'Autumn in my Heart', in Spring! ~ Sokcho City

Sokcho city is where Autumn in my Heart (秋天的童话) was filmed! My very first Korean drama! And it's a popular spot for tourists and locals because of the beautiful Seorak National Park.

The peak season is during autumn where the leaves turn a pretty brown / red / orange, and thus it was easy for us to get accommodation at a popular hostel downtown.

Sokcho city (속초/束草)

How to get there:

Via Express Bus Terminal in Seoul (Express Bus Terminal station lines 3,7 and 9) - you will alight at the Express Bus Terminal in Sokcho (A). The ticket costs 18,100krw. 

Via Dong Seoul Bus Terminal in Seoul (Gangbyeon station line 2) - you will alight at the Intercity Bus Terminal in Sokcho (B). The ticket costs 18,900krw - 20,700krw. 

We took the bus from Express Bus Terminal as the buses are more frequent, and it was also nearer to where we stayed. The journey took about 3 hours. 

Go here for more information.

We stayed at the House hostel, near the intercity bus terminal. From the express bus terminal, we took a taxi to the hostel, which costs about 3,300krw since the taxi driver went by the connecting bridges, if not, it will cost about 5,000krw. Reservation is via phone call, but the staff are able to speak English! 

The House Hostel (더하우스호스텔)
(for directions to their hostel - here) 강원 속초시 동명동 452번지 5호452-5 Dongmyeong-dong Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea +82 33-633-3477

We paid 50,000krw for the family room, breakfast included, which is a really good deal since 3 of us shared the cost!

Breakfast - toast, cereal, milk, coffee & tea

The hostel staff gave us a good introduction of the places we can visit and how to get there.

Here's the map and the list of recommended places of interest.

- Mt Seorak National Park

- Abai Village

- Naksansa

- Sokcho Jungang Market 

- Yeongnangho Lake

- Yeonggeumjeong Sunrise Pavilion

We didn't go to the last 2 since we were only there for 1.5 days. 

Before we set off for Mt Seorak on the first day, we had lunch just across the street from the hostel.

The restaurant from across the street

 The 3 of us shared a small (소) gamjatang (potato soup 감자탕).

After we filled our stomachs, we set off for Mt Seorak National Park! From the hostel bus stop (Su Bok Top), you can take buses 7 or 7-1 (1,100krw cash - if you don't have exact change, there is a small box of coins on the bus where you can get your own change back) to the last stop at the National Park. The journey took about 30 minutes.

Mt Seorak National Park (설악산국립공원 - 외설악)
Seoraksan-ro, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do 강원 속초시 설악산로
Admission is 3,500krw.
From Sokcho Intercity / Express Bus Terminal, take Bus 7 or 7-1. Get off at Seorak-dong (설악동, the last stop).

There are several hiking courses at the National Park. Ulsanbawi Rock course (울산바위) was recommended by my friends, and it was also one of the shorter courses.

The climb is rather steep, so expect stairs, stairs and more stairs! We were lucky to reach the peak before the rain came, though it was rather slippery on the way down. We took a total of 4.5 hours for the whole trail (to and fro). In my opinion, the view at the top is totally worth it!

On the way back from Ulsanbawi

속초맛집 - 생선구이88 (Grilled Fish)

+82 33-633-8892 강원도 속초시 중앙동 468-55

For dinner, we had grilled fish at a restaurant recommended by the hostel staff. Dinner was 12,000krw, and we were given a variety of random seafood, mostly fishes. The fishes were really fresh and delicious. The restaurant is near where you will take the ferry to Abai village, and is just opposite the Jungang Market.

The next morning, we decided to explore Yangyang-gun, in the south of Sokcho city. We went to Naksansa Temple in Yangyang-gun. 

Naksansa Temple (낙산사)
Jeonjin 1-ri, Ganghyeon-myeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do
강원 양양군 강현면 낙산사로 100

Admission is 3,000krw

From Su Bok Top Bus Stop, take buses 9 or 9-1 (1,500krw/ approx. 30min).

If you are there around lunch time (between 1130am and 130pm), you can eat free noodles at the free noodles cafeteria. Technically it's not free since you need to pay the entrance fee of 3,000krw. 

Remember to wash the bowl and chopsticks after you're done!

Abai Village
Gangwon-do Sokcho-si Cheongho-dong
강원 속초시 청호동 아바이마을 1076
Directions
- From Sokcho Express Terminal, take city bus No. 1, 7, or 9 (10 min ride). Taxi takes 5 min.
- From Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal, take city bus No. 7-1 or 9-1 and get off at City Hall (10 min ride). Walk 5 min and take a boat on the way to Cheongho-dong.
Gaetbae (pulled by ropes on the boat) Boat Fare - 200krw/one way

Abai village was made popular due to the filming of Autumn in my Heart (가을동화; 秋日童話) in the tiny village. When you take the boat from Sokcho, board the boat and pay only when you reach Abai village (Cheongho-dong). The boat ride is about 2min, and you can do your part to pull the boat along!

Supermarket of Eun Seo's mother in the drama Autumn in my Heart

One of the local specialties is the Ojingeo Sundae (오징어 순대), which is squid stuffed with rice / grains / meat / veggies. 

We ordered a small portion for 10,000krw, and I feel that the price is a bit expensive compared to the ones we saw at Jungang Market. But of course, it's a higher price to pay for eating in the restaurant.

Abai village is very small, with not much to explore. We stayed there for about 45 minutes and headed back.

Sokcho Gungang Market (속초농협 중앙시장)

Address: Gangwon-du, Sokcho-si, Jungang-dong 471-4 강원도 속초시 중앙동 471-4

Sokcho Jungang Market sells a variety of fresh and dried seafood. One of the popular food here is the sweet and spicy chicken (만석닭강정 - Manseok Chicken). You do find similar fried sweet and spicy chicken in Seoul, but the sauce was spicier and thicker for this brand. Worth a try, but make sure you have at least 2 or 3 persons to finish up one box! Each box costs 16,000krw, and comes in only 1 size!

Total cost for the trip:

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