Pocheon, which is located north of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province is a popular holiday location for a lot of South Koreans and Tourists alike.
This is because it is nestled between mountains and rivers and has ample things to do during your holiday.
Top 5 Amazing Things to do in Pocheon
1. Bidulginang Waterfall (비둘기낭폭포) and Hantanggang Sky Bridge
The first amazing thing I recommend to do in Pocheon is visit the Bidulginang Waterfall and Hantanggang Sky Bridge. Both of these locations are part of the same general area and are within the Hantanggang National Geopark.
If you take a look at the map below, you can see where in Korea and within Pocheon these locations are. Due to where these are located, it is far easier and recommended to drive here, than to take public transportation.
For the waterfall, follow the signs and then take the wooden walkway and steps down to the viewing platforms. The color of the pool of this waterfall is very beautiful and clean. However, the waterfall itself is quite sporadic and often runs dry if there hasn’t been a heavy rain recently. As you can see in my pictures, it’s barely visible.
So, it’s recommended to go here after recent rain if you want to see the waterfall and not just the pool. However, even just seeing the pool is quite amazing and beautiful.
After visiting the waterfall, it’s just a short walk to the Hantanggang Sky Bridge. This is a bridge that was built spanning the Hantang River and the unique part of this bridge is that it has glass viewing sections built throughout, so you can look down on the river. It can be quite thrilling if you aren’t a fan of heights.
2. Pocheon Art Valley (포천아트밸리)
The 2nd amazing thing to do in Pocheon is to visit the Pocheon Art Valley. This is probably the most famous and most popular attraction to visit in the Pocheon Area. It has been the filming location for several famous Korean Dramas and films and is a beautiful area.
Driving from the Bideulginang Waterfall, it’s about a 30 minute drive to get here. You can see where it is on the map below:
Pocheon Art Valley is quite a unique location is that it was an abandoned quarry and turned into an art and culture park in 2009. There is a science museum, performance halls, lake and more.
Once you are there, from the entrance it is a relatively steep climb up to the lake where you can get beautiful views of the surrounding area, lake, and surrounding rocks.
If you don’t want to make the climb, there is a monorail that can take you to the lake area quickly and comfortably. There is an extra cost for the monorail though.
Cost of Entry:
Costs to enter the park as of writing this are 5,000KRW for adults outside the region and 3,000KRW for youth and 1,500KRW for children.
For the monorail, a roundtrip ticket costs 4,500KRW for adults outside the region and 3,500KRW for youth and 2,500KRW for children.
Hours of Operation are Below:
Summer (March-October) – 9am to 10pm
Winter (November-February) – 9am to 9pm
The gate closes 2 hours before closing time though. There are also restaurants and cafes here, so you can get food and drinks.
3. Sanjeong Lake (산정호수)
The 3rd amazing thing to do in Pocheon is to visit Sanjeong Lake. Sanjeong Lake is another of the top attractions in Pocheon due to is scenic beauty and many things to do there.
If getting there from Pocheon Art Valley, it’s about another 30 minute drive to get to Sanjeong Lake. Check out the location in the map below:
Sanjeong Lake was built as a reservoir in the 1920’s and is a popular place for holiday makers because of the many hotels and lodges nearby. At the lake itself, there are many restaurants and cafes and there is a boardwalk which goes around the circumference of the lake.
There is a small amusement park, and duck boats that you can ride on the lake.
The view of the surrounding mountains is beautiful and as you will see in the next recommendation, that hiking some of these mountains around Sanjeong Lake is worth the effort.
4. Climb Myeongseongsan (명성산)
The 4th amazing thing to do in Pocheon is to climb Myeongseongsan and check out the silver grass. Myeongseongsan is located on the edge of Sanjeong Lake and so it’s a great activity you can do while at the lake.
To get to the main hiking path, there are signs near the main parking lot for the lake or you can ask around to find the way. The path it located between a bunch of pensions and most people should know how to direct you.
The hike itself takes a few hours, but once you get near the top, the views are outstanding. The area becomes really popular in the fall time when the grasses near the fields at the top of the mountains turn a silver color. I went in the summer time and the grasses were still green, however, still very beautiful.
The path is well maintained and especially where the grasses are, there are boardwalks to protect them and to make the hiking easier.
5. Stay in a Hanok Pension (하녹펜션)
The 5th amazing thing to do in Pocheon is stay at a Hanok Pension. If you are heading to Pocheon for vacation and planning to stay overnight, I highly recommend staying in a Hanok Pension. In particular there is a Hanok Hotel that I stayed in called Chunhwawon Hanok Pension (춘화원한옥펜션).
This is a beautiful Pension located near a reservoir and in the mountains. It was newly built in 2016 and is definitely worth the stay. The location is on the map below:
The rooms are immaculate and well decorated and have a nice sized kitchen and dining room. There is also a swimming pool on site and at the night the lighting of the area is incredible.
If you would like to stay here as well, it can be booked on Agoda.com.
Plan Your Trip
1. Where to Stay in Pocheon
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links through booking.com. agoda.com and klook.com, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
However, if you are looking for other locations within Pocheon to stay, there is no shortage of places to stay and can search through the agoda.com form below for Pocheon.
2. Activities / Tours / Things to Do
There are lots of things to do and see around Pocheon and in the province of Gyeonggi-Do. Check out just some of the activities and experiences you can book through Klook below.
Hopefully this article helps in starting to plan your vacation or trip to Pocheon which is just a short drive from Seoul. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and we will be happy to answer them.
