If you’ve been following our “Wow! Pyeongchang!” posts closely, you’d know that we’re head over heels in love with some of South Korea’s best kept secrets. From the beautiful K-Drama filming locations in Gangwon, to the exciting winter attractions in PyeongChang, and the picturesque Jeongseon that allows visitors to be one with nature, South Korea has so much to offer.
Off the beaten track, a little west of Seoul is a hidden gem named Gangneung (강릉시). Aside from its sports facilities and sprawling beaches, Gangneung is also home to the annual Gangneung Coffee Festival.
First started in 2009 as part of project in making Gangneung a city of coffee, the festival celebrates the emerging coffee culture of Gangneung-si, which in recent years has welcomed in famous coffee chains and artisan coffee shops. It celebrates the scenic city’s past and present culture with a variety of coffee-related events such as exhibitions, photo exhibitions, coffee-making, and coffee bean-roasting experience programs – mostly for free, as some programs may require an admission/participation fee.
The Gangneung Coffee Festival will take place from 6th till 10th October this year!
- Address: 131, Nanseolheon-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do.
- Getting there: From the Gangneung Intercity/Express Bus Terminal, take bus 221, then get off at Anmok (안목, the last stop) and walk to the festival grounds (about a 10-minute walk).
Can’t make it to the Gangneung Coffee Festival? Fret not! Make the Anmok Coffee Street your must-visit experiential destination then.
The Anmok Coffee Street is where visitors would go to idly watch the ocean while holding cups of coffee from vending machines. Due to its popularity, the street slowly transformed into a coffee heaven, attracting coffee chain stores and café owned by baristas. Each café in Anmok Coffee Street offers its own specialty coffee and dessert menus so there is a vast variety that you can choose from.
*Pictures from Gangneung Tours.
Particularly, terrace seats facing the coastal line of the East Sea of Korea are wildly popular among visitors, and it’s easy to see why (refer to the images above). Furthermore, you can still find the coffee vending machines that started this coffee street in numerous spots.
- Address: Changhae-ro 17, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do. (강원도 강릉시 창해로 17 (견소동))
Alternatively, coffee addicts can get their fix at the popular artisan coffee shops in Gangneung, not too far away from the Anmok Coffee Street.
One such must-visit cafe is none other than Bohemian Roasters, run by one of the first-generation baristas, Park Yi Choo. He started coffee business in Seoul since 1988 and moved to Gangneung in 2000 to spread self-roasting coffee. If you like, you can even enjoy a fresh cup of coffee brewed by the barista himself here!
There’s also the charming Terarosa Café and Coffee Factory, which originally started as a factory supplying roasted coffee beans for cafes. This café and roasting factory offers a nice brunch menu as well as coffee in a unique and refined atmosphere with sophisticated interior design. Many visitors are often seen reading books, writing, or socialising amongst themselves.
Psst. We hear that the Terarosa Café and Coffee Factory hosts a small concert every year 😉
Last but not least, all coffee lovers shouldn’t pass up on visiting the Coffee Cupper Museum. The museum is a place where various and rare coffee relics from around the world are displayed. Visitors can study the history and immerse themselves into the culture of unique coffees from countries around the world, as well as learn about, understand, and experience the world of coffee.
There’s even a coffee farm that allows visitors to visit and see where coffee beans were grown and produced!
- Address: 2171-17, Wangsan-ro, Wangsan-myeon, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do
- Operating Hours: 9:30 – 19:00
- Admission Fee: 5,000 KRW for adult/ 4,000 KRW for underage (4 – 19 years old)
- Program Fee: 10,000 KRW per program (Coffee roasting, Hand-dripping, Espresso Extraction, Planting activity, Chocolate activity)
Go get your coffee fix and a whole lot more in Gangneung. You won’t regret it ☕
Special thanks to our friends from Korea Tourism Organisation (Malaysia) for the opportunity!
Hype Malaysia is also an official “Wow! PyeongChang!” supporter in conjunction with the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea. So keep a look out for our future posts as we’ll be gushing over places to go, things to do, and food to eat in Gangwon ?
For more information, hit up the Korea Tourism Organisation (Malaysia) website or Facebook page. Alternatively, you can follow them on Instagram.
Big shoutout to our friends from Travel Recommends for keeping us connected with unlimited data on our trip to South Korea, enabling us to update real-time for the entire duration without a hitch ?
