Chuseok (Korean: 추석) is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar on the full moon. Family members from near and far come together to share food and stories and to give thanks to their ancestors. This year chuseok will be celebrated on 14 until 16 September. During Chuseok, many cultural sites including the ancient palaces in Seoul, the Korean Folk Village, and Namsangol Hanok Village host special holiday events for visitors. Last year I visited this places, so this year I planned to do something different during Chuseok Holiday
My sister and I planned to take the sea train in Gangwon-do during this holiday. The Sea Train is a tourist train, travelling along the Western sea, comprised of four divided cabins including two special rooms, one standard room, and one family room. The first and second cabin feature a special themed cabin, equipped with movie-watching system and seats facing the windows. The third car is for family members prepared with table seats, general subway-alike seats, and a cafeteria. The fourth cabin is for groups featuring three-seated and two-seated chairs.
If you want to go to city outside Seoul, you better book it at least three weeks before ( http://kobus.co.kr/web/main/index.jsp ) because if you book on the last minute, I'm sure you won't get the ticket. We booked the ticket on 16th August ( last day of Chuseok ), hoping that the traffic jam won't be as bad as on the first day of Chuseok. To go to Gangwondo, for the destination place, choose Gangneung ( 강릉 ). When you arrive there, you can go to Jeongdeongjin by taking bus no. 109 near the Gangneung Bus Terminal
Basically the seat will look like this. A lot of people recommend me to sit near the window ( in the front ) so you can see the sea clearly.
My sister and I decided to book the standard room, which cost around 13,000 won. I recommend you not to buy return ticket, because you can use common train when you are coming back. Book your destination from Jeongdongjin to Donghae ( http://www.seatrain.co.kr/ ). They still do not have the English site, so it is better to ask your Korean friend to book for you if you cannot speak any Korean. Another tips that I want to give to you is that do not book a week before, you better book it a month before. Sea train is kind of popular these days, so you might not get good seat if you book it a week before.
Because our train got off at 10.30 in the morning, we decided to stay overnight near Jeongdongjin area. I recommend you to stay in this guest house, because it is close to the train. The guest house name is Sseon Guest House ( http://blog.naver.com/PostList.nhn?blogId=yyy6622 ). The only way to book it is only by calling it through this number 010-3702-0826. The cheapest room is a dormitory room for 4 people and one people is 20,000won.
So that's my tips to spend your Chuseok Holiday. Hope it helps and wait for my update post regarding this trip to Gangwon-do!
