Best of Gangwon-do, South Korea: Seoraksan, Sokcho, Pyeongchang, Gangneung, East Coast Beaches & the Northeast Mountains: A 2026 First-Person Guide
Browse more guides: South Korea travel | Asia destinations Best of Gangwon-do, South Korea: Seoraksan, Sokcho, Pyeongchang, Gangneung, East Coast Beaches & the Northeast Mountains: A 2026 First-Person Guide TL;DR I keep coming back to Gangwon-do because no other South Korean province packs this much variety into a single rail ticket. I board the KTX at Seoul Station after breakfast, and roughly 2 hours and 12 minutes later I am stepping off in Gangneung with the East Sea wind already in my hair. From that one station I can reach a 1,708 metre granite peak, a 2018 Olympic ski village, a Buddhist temple founded in 652 CE, a refugee neighbourhood built by North Koreans in the 1950s, and a 250 kilometre coast lined with quiet fishing villages. That is why Gangwon-do, the largest South Korean province by area at 16,829 square kilometres, has become my favourite regional escape in 2026. In this guide I walk you through how I plan a Gangwon-do trip from scratch. I cover the five tie...