Jinbu & Odaesan

Getting here

From Seoul

Take the KTX on the Gyeonggang Line to Jinbu Station. Korea.net's 2017 announcement of the line lists trains from Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni; it gave 1 hour 54 minutes for the full run from Seoul to Gangneung, the end of the line beyond Jinbu.

From Incheon Airport

By road, the IOC says a 22 km expressway link cut the drive from Incheon International Airport to PyeongChang and Gangneung to around 95 minutes. By rail, go into Seoul and take the KTX on the Gyeonggang Line from Seoul Station to Jinbu Station.

From Jinbu Station to the temples

Woljeongsa is in Jinbu-myeon, with the Woljeongsa Museum inside the temple at 176 Odaesan-ro, and Sangwonsa is 8 km north of Woljeongsa, KTO says. The resort shuttles from Jinbu run only to Alpensia and Yongpyong, for their guests, so plan the temple day by car.

On your doorstep

• Odaesan National Park Home to Birobong Peak, 1,563 m, and renowned for the Sangwonsa and Woljeongsa temples, KTO says, at 2 Odaesan-ro, Jinbu-myeon. The KOCIS webzine gives its area as 326.35 km², designated Korea's 11th national park in 1975. KTO warns that entry is barred when the weather demands it.
• Woljeongsa Temple Founded by the monk Jajang under Queen Seondeok of Silla, the KOCIS webzine writes, with over 1,000 years of history, and lists its octagonal nine-storey stone pagoda as National Treasure No. 48. The Templestay webzine gives it 1,400 years of history and records that it burned in 1948 and was later restored.
• Woljeongsa fir-forest path Over 2,000 firs form a thick and tall forest reaching to the sky, says the KOCIS webzine's 2018 feature, which calls it the forest path of a thousand years. The Templestay webzine says the oldest fir was estimated at about 270 years in a 2006 survey.
• Woljeongsa Museum Inside Woljeongsa and founded in October 1999, at 176 Odaesan-ro. It shows treasures from more than 60 temples in southern Gangwon, including sarira from the nine-storey pagoda and the Documents of Sangwonsa Temple, which KTO lists as National Treasure No. 292. Open 09:30–16:30; closed on Mondays, Seollal and Chuseok.
• Sangwonsa Temple 8 km north of Woljeongsa, KTO says. Built by the monk Jajang in Queen Seondeok's era, rebuilt in 705, burned in 1946 and restored in 1947, it houses the Bronze Bell of Sangwonsa, 1.67 m tall and the oldest bronze bell in the nation in KTO's words, and the Statue of Child Manjusri. KTO gives its hours as two hours before sunrise to before sunset, with no closing day listed.
• Seonjae-gil The path linking Woljeongsa and Sangwonsa, passing Budojeon Field and Banyagyo Bridge, as the Templestay webzine describes it.
• Odaecheon Stream and the Trout Festival The Pyeongchang Trout Festival is held on the frozen stream at 3562 Gyeonggang-ro, Jinbu-myeon, with ice fishing, tent fishing, a kids' zone and bare-hand catching of golden trout. KTO's 2024 guide calls Pyeongchang-gun the largest trout producer in Korea.
• Alpensia and Yongpyong Both resorts run shuttles from Jinbu Station for their guests, about 20 minutes each way: twice a day to Alpensia, and at 11:00 and 15:00 to Yongpyong on its schedule from March 2024.

One easy day from here

1. Morning Drive to Woljeongsa for the fir-forest path and the nine-storey pagoda, then the Woljeongsa Museum, open from 09:30 except on Mondays.
2. Midday On to Sangwonsa, 8 km north, for the Bronze Bell and the Statue of Child Manjusri. Seonjae-gil links the two temples, past Budojeon Field and Banyagyo Bridge.
3. Afternoon Back to Jinbu. In January, the Trout Festival on the frozen Odaecheon Stream ran until 17:00 in 2026.
4. Evening Stay in Jinbu for an early KTX the next morning, or for a day at the resorts if you are booked there.

Before you book

• The shuttles from Jinbu Station to Alpensia and Yongpyong carry resort guests only, so a night in Jinbu pairs with a car for the mountains.
• KTO warns that entry to Odaesan National Park is barred when the weather demands it; in winter, keep a flexible day in hand for the temples.
• Mind the temple hours: the Woljeongsa Museum closes on Mondays, Seollal and Chuseok, and Sangwonsa opens two hours before sunrise and closes before sunset.
• January is Trout Festival month on the Odaecheon Stream: in 2026 it ran from 9 January to 9 February. Book early for those weekends.