[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Ganghwa Smelt Festival

The Ganghwa Smelt Festival runs through Feb. 13 at the Sinsun outdoor fishing site in Incheon.

Hoping to provide a memorable winter experience, the festival features various programs, including smelt fishing, ice sledding, electric scooter for children and more.

Though it was originally planned to end on Feb. 15, the festival moved up its schedule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and spread of omicron variant.

Admission costs 30,000 won for adults and 20,000 won for women and children over 14 years old.

All activities require masks to be worn and updates can be found at www.ssfestival.co.kr. 

Paju Chorigol Festival

The Paju Chorigol Festival is running through Feb. 20 at Paju sledding rink in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

The festival offers many winter activities, including sledding, ice sledding, snowmobile rafting and photo zone with snow sculptures.

The sledding rink is also filled with street food trucks and a trail decorated with lights to create a fun winter atmosphere.

The admission is 9,000 won and 7,000 won for the adults and the children, respectively. Snowmobile rafting costs 5,000 won per ride.

Yangju Snow Festival

The Yangju Snow Festival runs through Feb. 13 at Jangheung Recreational Forest in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province.

The festival features various programs, including sledding, a snow mountain, a sleigh train, an augmented reality snow experience zone, ice sculptures and more.

Admission is 12,000 won on weekdays and 15,000 won on weekends. There are additional fees for hands-on programs.

All activities require masks to be worn and visitors are not allowed to eat in the event areas.

Updates can be found at www.fes-artvalley.com. 

Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival

The Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival runs from Jan. 1 to Feb. 13 at the Alps Village in Cheongyang-gun, South Chungcheong Province.

The festival offers various activities, including sledding, bobsledding, ice fishing, a zip line course, horseback riding, bare-hands fishing and more.

Visitors who do not wish to participate in the hands-on experiences can also enjoy the ice fountain, ice artwork and ice cave.

The festival is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The admission fee is 7,000 won and participation fees vary for individual activities.

More information can be found at www.alpsvill.com. 

Paju Ice Fishing

The annual Paju Trout Festival runs through Feb. 13 at Gangtan Leisure Town in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, though the event has reduced its size to focus only on the ice fishing event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While various programs, including trout catching with bare hands, smelt fishing for children and more, are canceled, visitors can each catch a maximum of three fishes -- salmon or trout, or both -- through ice fishing.

The ice sledge park is also available for visitors to enjoy.

Admission costs 25,000 won for adults and 15,000 won for children.

All activities require masks to be worn and updates can be found at www.pjtf.co.kr.

By Lee Si-jin (sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)