With the global winter sports competition coming up during most of February 2018, it is the perfect time to learn more about the host city of PyeongChang, South Korea. Located east of Seoul, in the Taebek Mountains, this resort city is popular during ski season (December through February) and summer tourist season (June through September).
While the games are being billed as being in PyeongChang, in reality they are hosted in the region of the Gangwon Province, with multiple cities hosting events related to this global competition. When traveling to PyeongChang, the two most popular airports to use are both in Seoul – Seoul Gimpo International Airport (RKSS) and Seoul Incheon International Airport (RKSI). When landing in Seoul and during your time on the ground in PyeongChang and the surrounding region, scheduled chauffeured private transportation for crews and passengers is available through Universal Private Transport (rate sheet). When you are ready to make arrangements for your departing flight, in-flight dining options are available on private aviation flights departing Gimpo and Incheon.
If you will be on the ground in PyeongChang with enough spare time to explore, you will find religious temples, beautiful landscapes and a rich ranching culture. From December through February, the ground covered in snow makes the perfect setting for winter sports, with snow parks and mountains in the area. To learn more about the local culture, Woljeongsa Temple and Sangwonsa Temple are popular sacred sites to visit, with intricate and colorful traditional Korean architecture on full display. PyeongChang has two popular sheep ranches that allow visitors, Daegwanryeong Samyang Ranch and Daegwanryeong Yangtte Ranch, where you can feed the animals and tour the facilities. As with any large event, be sure to check for closures and special hours to ensure any business you are planning to go to is open.
There is also an authentic traditional Korean market where you can visit and try local cuisine. South Korean food has become increasingly popular in recent years, so chances are you are already familiar with some of the most popular dishes and ingredients. Kimchi, a category of food composed of fermented vegetables, is probably the most widely known outside of Korea. Bibimbap is a complete course of protein, vegetables, mushrooms, soy sauce, fried egg and gochujang (a condiment made from chili peppers) is an essential local dish. Bulgogi is also popular around the world, which is a beef-centric dish cooked with soy sauce, garlic, sesame and onions, and served with ssamjang (a spicy dipping sauce). Other favorite dishes include japchae (a beef stir-fly dish with noodles), seolleongtang (soup with ox bones and meat) and sundubu-jjigae (stew with tofu, animal protein, mushrooms, vegetables and gochujang).
Questions?
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