While the trees at the Wondae-ri Birch Forest are beautiful all year around, they are especially stunning during winter, making it one of the top winter activities in Korea for locals and tourists. While it may seem natural, it actually took the government 20 years and , trees to create this amazing space. After a fire, the government replanted the trees in an act of conservation and now attracts over , visitors a year. There are 7 trails leading to the birch tree forest and ranging in difficulty and timing.
All trails are fairly easy and are between kms which means it will take around 40mins to 2 hrs of total walking time. You will need to register at the counter, where you can go to the toilet and pick up a free map of the area. We highly recommend a taxi both ways, but definitely going back so you can make the bus back to Seoul in time and without worry.
Buses are also limited and you could be waiting in the cold for a very long time if you choose the bus. Park opening times are 3 May Oct with last entry at And then 16 Dec Mar with last entry at If you decide to visit Wondae-ri Birch Forest, why not try your hand at ice fishing, another Korean winter activity in Inje County.
The coldwater fish swim up to the ice in winter where you can try catching them just underneath the hard surface. The most popular place to go ice fishing is probably Hwacheon-gun, also in Gangwon-do. The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is a super fun and bustling festival where you can brave the elements, put on a t-shirt and jump into the icy waters for barehanded fishing. Pyeongchang is known as the city of nature and sports. Some call it the Korean Alps. Alpensia Ski Resort is one of the top in the country as it was a large focus of the Winter Olympics.
The solo wooden shack with the massive snow-covered hill has become a photo favorite, just look at the images on their website to see.
You can also feed some of the sheep. For culture you can visit the Jeonggangwon Traditional Korean Food Culture Experience Center where you can learn how to make traditional Korean foods in Hanok, from pastes like gochujang chili paste and doenjang soy bean paste to authentic dishes like songpyeon half-moon rice cake and injeolmi Korean traditional rice cake. The Pyeongchang Trout Festival is yet another activity during winter in Korea that you may want to try. After catching your trout, you can take it to one of the nearby eateries where they will prepare a dish for you.
There is more to fishing at the festivities from folk games like spinning tops to snow rafting. You might even choose to stay the night in Gangneung for some winter beach scenery. Gapyeong in northern Gyeonggi Province borders Gangwon Province and is therefore surrounded by extremely beautiful nature. The most popular spot to visit is the gorgeous Garden of Morning Calm , which was founded by professor Sang-kyung Han and opened in The curves and asymmetric lines of the garden make it very interesting to look at and walk around.
As Korea has four very distinct seasons, the garden exemplifies each of them through nature. There are 5, kinds of plants to explore and the Sukgeun Garden, which is shaped like the Korean peninsula, is heavenly. This is why Garden of the Morning Calm attracts upwards of , visitors per year. The Lighting Festival during the Korean winter season is a reason to visit alone. The complete trip one way from Seoul is around 2.
If you have a car on the other hand, the trip will only be roughly 30mins to either depending on traffic, so it would make a great combination to see all three sites at once. Namyangju is well known for its organic strawberry farms where there are many and just about all of them allow guests to spend the day picking strawberries for a minor fee.
The reason why this is such a great thing to do in winter in Korea is the fact that all the strawberries grow in greenhouses, so you are basically indoors away from the wind. The experience starts from around , won for kids and adults, but prices will vary depending which farm you visit up to about , won. You usually walk away with a g plastic container of strawberries, but you also get to eat as much of the delicious fruit directly after picking it.
There are also paid options to make jam to take home. Pro tip : Due to the organic nature of the strawberries, there are bees buzzing around in order to spread the pollen. Get your hotel concierge to help with a booking as you will need to speak Korean.
Reservations are mandatory and strawberry picking season only starts in January. Namyangju is easily reached by bus with about a 1.
The main draw of the location is its extreme natural beauty with tree lined walkways and gorgeous forests. You can actually go at any time of the year but winter really brings out its magic with the rows of snow-covered birch trees in pretty little lanes.
Other than getting photo-happy in Nami Island, you can make a day of it in and around Chuncheon, the capital of Gangwon Province. This may all sound very daunting for someone planning a trip, which sites do you choose, how do you get there, should you hire a car or take a bus.
If this is your situation we highly recommend taking a tour which will cut out planning stress. The tour has pickup from Myeongdong or Hongdae and lasts the entire. Book this very highly rated tour here! Start your winter journey in Busan, the second-most populous city in the nation.
While Busan is mostly known for its popular beaches like Haeundae and Gwangalli, as a tourist and expat hotspot, it also thrives during the winter. Many of the most popular tourist attractions are indoors and therefore perfect for the cold. You have the Busan Sea Life Aquarium , the giant Spa Land right inside Shinsegae Department Store, Jagalchi Fish Market which is great to explore at any time of the year and you can even stroll along the desolate beaches on warmer days or to Haedong Yonggungsa a Buddhist temple on the coast.
Within the vast Bulguksa Temple lies Seokguram grotto , a stone temple made of granite with the impressive Bonjon Bodhisattva Statue. You can explore an ancient traditional yangban traditional ruling class of Korea village from the Joseon dynasty at Yangdong Folk Village, the giant mounds of earth at the Daereungwon Tomb Complex also called Tumuli Park , night stroll at Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, or see the snow covered Bomun Pavilion. Another option is to forest bathe among the pine trees most impressively captured by photographer Bae Bien-U.
Gyeongju is extremely different from Busan and more for nature lovers, poets and dreamers. See more about transportation and walking courses of the city on its website. You can access the southern coast easily from Seoul via the KTX or ITX we always use Railninja , just note that you may not get the exact time you want if trains are too busy. Confused on where to start and how to plan? It can go up to 9 hours and is customized to your wants and needs where you get to create an itinerary of your choice or just follow a suggested one.
Book your awesome full day tour here. The mountainous country has some really stunning alpine resorts where you can ride the powder as soon as the temperature starts dropping.
If there is a lack of snowfall in a particular year, there are snow machines, so you will always have powder on the slopes although it may be a very thin layer. Most resorts have top-tier hotels, eating halls and other activities to partake in from waterparks and festive light displays to sledding and sheep farms! You can also look for hotel and ski packages by visiting their websites included below on our list.
There are also a few more if you continue walking toward Yeoksam Station. Be cautious of skiing and snowboarding in Korea as spatial distancing is very different in the country. Yong-pyung is really great for skiing and snowboarding!
Seoul gets its first snow of the year in late November but it melts away almost immediately. You'll get real snow from December through early March but Seoul does not get that much snow considering its freezing weather.
Seoul is very dry-cold in the winter! If you visit Seoul in January and stay for two weeks, you'll definitely see a snowfall at least once but not likely in November. So if you really want to see the actual snowfall, visit Korea in January and instead of staying in Seoul, visit Ulleungdo an island located east of Korean peninsula! It snows almost everyday in Ullengdo in January and is a nice tourist spot.
Winter in Korea is usually between December and February, with the average temperature in January, the coldest month, ranging between minus six degrees and three degrees Celsius. The days with the lowest temperatures in the winter are usually between the middle and end of January.
This year the main day is on January 25th. If you really want to get in the Seollal spirit, look into eating some tteokguk and playing some yutnori!
I love tteokguk; am not so great at playing yutnori haha. The 1 thing to do in Korea, of course, is go skiing! As I always tell people, this country is mostly mountainous, which means there are a lot of incredible ski resorts around the country. Alpensia was one of the main locations for the Pyeongchang Olympics in Taebaksan. Bears Town is less than an hour away from Seoul in Pocheon. It has 11 slopes from beginner to advanced.
Elysian is about 90 minutes from Seoul and has 10 slopes, 8 of which are for beginners and intermediate skiers. Jisan is about 2 hours away from Seoul in Icheon and has 7 main slopes for beginner and intermediate skiers. Vivaldi is only an hour away from Seoul in Hongcheon with 12 slopes. Around hours from Seoul in Hoenggye , it has 28 slopes.
One of the best parts of winter in Korea is eating all the warm stews and soups. You basically shake them and they heat up. Ondol heating means floor heating. If this is your first time traveling here, I recommend checking out my giant list of Korea travel tips and my logistical trip planner guide. For more travel inspiration, check out my list of beautiful places in Korea as well as my other seasonal guides for spring , summer , and autumn!
If you need help figuring out your itinerary, I have quite a post on f our ways to spend two weeks in Korea , as well as a huge one month itinerary , and a more efficient one week guide. And there you have it! Simply click the links, and I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! OMG, you have quite a blog here on Korea!!!
I am still exploring your blog, trying to find if there are any tips for a visit during Feb-March.
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