Small beach city 3 hours drive northeast of Seoul.
Small city with a handful of tourist things to do and a see. At the very least, it’s a nice beach break from the usual city bustle of Seoul.
Where to stay:
- Deungdae Beach – THIS is the area to stay. At least to me. Felt more local and beach-like, which is what I assume you came to Sokcho for.
- Sokcho Beach – did you think this was the right area to be, because of it’s central location? Well you’re wrong. Go stay in Deaungdae! But here isn’t bad. Just that it feels more like a city (with skyscrapers) than beach vibes with the water nearby.
Hostels:
- I didn’t stay at any.
Neighborhoods & Walking areas:
- Start the morning from Sokcho Fish Market, pass the Abai Village, and then over to the Yeonggeumjeong Pavilion and finally to the Deungdae Beach area.
- For another day, or if you’re starting your day late….walk from Sokcho Beach all the way over to the Expo Tower area. That’s another day.
Activities to do:
- Buildings & architecture –
- Yeonggeumjeong Pavilion – beautiful bridge extending out to the sea with a pavilion at th end of it and nice views all around.
- Abai Village & Sokcho Fish Market – both are next to each other. I suggest to vist Abai Village for the cultural history but eat in Sokcho Fish Market for better prices.
- Expo Tower – not a big deal that you see this or even go up there, but use the location as a marker. It’s probably better to see this area at night.
- Naksansa Temple – guide for this temple.
- Sinheungsa Cave Temple –
- Parks, gardens, green spaces –
- Seoraksan National Park – a big beautiful with stunning green landscapes, waterfalls, temples, and viewpoints. If you don’t want to hike, take the cable car to the top.
- Beaches, bridges, water-points –
- Sokcho Beach – feels more touristy and also has a longer sandbar and swinging lounge chairs. Also more places to sit along the beach, read, eat lunch, listen to music, make out with your partner.
- Deungdae Beach – feels more like a small local surfer beach. Very narrow sandbar underneath the sidewalk handrails. So either you’re fully clothed and watching the water from the handrails. Or you’re right on the sand. With that said…the narrow sandbar means you’ll get much nicer beach views from the restaurants, since they’re just across the street and that much closer to the water.
- Markets, shopping –
- Sokcho Fish Market – is probably the main tourist market to see.
- Arts & museums –
- Viewpoints, sunsets – anywhere you can see the coastline or the bridges would be nice. You could also stay on a higher floor in one of those skyscrapers.
Restaurants & Cafes:
- there are many nice seafood places, I highly recommend eating at least one
Bars & Clubs:
- I didn’t feel Sokcho was a place for nightlife.
Miscellaneous tips:
- General travel tips for Korea.
- Taxi/rideshare – we had a really difficult time calling a car when it was raining. We tried for an hour and couldn’t find any cars available. So be careful not to be too far for walking on a rainy day.
Nearby towns:
Unfiltered notes: