10 Best Free Things to Do in Sokcho

An area icon, Sokcho Beach is famous for clean sand and clear water. Well-equipped facilities and wooden decks on the white-sand beach offer a great setting for an ocean-side stroll. Jodo Island in front of Sokcho Beach creates a stunning view, and the many restaurants serve sumptuous fresh fish to tourists. The nearby jagged peaks of Seoraksan Mountain and the rhythmic surf of Sokcho Beach create a special memory. Nearby attractions also include Abai Village.

Daepo Port, with its impressive orange sunset-coloured lighthouse, is crowded with fishing boats returning home at dawn. Thanks to this, sushi bars and restaurants where you can eat delicious fresh fish and seafood have developed around this area. A coastal promenade was built around the lighthouse of Daepo Port, and as it is not far from downtown Sokcho, many people come to visit it. After tasting fresh sashimi while admiring the scenery of Daepo Port, you can spend a wonderful evening walking along the coastal promenade.

Yeongnangho Lake, a lake as wide as the sea, calms your mind with it’s glassy, still surface. Especially on a clear day, you can see the picturesque scenery as the surroundings are reflected on the water's mirror-like surface, free of waves. As the sky turns red and the sun goes down, dots of light appear to be scattered around the lake and along the road, making it a beautiful place to take a walk. Although it is not flashy, the warm scenery will give you a night-time view that will be remembered for a long time.

Biryong Waterfall in Towanggol tumbles down 16 meters to add soothing sound to the beautiful mountain panorama. There's a legend that a maiden was offered to a dragon living in the waterfall and sent to the sky to avoid a severe drought. The path to Biryong Waterfall is a relatively easy trail that starts from Seorak-dong Small Park and goes through Yukdam Falls. Hikers will find many valleys and small waterfalls along the way.

Going a bit further from Biryong Waterfall is Towangseong Falls Observation Deck, which offers a spectacular view of Towangseong Falls. The round trip to Biryong Waterfall takes about 3 hours.

Yeonggeumjeong is a pavilion located in Dongmyeong-dong. The name originally refers to the rocky area on the seashore, but it's now also used to indicate the pavilion built on the rock. In the area where the pavilion stands, there used to be a high rocky mountain. Locals thought the sound of the wind hitting the pavilion-shaped mountain was like that of the string of a sacred musical instrument, so they named the site Yeonggeumjeong. Stand at the pavilion on the rocks and be mesmerized by the sights, sounds, and smells, as well as the fresh ocean breeze.