Gangwon Coast Day Trip: Goblin, BTS and the KTX
Why this day trip works
The 2018 Olympics left Seoul–Gangneung connected by a 2-hour KTX, which quietly turned Goblin’s most famous scene into a day-trippable stop. Add the BTS bus stop ten minutes away and a fish-market lunch, and this is the highest drama-payoff single day outside Seoul.
Book the KTX round trip in advance (Korail’s English app/site or Klook take foreign cards) — weekend seats sell out, and the 07:30 departure is the one that makes the timing below work.
The route
| Time | Stop | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 07:30 | KTX from Seoul Station | ~₩27,500 one way; book both directions at once |
| 09:40 | Arrive Gangneung (강릉역), bus north | Bus 300 is the workhorse (every 10–40 min); 302 runs rarely — check times on arrival, or split a taxi (~₩20,000, 25 min) |
| 10:30 | Jumunjin Breakwater (주문진 방파제 · 영진해변) | The Goblin buckwheat-bouquet scene — the drama breakwater sits on Yeongjin Beach at the south end of Jumunjin, so navigate to “영진해변”. A photo stand marks the framing; nearby shops rent the bouquet + red scarf |
| 12:00 | Jumunjin fish market (주문진수산시장) | Cheap east-coast sashimi at the harbor |
| 13:30 | Hyangho Beach BTS bus stop (향호해변) | The You Never Walk Alone album-cover bus stop — rebuilt by the city as a permanent photo zone, purple benches and all. Not walkable from the breakwater: it’s a 5-minute, ~₩6,000 taxi (local buses take 30 min) |
| 15:00 | Gyeongpo Beach (경포해변) / Chodang tofu village (초당두부마을) | Classic Gangneung closer — order the soft-tofu set |
| 18:00 | KTX back | In Seoul by 20:15 |
DIY vs. tour
Doing this solo costs roughly ₩70,000 (KTX + local hops + lunch). Day tours from Seoul (~₩90,000–110,000) bundle the same Goblin spot, BTS stop and Gyeongpo with door-to-door transport — worth it if the bus-and-taxi juggling above reads like work, and in spring some swap in Gyeongpo’s cherry-blossom lake loop.
Tips
- Weekday mornings mean no queue at the breakwater photo spot; summer weekends can be a real wait.
- Gangneung is Korea’s coffee city — Anmok Beach’s café street (안목해변 커피거리) is a worthy swap for Gyeongpo if you care more about espresso than sand.
- Winter gives the moody gray-sea look of the actual Goblin scene; early April adds the Gyeongpo cherry blossoms; summer gives you a beach day around it.
- Lockers at Gangneung Station handle luggage if you’re continuing up the coast instead of returning.