Where to go in Gangwon

Where to go in each part of Korea, neighbourhood by neighbourhood: what it is like, what it is known for and what to do.

• Gangneung Anmok Coffee Street and Gyeongpo강릉 안목해변 커피거리와 경포A beach lined with cafes where you drink coffee with the sea in front of you, plus a calm lake nearby.
• Gangneung Jumunjin강릉 주문진A working fishing port with a seafood market, a harbour and a beach with a famous breakwater.
• Sokcho Beach and Jungang Market속초 해수욕장과 중앙시장A seaside town where you can swim or stroll the beach in the morning and snack through a market after.
• Seoraksan National Park설악산국립공원Jagged granite peaks, waterfalls and temples, with trails for everyone from a short walk to a full day hike.
• Chuncheon Myeongdong and Soyang River춘천 명동과 소양강A lake city known for spicy chicken, buckwheat noodles and a river walk, a relaxed day trip by train.
• Pyeongchang and Daegwallyeong평창과 대관령High green hills with cool air and open views, the area that hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics.
• Yangyang Jukdo and Surfyy Beach양양 죽도해변과 서피비치Korea's best known surf town, with relaxed beach cafes, surf schools and a young crowd by the sea.
• Chuncheon춘천시A lake city ringed by mountains and rivers, easy to reach from Seoul and famous for spicy chicken.
• Wonju원주시A mid-size city in western Gangwon, best known for a canyon with suspension bridges and its paper tradition.
• Gangneung강릉시A beach city on the East Sea, with coffee on the shore, a calm lake and old wooden houses.
• Donghae동해시A working port city with a former limestone mine turned lake park, and a lookout village above Mukho.
• Taebaek태백시A high mountain town with a coal-mining past, limestone caves and wide ridge views.
• Samcheok삼척시A quiet east-coast city with a huge cave, small fishing ports and a pavilion above a river.
• Hongcheon홍천군A big forested county and an easy mountain escape from the capital area, with an old temple and cool valleys.
• Hoengseong횡성군A highland county famous for beef, with a dark-sky village and a quiet forest.
• Yeongwol영월군A deep valley county of winding rivers, tied to the sad story of the young king Danjong.
• Jeongseon정선군A mountain county in the east, known for silvergrass hills, an old folk song and railway villages.
• Cheorwon철원군A border-zone plain north of Seoul, where Korean War history and wintering cranes come together.
• Hwacheon화천군A river and lake county close to the border, small in scale and quiet most of the year.
• Yanggu양구군A far-north border county at the centre of the peninsula, with a lake island and a highland basin.
• Inje인제군A mountain county on the way to Seoraksan, with a white birch forest, a clear river and a famous temple.
• Goseong고성군The northernmost coastal county of the South, with white sand beaches, a lagoon and a preserved old village.
• Yangyang양양군A surf and mountain county, with beaches below the Seoraksan range and hot springs in the hills.