Thematic Travel

Coffee Beyond Time and Space

Gangneung is a city of coffee. How did Gangneung earn the title of a coffee city when it isn't even a coffee-producing region? The answer lies in its stunning natural surroundings—mountains, sea, and lakes blending harmoniously—and the pristine water flowing down from Daegwallyeong Pass. Coffee masters who settled in Gangneung have also elevated the local coffee culture to new heights. Let's embark on a coffee tour in Gangneung, where you can encounter the past, present, and future of coffee.

To truly experience Gangneung as a coffee city, head to Gangneung Coffee Street. Cafés line up along Anmokhaebyeon Beach, each with its unique taste and character—from bakery cafés to roastery cafés. Here, you can savor diverse coffee flavors and various desserts.

Grab a cup of coffee to go and enjoy it by the seaside, where ocean breezes mingle with rich coffee aromas. Coffee Street also offers plenty to see—coffee-themed sculptures set against the ocean backdrop are popular photo spots.

Among the many cafés, there's even a vending machine that serves special coffee. The history of Gangneung as a coffee city traces back to these coffee vending machines at Anmokhaebyeon Beach. In the 1980s, when the beach had no cafés at all, coffee vending machines started appearing. As word spread about the unexpectedly delicious vending machine coffee, people flocked to the beach. The taste was good, but the healing and comfort of the sea made the coffee taste even better. As visitors kept coming, cafés began to open one by one, creating what is now Coffee Street.

Even today, when freshly brewed espresso and hand-drip coffee are the norm, some still seek out vending machine coffee. For just KRW 500, you can travel back 30 to 40 years and taste nostalgia. There's a unique charm in sipping sweet vending machine coffee while gazing out at the sea.

From the early 2000s, coffee masters started settling in Gangneung to open specialty coffee shops. Park Yi-chu, a pioneer of hand-drip coffee, opened Café Bohemian by the seaside. People traveled to Gangneung to taste the brew of this renowned "master" of Japanese-style hand-drip, and many aspiring baristas came to learn from him, producing numerous baristas. Around the same time, Terarosa opened, combining a roasting factory with coffee culture.

Around the same time, Coffee Cupper opened as the first specialty coffee shop on Anmokhaebyeon Beach and drew attention by establishing Korea's first coffee farm and a coffee museum where visitors can see coffee history at a glance.
Coffee masters, the baristas they trained, beautiful nature, and pristine water together have made Gangneung a city of coffee.

The Coffee Cupper Museum near Coffee Street in Gangmun showcases 500 years of coffee history. There's no separate admission fee—you can explore the museum when you order a beverage.
On the second floor, you'll find coffee roasting equipment and extraction tools from around the world. Five hundred years of coffee history unfolds panoramically—from the first espresso machines and moka pots to coffee cups once used by European aristocrats.
The third floor houses a coffee library, where you can feel as though you've traveled back in time to enjoy coffee. Traditional Korean antiques are also on display.

In the first-floor café, you can experience making coffee yourself. Japanese-style hand-drip coffee produces different flavors even with the same beans, depending on roasting level, grind size, water temperature, extraction time, and the brewer's touch. Choose your beans, brew your own coffee, and enjoy the clean taste created by paper filters that remove coffee oils.

Another highlight is the 500-year-old Ottoman coffee, officially called "Turkish coffee"—the oldest extraction method in coffee history. At the Coffee Cupper Museum, it is brewed in a long-handled cezve over hot sand, a traditional method. Turkish coffee was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013, showcasing its history and tradition. It's characterized by a smooth and rich taste. After drinking, you can even enjoy the fun of fortune-telling by reading the coffee grounds left in the cup.

In Gangneung, the city of coffee, you can taste various coffees—from brews cherished by coffee lovers centuries ago to vending machine coffee, hand-drip coffee, and espresso. Experience coffee aromas and flavors that remain unchanged across time and space, beyond Gangneung, transcending 500 years of history.
- Coffee Cupper Museum
- Admission : Free (with one beverage order per person)
- Hours : 9:00–18:00
- Experience Fees : Ottoman (Turkish) Coffee KRW 15,000 / Hand-drip KRW 15,000
- 17th Gangneung Coffee Festival
- Date : 2025. 10. 30. ~ 11. 2.
- Location : Gangneung Coffee Street(Anmok Beach) and throughout Gangneung City