Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival 2027: Dates, Tours and How to Go from Seoul

Bottom line: the Hwacheon Sancheoneo festival runs from Saturday 9 January to Sunday 31 January 2027, and the simplest way to go from Seoul is a guided day tour from about ₩50,000, or a Dong Seoul bus that takes roughly 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours 20 minutes. The organiser’s fee pages still show 2026 prices (general ice fishing ₩15,000, foreign passport holders ₩10,000), so confirm 2027 prices on the official site. Information as of 16 October 2026.

The official English site and VisitKorea both list 2027, but the fee, hours and shuttle pages are still the 2026 versions, so every price below is labelled with its season. For ski days, see the ski trip guide from Seoul.

1. When Is the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival in 2027?

The 2027 festival runs from Saturday 9 January to Sunday 31 January, 23 days. That comes straight from the festival’s own English site, and the foundation’s tender notice for official sponsors gives the same dates. VisitKorea shows the same period (2027-01-09 to 2027-01-31) with an address of 137 Sancheoneo-gil, Hwacheon-eup, and lists daytime events from 09:00 to 18:00 and night fishing from 18:00 to 21:00.

The organiser’s fee, hours and shuttle pages still carry the note “This content is the content of the 2026 festival.” As a guide, the unreserved ice fishing area opened 09:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 08:30 to 18:00 on weekends in 2026. CNN listed it among its “Seven Wonders of Winter” in 2011, and VisitKorea says it draws more than a million visitors a year.

2. How to Get from Seoul to Hwacheon

Hwacheon is about 110 km north-east of Seoul and has no train station, so you have three options.

• Intercity bus from Dong Seoul Terminal. This is the direct option, from the terminal next to Gangbyeon Station on subway Line 2. An October 2026 timetable lists 8 departures a day (first 06:45, last 18:10) taking about 3 hours 20 minutes at ₩18,900 one way, with returns from 07:40 to 19:30. Hwacheon County’s English page still shows an older ₩10,400 fare and 2 hours 40 minutes, so check the fare and time on Bus Tago or the terminal kiosks. Weekends are busy, so book early.
• Train to Chuncheon, then bus. Take the Gyeongchun Line or ITX-Cheongchun from Seoul to Chuncheon (roughly 1 to 2 hours), then a Hwacheon bus of about an hour. The county’s page lists buses from Chuncheon Terminal every 30 minutes in the daytime.
• Day tour with pickup. Tours run a round trip from central Seoul and bundle entry, ice fishing and a grilled fish. KKday lists pickups at Hongik Univ. Station (08:20), Myeongdong (08:50) and Gwanghui-dong (09:00), and the earliest departure listed is 11 January 2027.

Inside the festival grounds, a free electric shuttle connects the foreigners’ ice fishing area with the reserved fishing area, and a weekend shuttle loops the town every 20 minutes between Hwacheon Gymnasium and the intercity bus terminal (both from the 2026 pages). An eSIM keeps maps online on the way.

3. Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival Tours from Seoul

A tour suits visitors who do not drive and want pickup in Hongdae or Myeongdong. All three platforms sell a one-day trip; check your date, because 2027 availability opens in stages.

Add a ski day with the ski trip guide, or see Nami Island and Petite France on the same Gangwon corridor.

4. Tickets and Costs at the Festival

Entry to the grounds is free; you pay per activity. The organiser’s fee page is headed “2026 Sancheoneo Experience Fee”, and it says the 2027 content is being prepared, so use these as the likely range.

The fishing ticket is ₩15,000 for anyone in middle school or older and includes a ₩5,000 farm-product coupon, and each ticket allows up to 3 fish. “Eligible Beneficiaries” pay ₩10,000; the list includes foreigners with a foreign passport (bring the passport), over-65s, multi-child families and elementary students. Children below elementary school age are free. Bare-hand catching is for ages 14 and over. A separate ice fishing area for foreigners and FIT tour guests, below Chuleung Bridge, holds 1,300 people at a time and has a rest area, a grill zone and a Muslim prayer room; see the Muslim travel guide for more.

Other 2026 prices: ice sled ₩5,000 to ₩10,000 for 60 minutes, the Haneulgareugi tower ride ₩12,000, sleigh, bobsleigh and skating ₩5,000 each, and the indoor ice sculpture plaza ₩5,000. Grilling or filleting a fish you caught costs ₩3,000 per fish, and the festival sells no fish except those caught by participants. Carry cash and a card, and try hotteok from the street food stands.

5. What to Wear to the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival

Dress for a frozen river, not for Seoul. KMA’s 1991-2020 normal for Hwacheon in January is a mean of −5.5 °C, an average high of 1.9 °C and an average low of −11.3 °C, compared with −1.9 °C in Seoul. The wind off the water is the real problem: the organiser’s tips say Hwacheon’s river freezes before any other in Korea and tell visitors to wear winter clothes and winter boots to avoid frostbite, and to bring insulated boots, gloves and hand warmers.

• Base layer: thermal underwear top and bottom.
• Middle layer: a fleece or thick sweater.
• Outer layer: a windproof, waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers, because sledding and kneeling on the ice get you wet.
• Feet and hands: insulated waterproof boots with grip, thick socks, and gloves that still let you handle fishing line.
• Extras: hat, neck warmer, hand warmers and spare socks. The Korea packing list has a full winter kit, and a jjimjilbang back in Seoul warms you up.

6. Ice Fishing Tips

• Arrive early on weekends. Unreserved fishing is first come, first served, and weekend booking can close before noon.
• Use artificial lures only. Live bait is not allowed, and only lures certified as eco-friendly are permitted (lead tackle is banned).
• Travel light into the fishing area. Food, coolers, large boxes, tents, windbreaks and stoves are not allowed. Bring a chair and a short rod (or rent one); an ice chisel is available on site and the booth supplies a bag for your fish.
• Keep your hands usable. Thin gloves help when tying line; hand warmers go in a pocket.
• Know the catch limit. Each ticket allows up to 3 fish. Take them to the grill or sashimi center (₩3,000 per fish on the 2026 page); tours often include one grilled fish.
• Try night fishing. The 2026 night session ran 19:00 to 21:00 (tickets 18:30 to 20:00) for up to 2,000 people.
• Bare-hand fishing is brief. It lasts 3 minutes, needs a uniform, and is not allowed for pregnant women, the elderly or people with chronic or contagious illness; there is a footbath afterwards.

7. Where to Stay in Hwacheon

Sleeping in town pays off. Under the organiser’s 2026 rule, guests of a Hwacheon County accommodation get fishing tickets from their receipt: up to 2 for a bill under ₩100,000, up to 4 for ₩100,000 to ₩150,000 and up to 6 above ₩150,000. Weekdays offer daytime or night fishing; weekends are night fishing only. Bring a receipt or lodging confirmation, because an SMS screenshot is not accepted and only accommodations registered in the county count.

Two Agoda options in Hwacheon-eup: Hwacheon Number 25 Hwacheon Terminal Branch and Hwacheon B&B Pension. Ratings are from Agoda as of October 2026. For a Seoul base before or after, see where to stay in Seoul.

Stay in Hwacheon · Hwacheon-eup · via Agoda

Hwacheon Number 25 Hwacheon Terminal Branch

⭐ 8.5/10 from 56 Agoda reviews · Hwacheon-eup, the festival town · parking available (as of Oct 2026)

Check today’s rate on Agoda →

Stay in Hwacheon · Hwacheon-eup · via Agoda

Hwacheon B&B Pension

⭐ 9.1/10 from 23 Agoda reviews · Hwacheon-eup · kitchen and BBQ facilities (as of Oct 2026)

Check today’s rate on Agoda →

Mistakes to Avoid

• Quoting 2026 prices as 2027 prices; the official fee pages are still the 2026 versions.
• Dressing for Seoul. Hwacheon averages −5.5 °C in January, and the wind off the ice is worse.
• Arriving late on a weekend. Unreserved fishing slots can close before noon.
• Forgetting your passport, which foreign visitors need for the lower ₩10,000 fishing fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Want More Winter Trips from Seoul?

Compare ski days in the ski trip guide, build a longer plan with the 7-day Korea itinerary, and save the emergency numbers from Korea emergency numbers before heading into the mountains.

Related Guides

• Korea Travel Toolkit: what to book before you fly
• Ski Trip from Seoul – resorts and ski bus prices
• Best Time to Visit Korea – winter weather and crowds
• Korea Packing List – winter layers
• Where to Stay in Seoul – areas and hotels
• Nami Island and Petite France – the Gangwon corridor
• Korea Itinerary 7 Days – where a winter day trip fits
• Jjimjilbang etiquette – warming up
• Korea Muslim Travel Guide – prayer rooms and halal food
• Korea convenience store guide – hot drinks and snacks
• Hotteok in Seoul – winter street food
• Seoul Subway Guide – the ride to the terminal
• T-money vs Climate Card – transit cards
• Naver Map in English – routes and bus stops
• Korea emergency numbers – 119 and 1330
• Korea in January 2027: Weather by City, Seollal Dates and Winter Events
• Korea in December: Weather, Festivals and Ski Season

Information as of 16 October 2026. Fee, hours and shuttle pages are the 2026 versions until the organiser posts 2027 details; confirm on the official site or the product page before you go.