Gangneung by KTX: A Day Trip from Gangneung Station

Gangneung is the east-coast city that most Seoul residents mean when they say “let’s go to the sea.” Since the KTX arrived in late 2017 for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, it has also become the easiest beach day trip from the capital: a single train from Seoul Station, no transfer, and you step out in a city where coffee roasters line the beaches and tofu is made with seawater.

The useful thing about the station is where it sits. It is at the head of Wolhwa-geori, a long walking street laid over the old railway line, so you can walk straight from the platform into the old centre and the Jungang Market. The beaches, the lake and Ojukheon are further out, a short ride east and north. Plan the day around that split: the centre on foot, the coast by bus or taxi.

How long is the KTX from Seoul to Gangneung?

Roughly two hours from Seoul Station and about an hour and a half from Cheongnyangni, depending on stops. When the line opened, the government published a plan of about 114 minutes from Seoul Station and about 86 minutes from Cheongnyangni. Stopping patterns have changed since, so take the time for your specific train from the app.

🚄 Seoul to Gangneung by KTX (timetables change; check KORAIL+)

From	Line	Arrive at	Time	Notes
Seoul Station	Gangneung Line (KTX)	Gangneung Station	About 114 min in the 2017 opening plan; check KORAIL+	The easy start if you stay in central Seoul
Cheongnyangni Station	Gangneung Line (KTX, KTX-Eum)	Gangneung Station	About 86 min in the 2017 opening plan; check KORAIL+	Korail added four KTX-Eum runs a day from 30 December 2025

The Gangneung Line was never part of the SRT network, so the merger changes little here except the app. Weekend trains to the coast can sell out, which is why the two-month booking window matters more for Gangneung than for most stations. Gangneung is also a junction now: since 30 December 2025 Korail has run KTX-Eum trains down the coast from Gangneung to Busan, three each way a day, so you can carry on south instead of returning to Seoul.

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How do you get from Gangneung Station into town and to the beach?

Walk to the centre, ride to the coast. Gangneung has no subway. City buses stop in front of the station, but we could not confirm current route numbers from an official source, so check the stop board or Naver Map on the day. For two or three people, a taxi to the coast is often the simplest option.

🚶 From Gangneung Station to the main sights

To	How	Notes
Wolhwa-geori and Jungang Market	Walk	The walking street starts by the station and runs through the centre
Anmok coffee beach	City bus or taxi	On the coast south of Gyeongpo; check the bus on Naver Map
Chodang tofu village	City bus or taxi	Between the city and Gyeongpo Lake
Gyeongpodae and Gyeongpo Beach	City bus or taxi	The beach is about 6 km from downtown
Ojukheon	City bus or taxi	North of the centre, on the way to Gyeongpo

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What should you see near Gangneung Station?

Wolhwa-geori and the Jungang Market — The old track bed of the railway into the centre is now a park and walking street. Gangneung City describes it as running from Gangneung Station through downtown to the Namdaecheon stream, with the Jungang Market and its side alleys of jang-kalguksu (noodles in a soybean-paste broth) along the way. In October 2026 the city turned the stretch between the old KEPCO building and Wolhwa Bridge into a noodle street for its Noodle Festival. If you only have a few hours, this walk alone is a decent Gangneung day.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Anmok coffee beach — The reason Gangneung calls itself a coffee city. VisitKorea counts about 20 cafés on a beach road of less than 500 m, a mix of independent roasters and big chains, most with sea views from the upper floors. Pick any window seat; the view is the same. Serious coffee drinkers also make the trip inland to the Terarosa coffee factory in Gujeong-myeon. The city’s coffee festival runs each October; in 2026 it was the 18th edition, 21–25 October.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Gyeongpodae and Gyeongpo Beach — Gyeongpodae is a Joseon-style pavilion above Gyeongpo Lake. VisitKorea dates the first building to 1326 at another site and the move to its present spot to 1508; it is free and open at all hours. The beach, 1 km away, runs for 1.8 km and is the city’s busiest in summer. Walk the lakeside path between the two and you pass the Chodang tofu village on the way back.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Ojukheon — The house, named for the black bamboo around it, where the painter and poet Shin Saimdang gave birth to her son Yi I, the Confucian scholar better known as Yulgok. Both appear on Korean banknotes. The grounds also hold the Gangneung City Museum. In summer 2026 the city added Friday and Saturday evening performances and opened the grounds free after 17:00 on those days; check whether the programme runs again before you plan around it.

📍 Open in Naver Map

🎫 Visitor basics (VisitKorea listings, Gangneung City)

Place	Cost	Hours	Closed
Ojukheon and City Museum	Adults 3,000 won	Tickets 09:00–17:00, grounds 09:00–18:00	Open daily; indoor halls closed 1 Jan, Seollal, Chuseok
Gyeongpodae	Free	Open 24 hours	—
Gyeongpo Beach	—	Open 24 hours	—
Anmok coffee beach	—	Café hours vary	—
Wolhwa-geori	—	Open street	—

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Where do locals eat in Gangneung?

Tofu in Chodang, snacks in the market. 초당 Chodang is the neighbourhood by Gyeongpo Lake known for tofu set with East Sea seawater. VisitKorea describes the result as very soft and nutty; the tofu village is a cluster of restaurants whose opening hours vary by shop. Two orders cover it: plain sundubu with side dishes, or the newer red 짬뽕순두부 jjamppong sundubu, soft tofu in a spicy seafood broth.

Donghwa Garden (Chodangsundubu-gil 77beon-gil 15) — The restaurant that bills its jjamppong sundubu as the original, and the one known for long queues. A July 2026 Daum food article lists the original jjamppong sundubu at 15,000 won and hours of 07:00–19:00 with a 16:00–17:00 break, closed Wednesdays. Go early or after 17:00.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Chodang Halmeoni Sundubu (Chodangsundubu-gil 77) — A third-generation family business that, according to the same article, has made and sold tofu since 1976. Order the sundubu set (14,000 won) for the clean, white version, or the spicy clam sundubu. Hours are 08:00–19:00 on weekdays and to 18:30 at weekends, closed Wednesdays.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Sonamujip Chodang Sundubu (Chodangsundubu-gil 95-5) — A useful fallback when the first two are full or closed, since it shuts on Tuesdays instead. VisitKorea lists the seafood jjamppong sundubu hotpot as its signature, open 07:40–19:30 Wednesday to Sunday with a 15:30–17:00 break, and 07:40–16:00 on Mondays; it also closes on Seollal and Chuseok.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Gangneung Jungang Market — Where to fill up before the train. A food writer who visited in August 2026 picked out the crisp, egg-free squid sundae from a stall on the Wolhwa-geori side and strawberry mochi made with Gangneung strawberries. The surrounding alleys are where the city points visitors for jang-kalguksu. Stalls change, so graze rather than hunt for one shop.

📍 Open in Naver Map

🍽️ Gangneung local eats at a glance (Daum 2026, VisitKorea, Gangneung City)

Place	Area	Order	Closed
Donghwa Garden	Chodang	Jjamppong sundubu	Wednesdays
Chodang Halmeoni Sundubu	Chodang	Sundubu set	Wednesdays
Sonamujip Chodang Sundubu	Chodang	Seafood jjamppong sundubu hotpot	Tuesdays; Seollal, Chuseok
Jungang Market stalls	City centre, by Wolhwa-geori	Squid sundae, strawberry mochi, jang-kalguksu nearby	Varies by stall

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What does a day in Gangneung look like?

• 09:00 — Arrive at Gangneung Station. Taxi or bus straight to Chodang for a tofu breakfast before the queues.
• 10:30 — Gyeongpo. The lakeside path to Gyeongpodae and down to the beach.
• 12:30 — Ojukheon. The house and the city museum, on the way back towards the centre.
• 14:30 — Anmok coffee beach. Coffee with a sea view; walk the sand between cafés.
• 17:00 — Wolhwa-geori and the Jungang Market. Snacks and noodles, then walk back to the station for the train.