Chuncheon family campground with a 24-hour store: Urban Slow City

My friend's couple plus their kid and my group made seven of us total, and we all went to Urban Slow City in Chuncheon haha. To cut to the chase, this place is easily in my top 3 for facilities..

I've written down everything you'd want to know below — prices, the river view, water sports, and the 24-hour store!!

Where is Urban Slow City, and when can you check in?

Urban Slow City is at 108 Gaonggae-gil, Nam-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, and it's fairly close to Seorak IC, though you do have to drive quite far into the mountain valley. Even though it's technically Chuncheon, it's actually closer to Gapyeong, so it's only 1–2 hours from the greater Seoul area lol. Check-in is from 1 PM, and they said early check-in from 9 AM is possible if there's no group before you.

Booking Urban Slow City through Naver Reservation

Here, you book through Naver Reservation and the booking is confirmed once you pay the deposit. We booked the family deck site and checked the site map beforehand to confirm the location. On the booking page, it said the family site is based on 6 people but can accommodate up to 8. The site map also showed all the zones marked out — the water sports area, auto-camp, and glamping zone haha.

Camping goods worth browsing inside the store

On the shelves inside, blankets and cushions were stacked up in plastic packaging, ready to buy. Charcoal was also packaged in 1kg units so you can grab some right away if needed haha. There were also several stacks of foil grill plates on the shelf, which looked handy for charcoal grilling.

What's inside the 24-hour self-serve store?

Urban Slow City's store runs 24 hours, so you can go grab what you need even at night haha. They sell charcoal and grill plates, and the drink fridges were packed full of every kind of beverage. Coke, Sprite, and Powerade were all lined up in both cans and bottles.

From instant ramyeon to canned food, almost everything is there

They had both ramyeon (instant noodles) and cup noodles, plus canned tuna and Spam-type canned goods. There were even disposable bowls and disposable gloves, so if you forgot anything, you could get it covered here haha. There were also plenty of bagged ramyeon and cup noodle varieties stacked up, plus cooking oil and wet wipes.

Snacks and ice cream, by the boxful

They had snacks like Cheetos and Doritos, and a separate ice cream freezer. It was reassuring for us as parents to easily grab snacks for the kid. Right next to it were coffee mix pouches and canned iced black coffee in various types, which made it convenient for the adults to get their coffee fix too haha.

Paying by scanning the barcodes yourself

For store items, you scan the barcode at the kiosk and check out yourself. There's a notice saying outside food isn't allowed, so it's good to know that in advance.

Shared facilities: microwave, hot water and wash sinks

This is where all the shared amenities are gathered — there's a communal microwave, which was handy for heating up instant food. A sign said hot water runs from 7 AM to 10 PM. From 10 PM it's quiet hours, and there was a notice asking guests to keep music and noise down haha.

The recycling station and shared fridge are spotless too

The trash bins and recycling station were well organized by category. There was also a separate shared fridge, which was convenient for storing food haha. A sign said the recycling area even has CCTV running, which gave the impression it's well managed.

The sink area was a wide L-shape, so even with several people washing dishes at once, it never felt crowded. Dish soap was also provided, so you didn't need to bring your own, which was convenient.

Does the shower room provide shampoo and toiletries?

Urban Slow City's shower stalls all had refillable shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. The sink area had a wooden interior that felt like a hotel haha. There was even a hair dryer set in a basket in the shower room — the amenities were so clean I was genuinely surprised.

The women's shower room is divided into individual stalls, and there's a separate spot to put your bag away from the water. You really can go with just your body, nothing else needed haha. There was a 3-outlet dispenser mounted on the wall, which was convenient to use.

Site types at Urban Slow City: wood deck, caravan and glamping zone

What the wood deck sites are like

A wide wood deck was laid over a gravel bed — perfect for pitching a tent. There were even string lights hung overhead, which made for a pretty atmosphere at night haha.

Caravan sites sit right by the river

There are also caravan sites along the riverside, so you can stay in a caravan instead of a tent. There was even a table set up under a canopy, which looked like a nice spot to relax haha.

A river view with water sports on the water

On the river there's a separate water sports facility called Urban River City. With a water slide and tube rides, it looked like the perfect spot for water play in summer haha. The arched-roof building was decorated with string lights too, so the night view was pretty.

Mountains in autumn colour all around the campground

The campground is surrounded by mountains, so the scenery with the leaves starting to turn was beautiful. The drive deep into the valley was tough, but seeing this view made it all worth it haha.

Is Urban Slow City good with kids? Playground and trampoline

There was a playground on the grass with a slide and swings. There was also a separate trampoline facility, making this a really great spot to bring kids haha. It had a tunnel-shaped roof and netting all around, so it looked safe.

Watching the kid on the swings while the adults relaxed in front of the tent was just perfect.

Water sports package prices are posted on site

A price list for the water sports packages was posted on the store's window, so you could check it in advance. The packages were divided up by ride type, and there was also an all-day unlimited pass. If you want to learn water skiing or wakeboarding, there's a separate beginner package too. There was even an all-in-one package that includes lessons, so there were plenty of options haha.

A day for seven: board games, charcoal grilling and staring at the fire

Starting with board games under the tarp

During the day, we sat under the tarp and played board games together haha. With six adults and one kid, all seven of us, it was nice to spend time so leisurely. We set drink cans and snack bags on the table and just enjoyed it at our own pace.

When we started getting a bit hungry, we all set up the grill plate together. We grilled lamb ribs, salted pollock roe, and snow mushrooms of every kind haha. The mushrooms and scallops were grilled with garlic sauce on top, and it was so filling.

Scallops grilled straight over the charcoal

We grilled scallops directly over the charcoal, and the moment the embers flared up, the mood just came alive haha. Listening to the shellfish sizzle as it cooked, it really felt like camping.. We topped the scallops with tomato sauce and cheese, and grilled the mushrooms until golden, then took some close-up shots — the visuals alone looked delicious haha.

Around 6 p.m., the sun starts to drop

At night they turn on lights all around the site, and combined with the river view, the atmosphere was amazing haha. You could even walk to the bathroom without a flashlight, which was convenient. At the 10 PM quiet hour, all the lights go out.

Closing out the night by the fire

After dinner, we put logs in the fire pit and all sat around watching the fire together haha. Sitting there listening to the bugs at night, it felt like all my worries in the world.. just disappeared.. Watching the logs burn and the embers pop in the fire pit, I lost track of time. Leaning back in the chairs and chatting, it was also a great time to look at the stars haha.

A late-night pot of crab ramyeon

At night, we made crab ramyeon for a late-night snack, adding snow crab into the noodles haha. The broth looked rich just from the color, and it got everyone excited — everyone finished a whole bowl haha. We put a whole snow crab and a bundle of ramyeon noodles into a big pot, so it looked hearty just from the visuals.

What we actually paid at Urban Slow City in September

This time we booked the family gravel site in September, and with the base fee of ₩90,000 plus extra person and extra car fees, the total came to about ₩110,000.

Of all the campgrounds I've been to, this one is easily in my top 3 for facilities haha. If you're coming with kids, I'd recommend it even more!! There wasn't really anything I felt was lacking, and it's a campground I'd love to come back to again haha.