Hotels in Gangneung

Gangneung: East Coast Gateway on the Korean Peninsula

Gangneung sits on the Yeongdong coast of Gangwon Province, roughly 230 km east of Seoul via the KTX Gyeonggang Line — a journey under 2 hours introduced for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, when Gangneung hosted all ice events at the Gangneung Olympic Park. That infrastructure push transformed the city's hotel stock and drew attention to a destination already prized by Koreans for Gyeongpo Beach, a 6 km stretch backed by a pine forest and a freshwater lagoon.

Visitors range from Seoul weekend-trippers to history travelers seeking Ojukheon House, a 16th-century Joseon-era villa where scholar and statesman Yi I (Yulgok) was born in 1536 — his portrait appears on the 5,000-won note. The city's Chodang neighborhood is the source of sundubu (soft tofu) made with local seawater, a dish specific to this stretch of coast. Gangneung has also built a dense coffee culture along Anmok Beach, where a row of independent cafés draws barista tourists year-round.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: KTX from Seoul Cheongnyangni station reaches Gangneung in approximately 108 minutes; book seats a week ahead on holidays.
• Best base: Hotels near Gyeongpo Lake or the Olympic Park offer easy access to both beach and city sights.
• Weather: Summers are warm and humid July–August; winters are cold but drier than Seoul's west coast.