South Korea: Gangwon-Do: Seoraksan

How to reach Seoraksan from Seoul?

Take subway heading to Express Bus Terminal station, Exit 1 or Exit 2.  Walk towards Dong Seoul Bus Terminal or Express Bus Terminal.  Go to the ticket counter to find the next available seat and bus to Sokcho City.  

Fare: 18100krw (724php, 2014). On your ticket, find your platform # and seat #.

There will be reminders on the video screen as the bus depart from the terminal.  The journey will take roughly 2.5 hours.  You'll be given a quick stop half-way the journey to Sokcho.

For long distance travelers, and would be concern if there is luggage locker in Sokcho Bus Terminal, check the 2nd photo from this link. 

Upon arrival at Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, cross the street and walk further to wait at the local bus stop.  Board bus # 7 or 7-1.

It will take around 30-45 minutes on bus to reach Seoraksan.

Entrance to Seoraksan is 3500krw (140php, 2014).

Even if you take the earliest bus from Seoul, expect a lot of visitors already arrived earlier than you.  Head next to the cable car ticket counter, to try to take the earliest available ride.   We bought our's at 10:30 am for the 03:05 pm boarding time.

So while waiting for the cable car ride, we roam around the lower part of the mountain, the temple grounds and had a quick lunch.

So foliage above starts in the middle of the maple leaves

If  you are thinking that the photos above look serene, but it reality the walking areas are also crowded by both locals and tourists.  Remember that Seoraksan is one of the places visited most during autumn season.

Mid-afternoon, we were then ready to ride the cable car.

Underneath the cable car ride were the autumn foliage.

We have roam around the mountain foot, but took cable car heading to the peak.  As for the hard-core hikers, you may be guided by the following routes.  Also, as what suggests in rededit, you can download naver to see which routes will be closed for each season (for their maintenance and prevention of forest fires).

credit: roamscapes

Head back before darkness sets.  You may find it difficult if people rush back to queue for the cable car to go down from the mountain. Expect a long queue of passengers awaiting for Bus #7 or 7-1.  By 5:30 pm in Sockho Terminal, succeeding trips were already fully booked.  The next available trip heading to Seoul is 8 pm.  So check your strategy next time, if you can buy your return ticket upon your arrival at 10am in Sokcho terminal - just be cautious of the time that you can meet your schedule.

Travel Date: October 24, 2014

What to wear?
If you want safety, probably a hiking shoes.  But we were able to manage using Merrell Casual Trainer shoes.

Apart from gearing up for the cold weather, better to gear up for the strong winds after the cable car ride.

Date Visited: 2014 Oct
Page Updated: 2018 March

Summary of 4 days itinerary in 2014 Autumn Seoul Trip:

Day	Places to see	Food and Restaurants	Where to Sleep
Day 1	Dong Seoul Bus Terminal Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal Seoraksan	Seoraksan	24 Guesthouse Sinchon Style
Day 2	Yonsei University Ewha Womans University Museum Hongik University Hongdae Market City Hall: Deoksugung	Ewha Food Court/Canteen Haha's Restaurant Dunkin Donuts	24 Guesthouse Sinchon Style
Day 3	Yeoksam Catholic Church Garosu-gil Road, Gangnam Rubber Ducky at Jamsil DDP - Dongdaemun Design Plaza	The Kona Coffee & Kona Beans Ace Pizza Club Chicken Bus	24 Guesthouse Sinchon Style
Day 4	Kintex for My Love from the Stars	Café del Tren Kintex: With My Recipe Korean Dessert Café Global Kitchen @ Incheon	24 Guesthouse Sinchon Style