Jeongseon travel guide: five-day market, rail bike and Arirang

Build the trip around a market day

The Jeongseon 5-day Market, also called the Jeongseon Arirang Market, is at 36 Oiljang-gil in Jeongseon-eup. VisitKorea describes it as one of Korea's representative traditional markets: it opens on dates ending in 2 or 7, when local growers bring in produce and the lanes are crowded with both locals and visitors. The permanent market trades every day, and VisitKorea notes that it is also busy on Saturdays, but a market day is a different experience. In October 2026, the remaining market days are the 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd and 27th.

The market's revival is tied to the railway. VisitKorea's history is that it declined sharply when the coal mines closed, then picked up again after a special tourist train from Seoul began running to it in 1999 — the ancestor of today's A-Train. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed the market as open 09:00–18:00, with hours varying by stall, and open all year.

On market days, Arirang is part of the show. In 2025, VisitKorea's performance guide listed the musical *ARI – The Spirit of Korea* on market days and the sorigeuk *The Raftmen* on Saturday afternoons at the Jeongseon Arirang Center (51 Aesan-ro, Jeongseon-eup), with all seats at 5,000 won and the ticket price returned as Jeongseon Arirang gift certificates that can be spent at the market. We could not confirm the 2026 programme, so check with the Arirang Center before planning around a show.

Arrive in the morning, when the produce stalls are fullest, eat lunch in the market, and keep the afternoon for the Arirang Center or the Byeongbangchi Skywalk just outside town. Staying in Jeongseon-eup the night before means you do not have to time a bus or train to the market's peak hours.

Auraji and the song of Jeongseon

Arirang was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. UNESCO describes it as a simple refrain — 'Arirang, arirang, arariyo' — with two lines that differ from region to region, and estimates some 3,600 variations. Jeongseon's version is one of the best known. VisitKorea says it is Gangwon's Intangible Cultural Asset No. 1, and traces it to the late Goryeo period, to seven scholars loyal to the fallen dynasty who settled in Jeongseon.

The place to understand it is Auraji, in Yeoryang-myeon. VisitKorea explains that the name comes from *eoureojida*, 'to meet', because the waters from the Pyeongchang and Samcheok sides join here at the top of the Namhangang (South Han River). Auraji was a starting point for the log rafts that carried timber down to Hanyang, the old name for Seoul, and the song's lyrics carry the longing of the women left behind. The riverside is open at all hours.

Beside it, the Jeongseon Arirang Training Hall (69 Auraji-gil) has an exhibition area and an experience area where official holders of the heritage teach the song. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed it as open on Wednesdays from 10:00 to 16:00, with free programmes that need advance reservation. Book ahead if you want to sing rather than just listen.

The Jeongseon Arirang Festival is the song's big annual event. VisitKorea's listing for 2026 gives 1 to 4 October at Jeongseon Public Stadium, 10:00–22:00 and free, organised by the Jeongseon Arirang Culture Foundation, with a Chilhyeon ritual ceremony, an Arirang parade, a national Arirang singing contest and an A-POP dance competition. After this year's festival, check arirangfestival.kr for next year's dates.

The rail bike and the A-Train

Jeongseon Railbike, at 745 Nochusan-ro in Yeoryang-myeon, was the first rail bike in Korea. According to VisitKorea, two- and four-person bikes run 7.2 km along a disused railway from Gujeol Station to Auraji Station, beside the river, through forest and through old tunnels lit with coloured lights. The line is fairly flat, the ride takes 30 to 40 minutes, and a train takes riders back to Gujeol at the end. Look out for the station cafés shaped like a grasshopper at Gujeol and a fish at Auraji.

When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed departures at 08:40, 10:30, 13:00, 14:50 and 16:40 from March to October, without the 16:40 run from November to February, and no closing days. Children aged three and under ride on a parent's lap. Departures are fixed, so book or arrive early on weekends and in autumn; the operator's site is www.railbike.co.kr, which we could not reach.

The Jeongseon Arirang Train (A-Train) is Korail's tourist train to the county. VisitKorea's tourist-train page, last updated in May 2026, lists it between Jecheon in Chungcheongbuk-do and Auraji, calling at Yeongwol, Yemi, Mindungsan, Byeoreogok, Seonpyeong, Jeongseon and Najeon, in about two hours, with each carriage decorated in its own theme. Tickets are sold at major stations and through Korail's website and app; VisitKorea warns that schedules change for maintenance, so check the day you want before planning a market visit around it.

Combine the two on one day: the rail bike in the morning, then Auraji and the Training Hall (on a Wednesday) in the afternoon. Gujeol and Auraji are not in Jeongseon-eup, so plan on a taxi or car from town.

Hwaam Cave, Sogeumgang and the Byeongbangchi Skywalk

The Hwaam Tourist Attractions string eight scenic sites along a winding road with signposts. The centrepiece is Hwaamdonggul Cave (12 Hwaamdonggul-gil), a gold mine that VisitKorea says was worked commercially from 1922 to 1945 until miners broke into a natural limestone cave. The route runs 1,803 m, starting with a 515 m upper tunnel that recreates gold mining before reaching flowstones, stalactites and cave coral; VisitKorea allows about an hour and a half.

When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed the cave as open 09:30–18:00 with last admission on foot at 16:00 (17:10 in peak season), closed on Wednesdays except in peak season, with adult admission at 7,000 won and the monorail charged separately. Check with the operator (www.jsimc.or.kr) before a Wednesday visit.

Beyond the cave, the road follows the Sogeumgang, a 4 km stretch of river between cliffs 100 to 150 m high that VisitKorea compares to the Geumgangsan mountains. It ends at Molundae, a cliff top with 500-year-old pines and a broad rock shelf below; VisitKorea notes it was a filming location for the film *Decision to Leave*, and that it is free and open year-round. In autumn, this is the drive for leaf colour.

Closer to town, the Byeongbangchi Skywalk (225 Byeongbangchi-gil, Jeongseon-eup) is an 11 m U-shaped glass platform at 583 m, looking down on Bamseom, a piece of land shaped like the Korean peninsula by a loop of the Donggang River. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed hours of 09:00–18:00 in summer and 09:00–17:00 in winter and adult admission of 2,000 won, sold on site only, and warned that it can close in heavy rain, snow or fog.

Mindungsan, Gariwangsan and the high country

Mindungsan (1,118.8 m), in Nam-myeon, is the 'bare mountain': VisitKorea explains that few trees grow near the top and that its slopes are covered in silver grass, which reaches waist height in mid-October. The gradual slope makes it a manageable hike for most walkers, and the A-Train route lists a Mindungsan station. Go on a weekday if you can, when the trail is likely to be quieter.

Gariwangsan, reached by Gariwangsan-ro from Jeongseon-eup, is a major mountain of the county. VisitKorea describes royal azaleas in spring, a summer music festival, autumn colour and snow in winter, a view of the East Sea from the summit on clear days, and a cable car and zipline. We could not find official hours or fares for the cable car, so check locally.

Gohan-eup is the county's resort town. High1 sits on Baegunsan; VisitKorea's ski guide says its slopes start from three peaks and that free shuttles run from Gohan and Sabuk stations, and the complex also includes Kangwon Land Casino, hotels and condominiums. Nearby, Samtan Art Mine is an art complex in a coal mine that worked for 40 years before becoming an art space in 2001. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea listed it as closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, open 09:00–18:00 from April to November, with adult admission at 13,000 won.

Getting there and getting around

By bus, VisitKorea's bus guide lists Jeongseon among the routes from both Dong Seoul Terminal (Gangbyeon Station, Line 2) and Seoul Nambu Terminal (Line 3). By rail, the A-Train from Jecheon is the most memorable way in, and it ties Jeongseon to Yeongwol on the same line; for High1, go to Gohan or Sabuk station for the resort shuttles.

Within the county, the distances are what shape the trip. Jeongseon-eup, Auraji and the rail bike, Hwaam and Gohan are separate valleys, and VisitKorea's listings give no public transport for most of them. Taxis from Jeongseon-eup or a rental car make a two-day plan workable; without them, choose one area per day.

Jeongseon fits well into a longer Gangwon loop: Pyeongchang and Gangneung, Samcheok on the coast, and Yeongwol, which is on the A-Train's route.

• Day 1 (market day): the market from mid-morning, lunch there, then the Arirang Center or the Byeongbangchi Skywalk.
• Day 2: the rail bike from Gujeol to Auraji in the morning, Auraji and the Training Hall in the afternoon — or Hwaam Cave and the Sogeumgang drive instead.
• Mid-October extra: a morning on Mindungsan for the silver grass.
• Winter: stay at High1 in Gohan and visit the market as a day out.