Getting Around Donghae
Donghae sits on South Korea's central east coast, with Jeongseon County to the west and Gangneung to the north. The city is mostly mountainous, and its two major harbours — Donghae Harbor and Mukho Harbor — anchor the downtown area. For a visitor, the practical reality is simple: buses do most of the work, the rail line is a minor player, and walking covers the centre.
Buses: Your Main Way Around
Buses are the most convenient form of public transport in Donghae for most people, and for tourists in particular they beat the train. Rail service here is infrequent and doesn't reach many of the places visitors actually want to see, so plan on using buses for local sightseeing.
- Local city buses are a good way to get around Donghae City.
- Watch the clock: the number of buses running after 18:00 drops off, so plan evening trips accordingly.
- Fares: the base fare is ₩3,800, with a 20% night surcharge between 00:00 and 04:00.
- Mureung Valley is reachable by any city bus numbered 12-something (for example, 12-4), with a fare of ₩1,000.
The Intercity Bus Terminal
If you're arriving overland, this is likely where you'll land. The terminal sits about a 20-minute walk north of the downtown area, or roughly a 5-minute cab ride away.
- Frequent buses run to the Express Bus Terminal in Seoul, a journey of a little over 3 hours.
- Less frequent services go to Dong Seoul (East Seoul).
- Buses leave every 10 minutes for Gangneung, taking 35–40 minutes.
- There are connections to most other cities in Gangwon Province.
- Three overnight buses serve Busan.
Rail: The Yeongdong Line
The Yeongdong Line railroad passes through the city, stopping at Donghae Station south of downtown and Mukho Station north of downtown. Trains are few and don't serve many tourist-appealing destinations, which is why the bus is the more convenient choice for most visitors. Treat rail as a scenic option or a fallback rather than your primary way of getting around. There is no metro or tram network in Donghae — buses and taxis are the local options.
Taxis
Taxis fill the gaps the bus network leaves, particularly in the evening when bus service thins out. They're also the easy answer for short hops that aren't worth waiting for a bus — the intercity bus terminal to downtown, for instance, is about a 5-minute cab ride. Compared with the bus, taxis are more comfortable and less time-consuming.
Walking
The downtown area is compact enough that the intercity bus terminal is only a 20-minute walk from it, and the two main rail stations sit on either side of the centre — Donghae Station to the south, Mukho Station to the north. If you're basing yourself downtown, you can cover a good deal on foot, though the city's mountainous terrain means you should expect some hills.
Arriving by Air
Incheon International Airport is the best option for reaching Donghae by air, offering the fastest bus connection at about 4 hours. Yangyang and Wonju airports are geographically closer, but they have few flights and poor onward bus connections, so they're rarely the practical choice.
Arriving by Road or Sea
Driving is a viable alternative, especially for groups. Highway 65 ends in Donghae and connects to Gangneung to the north; from Seoul, take highway 50 to Gangneung and then the 65, which takes about 3 hours with little traffic. Tolls from Seoul to Donghae run ₩11,400 one way, making driving cheaper than the bus for groups of three or more. The Donghae Expressway terminates at the southern end of the city, and National Route 7 passes through as well.
By sea, Mukho Port — a 5-minute drive north of downtown — handles ferries to Ulleungdo at ₩51,000 each way, with regular year-round service usually once or twice daily in each direction and more frequent sailings in summer. International ferries also depart from Mukho Port, with the DBS Cruise Ferry connecting Donghae to Vladivostok in Russia and Sakai Minato in Japan.
Practical Tips
- Build your day around the bus schedule and finish sightseeing before early evening, when service drops off.
- Keep small change or a transit card handy for the ₩3,800 base fare, and remember the late-night surcharge if you're out between midnight and 4 a.m.
- For Mureung Valley, look for a 12-series bus and budget ₩1,000.
- Use taxis for evening returns and short connections rather than waiting on a sparse bus.
- If you're arriving from Seoul, the intercity bus terminal is your most likely entry point — and it's walkable to downtown if you'd rather not take a cab.