Sokcho is the gateway city to Seoraksan — a small coastal city on the East Sea with a pleasant lagoon, seafood market, and a beach resort area. Most visitors to the park stay in Sokcho and take the local bus to the park entrance. The city itself is worth a half-day's exploration, particularly the old port area and the covered fish market where the morning's catch from the Sea of Japan is laid out.
Sokcho's most distinctive feature is Cheongcho Lagoon, a tidal lake between the beach and the sea, with a pleasant walking and cycling path around its shore. The Abai Village neighbourhood across the lagoon is a historic community of refugees from North Korea who settled here after the 1950–53 war; a hand-pulled ferry (the "abai ferry") crosses the narrow channel to the village, which has become a kind of living heritage site. Gajoe street in the village is known for a specialty squid and rice dish (ojingeo sundae) distinctive to this region.