East Coast ring road Gangneung driving the spine | Travel Course | Staypick

The BTS bus stop is a hot place located at Jumunjin Beach in Gangneung, serving as the photo spot for BTS's album jacket that attracts many domestic and international tourists. It is the seaside bus stop featured in the album jacket photos of BTS, the first K-POP group to top the U.S. Billboard album chart. Originally built temporarily for the shoot and later removed, it has been recreated as a photo zone for tourists. Already receiving explosive reactions among BTS fans domestically and abroad, it has emerged as a unique attraction of Jumunjin Beach. (Source: Gangneung City Hall)

Jumunjin Beach is located in Hyangho-ri, Jumunjin-eup, with a wide white sand beach 700m long and an area of 9,608㎡. It is suitable for family vacations due to its shallow depth and clear seawater. The white sandy beach and waves with white foam on the shore help forget the heat. The dense pine trees provide shade and a cozy atmosphere, encouraging night conversations full of romance and youth. Inside the pine forest, there is a sports park for physical activities while enjoying the vacation. Nearby are family hotels, well-maintained guesthouses, and a campsite with room for 440 tents daily over a 6,600㎡ pine forest. Adjacent is Hyangho Reservoir for freshwater fishing. Several ports, including Jumunjin Port, Uamjin Port, and Orijin Port, are nearby where fresh seafood can be enjoyed at affordable prices. In spring, saury is abundant; in summer, squid; and in autumn and winter, pufferfish and sandfish are commonly caught, available cheaply in season. The area along the sea is also home to many raw fish restaurants and fish centers where fresh sashimi can be tasted on the spot.

Famous as the largest beach on the East Coast, it is located in Gangmundong and Anhyeondong, 6 km north of the city center and 1 km from Gyeongpodae, embracing the expansive waves of the East Sea in the area known as Myeongsaori (明沙五里). The waves surge as if to swallow everything, embraced by a 1.8 km long white sandy beach covering 1.44 km², along with a dense pine forest backdrop that quietly blocks out noisy daily life, creating the unique beauty of the beach. Gyeongpodae Beach has a 1.8 km white sand shore with an average depth of 1 to 2 meters and a gentle slope, attracting many visitors every year. The surrounding pine forest offers both swimming and forest bathing, making it a perfect summer retreat. Every summer, the Gyeongpo Beach permanent stage hosts a summer night arts festival, providing diverse cultural attractions. Hiking while renting a bicycle around Gyeongpo Lake is also a popular activity. Nearby, Seoraksan and Odaesan National Parks allow visitors to explore mountains, seas, and valleys.

Anmok Cafe Street has gained fame as a coffee destination since the early 1980s. In the 1990s, some of the country’s top coffee masters began to gather, opening coffee shops that roast unique beans with their own touches, attracting coffee enthusiasts nationwide. Recently, Gangneung has rapidly risen as a coffee city, with the number of coffee shops approaching that of seafood restaurants, establishing Gangneung as a representative coffee city in Korea. Visitors can taste a variety of coffee and desserts filled with distinct personalities, and an annual coffee festival is also held, adding to the attractions.

강릉을 일컫는 옛말인 하슬라와 아트월드라는 두 단어가 합쳐져 만들어진 이름으로 자연과 사람, 예술이 자유롭게 공존하는 종합예술공간이다. 동해바다가 내려다보이는 곳에 자리해 풍광이 좋으며 야외 조각공원에는 성성활엽길, 소나무정원, 시간의 광장, 바다정원, 하늘전망대, 등 각 테마로 이루어져 있다. 조각 작품에 대해서는 호불호가 갈리지만 세계 유수의 화가들의 예술 작품을 관람할 수 있다.

There are three places where you can swim at Jeongdongjin: the sea in front of Jeongdongjin Station, the sea in front of the Hourglass Park, and the sea with the Jeongdongjin breakwater. The wide and easy-to-use places are the beach in front of Jeongdongjin Station and the sea in front of Hourglass Park. The Hourglass Park lights up day and night and is a tourist attraction with Sculpture (Sunrise) Park and Heonhwa Road to the south. Especially, in front of Jeongdongjin Station, there are many rocks where people can pick clams, mussels, seaweed, and sea urchins, attracting many visitors. It is also the world's closest simple station to the sea, attracting many tourists who greet the majestic sun rising from the blue Donghae sea. Since the operation of the Jeongdongjin Sunrise Tourist Train in 1997, the area has rapidly risen in popularity and remains crowded with tourists all year round.