Do you want to have a great day traveling with your dog? Then, check out this dog-friendly itinerary in Chuncheon where many businesses make pet families a priority.
Leave the house around 7am
When you are headed for a trip of over 2+ hours of travel time on a weekend or holiday, you need to be in the car and on the road by 7am. This is especially true if you are headed south or east from Pyeongtaek. You also want to avoid any stops over 15 – 30 minutes once you are on the road. You are riding the good traffic wave and you need to stay ahead of the coming traffic jam. Also, you will likely arrive around 11:00 if you stick to only one 15-30 minute puppy walk break.
Stop for Morning Snack and a Walk
We often stop for morning snacks at a rest stop about 1 hour after we hit the road. We don’t sit down to eat. Therefore, we grab treats from the snack stands outside so that we don’t lose too much time.
Parking Garages in Downtown Chuncheon
Since it’s not summer and the day wasn’t too hot, we let Kiki sleep in the car while we went to lunch. The poor thing is used to long daily naps and she is already exhausted by our morning adventures. Therefore, we choose to go with the basement parking listed as Public Parking Chuncheon which is for the outdoor mall in the area. This gave Kiki a cool spot to rest, in the summer leaving your dog in the car is not an option in Korea. Please stay diligent to temperatures.
Public Parking Chuncheon
Hangul Address
강원도 춘천시 죽림동 6-26
Public Market Parking Chuncheon
Hangul Address
강원 춘천시 약사고개길 8-1
Dalkgalbi street
Just outside of the parking garage was Chuncheons famous Dalkgalbi Street. There were many famous restaurants serving the areas most famous dishes ready to fill up your bellies.
Sutbul Dalkgalbi for Lunch
Since we arrived in Chuncheon hungry and randomly found parking near Chuncheon Dalkgalbi Street. We decided to start with grilled dalkgalbi and what a brilliant choice it was. The restaurant has been open for 53 years and they are still going strong. In addition, the cheese fondue was fantastic. We had three kinds of fabulous grilled dalkgalbi.
Chuncheonbongasutbul Dalkgalbi
Floor and table seating.
Hangul Address
강원 춘천시 금강로62번길 13
Cafe Visit at Adobera Rocher
After we finished dalkgalbi, we needed to grab coffee and dessert. So, we headed to the obvious choice Adobera Cafe And Baking Cafe. They have some of the best tarts and mousse in Korea. We feel confident in the statement based on the number of cafes we have visited across the country.
Adobera Cafe And Baking Cafe
050713311069
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Located in a third floor walk up, this cafe is dream. Possibly some of the most refined and technically impressive French style baked goods we have had in Korea. Specifically their gorgeous mousse desserts taste even better than they look. Very easy to miss if you aren’t careful.
Hangul Address
강원 춘천시 낙원길 48
Mall and Market Walk with Kiki
After eating too much, we need to walk it off. We also wanted to get to know Chuncheon city a bit better so we decided to take a slow wander around the area. It turned out to be a wonderful mix of old and new with lots of international restaurants, movie theater, shopping, and traditional areas.
Since Kiki had taken a nice little nap, it was time to take her out to explore some more as well. We wandered around the mall, market, and neighborhoods in the area. Also, Kiki was a happy little camper and everyone was lovely about her being out with us.
Neighborhood and Riverwalk
When we are out and about, we take the time to sit with the art we find along the way. Outsider art, naive art, folk art, and arts & crafts work have always been a passion in our lives. These types of art reflect lived lives and help us build connections and insight into our community. In addition, art helps connect to a sense of place.
The fact that our favorite kind of art is everywhere around us certainly contributes to why we love our daily lives and we prioritize art-themed walks on every trip.
A Stop for Organic Ice Cream
After wandering around downtown Chuncheon for a bit, we changed neighborhoods and started a tour with a cool treat for the sunny fall day. These organic ice cream cones were the perfect choice to cool us down. We went in first to see if it was ok for Kiki to join us inside, they said it was fine if we sat with her on the roof but there was no seating. After they met Kiki, they said it would be fine if we held her in our laps at a table inside.
Check-in at the Dog Pension
Since there are three of us and Kiki is along for the ride, we choose a room with two levels so that we all have some privacy. Two of us slept upstairs in the bed and one person slept downstairs on the floor bed. If you are not comfortable sleeping on the floor, simply bring an inflatable mattress or camping mattress. For the extra folks.
There was an additional 10,000 for the dog and 10,000 won for the additional person. This is quite common across Korea. You will pay the extra fees upon arrival, often in cash or bank transfer if they are family-run pensions.
We choose to stay at pensions that specifically focus on dog families because we want Kiki to be comfortable and with people who like her rather than just put up with having her there.
Riverwalk Dog Pension
033-262-9601
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
A quirky riverside dog pension. The area is nice because you can easily walk your dog around the area on the bike paths. The pension can add on pork BBQ dinner as well so that you and your dog can hangout together. This is an older pension. Family run and not fancy.
Hangul Address
강원 춘천시 남산면 북한강변길 840
Chuncheon Dinner Options with Your Dog
Once dinner rolled around we had a variety of options in order to include Kiki in our lives and still enjoy a delicious dinner.
- Eat BBQ at your pension. The pension owner would have provided everything.
- Cook in the kitchenette. A great joice for vegans or those with limited diets.
- Go to a dog friendly restaurant such as Bob and Dog.
- Get takeout and eat at home or outside a mart.
We chose to drive across town for takeout because one of our group had been wanting to try deep-fried jokbal (pigs feet). We called in the order, picked it up, then drove back to our area and outside a CU where we grabbed drinks and jelly snacks to go with it.
Bob And Dog
010-2652-4382
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A dog friendly restaurant where you can enjoy a delicious meal while your dog plays.
Hangul Address
경기 가평군 상면 수목원로 209
After Dinner Riverwalk by the river
Our days in Chuncheon days always end with an evening walk. Usually along a river, lake, or beach. Therefore, tonight we took our little chicken-pig for a walk by the river. We love walking on the river stones and the sound of water trickling past.
Hangout at the pension
After our walk by the river, we headed back to the Riverwalk Dog Pension to watch a movie and get much-needed sleep.
Help Planning Dog-Friendly Trips to Gangwondo
If you love this dog-friendly itinerary in Chuncheon, you can plan your own. We have found PlusPlanner to be an amazing resource for planning our trip with Kiki.
They have close relationships with cities and services across Gangwondo so they can make sure that you have service providers like hotels, taxis, and canoes that let you and your dog spend all day together. You will need to make sure that your dog is very well behaved and let them know the size of your dog.
If you need help planning your dog-friendly itinerary in Chuncheon or elsewhere, PlusPlanner will be a great resource.
PlusPlanner
010 4259 2890
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
A Korean travel planning company with connections to travel across the country. The best way to coordinate groups trips to unique destinations. They can coordinate buses, places to stay, dinner reservations, and experiences. English Speaking Contact: Annie Choi
How to Source Additional Information About These Locations
If you are looking to enjoy this dog-friendly itinerary in Chuncheon, you can always contact 1330 to help answer questions. Whenever you have questions about things like business hours, you can use the free foreigner support app/phone number 1330.
In addition, this is really helpful especially around holidays to make sure if a business will be open when you want to visit. With this app, you can prevent a wasted trip to a location when they are enjoying their regular day off or a holiday.
Join the Pyeongtaek Travelers Group
You are also welcome to join our Pyeongtaek Travelers. The South of Seoul moderated community of active and friendly travelers (most who live in Pyeongtaek, South Korea) sharing their adventure across the country.
Volunteer with South of Seoul
Interested in working with a fun team of talented volunteers? The South of Seoul volunteer team is always looking for other like-minded folks to research information, compile blogs, and edit content.
Lanae Rivers-Woods moved to Korea in 2011 where she lives in the countryside with her family, friends, and puppies. She holds a BSSW (Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work), a MAIT (Master’s of Arts in International Teaching), and registered by the Pyeongtaek Korean Times with the Korean government as a Cultural Expert.
Ms. Rivers-Woods used her 15 years experience as a social architect, UX/UI designer, and technology consultant to found South of Seoul in 2015. South of Seoul is a volunteer organization that leverages technological tools to mitigate cultural dissonance in multi-cultural communities.
Through South of Seoul, Ms. Rivers-Woods works with independent volunteers, non-profit organizations, businesses, local & federal government, universities, and US military organizations to develop solutions to support English speaking international residents in rural South Korea.
Additionally, Ms. Rivers-Woods founded the South of Seoul smart phone app available for Google Play and iPhone. The app provides information a resources for those living and traveling in South Korea.
When she isn’t in South of Seoul development meetings or working her day job, Ms. Rivers-Woods loves to be outside at skate parks, the beach, or playing in the mountains.
