Sokcho (Seoraksan) travel guide

Seoraksan peaks, seafood markets and the east coast. Most people stay 2–3 nights. Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.

Highlights

Seoraksan cable car to Gwongeumseong · 2.5 h · about ₹950 per person. Tickets are sold for timed departures; in October they can sell out by mid-morning, so arrive before 9am. Short rocky scramble at the top.
Ulsanbawi rock hike · 5 h · free. About 4 km each way via Sinheungsa, ending in 800-plus steel steps; start by 9am and carry water.
Biseondae & Yukdam falls easy walk · 2.5 h · free. Flat valley trail from the Seorak-dong entrance; good for autumn colour without the cable-car queue.
Abai Village & gaetbae ferry · 1.5 h · about ₹50 per person. Settled by refugees from the North during the Korean War; cross on the hand-pulled raft and eat squid sundae.
Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market · 1.5 h · about ₹900 per person. Queue for dakgangjeong (sweet fried chicken) — buy a box to take away.
Sokcho Beach & Yeonggeumjeong sunrise · 1.5 h · free. Sunrise over the sea from the Yeonggeumjeong pavilion; swimming only in July–August.
Daepo port raw fish & seafood · 1.5 h · about ₹2,500 per person. Choose fish at the tanks and eat at the restaurants upstairs; prices are by weight.
Naksansa seaside temple, Yangyang · 2 h · free. 20 min by bus or taxi south of Sokcho; the Hongnyeonam hermitage sits over the waves.
Cheoksan hot spring soak · 2 h · about ₹600 per person. A good end to a Seoraksan hike; bathing areas are single-sex and nude.

Sokcho Express Bus Terminal area (budget, ₹3,000–₹5,500 a night): Next to the Seoul buses and city buses to Seoraksan; markets within walking distance.
Sokcho Beach / Daepo (mid, ₹6,500–₹12,000 a night): Sea-view rooms and condos for sunrise, with seafood restaurants nearby.
Seorak-dong (park entrance) resorts (premium, ₹10,000–₹22,000 a night): Mountain resorts with hot-spring baths near the cable car; book early for October.

Seoraksan's autumn colour (peak around mid-October) brings very long cable-car queues and traffic at weekends.
Some high trails close for wildfire prevention in spring and late autumn, and in heavy snow.

Autumn colour: Seoul, Seoraksan & Gangneung · 8 nights · 9 days, Seoul → Sokcho (Seoraksan) → Gangneung · from ₹56,975 per person, base estimate before flights. Palace gardens in Seoul, the Seoraksan peaks at their most colourful, and coffee and tofu on the Gangneung coast.