Top 10 Things to Do in Sokcho, Korea

Our top 10 things to do in Sokcho are Sokcho Beach, the Sokcho Eye ferris wheel, the Joyang-dong beachside promenade, Oeongchi Badahyanggiro, Cheongchoho Lake Park, Abai Village, Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market, Yeonggeumjeong Pavilion, Sokcho Lighthouse Observatory and Seoraksan National Park. All of them are between a 2-minute walk and a 20–25 minute drive from our restaurant in front of Sokcho Beach, so you can see the sea, the mountains, a market and a lake in one day.

Because we run a restaurant right in front of Sokcho Beach, the question we hear most is “What should we go see?” We hear it several times a day.

So we wrote it down. Everything is sorted by distance from our restaurant, and our suggested way to group them on the day is at the end.

1. Sokcho Beach (2-minute walk)

This is Sokcho’s main beach, right in front of our restaurant. Wide sand and water that deepens gradually, with no sudden drop-off, make it a favourite with families with children.

Summer swimming is the obvious draw, but it’s good year-round. Autumn sea has a deeper, quieter colour; winter brings big, bracing waves. It’s also a sunrise spot, so plenty of people come out before dawn.

Local tip: in peak summer it gets busy during the day. Come before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. and you’ll have far more space.

2. Sokcho Eye (ferris wheel, 3-minute walk)

The ferris wheel that has become a landmark of Sokcho Beach. From the top you get the East Sea and Seoraksan in one view.

Ride it near sunset. Looking down at the sea as the light goes is genuinely lovely. At night it’s lit up, so it’s worth seeing from the ground too.

Any customer who eats with us can go up to our top-floor Sky Stairs viewpoint, where the ferris wheel and the sea fit into one frame, so grab a photo after your meal.

3. Joyang-dong beachside promenade (5-minute walk)

A quiet walking path continuing on from the beach. Most visitors don’t know about it, so it stays peaceful. Ideal for a walk after a meal; 15–20 minutes covers it.

4. Oeongchi Badahyanggiro (5 minutes by car)

Oeongchi Badahyanggiro is a coastal deck path that feels like walking over the sea. You can walk straight onto it from the southern end of Sokcho Beach, or it’s 5 minutes by car. It was closed off as a military zone for a long time, so the nature is well preserved.

About an hour round trip and an easy walk; the sections where waves break right beneath your feet are spectacular. You walk with the sea breeze full in your face.

Local tip: it’s far more dramatic when there’s a swell. Watch your camera, as you will get spray, and don’t push it when the wind and waves are really strong.

5. Cheongchoho Lake Park (7 minutes by car)

A lakeside park with a walking path around Cheongchoho Lake, and a complete change from the coast: still, calm water. In the evening, the lit-up Expo Tower makes for a lovely night view.

The paths are easy walking, and plenty of people cycle here. A nice change of pace once you’ve had your fill of the sea.

6. Abai Village (about 10 minutes by car)

A village built by families displaced from the North during the Korean War.

The gaetbae is the highlight: a ferry pulled across by hand. You can pull the rope yourself, which children love. It became much better known after appearing in a Korean drama.

It’s also the birthplace of ojingeo sundae (stuffed squid), so there’s plenty to eat.

7. Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market (about 10 minutes by car)

Nationally famous thanks to dakgangjeong (sweet crispy chicken). Weekend queues are long, but the stalls keep frying all day, so you get it fresh from the fryer.

The dried and salted seafood shops are all in one place, so it’s easy to pick up gifts to take home; see our Sokcho food guide for what to buy.

Local tip: dakgangjeong tastes good even cold, so it makes a good take-home gift. In summer, pack it in a cool bag so it doesn’t spoil.

8. Yeonggeumjeong Pavilion (Dongmyeong Port, north of the centre)

Yeonggeumjeong is named for the sound of waves breaking on its rocks, said to resemble a geomungo zither. The sea view from the pavilion is bracing, and it’s a well-known sunrise spot.

It’s a little further north than Abai Village and Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market. Pair it with Sokcho Lighthouse Observatory right next door.

9. Sokcho Lighthouse Observatory (a few minutes’ walk from Yeonggeumjeong)

A short climb, but from the top you get the whole city and the East Sea. On clear days you can see the Seoraksan ridgeline too.

10. Seoraksan National Park (20–25 minutes by car)

The cable car takes you up without a hike to the upper station below Gwongeumseong, where a viewing deck puts the Seoraksan ridgeline right in front of you. Reaching the Gwongeumseong fortress site itself means another 15–20 minutes on foot over rocky ground.

• Not up for a hike → Seoraksan cable car guide
• Visiting in autumn → Seoraksan autumn foliage guide

It’s the furthest place on this list, and in foliage season and at weekends the access road to Sogongwon, the park’s main entrance at Seorak-dong, is often jammed, so it can take much longer. Foliage season draws visitors from across the country; on weekends, arrive by 7–8 a.m. to beat the parking crush.

How should you plan a day of sightseeing in Sokcho?

Walk the seaside spots near us, treat Abai Village through Yeonggeumjeong as a northern group starting about 10 minutes away by car, and give Seoraksan its own half day.

• Beach cluster (walkable): Sokcho Beach · Sokcho Eye · Joyang-dong beachside promenade · Sky Stairs (for our diners)
• North cluster (from about 10 minutes by car): Abai Village · Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market · Yeonggeumjeong · Sokcho Lighthouse Observatory
• West (20–25 minutes by car, busy in peak season): Seoraksan National Park
• On their own: Oeongchi Badahyanggiro (south end of the beach, walkable) · Cheongchoho Lake Park (inland, in town)

For a single day: Seoraksan or Oeongchi Badahyanggiro in the morning, lunch with a bowl of cold mulhoe (chilled raw-fish soup) in front of Sokcho Beach, the beach and the ferris wheel in the afternoon, the market in the evening. That fills a day nicely.

That’s the beauty of Sokcho: the distances are short, so you can see all this without rushing.

Planning an overnight? Our 1-night-2-days itinerary breaks it down hour by hour. Travelling with kids? See Sokcho with children.

We’ll handle the food. Right in front of Sokcho Beach, a 3-minute walk from Sokcho Express Bus Terminal.

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