Chuncheon travel info

Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province, set in a mountain-ringed basin where the Soyang River meets Uiam Lake. From Seoul it is a little over an hour by train, so plenty of people do it as a day trip. Water is the first thing you notice: a long skywalk reaches out over the Soyang River, and bike paths follow the lakeshore.

Meals here come down to two dishes. In the alleys around Myeongdong and Jungang-ro, dakgalbi is stir-fried on a big iron griddle rather than over coals, and when the chicken is gone the leftover sauce goes into fried rice. A bowl of cold buckwheat makguksu in between cuts through the heat. Out in Sinbuk-eup the same chicken comes charcoal-grilled, and the potato bread at Gamjabat Café draws a queue.

You can arrive at Chuncheon Station, served by the Gyeongchun Line and the ITX-Cheongchun, or at the intercity bus terminal. The centre can be done on foot, but the far bank of the Soyang, Sinbuk-eup and the lakeside outskirts call for a mix of buses, taxis and bikes. Roads clog on autumn weekends, so arriving by train and taking it slowly works best.

From Seoul by train (ITX)

From Seoul by bus (BUS)

From Incheon or Gimpo airport (ICN)