Alright, I know a lot of people like to go to Asia, Southeast Asia specifically, and they do it for the amazing beaches and the overall tropic climate.
But Asia can also be a winter wonderland.
On this post, I’ll tell you where to go to have some winter fun in South Korea.
Forget about Sapporo in Japan or Harbin in China, let’s go to the land of Kimchi.
Right after landing in Incheon Airport you can head directly to Pyongchang, the snow capital of South Korea.
How to make extra money for traveling?
This is the place where the 2018 winter Olympics were held.
And what can you do here? Well first of all I would recommend you to stay in either one of these two places.
Goodstay Elf Spa Resort
During the winter season, you’ll encounter lots and lots of snow, enough for you to ride sleighs and do some skiing.
Every morning when you wake up and look out your window you’ll see views like this one
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This place is perfect for a romantic getaway, traveling as a family or with a big group of friends.
I wouldn’t recommend it for solo travelers as it might get a bit boring.
You can book a cabin using Booking.com or Agoda.
In your room you’ll have a kitchen area with all you need to cook, there is a little convenience store near the reception where you can buy food, or you can go into town and get groceries there.
In case you don’t feel like cooking, there is a small restaurant within the resort.
But don’t expect a big assortment of food please, you can also get breakfast delivered to your door.
The food the restaurant in here serves is something like purple rice, kimchi chicken soup and different vegetables.
How To Get To GoodStay Elf Spa Resort
There are around 5 ways for you to get to this beautiful place, I’ll focus on two only, which I believe are the most convenient ones.
First Option.
- The Subway from Incheon International Airport to Seoul Station takes around 1 hour.
- The KTX from Seoul Station to Pyeongchang Station takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes
- To get the pick up by the Hotel you have to send them an email and arrange it.
- A taxi from Pyeongchang station to Goodstay Elf Spa Resort will be around 18USD
- The shuttle bus from Pyeongchang Station to Phoenix Park Resort is not managed by Goodstay Elf Spa Resort
Second Option
The other way I recommend to get to Good Stay Elf Spa Resort from Incheon International Airport is by taking a bus instead of the KTX.
- From Incheon International Airport station to Ganbyeong station it takes around 1 hour and 40 minutes
- The Bus from Dongseoul bus terminal to Jangpyeong takes around 2 hours
- A taxi from Jangpyeong to Goodstay Elf Spa Resort takes only around 15 minutes and costs around 14 USD
- From Janpyeong you can also take a shuttle bus to Phoenix resort and wait for a pick up there if you wish.
- Goodstay Elf Spa Resort and Phoenix park sky resort are only 2km apart.
To read more about other ways to get there and have more detailed information you can click here
You might need to have adobe flash player working so the link above works.
I must say I had a really pleasant stay there.
As I mentioned before, Elf Spa is really close to Phoenix ski park, so if you are feeling bored then just head over there.
And if you’re definitely the kind that does not like calm and relaxed places, then you might as well book a room at Phoenix Pyeongchang Hotel
Phoenix Hotel and Ski Resort
You can access the ski resort without being a guest of the Phoenix Hotel, but booking a room here guarantees that you’ll be right next to all the winter fun you’re looking for.
You can rent your winter gear here and go have fun, plenty of different shops around and restaurants too.
There is also a food court floor inside the ski resort.
Getting to this hotel is done in pretty much the same way you would do to get to GoodStay Elf Spa resort.
A Winter Adventure in Rovaniemi, Finland.
As I mentioned before you don’t need to be a guest of the hotel to enter the ski resort, and in case you need to get a taxi to go back to wherever you’re staying.
Just go to the lobby of the Phoenix hotel and nicely ask them to get you a cab, that’s what I did.
To go back to Seoul from Pyeongchang just get a taxi to either the train station or bus station and take the same steps but in reverse order ha.
There is another place-near Seoul- that is also perfect for a winter getaway with family or friends, I’m talking about
Nami Island
Nami Island is a tiny island located in Chuncheon Gangwon Province, totally reachable from Seoul, only 63 km away, and perfect for a one day trip.
Why should you go there? simply because is beautiful, it is one of the most picturesque and instagrammable places in Asia, let me show you some pictures of Nami island during the winter.
There is a small entrance fee, which includes a ferry ride, the fee is only 12 USD for adults and around 7 USD for children.
How to get to Nami Island?
It is very simple to reach Nami Island from Seoul , first, get to Yongse Station on the blue line, once you’re there you have to transfer to the ITX line which is a kind of high-speed rail, buy your ticket to Gapyeong Station.
From Seoul Station to Gapyeong Station it takes around 1 hour and 18 minutes.
Right outside Gapyeong station, you’ll find a tourist service office.
They will tell you exactly which bus to take to go to the Nami Island Station – you can also just take a taxi for 5 USD.
Once you’re in Nami Island station you’ll have to walk for like 2 minutes to reach Nami Wharf.
In Nami Wharf you’ll pay the entrance fee for Nami island, which includes the ferry ride, and once you’re in the ferry it’ll take you around 10 minutes to set foot on Nami Island.
How to make money while traveling?
So there you have it, three nice and fun places to visit in South Korea for a fun winter trip with family, friends or simply your significant other.
Since you’re in South Korea you should take some time to visit the beautiful city of Seoul, especially if it’s your first time here.
I’ll show you a list, with photos, of some of the places you can visit in Seoul and things to do.
Things to See and Do in Seoul
Visit the National Palace, Gyeongbokgung
This was the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty, it was built in 1395, this palace has seen kings and Queens come and go.
It’s been through peace and war, and unfortunately, most of it was destroyed by the Japanese Empire during the time of the Japanese occupation of Korea.
Since 1989 the Korean government has been working to restore the palace back to its original design.
It’s considered the most beautiful palace out of the five built during the Joseon dynasty.
There’s a very particular activity that takes place every day at 10 am and 2 pm (Except on Tuesdays), the changing of the guards.
If you’re lucky enough you’ll see this beautiful palace covered in snow.
When I was there, there was no fresh snow but it definitely was super cold so if you go during winter make sure you wear the appropriate clothes.
Visit N Seoul Tower
This is the second-highest point in Seoul, the tower is located on Namasan mountain right in the middle of Seoul, this is a very popular spot in the city so you’ll be able to find it easily.
This is the exact address: 105 Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan 2(i)ga-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
People love to go here for the night views of the city, to make it to the spot you see in the picture above you’ll have to make it to the top of the mountain.
You can either climb a series of steps to the top or pay for a cable car.
You’ll obviously need to buy a ticket to ride the cable car, and please have in mind that this place for sure will be crowded during weekends and holidays, especially during night time.
Return Ticket Price for the Cable car to Seoul Tower
- Adult: 9 USD
- Children: 6 USD
Once you reach the top of the mountain you’ll find souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants, observatory platforms, and Namsan Park.
In one of the observatory platforms, you’ll see something interesting, you’ll find the locks of love.
You can take your own and put it there, they will not be cut down, there are hundreds if not thousands of locks here.
If you want to go to the observatory inside the actual tower you’ll have to pay another 9 USD for adults and around 7 USD for children.
Visit the War Memorial of Korea
If you’re interested in knowing more about the interesting and rich history of Korea, then you might want to check the war memorial.
It is beautiful in design and structure and is full of easy to digest information that will give you a better understanding of Korea and what it’s been through.
From the early wars with China and Japan to the events of the second world war and the Japanese occupation, culminating with the division of the peninsula, you’ll find all of these information and more here.
And if you wanna know more about the division of the peninsula, how did it happen? when? and particular events that have marked this period of Korea you might want to consider joining a tour.
Take a tour to the Demilitarized Zone
I think that all of us know that Korea is divided into two parts, the north, and the south, especially since North Korea got nuclear weapons, we’ve heard more about it on the news.
So would you like to know some more about the separation of the Korean peninsula, visit the border where separation begins or starts, visit some tunnels that were going to be used to invade South Korea from the north?
How to make extra money for a vacation?
To visit the DMZ you need to join a tour, once you arrive to your hotel simply ask the receptionist to help you book one, this is usually a half day or one day tour, depends on how much you want to explore.
Visit Bongeunsa Temple
If you Google this temple, most likely a picture like the one above will pop up, beautiful right? But notice that the picture was taken during summertime, during winter it looks a bit different, let me show you.
9 Incredible Buddha Temples in East Asia.
During winter time it might be a little bit gloomy, and the old snow melting away might make the place look a little bit dirty.
But the reason why I would recommend anyone to stop by this temple is because of the Buddha statue itself is totally different from any other Buddha statues I’ve seen in Asia.
9 Incredible Buddha Temples in East Asia
The temple is located in Gangnam gu district, while you’re there you can also
Do the Gangnan Style
There is a Gangnam style monument located on the east gate of the COEX building.
The exact address is Gangnam-gu, Youngdongdaero 513, you can get there by metro by getting off at exit 6 of Samsung station or exit 7 of Bongeunsa station (same you would take to visit Bongeunsa temple)
Go See Lotte Tower
Seoul is home to the 5th tallest building in the world, Lotte Tower has 123 floors and is 555 meters tall.
Where To Stay In Seoul?
I stayed at Hotel Biz, 5 nights, 1 room for 2 adults, I paid USD $315, this is the address
Changkyunggungro 20 (Yegwan-dong 70-2), Jung-gu, Myeong-dong, Seoul, South Korea
Interestingly when you Google that address now it appears as Chinsu Hotel, so I suppose they changed the name, anyway, the hotel is super close to a metro station which makes it very convenient, so you might want to check it out.
Cost of Living in South Korea
Okay, this is a very important part of traveling, how much will I spend in South Korea?
Well, let me tell you
- The average daily price of traveling in South Korea is 97 USD
- Average daily price for food for one is 21 USD
- 101 USD is the average price for a hotel room for 2
In the following tables, you’ll find more average costs, such as the price of water, transportation, and waffles.
So there you have it, a list of fun things to do and see in South Korea during winter, mainly in Seoul and Pyeongchang, winter can be fun in Korea. I will definitely go back one day and explore some more.
Hope you enjoyed this post