Seoul to Seoraksan: Tour, Bus or Car?

Tour, bus or car: the short version

There are three realistic ways to reach Seoraksan from Seoul. A group day trip puts you on a coach in the morning and brings you back the same day, with a guide. The public route is a bus from Seoul to Sokcho, then a local bus to the park. Driving is the third. All three reach the same granite peaks, but they differ in how much you organise yourself and how long you get on the mountain. With a single day, the group trip removes the most hassle. With two days, the public route and a night in Sokcho give you far more time on the trails.

• Group tour: one day, no transfers, fixed schedule
• Public bus: your own pace, more steps to organise
• Overnight in Sokcho: the only way to fit a long hike

What the group trip includes

The tour we link to is a day trip of about 12 hours by air-conditioned coach, with a round-trip transfer from Seoul and an English- or Chinese-speaking guide. Admission and tax are listed as included. Meals, drinks, tips and personal expenses are not, and neither is the Seoraksan cable car. Pickup is available, and the booking calendar shows the start time and pickup details for your date. The itinerary can change with weather, traffic or local conditions, so treat the plan as a plan. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before applies when you book through GetYourGuide.

Choosing between the three routes

You pick one of three routes when you book. Option 1 combines Seoraksan National Park with Naksan Temple on the coast and a nearby beach, which keeps the whole day on the east coast. Option 2 pairs Seoraksan with Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm. Option 3 is the winter route: Seoraksan, Nami Island and Eobi Ice Valley, where the frozen waterfall depends on the weather and the season. If the mountain and the sea are what you came for, Option 1 fits. If a garden and an island appeal more than a temple and a beach, look at Option 2.

• Option 1: Seoraksan, Naksan Temple and a beach
• Option 2: Seoraksan, Nami Island, Garden of Morning Calm
• Option 3: Seoraksan, Nami Island, Eobi Ice Valley (winter)

The cable car is the catch

The cable car climbs from the Sogongwon park entrance to the Gwongeumseong ridge. The operator gives the ride as about five minutes each way, over a line of 1,128 metres that ends 699 metres above sea level. Tickets are sold at the ticket office on the day. There is no advance reservation, and no one-way ticket, because there is no walking trail down. Cars can stop for wind or bad weather, and the company posts the day's running status on its website. The tour does not include the ticket, so you queue like everyone else. Ask your guide how long the group has at the park before you join the line.

Read next: The Seoraksan Cable Car: Why You Can't Book It Ahead

Doing it yourself by bus

The route has two legs. The cable car operator describes the first: a bus from Seoul to Sokcho, about 2 hours 10 minutes on the intercity service and about 2 hours 30 minutes on the express. Korea's tourism organisation describes the second: local bus 7 or 7-1, which starts at the Sokcho intercity bus terminal, also stops at the express bus terminal, and runs to the Seoraksan Sogongwon stop. From the park entrance, the cable car is a five-minute walk. It works well and lets you start when you like. The cost is more steps to organise on a long day.

Driving yourself

A car follows the same general route as the buses, so plan for a drive at least as long as the bus ride, and longer in heavy traffic. The cable car has no car park of its own. Its operator directs drivers to the paid car park at Sinheungsa, whose charges are set by the car park, not by the cable car company. For navigation, the operator suggests searching for Seorak Cable Car or its address, 1085 Seoraksan-ro, Sokcho. Driving gives you the most freedom, and it is also the longest day behind the wheel.

Staying overnight in Sokcho instead

A night in Sokcho is the answer if you want to hike. Visit Korea lists the Ulsanbawi trail at 3.8 kilometres each way, about two hours each way, and at 7.6 kilometres and about four hours as a round trip from Sogongwon. The Daecheongbong route from Sogongwon to Osaek is listed at 16 kilometres and about 10 hours. Neither fits into a day that also includes the long ride from Seoul. Upper trails close for fire prevention in set periods each year, so check the park service before you plan a summit.

Naksansa, the coastal stop

Naksansa is a Jogye Order temple in Yangyang County, founded in 671 by the monk Uisang. A forest fire in April 2005 destroyed most of it, and it was rebuilt over the following years. Its Haesu Gwaneum statue, a figure of the bodhisattva of compassion, is 16 metres tall and was made in 1977. The pavilion in the photo, Uisangdae, was built in 1925 on the spot where Uisang is said to have meditated. How long the group stays depends on the day's schedule, so the booking confirmation is the place to check.

What you can and cannot book ahead

The group tour is the only part of this day you can reserve in advance. The cable car cannot be reserved, and the company says so on its own site. Once the tour is booked, the cable car is the one thing left to arrange on the day. If you go independently, Korea's 1330 travel helpline answers in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, and the park service publishes closures and trail information. The tour also settles questions you would otherwise have to answer yourself, such as which bus to catch and how to get back, which matters most on a first trip to Korea.

Who this isn't for

Skip the group trip if you want to climb Ulsanbawi or anything higher, because a hike of about four hours round trip is hard to fit around a fixed schedule. Skip it if you dislike long coach days, since the trip runs about 12 hours. And if you need a guaranteed ride on the cable car at a set time, no option can give you that: it is sold on the day and runs only when the weather allows.