The Taebaek Snow Festival: Snowy Fun In Korea

The Taebaek Snow Festival (태백산 눈축제) is one of the most popular winter festivals in South Korea. The fest features snow and ice sculptures, winter sports, traditional and not so traditional cultural performances and more. Located in the picturesque Taebaek Mountain range, it is where to experience the beauty of winter in Korea. If you’re looking for where to find snow in Korea, the Taebaek Mountains are the ideal destination with abundant snowfall and breathtaking scenery.

Have fun this winter in Korea at a snow festival in the Taebaek Mountain range:

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How To Get There

Address: 204 Cheonjedan-gil, Taebaek-si, Gangwon-do (강원도 태백시 천제단길 204)

By Public Transportation: You can take a bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Taebaek Bus Terminal. There’s an intercity bus that takes just over 3 hours. Alternatively, you could take the train from Cheonglyangli Station to Taebaek Station that takes just a bit over 3 hours either way. Just choose whichever option is closest to you.

Where To Stay

Ramada Taebaek Hotel

The Ramada Taebaek Hotel is the nicest place to stay in the area with easy access to the Taebaek Mountain range area so you can be out, get chilly, and get back and warm up in no time. It’s a cozy comfortable stay in the winter.

Book a room at the Ramada Taebaek Hotel on Booking.com or on Agoda.com

What To Know

The Taebaek Mountain range is a beautiful mountainous area in South Korea, stretching for over 500 kilometers along the east coast of the country. It is home to some of the highest peaks in Korea, including the famous Mount Seorak which rises to a height of 1,708 meters. The mountain range receives a significant amount of snowfall annually which makes it a popular winter destination for people that want to be guaranteed they will see snow. With an average of over 100 inches of snow per year, it is a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts.

Visitors to the Taebaek Mountains can expect to see breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks, hike along scenic trails, and enjoy skiing, snowboarding, and sledding if you want to. Warm up after all of the cold fun with hot springs. It’s the perfect winter getaway in Korea.

The Taebaek Snow Festival

The Taebaek Snow Festival has been held since 1995 and is usually from the last week of January until the second week of February though dates may be adjusted due to various events. The highlight for many visitors, aside from the snow, are the numerous ice and snow sculptures that are created by artists from all over the world.

Taebaek Mountain, Taebaek, Korea, snow in Korea, winter in Korea

We got to see sculptures that depicted a Korean gate, people and heads with mouths open, cartoon characters and a mammoth, a car and more. There was an igloo and an icy maze too.

The forests of the area feature tall pine trees everywhere and are so inviting with the white on the ground. The ice and snow sculptures are at the foot of the mountain so easy for families to reach and enjoy some fun. If you really want the snow views though, you start a hike from here up into the mountain range. There is a coal and train museum in the area and Mandeoksa Temple as well if you don’t want to hike but want to see something.

And of course keeping the party alive, were some older men dressed up as women singing old Korean favorites. The dance party in the little town at the foot of the mountain was definitely the best part of the day for us.