Things to do in Chuncheon
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Chuncheon
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring bloom on Nami Island and at Jade Garden, with mild weather; cherry blossom peaks in April.
Chuncheon International Mime Festival runs late May into early June across city venues.
Hot and humid with a July rainy spell; canoeing season and extended Nami Island ferry hours.
Autumn colour peaks from mid October on Nami Island; the Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival is held in October.
Properly cold with January averages near minus 9 C overnight; skiing at Elysian Gangchon and reduced hours elsewhere.
What's on
- Chuncheon International Mime Festival late May into early June
One of the world's major mime festivals, with street and venue performances across Chuncheon.
- Chuncheon Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival mid October
The city's food festival for its two signature dishes, with set price bowls and pans and street performances.
Best things to do in Chuncheon
Nami Island
Tree lanes made famous by Winter Sonata, reached by ferry from Gapyeong Wharf, and best on a weekday or first ferry.
Soyanggang Skywalk
A 156 metre glass walkway over the Soyang River whose 2,000 won fee returns as a voucher for nearby shops.
LEGOLAND Korea
A full LEGO theme park on a river island aimed at children aged about 2 to 12, and Chuncheon's family pick.
Chuncheon National Museum
The free Gangwon regional museum, from prehistoric finds to Buddhist art, and the city's best rainy day stop.
Animation Museum
Korea's animation museum by the lake, with hands-on exhibits on how cartoons are made and a robot studio next door.
Kim Yujeong Literature Village
A small free village honouring 1930s writer Kim Yujeong, by the station that also serves the Gangchon Rail Park.
Chuncheon Makguksu Museum
A museum devoted to buckwheat noodles where you can make and eat your own bowl in the experience room upstairs.
Chuncheon Myeongdong Dakgalbi Street
The home alley of dakgalbi with more than twenty grills, and the natural evening wander in the city centre.
Where to stay in Chuncheon
Namchuncheon and city centre
trains, food and walking
Walk to Dakgalbi Street, the skywalk and both stations, with the city's mid-range and budget stays.
Jungdo
LEGOLAND families
The island in the river holding LEGOLAND Korea and its hotel, a short hop from the centre.
Nami Island
after-hours calm
One hotel on the island itself, worth it only if dawn and evening quiet are the point of the trip.
Best restaurants in Chuncheon
Tongnamujib Dakgalbi
Chuncheon's most reviewed dakgalbi house, where locals drive for the classic iron pan and fried rice finish.
Myeongdong 1 Beonji Dakgalbi
The best known address on Dakgalbi Street, doing both dakgalbi and makguksu under one roof.
Sigol Makguksu
A country style noodle house serving makguksu the traditional way, with sliced pork and tofu dishes alongside.
Yupori Makguksu
A well regarded Sinbuk-eup noodle house for buckwheat noodles in cold broth, seasoned at the table to taste.
Best coffee in Chuncheon
Gubongsan Observatory Cafe Street
A hillside of cafes built around the panorama over Chuncheon, where the cafes themselves are the observatory.
Outdoor things to do in Chuncheon
Gangchon Rail Park
Pedal a rail bike from Gimyujeong Station through themed tunnels along the Bukhan River on a disused line.
Samaksan Lake Cable Car
Billed as Korea's longest cable car at 3.61 km, crossing Uiam Lake to a summit deck above Chuncheon.
Jade Garden
A European style arboretum of themed gardens about 17 km from the centre, best in spring bloom and autumn colour.
Cheongpyeongsa Temple
A quiet mountain temple reached by a boat across Soyang Lake and a valley walk past a waterfall and rock carvings.
Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort
A small beginner friendly ski hill by Gangchon Station, and the reason to base in Chuncheon in midwinter.
Chuncheon Mulle-gil
Guided Canadian canoe trips on calm water around Jungdo, run seasonally from spring to autumn.
Best hotels in Chuncheon
LEGOLAND Hotel Korea
Themed family rooms inside the LEGOLAND resort, the priciest bed in Chuncheon and a family splurge, not true luxury.
Hotel Jeonggwanru
The only hotel on Nami Island, buying you the island empty at dawn and after the last day ferries leave.
Sejong Hotel Chuncheon
A long established full service hotel near the centre and river, the default mid-range address in the city.
Hotel Jackson9s
A newer design-led hotel near Namchuncheon Station, practical for ITX arrivals who want to walk to dinner.
KT&G Sangsangmadang Chuncheon Stay
A guesthouse style stay at the Sangsangmadang arts centre by the lake, the best value base for solo travellers.
Is Chuncheon expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₩60,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₩120,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₩250,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- LEGOLAND Korea: a few days ahead
- Gangchon Rail Park: a few days ahead
- Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort: a few days ahead
- Chuncheon Mulle-gil: a few days ahead
- LEGOLAND Hotel Korea: weeks ahead
- Hotel Jeonggwanru: a few days ahead
- Book Gangchon Rail Park slots, LEGOLAND tickets and the LEGOLAND Hotel ahead on Korean holiday weekends.
- Nami Island needs no booking, just an early start on the first ferries.
Is Chuncheon safe?
- Monitor peninsula developments and avoid large demonstrations.
- Crime against foreigners is rare, police 112, fire and ambulance 119, tourist hotline 1330.
- In winter, pavements ice over and lake boats thin out; dress for overnight lows around minus 9 C in January.
Chuncheon travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Doing Nami Island at midday on a Saturday in foliage season, when ferry queues and lanes are at their worst.
- Eating dakgalbi only once, when the iron pan alley version and the Sinbuk-eup houses differ.
- Treating Chuncheon as a Seoul suburb and rushing back after dinner instead of staying the night.
Getting around Chuncheon: public transport and more
- ITX-Cheongchun from Yongsan or Cheongnyangni to Chuncheon takes about 75 to 90 minutes; for Nami Island get off at Gapyeong.
- The centre, Dakgalbi Street and the skywalk are walkable from Chuncheon and Namchuncheon stations.
- Jade Garden, Cheongpyeongsa, Tongnamujib and Gubongsan need a bus, taxi or tour.
- Use Naver Map or KakaoMap in Korea; Google Maps directions are unreliable here.
Who Chuncheon suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Chuncheon your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store