Trying to figure out how to get to Seoraksan National Park from Seoul, Busan or somewhere else in South Korea?
After taking the bus from Seoul to Seoraksan National Park (via Sokcho) myself, I spent an epic three full days hiking and trying regional delicacies.
It was also one of the quickest, most straightforward journeys I took during my one month in South Korea.
In the following blog post, I’ll explain exactly how to get to Seoraksan National Park from Seoul, including how to book your ticket, how to reach the national park entrance, day trip options and other must-know tips.
I’ll also talk about how to reach Seoraksan National Park from Busan – I did this exact journey in reverse – and destinations like Jeju Island.
While you’re here, you might want to check out my Seoraksan National Park hiking guide to help you plan your activities.
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you – thanks for your support.
QUICK INFORMATION
Best time to visit: April to June; September to November
How to get there: Bus to Sokcho + local bus; day tour
Must-haves: T-Money and SIM cards
Where Exactly Is Seoraksan National Park?
Seoraksan National Park is approximately 180 kilometres from Seoul.
On the northeast tip of South Korea, the national park is located slightly inland from the coastal city of Sokcho.
To reach the national park entrance, you will need to transit through Sokcho first.
Can You Drive From Seoul to Seoraksan National Park?
Driving is the quickest way to reach the national park. Without traffic, it takes around 2.5 hours to drive from Seoul to Seoraksan.
In comparison, the bus journey takes 4 – 5 hours. This is because you need to take a bus to Sokcho and then a public bus to the national park entrance (or a nearby hotel).
If you don’t already have your own vehicle, you can easily hire a car in Seoul using Discover Cars or Klook.
To hire a car as a foreigner, you will usually need the correct International Driving Permit (IDP) and a passport. However, requirements vary depending on your home country.
You can use this easy widget to search for car hire availability using Discover Cars:
How to Get to Seoraksan National Park From Seoul By Bus
⏰ Pressed for time? Here’s a quick summary:
- Take the bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Sokcho Express Bus Terminal – reserve your Seoul to Sokcho bus tickets online first.
- Take public bus line 7 (or 7-1) to the national park entrance (the Kensington Hotel stop).
As you can probably already tell, there are no direct buses from Seoul to Seoraksan.
Therefore, the journey must be split into two parts, taking around 4-5 hours in total.
1. Take the Express bus from Seoul to Sokcho
Time needed: 2.5-3 hours
Cost: 20,900 won ($15.39 USD)
First, you need to take the bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, which should take 2.5 – 3 hours.
The bus stops at one service station with toilets, shops and restaurants. It’s a beautiful service station overlooking green mountains.
The route is quite popular, so I recommend that you reserve your Seoul to Sokcho bus online, at least two weeks in advance.
2. Take Line 7 or 7-1 from Sokcho to Seoraksan National Park
Time needed: 45 minutes – 1 hour
Cost: Approximately 2,000 won ($1.50 USD)
The second leg of the journey involves taking a 45-minute public bus from Sokcho to the national park entrance.
Once I arrived at Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, I used Naver Maps to navigate to the nearest bus stop for line 7 (or 7-1).
I exited the station onto the main road, then turned right. The bus stop is directly opposite the shop pictured below (on the opposite side of the road):
The national park entrance is the final stop on the line, named the Kensington Hotel bus stop.
The bus accepts cash or the T-Money transit card. I used my T-Money card, which I topped up at the shop in the bus station before heading out onto the street.
If you’re paying with cash, the drivers often get impatient if you’re too slow to hand over the correct change.
“But, what if I need to get to a hotel before going to the national park?” I hear you say.
Some people decide to stay in Sokcho, a more ‘happening’ destination with lots of restaurants and tourist attractions.
Sokcho
If you choose this option, you will still need to take the 45-minute journey on line 7 or 7-1 to the national park every day.
The majority, however, stay closer to the national park in order to reach the hiking trails as early as possible. This is what I chose to do.
I stayed at Smile Resort, one of several guesthouses in Seorak-dong C Shopping District. Every morning, I took a 10-minute journey on line 7 or 7-1 to the national park entrance.
The bus stop for Smile Resort is called Seorak-dong C Shopping District. This is what it looks like:
Kensington Hotel Seorak is the only hotel located at the gates to the national park.
If you can afford it, it’s worth it for the views alone.
Kensington Hotel Seorak (£££)
Smile Resort (£££)
I stayed here!
Can You Do A Day Trip to Seoraksan National Park from Seoul?
If you only have one day to visit Seoraksan National Park from Seoul, I don’t recommend taking the bus to and from Sokcho.
The return trip would require 6+ hours of transit, leaving no time for hiking or sightseeing.
Instead, there are a couple of tours available from Seoul, one with hiking and one without:
- Seoraksan and Nami Island tour (₩133,100 or £71) visits the cable car, Sinheungsa Temple, and Nami Island.
- Seoraksan hiking tour (₩103,500 or £55) includes one hike (usually to Biryong Falls) and Nami Island.
How to Get to Seoraksan National Park From Busan
Although I didn’t take the bus from Busan to Seoraksan National Park, I did the trip in the reverse direction: Seoraksan to Busan.
There is a direct bus from Sokcho to Busan. It departs from the Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal, which is not the same as the Express bus terminal.
Sokcho Intercity bus terminal and the nearby Soho Cafe – a cool spot to wait for your bus!
There is an online reservation system for the Sokcho to Busan bus, which I do advise using, because the buses book up in advance.
However, the system is in Korean and difficult to navigate if you’re an English language speaker. Therefore, we asked our host at Smile Resort to book our tickets for us.
She also helped us to arrange a taxi to the station, because the journey would otherwise require a couple of public bus connections; they’re easy enough to follow using Naver Maps.
This was one of the more expensive journeys we paid for. Each one-way ticket cost us around 53,000 won (£29).
The bus takes 5-6 hours to reach Busan Central Bus Terminal.
Once we arrived in Busan, we then used our T-Money card to tap on and off the subway. The bus station is next to Nopo subway station.
I hope you found this guide useful! Let me know how your trip goes – and, most importantly, have fun.
Suggested reading:
- Seoraksan National Park hiking guide – start here!
FAQ
To reach Mount Seorak from Seoul, you need to take the bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, then take bus line 7 or 7-1 to the Kensington Hotel stop at the national park entrance. There is a cable car that will take you to Gwongeumseong Fortress on Mount Seorak.