Seoul, Yongpyong & Gangneung: Ten Winter Days

1. Flights

Fares are from Google Flights on 5 Sep 2026 (one way, economy, one ticket each). SIA's outbound departures at 08:30 and 14:35 fall in office hours and are out; its 23:15 red-eye home lands at 04:55 and leaves you working Monday on no sleep, so it is a fallback only. Late December is Korea's ski peak plus Christmas; fares only go up from here, so lock the flights now.

2. Day by Day

Thu 24 Dec

Departure

Overnight flight

• 19:30Home after work for dinner and the bags, Changi by 21:00, T'way departs 23:00. Flight time 6 h 35 min; Seoul is one hour ahead of Singapore.
• Within 72 hours of landing, file both e-Arrival Cards at e-arrivalcard.go.kr (passport photo auto-fills the details, plus flight number and hotel address and phone) and screenshot the QR codes. Singapore passports are exempt from K-ETA until 31 Dec 2026, and we land on 25 Dec, inside the window.
• Install before boarding: Naver Map (English mode), Kakao Map, Papago for translation, k.ride for taxis (takes foreign cards), and Korail or Trip.com for train tickets. Google Maps cannot navigate in Korea; it only gives you the rough picture.
• Keep the down jacket in the cabin: it is about −5 °C at Incheon when you land at 06:35, and it bites from the jet bridge onwards.

PlacesChangi Airport

Fri 25 Dec

Land in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung in hanbok, Bukchon, the Gwanghwamun Christmas market

L7 Myeongdong · night 1

• 06:35Land at Incheon T2 and clear immigration on the e-Arrival Card QR code (Singapore passports can use the e-gates). Buy two T-money cards at a T2 convenience store (S$4 (₩4,000) each) and load ₩30,000 on each.
• 08:00AREX Express to Seoul Station in 43 min, S$12 (₩13,000)verified, about ₩11,500 bought online via Trazy; the all-stop train takes 59 min for S$4 (₩4,750) and just taps with T-money. From Seoul Station it is one stop on line 4 to Myeongdong (명동), or 10 min by taxi.
• 09:30Drop the bags at L7 Myeongdong and ask for early check-in (you will want a shower after the red-eye). Something hot on the Myeongdong strip: Myeongdong Kyoja's knife-cut noodles and dumplings, S$11 (₩12,000) a head.
• 11:30Line 3 to Gyeongbokgung station. Rent the hanbok first, then enter: the street by the palace gate is lined with rental shops, around S$19 (₩20,000)estimate for 2 h, and hanbok gets you into Gyeongbokgung (경복궁) free (normal ticket S$3 (₩3,000)verified). Winter hours 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:00, closed Tuesdays (today is Friday, fine). Geunjeongjeon hall, Gyeonghoeru pavilion and Hyangwonjeong are the snow shots; the guard change at Gwanghwamun gate runs at 10:00 and 14:00.
• 14:30Walk 15 min to Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을). Note: since March 2025 the main lanes (around Bukchon-ro 11-gil) are closed to tourists outside 10:00–17:00, with a ₩100,000 fine, so be out before dark. Then drift south into Insadong (인사동) for gifts and a cup of traditional tea.
• 17:30Gwanghwamun Square (광화문광장): the Seoul Winter Festa has run from mid-December to early January in recent years, with a European-style Christmas market and light show on the square, busiest and most festive on Christmas night itself; the 2026 dates will be posted by the city in November. Dinner at the market or a barbecue place in Jongno next door.
• 21:00Early night. A red-eye plus a day walking in sub-zero air; tomorrow is the real start.

PlacesIncheon Airport T2Seoul StationL7 Myeongdong by LotteGyeongbokgung PalaceBukchon Hanok VillageGwanghwamun Square

Sat 26 Dec

Changdeokgung's Secret Garden, Ikseon-dong, Gwangjang Market, Cheonggyecheon lanterns, DDP

L7 Myeongdong · night 2

• 09:00Line 3 to Anguk and into Changdeokgung (창덕궁) as it opens. Entry S$3 (₩3,000)verified, winter hours 09:00–17:30, closed Mondays. Snow in front of Injeongjeon hall and the Secret Garden (후원) behind it are the quietest winter scenes in Seoul.
• 10:30Secret Garden English tour (Dec–Jan only 10:30 / 11:30 / 14:30, 90 min); the garden has its own ticket, about S$5 (₩5,000)to confirm, booked 6 days ahead on the palace website, with very few walk-up slots. Buyongji pond frozen over and Juhamnu pavilion under snow are worth the 90 minutes.
• 13:00A 10-min walk to Ikseon-dong (익선동), old hanok turned into cafés and small restaurants. Lunch and coffee.
• 15:00Gwangjang Market (광장시장): mung-bean pancakes (빈대떡), the “drug” gimbap and beef tartare, eaten standing, about S$14 (₩15,000) a head. Shops 08:30–18:00, food stalls until 23:00.
• 17:30Cheonggyecheon (청계천): walk the stream west from Gwangjang to Gwanghwamun, about 2.5 km. The Seoul Lantern Festival has filled this stretch from mid-December to early January in recent years, lit from 18:00, free; time it so dusk falls as you walk.
• 19:30Metro to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (동대문디자인플라자, DDP): during the Winter Festa its façade becomes a huge projection show (Seoul Light). Afterwards, whole-chicken stew (닭한마리) in Dongdaemun, S$28 (₩30,000) a pot for two.
• Early KTX tomorrow: split out two days of ski clothes tonight. The big cases can stay in storage at L7 (you are back on 30 Dec); take one backpack and one small case into the mountains.

PlacesChangdeokgung PalaceIkseon-dongGwangjang MarketCheonggyecheonDongdaemun Design Plaza

Sun 27 Dec

KTX into Gangwon, an afternoon and night on the slopes at Yongpyong

Dragon Valley Hotel, Yongpyong · night 1

• 07:30Check out, metro to Seoul Station (서울역). Your KTX tickets live in the Korail app; no need to collect anything.
• 08:00KTX Seoul Station → Jinbu (Odaesan) station (진부역), about 1 h 31 min, roughly 9 trains a day (first at 05:40), standard class about S$21 (₩22,000)estimate; Trip.com lists from US$13.5. Korail releases seats a month out, and late-December weekends sell out, so buy on release day.
• 11:00Outside Jinbu station take the free Yongpyong Resort shuttle (11:00 and 14:30, hotel guests with a booking only, 20 min). If you miss it, a taxi is about S$23 (₩25,000). Drop the bags at Dragon Valley Hotel (드래곤밸리호텔), which sits at the foot of the slopes: ski-in, ski-out in the literal sense.
• 12:30Lunch in the hotel, then the rental centre at 13:00: afternoon + night pass (13:00–23:00 with a break 17:00–19:00) S$90 (₩96,000), full ski set S$45 (₩48,000), ski suit S$28 (₩30,000)verified, 25/26 season prices. First time on skis? Take the 14:00–16:00 group lesson for foreigners (English or Chinese), S$66 (₩70,000) a person; two hours later you are on the beginner lifts.
• 19:00Night skiing after dinner: Yongpyong's floodlit runs are among the best in Korea. It is −10 °C; an hour is plenty, no heroics.
• About the season: Yongpyong opened on 21 Nov 2025 for the 2025–26 season and closed in mid-March; the 2026–27 opening date is normally announced in late Octoberto confirm. By late December almost every run is open, on a mix of natural and machine-made snow.

PlacesSeoul StationJinbu StationYongpyong ResortDragon Valley Hotel

Mon 28 Dec

A full day on the slopes, then the gondola to Dragon Peak

Dragon Valley Hotel · night 2

• 08:30Breakfast, then on the lifts as they open at 09:00: full-day pass (09:00–17:00) S$90 (₩96,000), full-day ski set S$45 (₩48,000)verified, 25/26 season prices. Mornings are quiet with the best snow; get comfortable on the Yellow and Pink beginner runs, then back to the hotel for instant noodles to warm up.
• 13:30Gondola to Dragon Peak: the Balwangsan cable car runs 7.4 km, the longest in Asia, S$25 (₩27,000)verified return, 09:00–17:00. At the 1,458 m summit there is a café and the snow-laden firs from Goblin and Winter Sonata; on a clear day you can see the East Sea. It is 5–8 °C colder than the base and windy, so hat and neck gaiter on.
• 15:00Ski until the 17:00 close, or call it and use the resort's water park and sauna.
• 18:30Hanwoo beef barbecue or Gangwon potato pancakes in the resort, then an early night: tomorrow you swap mountains for the coast.
• Option: if neither of you wants a second ski day, take the hotel shuttle to Jinbu and the KTX one stop to Gangneung a day early, and make it two nights by the sea instead.

PlacesYongpyong Ski ResortBalwangsan Cable CarDragon Peak

Tue 29 Dec

Down to the coast: Ojukheon, Gyeongpo Lake, Anmok coffee street

St. John's Hotel, Gangneung · night 1

• 10:00Check out and return the skis. The hotel shuttle reaches Jinbu station at 12:00 (or a 20-min taxi).
• 12:30KTX Jinbu → Gangneung station (강릉역) in only 17–18 min, standard class about S$8 (₩8,400)estimate; Trip.com lists from US$6. From Gangneung station it is a 10-min taxi to St. John's Hotel on Gyeongpo beach; leave the bags.
• 13:30Lunch at Gangneung Jungang Market (강릉중앙시장): potato pancakes, buckwheat crêpes and soy-marinated crab, about S$14 (₩15,000) a head.
• 15:00Ojukheon (오죽헌), the family home of the painter Shin Saimdang and her son, the scholar Yi I: they are the faces on the ₩50,000 and ₩5,000 notes. Entry S$3 (₩3,000)to confirm. Then a loop of Gyeongpo Lake (경포호) to the Gyeongpodae pavilion; the lake freezes in winter and swans sit out in the middle.
• 17:00Anmok coffee street (안목해변 커피거리): Gangneung is Korea's coffee capital, and here a row of cafés faces the East Sea. Pick an upstairs window seat and stay until dark; the sun sets behind the mountains and the sea turns through every shade of blue.
• 19:00Raw fish (물회 or 회) at Gyeongpo or Jumunjin for dinner, or grilled squid near the hotel. Alarm for 05:40; lights out by 22:00.

PlacesGangneung StationSt. John's Hotel GangneungGangneung Jungang MarketOjukheonGyeongpo LakeAnmok Coffee Street

Wed 30 Dec

Sunrise over the East Sea at Jeongdongjin, KTX back to Seoul, N Seoul Tower at night

L7 Myeongdong · night 3

• 06:00Check out, leave the bags, and take a 25-min taxi (about S$23 (₩25,000)) or the 06:26 train from Gangneung station, 15 min to Jeongdongjin station (정동진역), S$2 (₩2,600)verified one way.
• 07:35Sunrise at Jeongdongjin, around 07:40estimate: the station is the closest in the world to the sea, its platform right on the sand, and the sun comes straight out of the water. On 1 January this is where the whole country gathers for the year's first light; two days early, you have the beach almost to yourselves. Breakfast at a beachfront café, then the giant hourglass at Sandglass Park.
• 09:30Back to Gangneung station for the bags, then KTX Gangneung → Seoul Station, 1 h 51 min to 2 h, standard class S$26 (₩27,600)verified, roughly hourly; book ahead.
• 13:00Back at L7 Myeongdong: collect the stored cases, check in, army stew (부대찌개) for lunch in Myeongdong.
• 15:30N Seoul Tower (N서울타워): 10 min on foot from Myeongdong station exit 3 to the Namsan cable car, S$14 (₩15,000)verified return; observatory S$27 (₩29,000) at the door or about ₩18,400 online via Trazyverified. Go up at 16:30 to catch day turning into night; sunset is around 17:20 and Seoul lights up district by district. The love-lock fences are at the base of the tower.
• 19:00Myeongdong night market: grilled rice cakes, egg bread, butter lobster, eaten on the move; the Christmas lights outside Myeongdong Cathedral are still up. For a sit-down dinner, a Myeongdong barbecue house at about S$33 (₩35,000) a head.

PlacesJeongdongjin StationSandglass ParkGangneung StationSeoul StationNamsan Cable CarN Seoul Tower

Thu 31 Dec

Han River at Yeouido, Hongdae, and the Bosingak bell at midnight

L7 Myeongdong · night 4

• 10:30Sleep in. Line 5 to Yeouinaru and a walk along Yeouido Hangang Park (여의도한강공원): the river iced at the edges, the gold 63 Building, and a cup of convenience-store noodles eaten on the bank, which is a Seoul winter ritual.
• 13:00Line 2 to Hongdae (홍대): buskers around the university gate, cafés and small shops in Yeonnam-dong (연남동), fried chicken and beer or pig's trotters for lunch.
• 17:00Back to the hotel for two hours: shower, warmest layers, hand warmers in the pockets. You are about to stand outside for three hours at −8 °C.
• 20:00Dinner around Jongno or Ikseon-dong, then walk over. The Bosingak New Year's Eve bell (제야의 종): in 2025–26 the warm-up shows began at 23:00, the main event ran 23:50–00:20, and the mayor with 11 citizen representatives struck the bell 33 times at midnight, with K-pop and a media-façade light show either side, all free. Jonggak station is bypassed 23:00–01:00; get off at Euljiro 1-ga (line 2) or Gwanghwamun (line 5) and walk. Jongno closes to traffic from 18:00. The 2026–27 arrangements are usually published by the city in mid-Decemberto confirm.
• 21:30Claim a spot on Jongno in front of Bosingak (보신각): arrive by 21:30 for a clear view, or watch the big screens from the edge of the crowd. Huge but orderly, with warming tents and first-aid posts.
• 00:20After the bell, walk: Myeongdong is 1.2 km from Bosingak, 20 minutes on foot, which is exactly why the hotel is in Myeongdong. The metro runs until 02:00 if you would rather ride.

PlacesYeouido Hangang ParkHongdaeYeonnam-dongBosingakEuljiro 1-ga Station

Fri 1 Jan

A slow New Year's Day: Lotte World Tower, Seokchon Lake, Starfield Library

L7 Myeongdong · night 5

• 11:00Sleep until you wake. Rice-cake soup (떡국) near the hotel: it is what Koreans eat first on New Year's Day, and each bowl is said to add a year.
• 13:00Line 2 to Jamsil (잠실): Lotte World Tower's Seoul Sky, 555 m, observation decks on floors 117–123, adults S$29 (₩31,000)verified, discounted on Trazy and KKday. New Year's Day is busy; book a time slot online first.
• 15:00A 2.5 km loop of Seokchon Lake (석촌호수) below the tower, lit up in winter; Lotte's department store and duty-free are next door, so today is the shopping day.
• 17:00Metro to Samseong for Starfield Library (별마당도서관) in COEX: 13-metre book walls, free, with a Christmas tree still up. Dinner in COEX or Gangnam.
• This is the flex day: many small shops close on 1 January but the palaces open. If snow or crowds knocked anything out on 25 or 26 Dec, catch it up today.

PlacesLotte World Tower Seoul SkySeokchon LakeStarfield Library

Sat 2 Jan

Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm light festival

L7 Myeongdong · night 6

• 08:00Trazy day tour, pick-up in Myeongdong or Hongdae, about S$56 (₩60,000)estimate a person (transport included; entry may be extra depending on the package). Going solo is possible, metro plus the Gyeongchun line to Gapyeong and a bus, but in winter the tour is the easy option.
• 10:00Nami Island (남이섬): entry including the return ferry S$18 (₩19,000)verified. The metasequoia avenue is bare and dusted with snow, thin ice at the river's edge, quieter than it ever was in Winter Sonata. Lunch on the island.
• 15:30Garden of Morning Calm light festival (아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전): the 2025–26 run was 5 Dec–15 Mar, lights on from 17:00, adults S$10 (₩11,000)verified, 25/26 season, until 21:00 on weekdays and 23:00 on Saturdays. Go in before sunset and watch hundreds of thousands of lights come on across the snowy slopes.
• 21:00Back in Seoul for the last dinner in Myeongdong: ginseng chicken soup or barbecue. Pack, and check the T-money balances (refundable at T2 convenience stores, ₩500 fee).
• Alternative (no bus): Deoksugung (덕수궁) and its stone-wall road plus the city art museum, then the boutiques of Hannam-dong and Seongsu-dong; or a DMZ half-day tour (Saturday departures, passport essential).

PlacesNami IslandGarden of Morning CalmDeoksugung PalaceMyeongdong Station

Sun 3 Jan

Home to Singapore

Home tonight

• 10:30Check out, brunch in Myeongdong; the 11:30 AREX Express from Seoul Station reaches T2 at 12:13 (T'way flies from T2). Allow 2.5 h for an international departure and be at the counter by 13:00.
• 15:30T'way departs, lands at Changi 21:25, home by 22:30, and at work on Monday 4 January.
• T2 airside has duty-free and the Lotte and Shilla shops; cash out the T-money cards at a T2 convenience store. If you book Jeju Air's 18:10 instead, you gain two hours' sleep and one more lap of Myeongdong, and get home at 01:00 on the 4th.
• Winter risk at Incheon: heavy snow sometimes delays departures but rarely cancels them. Check the flight status in the T'way app in the morning; if it slips, stay in the hotel rather than waiting at the airport.

PlacesSeoul Station AREXIncheon Airport T2Changi Airport

3. Hotels

25 Dec–3 Jan is Korea's ski-and-New-Year peak. L7 Myeongdong lists around US$120–250 a night off-peak and the two New Year nights run higher; Dragon Valley adds ₩12,000 per person per night in peak season (20 Dec–2 Mar in 2025–26). Book all three on free-cancellation rates now; the Google Hotels links carry the dates, so compare from there. Gangneung is quiet in winter and easy.

4. Tickets and Booking Rules

Prices converted at 1,000 KRW = S$0.939 on 2026-09-05 (1 SGD ≈ ₩1,065); the won price in brackets is what you pay on the ground. Ski, cable car, Lotte Tower and Nami figures are the 2025–26 season's official prices; the 2026–27 lists take precedence once published. Singapore passports get 90 days visa-free, so no visa and, for this trip, no K-ETA (exempt until 31 Dec 2026).

5. Booking Timeline

Sync ticks to another device

6. Gear List (Seoul −10 °C, Yongpyong −15 °C plus skiing)

7. Risks and Backups

8. Budget (two sharing a room, per person)

About S$3,782 per person, S$7,563 for two. Carry ₩300,000 (S$282) cash each as a float, not counted above.

Flights (S$1,347) and hotels (S$1,076) are 64% of the per-person total; two full days of skiing come to S$418 and all the sights together only S$131. Savings in order: Vietjet outbound at S$286 saves S$330 (but you leave the office at 17:00); Four Points Josun instead of L7 saves about S$50 a night; Trazy's ski bundles save about S$40. Rate 2026-09-05, 1,000 KRW = S$0.939.

9. Before You Land