The best things to do in Sokcho, South Korea

We decided to embark on a short road trip in South Korea this year and decided we wanted to go somewhere slightly off the beaten path.

The previous year we had done a full 10 day Korea itinerary including Seoul, Busan and Jeju. So this time we decided to hire a car from Seoul airport and drive straight across the country to Korea’s east coast.

I think Sokcho is such an underrated region and its proximity to Seoraksan National Park makes it a great choice if you want a mix of city and nature in a short amount of time.

So here’s everything you need to know about the best things to do in Sokcho, what to see and what to do in Sockho, plus where to stay on your trip.

The side of ain intricate and colourful temple with a roof overhang that's green, red and blue underneath, to the left is an expansive view of rocky mountains covered in trees on a sunny day in Seoraksan National Park, South Korea — Seoraksan National Park

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How to get to Sokcho, South Korea

As I already mentioned above, we rented a car from Seoul Incheon International Airport and drove straight across the country to Sokcho on the east coast.
Read my tips for renting a car and driving in South Korea.

We did it this way because I was the one driving (my husband didn’t have an international driving permit which you need to drive in Korea) and I didn’t want us to spend a few days in Seoul and have to rent (and drive) a car in Seoul city - I’d rather stay on the highways!

But don’t worry if you don’t want to drive, there are several bus routes serving Sokcho from Seoul and I recommend using Naver Map or Kakao Maps (rather than Google Maps) to plan your route. Buses take around 2.5 hours from Seoul Express Bus Terminal.

If you’d prefer to book your bus ticket in advance, I highly recommend using Klook which is a platform predominantly used in Asia to book tickets and tours. They have several options for Seoul to Sokcho buses and you can filter by day and time here.

A city skyline at the edge of a lake at sunrise. In the background a tree covered mountains with low cloud and mist partially obscuring them — Sokcho, South Korea

Where to stay in Sokcho, Korea

We LOVED our hotel in Sokcho!

As it was our first night in Korea (we drove straight to Sokcho from the airport), we were ready to sleep anywhere!

But we stayed at the Sea Cruise Hotel and it was perfect!

This hotel is beautifully located on Cheongchoho Lake which is a natural lake connected to the sea.

The views from our balcony were stunning, looking out across the water and the city with the mountains in the background.

The room was spacious and modern, the location was great and we also had parking for the car which was a must!

A view from a high up hotel room overlooking a lake, to the left on the lake shore is a city skyline with tall buildings and smaller buildings along the shore, behind the city are rolling green hills and mountains. It's a sunny clear day — The view from our hotel

How long to spend in Sokcho?

We did everything on this itinerary during 2 days in Sokcho.

We did all the Sokcho city activities and nearby temples along the coast and beaches on the first day, then our second day was only Seoraksan National Park and a couple of cafes to refresh ourselves afterwards!

I wish we’d had longer to drive further down the coast, but we had bookings for Nami Island, the scenic railway and a few other stops to visit on our way back to Seoul that you can read about in my Seoul day trips guide.

Top things to do in Sokcho

When I think of our trip to Sokcho, I think of coastal vibes, gorgeous coffee shops, traditional culture combined with laidback coastal attitudes that make this a very different, slower and more relaxing city to visit than somewhere like Seoul (even though I do love Seoul!)

Yeonggeumjeong Sunrise Pavilion

Standing under a wooden pavillion with red pillars and a balcony with overlooks the sea where a rocky outcrop is reached by a white walkway. At the end of the walkway is another temple pavilion with red pillars and a green and blue roof and patterns — Yeonggeumjeong Sunrise Pavilion

Located right on the coast, this is one of the most well-known landmarks in Sokcho and it’s free to visit.

You could walk to the pavilion depending on where you’re staying but we drove up and found cheap parking at the bottom of the stairs next to Sokcho Lighthouse so we could do both the pavilion and lighthouse at the same time.

The pavilion is a short walk up a set of stairs and the views are beautiful - I’d imagine that sunrise or sunset is a great time to visit here, unfortunately it was cloudy the day we visited.

Sokcho Lighthouse

A brutalist style glass lighthouse at the top of a cliff with steps leading up the side of the cliff which is covered in greenery. — Sokcho Lighthouse

Right nearby the pavilion is the Sokcho Lighthouse.

You can climb the stairs to get up to the lighthouse and see 360 degree views of Sokcho and the coast.

The lighthouse was closed when I visited so I couldn’t go inside, but the views from the surrounding observation deck outside are great.

Be warned that the steps up are a bit steep!

Bada Damda Cafe or other seafront cafes

On the same street as the pavilion and the lighthouse, there are tons of waterfront cafes and restaurants with gorgeous views of the water.

Drinks are affordable or you can go for a meal too.

I’d recommend Bada Damda as it’s casual and affordable with a digital booking screen available in English. But there are so many options along the coast here and cute cafes and waterfront cafes in Sokcho seem to be a specialty!

Sokcho Fishery Market

This isn’t just a fish market, although that’s what it started out as.

This is now a local market and food market popular with tourists and locals.

There were so many food options I wanted to try here. In Sokcho you have to try Ojingeo Sundae, aka Squid Sundae which is basically squid stuffed with meat, veg, noodles, rice and anything savoury and then fried. Think of it like a sausage but using squid tubes rather than usual sausage casings.

A funny story we always reminisce over: we were craving Korean chicken and we saw people with these pots of sticky fried chicken, so we found the store which serves this and it turned out to be a famous Sokcho style of fried chicken called Dakgangjeong. I ordered two servings - thinking we’d get a pot each, they only cost the equivalent of £5 each.

When our order was ready we were given two HUGE trays of sticky chicken - I don’t know what we saw other people having but 1 portion here means 1 massive tray!

We ended up eating one tray between us and giving the other tray away to some kids at the market.

Abai Village

A view looking down on streets with many small buildings with colourful rooftops: red, green, blue, orange and a city skyline with cranes in the distance — Sokcho

This is the traditional fishing village in Sokcho and while it’s still an active fishing village, it’s also a popular area for locals and visitors to dine in restaurants with the freshest seafood.

If you’re looking for great seafood restaurants in Sokcho, this is your area.

Sokcho Beach

I never expected to be going to the beach in South Korea but beaches in Sokcho are plentiful!

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing afternoon on the beach or somewhere peaceful for a morning walk, Sokcho Beach is a great option.

It’s a sandy beach with plenty of paid parking options along the coast.

I also loved the foot cleaning stations at the beach; they don’t use water, they use compressed air so you don’t have to put wet feet in socks - your feet are dry and sand-free!

Whalelight cafe

Inside a cafe where two men are sitting at tables and facing away from the camera looking out of floor to ceiling windows that show a view of a sandy beach and turquoise blue water on a sunny day — Whalelight Cafe at Sokcho Beach

Overlooking Sokcho Beach, this is a great beachfront cafe in Sokcho if you’re looking for shelter from the sunshine but still want beach views.

There are several floors of seating and prices are affordable. We enjoyed a drink here after visiting the beach and before we continued with our Sokcho trip.

Naksansa Temple

Without a doubt my favourite of all the things to do in Sokcho was to visit Naksansa Temple.

Located a short 15 minute drive south along the coast from Sokcho, this stunning temple complex needs half a day to explore (at least!).

We were able to park in the main temple car park but spaces were limited so you may need to park at the beach car park at the bottom of the hill.

Tickets to Naksansa temple cost 4,000 won and there is also a small parking fee payable at the machines at the entrance. But parking at the beach car park is free.

Naksansa Temple is a Buddhist temple located right on the coastal cliffs.

There is a beautiful, small temple called Naksansa Hong Ryeon Am, perched high on the cliffs with waves crashing below - this is the most famous part of the temple complex and worth following the trail maps to get to.

As I walked out to this temple there were also dozens of wildlife photographers photographing a baby falcon which was nesting on the cliffside.

While the cliff temple might be the most famous, it’s not the only beautiful location within the temple complex.

There is a stunning cafe located on site that I highly recommend a visit to with sea views, a beautiful traditional wooden interior with gorgeous drinks including edible flowers.

Inside a cafe made of warm wood with a vaulted ceiling and large windows on the walls. There are many tables in the room, some of them occupied with people and colourful glass lamps hanging from the tall ceiling — Naksansa Temple cafe

There’s also multiple tea houses in vibrant temple houses and gates, a koi pond, a huge statue of Guanyin overlooking the Sea of Japan and lots of walking trails and temple cats!

You can even book a temple stay here on their website!

We were here for around 3 hours in total, exploring all the trails in the temple complex, taking pictures, getting a drink at the cafe and enjoying the views.

When it comes to the best things to do in Sokcho, I highly recommend prioritising a visit to this temple.

Naksan Beach

A sandy beach with the sea beyond and a single parasol in the sand — Naksan Beach on a gloomy day

Unfortunately the weather was very cloudy on the day we visited here but this beach is right next to the temple and is free to enjoy.

There are shops, cafes and restaurants nearby and beachfront parking so it’s an easy nearby activity in Sokcho.

Seoraksan National Park

This is my second recommendation for must-do activities in Sokcho. If you’re planning a trip to Sokcho, you cannot miss the stunning Seoraksan National Park.

The National Park is just a 15 minute drive inland from Sokcho so Sokcho is a great place to base yourself if you’d like to do some hiking and explore the national park for a day or two.

We spent a whole day in Seoraksan National Park, parking is located here, close to the Seoraksan Cable Car. But remember to use Naver Maps or Kakao Maps to navigate here as Google Maps doesn’t work. Parking is 6,000 won for the day.

This car park is a great base for a day trip from Sokcho to Seoraksan National Park, but you might want to park elsewhere if you’re planning to do some of the other hikes deeper in the park.

During our day based in the park we took the Seoraksan cable car up to the top of Gwon Geum Seong Fortress, 700m above sea level. There is a trail once you get to the top which leads you through the trees for around 15 minutes until you reach a plateau with the most incredible views of the park’s rocky, dramatic scenery including Seoraksan Mountain and the famous Ulsanbawi Peak (this peak is the hardest hike in the park so seeing it from this angle is a great alternative!)

The cable car ticket costs 16,000 won per adult for a return trip (one way is not available) and it’s well worth doing if you want incredible views but don’t have the time or capacity for a long hike.

After the cable car I walked through the leafy area beyond the car park and cable car where you can find a couple of restaurants and cafes before reaching the huge Buddha statue and temple.

The buddha statue is free to visit and photograph and is called Sinheungsa Unification Great Buddha.

If you continue onwards, you’ll cross a bridge with a river below and hundreds of stone stacks. The surrounding views here again are breathtaking and absolutely not the views I expected from Korea - just stunning!

Continue over the bridge and you’ll reach Seoraksan Sinheungsa Temple which is free to visit and is a beautiful, serene spot surrounded by more incredible views.

You can also stay overnight in this temple which we didn’t do but I can imagine it is an amazing experience if you’re wanting to do a temple stay in South Korea!

MontBeer

We stopped off here in the late afternoon after our full day in Seoraksan National Park and it was a great spot to have a well-earned, refreshing craft beer after a day out walking in the sun!

If you’ve read any of my guides before, you’ll know that we love craft beer and finding these local, independent breweries and taprooms is one of my favourite things to do when we travel.

Even though there was a language barrier, we chatted to the staff here through translator apps and had a great time. They gave us lots of samples of their different beers and there were great bar snacks too.

Plus the views from the brewery overlooking the rice fields and mountains are beautiful, especially at golden hour which is when we visited.

Sino Felice Del Pino The Ambrosia Cafe at Sono Delpino Resort

Two cold drinks in glasses on a tray on a wooden table. The table is in front of a floor-to-ceiling window that shows a view of rolling tree-covered hills and a lake — The Ambrosia Cafe at Sono Delpino Resort

We made this final stop on our drive out of Sokcho back towards Seoul.

The Sino Felice Del Pino cafe is located in the Sono Delphino Resort and it’s become sort of “instagram famous” thanks to the spectacular views of the mountains from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The views were incredible but it was definitely a more expensive cafe and I probably wouldn’t go if visibility isn’t good as the views can often be obscured by low cloud or bad light.

Summary: what to do in Sokcho, South Korea

I hope this Sokcho travel guide has given you some ideas and inspiration for your trip to Sokcho.

I really feel like it’s an underrated city and a great place to stop and explore for a day or two if your plan is to visit Seoraksan National Park.

Being able to go to the beach in Korea and enjoy beachfront cafes and this more relaxed pace was a really enjoyable contrast to the bustling city of Seoul.