Gyeongpo Beach: The Most Popular Beach On The East Coast Of Korea
Last Updated on June 13, 2025
When it’s summer in Seoul, it sometimes seems that the population in the city doubles with the arrival. People that had hidden inside from the cold are out and about and places that seemed like hidden gems are swarming with people. The entire city changes and comes to life and as it does, people also begin to travel far and wide to find places to cool off in Korea.
Gangneung on the east coast of Korea in Gangwondo is one of those hot places that everyone wants to head to, not only because it’s beautiful, but also because it’s easy to get to. With Gyeongpo Beach (강릉 경포수욕장) one of the best beaches in Korea and plenty of things to do in Gangneung from eating salt water tofu to learning about gramophones, it’s the summer getaway in Korea you’ll want to have at least once, though many people go again and again.
In this guide to Gangneung, you’ll find a lot of information. Feel free to skip around:
- How To Get To Gyeongpo Beach
- Where To Stay In Gangneung
- How to Get Around Gangneung
- What To Know About Gyeongpo Beach
- Things To Do In Gangneung
- Be Immersed At Arte Museum
- Visit Gyeongpo Lake
- Learn at Chamsori Gramophone Museum & Edison Science Museum
- Eat at Chodang Sundubu Village
- Enjoy The Installations at Haslla Art World
- See the Creatures at Gyeongpo Aquarium
- Sip Coffee at Terarosa
- Eat at Jumunjin Fish Market
- Enjoy Korean craftwork at the Museum of Oriental Embroidery
- Other Beaches In Gangneung
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How To Get To Gyeongpo Beach
Address: 1-san Anhyeon-dong Gangneung-si Gangwon-do (강원도 강릉시 안현동 산1)
By Train: The most comfortable way to travel to the east coast is most definitely the KTX train which you can catch from Seoul Station and take straight out to Gangneung Station. Trains leave every hour from 5:00am until 10:00pm and take around two hours. The tickets cost between W26,000 and W44,000 depending on the seats chosen.
By Bus: There are buses available that go from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal and Express Bus Terminal that out to Gangneung. The buses take between 2.5 to 3 hours and cost between W14,000 and W22,000 depending on what kind of bus you’re riding. Buses leave throughout the day as well.
Where To Stay In Gangneung
St. John’s Hotel
Want a hotel with some fun guaranteed? This is it! St. John’s Hotel is on Gangmun Beach and has an infinity pool if the beach isn’t enough. Plenty of water suffice to say and some great rooms especially if you’re a family looking for a great place to stay in Gangneung. Book a room at St. John’s Hotel here on Booking.com or on Agoda.com.
Skybay Hotel
Right on Gyeongpo Beach and near Lake Gyeongpo, this is a 5-stay luxury hotel that is perfect if you’re looking to go all out for vacation this year. All of the rooms feature a water view, either of the ocean or of the lake and the balconies on every room will have you swooning over the views. If the beach isn’t enough, enjoy the infinity pool up top too. Book a room at Skybay Hotel here on Booking.com or on Agoda.com.
How To Get Around Gangneung
Gangneung is definitely one of those spots that is easier to get around if you have a car. However, if you don’t, much like other cities in the country, there are taxis that you can rent for hours or entire days if you want to get around and see different things. There are 3 hour taxi tours that you can check out. If you want them for the whole day, just book them for 6 hours!
What To Know About Gyeongpo Beach
Gangneung, one of the most popular beach cities in Korea, offers something for everyone with beaches, lakes, a long history, a national park and delicious food and since it’s easily accessible from Seoul, it’s really a must visit this summer.
If you want to visit something on the west coast that is maybe not so popular though, look into heading down to Oido Island or Daebudo Island or go to Buan and find the Chaesukgang cliffs and seaside or just head out and visit the beaches near Incheon International Airport. A great thing about visiting or living in Korea for any amount of time is access to seaside on three sides!
Gyeongpo Beach (경포해변) stretches six kilometers on the northeastern coast of Korea and is formed between the ocean and Gyeongpo Lake. This makes it an especially appealing vacation spot as the lake is surrounded by a lovely bike path and marshy walking trails, two great options for days that are too overcast to enjoy the sea. I’ll talk more about the lake down below though. Back to the beach…
The white sand beach is backed by a wall of pine trees with a wooden plank path that winds down the coast. The water is a mix of beautiful shades of emeralds and blues that just sparkles in the sun. It’s jaw dropping beautiful.
The water this far north can be a bit chillier later into the season, so that’s something to know, but even with the chill, we dove in and we weren’t the only ones. University students that have finished up their semester were also in groups along the beach renting tubes, riding banana boats and speeding by on jet skis.
Groups of students come for beach fun by day and sparkler fun by night. Couples, hand in hand or riding tandem bikes come here as it’s known as a romantic destination. And, families bring their kids for sandy fun.
While this beach is popular, the entire coastal region in this area is gorgeous beach after gorgeous beach so it’s easy enough to go a bit north or go a bit south and find a place that has plenty of space.
Fun Fact: In the spring, the lake is surrounded by cherry blossoms and the saying goes “you can see the moon five times here, in the sky, in the sea, in the lake, in your glass and in the eyes of your lover.”
Things To Do In Gangneung
While the sands and waters of Gyeongpo Beach are the draw for most people visiting in the summer, there’s a lot of other great things to do and places to see in Gangneung that make for a well-rounded weekend away. When you’re done with the seaside fun, here are the other things to do in Gangneung that you should take for an awesome weekend.
Be Immersed At Arte Museum
Ever on the lookout for immersive art experiences, we couldn’t help but step in to the media escape that Arte Museum provides. If you’re like us and always looking out for the cool places to go and things to do in Korea, then there is no doubt that Arte Museum (아르떼뮤지엄) should be on your list.
Arte Museum has a few branches in Korea and one thing you’ll notice about the Arte Museum spaces is that they focus a lot on nature. Some installations are the same in the various locations in Korea while some are different. If you don’t catch it in Gangneung, you’ll definitely want to visit one of their branches in another city.
- Address: 131 Nanseolheon-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (강원 강릉시 난설헌로 131)
- Hours: 10:00am ~ 8:00pm
- Admission: Adults: W17,000; Teenagers: W13,000; Children: W10,000
- Website: https://artemuseum.com/
Visit Gyeongpo Lake
Gyeongpo Lake (경포호) means “clear as a mirror” and was formed when the mouth of the bay was closed by sand and rocks brought in by the sea currents. This area is known to be a romantic destination for couples and the saying here goes “with the moon shining in the sky, it is reflected in the ocean, on the lake, in your glass and in the eyes of your lover.”
If you go all the way around, you’ll find a wetland area and wooden bridges to walk along and an old wooden canal-crossing boat that you need to pull with your hands to cross the water on. Just one of those fun things you can find in Korea in the countryside a lot. And as you go around, look out for the popular Gyeongpo Pavilion which is the most popular overlook spot in the area.
Bike rental shops and tents can be found easily, so we picked up a couple for W5,000 an hour each and went on our way. I should admit, we had ours for more than an hour and they didn’t charge us any extra, perhaps another great thing about visiting during low season.
- Address: 365 Gyeongpo-ro Gangneung-si Gangwon-do (강원도 강릉시 경포로365)
- Hours: 6:00am ~ 12:00am but note that swimming is only permitted between 6:00am and 6:00pm
Learn at Chamsori Gramophone Museum & Edison Science Museum
The Chamsori Gramophone Museum and Edison Science Museum (참소리축음기 에디슨과학박물관) was first started in 1982 by private collector Sung-mok Son and is the largest gramophone museum in the world. He has collected 4,500 phonographs, 150,000 phonograph records, 1,000 books and 5,000 other items from 20 nations around the world.
His first gramophone was a Columbian G241 made in the 1920’s given to him by his parents in Wonsan, North Korea. When the family fled south, this gramophone was the only thing he took with him and now has a special place in the museum.
The collection is rather spectacular and if you’re lucky, you’ll even be able to spot him enjoying his collection as we did. The Lonely Planet states that tours are only given in Korean, however, there are people on staff that speak English and are more than happy to accommodate foreigners. The first hall contains 30 music boxes and a circus organ, which were in use before the gramophone was invented.
Some of them still work and if you ask politely you may get to listen. There are also 350 beautifully painted gramophones of all sizes to view and this is just the introduction. The second hall contains cabinet style gramophones made in the 1920s and 1930s and the third hall contains radios and TVs produced between 1920 and 1980.
Connected to the Gramophone Museum is the Edison Science Museum, which focuses on Edison’s “three major inventions: the gramophone, the light bulb, and the projector.” The numerous light bulbs on display are a wonder
and some still work today a century later making them even more spectacular. The whole place takes an hour to peruse and the staff is extremely helpful. It’s certainly a kitschy place to spend some time inside and we enjoyed it a ton!
- Address: 393 Gyeongpo-ro Gangneung-si Gangwon-do (강원도 강릉시 경포로 393)
- Hours: Wednesday – Monday: 10:00am ~ 4:40pm
- Admission: Adults: W15,000; Teenagers: W13,000; Chidlren: W10,000; Infants: 8,000
Eat at Chodang Dubu Village
Chodang Dubu Village (초당두부마을) his home to a local delicacy that you must try when in Gangneung. This area is known for a very special kind of tofu that is made with salt water from the East Sea rather than salt mixed with water as in the rest of the country.
The name of the food originates from a famous family in the 16th century named Chodang-Heoyeop. Heoyeop was the father of writer and poet Heo-gyun and poet Heonan-seolheon. There are numerous restaurants along the country road to choose from, but we opted for Chodang Halmoni Sundubu just around the bend on the right side. Anything made by a halmoni, grandmother, must be delicious, right?
Chodang Halmoni Sundubu has more than twenty years of experience and follows the traditional recipe for their delicious meals. They start making the tofu at 4 o’clock in the morning for early morning customers and continue until 9 at night. Their menu is short and sweet with only three options: Chodang tofu, Chodang tofu set and hard tofu. We ordered the set and enjoyed.
The server was extremely helpful and when asked happily explained how were to eat the tofu properly (in Korean, don’t expect too much English here). It was a delicious end to our time in Gangneung.
- Address: 99 Chodangsundubu-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (강원도 강릉시 초당순두부길 99 (초당동) 일대)
Enjoy The Installations at Haslla Art World
Another really cool art space in Gangneung is the Haslla Art World. Haslla Art World is one of the most Instagrammable places in Gangneung. There are immersive exhibits, art, and sculptures from the floor to the ceiling and in every room of the museum… and even beyond onto the mountainside nearby.
This museum of odds and ends and beautiful installations definitely needs to be on your list of things to see in Gangneung if you love those creative spaces that Korea is so good at creating. Colorful tunnels, mirrors, and more will just have you spinning in circles to see everything.
- Address: 1441 Yulgok-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (강원도 강릉시 강동면 율곡로 1441)
- Admission: Adults: W12,000; Children: W11,000; Babies 36 months and under are free
- Hours: Every day: 9:00am ~ 6:00pm
- Website: www.museumhaslla.com
See the Creatures at Gyeongpo Aquarium
There are over 25,000 sea creatures from 255 species at the Gyeongpo Aquarium (경포 아쿠아리움) which sits right near the lake making this a great spot to get out of the sun and heat in the summer. They also have experience programs like riding boats and fishing outdoors. This is a great spot to visit if you have kids because they can learn so much about the creatures in the ocean they just visited.
- Address: 131 Naksanheon-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (강원 강릉시 난설헌로 131)
- Hours: Every day: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm
- Admission: Adults: W20,000; Students: W18,000; Children: W16,000
Sip Coffee at Terarosa
Gangneung is a well-known coffee destination in Korea and even has an annual festival to celebrate their coffee culture. Whether you visit then or any other time of the year, you need to find Terarosa (테라로사). Originating in Gangneung in 2002, this is the area’s most well-known coffee brand and you can visit their cafes or head straight to their coffee factory to see the roasting done in person.
Terarosa Locations In Gangneung
- Terarosa Roasting Factory & Cafe (테라로사 커피공장)
- Address: 7 Hyeoncheon-gil, Gujeong-myeon, Gangwon-do (강원 강릉시 구정면 현천길 7)
- Terarosa Gyeongpo Lake (테라로사 경포호수점)
- Address: 145 Nanseonheon-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (강원 강릉시 난설헌로 145)
- Terarosa Sacheon (테라로사 사천점)
- Address: 6 Sunpoan-gil, Sacheon-myeon, Gangwon-do (강원 강릉시 사천면 순포안길 6)
- Terarosa Imdang (테라로사 임당점)
- Address: 104 Seonho Mansion, 9 Munhwaui-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (강원 강릉시 문화의길 9 1층 성호맨션 104호)
Eat at Jumunjin Fish Market
We are always fans of traditional markets. The food is always fresh, delicious, and when in doubt, the markets are the place to eat. The Jumunjin Fish Market (강릉 주문진수산시장) has been open in the Gangneung Jumunjin Port area since 1936. It’s actually the largest seafood market on the east coast!
You can get dried fish and fresh hoe, or Korean sliced raw fish, squid, mackerel, pollack, pike, and crab. It will definitely hit the spot if you like seafood.
- Address: 38 Sijang-gil, Jumunjin-eub, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (강원특별자치도 강릉시 주문진읍 시장길 38)
- Hours: Every day: 7:00am ~ 10:00pm
Enjoy Korean craftwork at the Museum of Oriental Embroidery
Korean embroidery is just stunning and in Gangneung, the Museum of Oriental Embroidery (동양자수박물관) was opened in 2011 to celebrate this beautiful traditional craft. There are over 500 pieces of embroidery from Korea as well as China and Japan. It’s all about celebrating the colors and symbols of the work. Be sure to look for the local Gangneung pieces inspired by the festivities and shamanic elements of the area’s Danoje rituals.
- Address: 140-12 Jukheon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (강원특별자치도 강릉시 죽헌길 140-12)
- Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 9:00am ~ 6:00pm
Other Beaches In Gangneung
There are really beautiful beaches throughout the Gangneung area. Most people head to Gyeongpo Beach, but let me lay out a few other beaches to look out for if you want a less crowded experience on the east coast of Korea.
Sungeut Beach: Set between the more popular areas named Jumunjin and Gyeongpo, this small beachside area has a quieter atmosphere which suited us just fine. Even though smaller, it does still have amenities like umbrella rental and plastic lounge chairs. There was plenty of space and a modern look out area on the southern end of the beach that was cool to check out as well.
Naksan Beach: Gangneung can be extremely popular in the summer so sometimes it’s just better to look elsewhere. You don’t have to look too far though. Naksan to the north was one of our favorite getaways. Not only is the beach beautiful with plenty of restaurants and cafes to sup in, but there is a cliff with a stunning temple on the top as well.
Jeongdongjin Beach: This beach is famous as it features the Sun Cruise Resort a ship shaped resort on the side of a hillside that overlooks the beach. The drama “Hourglass” filmed here also helped. The beach is absolutely gorgeous so it’s no wonder people flock to the area. Maybe you’ll get lucky like us and not meet a soul around when you go though.
Surfyy Beach: If you’re looking to get your surf on in Korea, head to Surfyy Beach which is ONLY for surfers. It’s near Hajodae Beach and is an awesome experience. Whether you have experience or not, there are teachers and surf. Get out there.
Chuam Beach: This seaside area in Donghae just south of the more popular Gangneung beaches, is no less beautiful features stretches and stretches of beautiful coast. Chuam Beach is easy to get to on the KTX and also features a nearby suspension bridge and sculpture park too.
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