on the peninsula. In 2026, the express bus connection from Seoul is faster than ever, which means more people are arriving — but the crowds mostly funnel straight to the national park. The rest of the city is still remarkably unhurried.

Sokcho’s Beaches: Two Very Different Moods

Sokcho has two main beaches, and they attract completely different crowds.

Sokcho Beach is the city beach — wide, grey-sand, backed by a line of seafood restaurants and convenience stores. It faces the East Sea directly, so the waves have real weight to them, especially in autumn. In summer the water is cold by swimming standards (around 22–23°C at peak), but Koreans swim anyway and the beach fills up with families from inland cities. The sand is clean and the lifeguard system is well-organised. On a clear morning, the Seoraksan ridge is visible in the distance above the city skyline, which makes for an unusual view — mountains and sea at the same time.

Ayajin Beach sits about 6 kilometres north of the city centre, closer to the Unification Observatory. It’s smaller, quieter, and lined with pine trees that come almost to the water’s edge. The smell of salt air and pine resin together is the kind of thing you don’t forget. Local families use it on weekends, but it rarely gets crowded. There’s no development right on the beach itself, which means the noise level stays low. If you’re visiting outside July and August, Ayajin is likely to be nearly empty.

Where to Eat Seafood (and How to Order It)

Sokcho’s reputation for seafood is earned. The East Sea delivers squid, snow crab, abalone, and sea urchin in quantities that keep prices lower here than in Seoul. The key is knowing where to go and what to ask for.

The Sokcho Tourist Fishery Market (속초관광수산시장), just east of the main bus terminal, is the most visitor-friendly option. The ground floor has tanks of live seafood — you point at what you want, agree on a price, and staff upstairs prepare it as sashimi or grilled. Squid sashimi (오징어회) is the local specialty. It has a chewy, slightly crunchy texture that’s nothing like the squid you get in Japanese-style restaurants — more bite, more brine.

For a sit-down meal, Daepohang Fishing Village (대포항) to the south has a row of restaurants specialising in snow crab hotpot (대게탕). Prices are set per crab by weight, so check before ordering. Budget roughly 35,000–60,000 KRW (~$26–$44 USD) per person for a full crab meal. Most restaurants have photo menus. Pointing works fine.

If you want something quick and cheap, the market area around Jungang Market sells 순대 (sundae — pork blood sausage) and fish cake skewers for 1,000–2,000 KRW a piece. These make for good walking food while you explore.

Abai Village: History You Can Touch

Abai Village (아바이마을) occupies a sand spit between Cheongchoho Lake and the sea. Its name comes from the Korean word for “grandfather” in the Hamgyeong dialect — because this neighbourhood was built by North Korean refugees who fled south during the Korean War and couldn’t go home. They settled here on what was essentially a sandbar, built makeshift homes, and stayed. Many of their descendants still live here.

Getting to the village involves crossing a narrow channel on a hand-pulled ferry — a flat platform that passengers drag across using a thick rope. The crossing takes about two minutes and costs 500 KRW each way. It’s completely analogue in a way that feels strange in 2026, and entirely worth it.

Inside the village, the lanes are narrow enough to touch both walls. The food here is distinct from the rest of Sokcho: Abai sundae (아바이순대) is the local version of blood sausage, made with squid and vegetables stuffed into a larger casing — chewier and richer than the standard Seoul version. The Ojingeo sundae (stuffed squid) came from this community’s recipes and spread across Korea from here.

The village became nationally famous after being featured in a 2000s Korean drama, which brought a wave of tourism — but the area has kept its neighbourhood character. Elderly residents sit outside in good weather. It’s a real place that people live in, not a heritage theme park.

Sokcho Jungang Market at Night

The night market at Sokcho Jungang Market runs from around 6 PM and is one of the better evening food markets in the Gangwon region. It’s not enormous — maybe 30–40 stalls — but it’s genuine rather than touristic.

The must-try item is Dakgangjeong (닭강정) — sweet, crispy fried chicken pieces glazed in a sauce that’s sticky, spicy, and slightly sweet at once. The Sokcho version is famously good, and the market stalls have been selling it for decades. Queues form early, especially on weekends. There are several competing stalls; the one with the longest queue is usually the most reliable indicator of quality.

Other options include grilled skewers, tteokbokki (rice cake in chilli sauce), and freshly fried hotteok (sweet pancakes filled with brown sugar and seeds). Eating while walking is completely normal here. Cash is still accepted at most stalls, but most now also accept mobile payment via Kakao Pay or Naver Pay.

Cheongchoho Lake: The Quiet Centre of the City

Cheongchoho (청초호) is a coastal lagoon in the middle of Sokcho — salt water, connected to the sea, surrounded by a flat cycling and walking path that circles the entire lake. The full loop is about 4 kilometres and takes roughly an hour on foot. Bikes are available for rent near the main trailhead for 5,000–8,000 KRW per hour (~$4–$6 USD).

The most photographed spot is the flamingo sculpture that stands in the shallows near the southern shore — a cluster of metal birds that glow pink at sunset. It’s become something of a Sokcho symbol. The surrounding boardwalk fills with locals jogging or walking dogs in the evenings.

The lake also has a practical function: it separates Abai Village from the rest of the city, which is why the hand-pulled ferry exists. Standing on the lakeside path at dusk, with the mountains lit orange behind the city and the water flat and dark, you get a version of Sokcho that most visitors never see because they’re already back in their rooms after the hike.

Day Trip or Overnight?

Sokcho is technically doable as a day trip from Seoul — the express bus takes about 2 hours 20 minutes in 2026, and the last bus back runs late in the evening. But doing it as a day trip means you have to choose between Seoraksan and the city. You can’t do both properly in one day.

An overnight stay makes everything more relaxed: arrive in the afternoon, explore Abai Village and the market in the evening, sleep, choose the national park or the beaches the next morning. Two nights is comfortable if you want to cover both Seoraksan and the city in depth.

The best accommodation value is around the Sokcho Beach area — you’ll find guesthouses and mid-range hotels within a 5-minute walk of the water. The Seoraksan entrance area (Osaek and Seorakdong) has more resort-style options but is removed from the city’s food and culture.

Getting to Sokcho from Seoul in 2026

The East Seoul Terminal (동서울터미널) and Seoul Express Bus Terminal both have frequent departures to Sokcho throughout the day. Journey time is typically 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes depending on traffic — the Seo울–양양 Expressway has significantly reduced travel times compared to pre-2017 routes.

There is no direct train to Sokcho. The GTX-A line, which has expanded operations in 2026, connects central Seoul to Suseo faster than before, but Sokcho still requires a bus connection from there or an intercity bus from central terminals. The bus remains the most direct option.

Tickets cost approximately 18,000–22,000 KRW (~$13–$16 USD) one way. Booking via the Kobus website or the Kobus app in advance is recommended on Friday evenings and summer weekends, when buses sell out.

2026 Budget Reality

• Budget (roughly 60,000–90,000 KRW / $44–$67 USD per day): Guesthouse or budget motel near the beach, market meals, bus transport, free attractions like the lake path and beaches.
• Mid-range (roughly 130,000–200,000 KRW / $96–$148 USD per day): Mid-range hotel near Sokcho Beach, one sit-down crab or seafood meal, entrance to Seoraksan national park (4,500 KRW / ~$3 USD as of 2026), bike rentals, night market snacks.
• Comfortable (roughly 250,000–400,000 KRW / $185–$296 USD per day): Boutique hotel or resort accommodation, full snow crab dinner, guided experiences, private transport.

Sokcho is one of the more affordable coastal destinations in Korea once you’re there. The main cost variable is accommodation during peak summer (July–August), when beachside hotel prices jump by 40–60% compared to shoulder season.

Practical Tips for Getting Around Sokcho

Sokcho’s city bus network is functional but infrequent — some routes run only every 30–40 minutes. The city is small enough that taxis are reasonable for moving between areas quickly; a fare from the bus terminal to Seoraksan entrance runs around 8,000–10,000 KRW (~$6–$7 USD). Kakao Taxi works well here in 2026.

Renting a bike is the best way to explore the lakeside and coastal areas. The terrain is flat along the lake and between beaches, making it accessible for most fitness levels.

The K-ETA requirement, which had exemptions and rule changes throughout 2024–2025, stabilised in 2026 for most nationalities visiting Korea. Check the K-ETA portal before travelling — most Western passport holders can still apply online for around 10,000 KRW (~$7 USD) and receive approval within 72 hours.

Sokcho is a genuinely year-round destination. Autumn (late September to November) is arguably the best time — Seoraksan foliage is peak, crowds are smaller than summer, and the seafood market is fully active. Winter is cold (often below -5°C) but the snow on the mountains is dramatic, and the markets and village stay open.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sokcho worth visiting without hiking Seoraksan?

Completely. The beaches, Abai Village, the lakeside path, and the seafood scene give the city its own reason to visit. Seoraksan is a bonus, not a requirement. Plenty of visitors come specifically for the coastal food culture and leave the mountain entirely alone.

How do I get from Sokcho to Seoraksan National Park?

Local buses connect central Sokcho to the main Seoraksan entrance (Seorakdong) in about 20–30 minutes. Bus Route 7 or 7-1 covers the route. Taxis are faster and still affordable at around 8,000–10,000 KRW (~$6–$7 USD). The park entrance fee in 2026 is 4,500 KRW.

What is the best time of year to visit Sokcho?

Late September through November is the sweet spot — foliage colour, cooler temperatures, and smaller crowds than summer. July and August are the busiest months due to beach tourism. Spring (April–May) is pleasant and uncrowded. Winter is cold but offers snow-dusted mountain views worth seeing.

Can I visit Abai Village without speaking Korean?

Yes. The village is small and easy to navigate on foot. Restaurants in Abai Village typically have photos on their menus or food displays outside. Pointing at menu items works fine. The hand-pulled ferry crossing is self-explanatory — just follow what other passengers do and pay 500 KRW on board.

Is Sokcho Beach good for swimming?

Sokcho Beach has designated swimming areas with lifeguards active from late June through August. Water temperatures peak around 22–24°C in late July. The waves can be strong — the East Sea is not a calm swimming beach year-round. Outside the official summer swimming season, the beach is open for walking but unsupervised.

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📷 Featured image by Jacek Janiczak on Unsplash.