Dog-friendly Chuncheon campsite for beginners: Urban Slow City deck S1

I'm a total camping beginner who bravely decided to try what everyone else was already doing, haha. People kept saying camping was so healing, so without knowing much of anything I just grabbed a tent and went! This time I picked Urban Slow City, a campground in Chuncheon famous for its gorgeous Bukhan River views. I was worried sick as a total camping newbie, but it turned out way more fun than expected — here's my honest review!

Can a camping beginner really show up at Urban Slow City with just a one-touch tent?

Totally fine. I went light to Urban Slow City in Chuncheon with nothing but a one-touch tent I already had at home, plus a camping table and chairs, and rented one of the deck sites to set up. You'd think proper camping needs a mountain of gear, but as a beginner I just went for it, minimal style!

Urban Slow City really felt spacious and pleasant. Let's start with the facilities!

From other blog reviews and info I looked up beforehand, Urban Slow City is also popular with glampers, and it has cozy caravan facilities too — so even without a tent you could come empty-handed and enjoy it comfortably.

What are the playground, showers and store like at Urban Slow City?

Inside Urban Slow City there's a big kids' playground and a trampoline where children can run around, which gave the whole place a lively, welcoming vibe.

The shower facilities were so, so clean! And the hot water actually works well, haha.

I could really tell the kids' spaces and toys were thought through carefully!

I'd worried a lot since there's no mart or convenience store nearby, but the on-site store had pretty much everything!

Bukhan River views and water sports at Urban Slow City

The biggest draw of Urban Slow City is the Bukhan River view. After pitching the tent and catching my breath, the view in front of me made me gasp for real. The riverview with the cool Bukhan River flowing right there was just insane.

The moment I saw the view, I thought 'ah, this is why people go camping.' So good. Apparently Urban Slow City is also known as a campground for exciting water sports once it gets hot. Peak summer had already passed so no one was swimming, but the activity facilities were so well set up that I promised myself I'd come back next summer with friends or family for water play!

Deck site S1: good for car camping, but with a catch

The deck I booked at Urban Slow City is S1. I picked it because you can park your car right beside it, and being in a corner it felt private. The catch: the restroom and store are far away! T_T

We set up in a low-key way, pitching our own one-touch tent to get that car-camping feel too. There was plenty of room on the site, and once we just plopped the tent onto the deck, even beginners like us were done setting up fast!

Grilling beef with a river view: camping mukbang

The best part of camping has to be the food, right, haha. We went in not knowing much, but we were dead serious about food — we brought beef! Fresh green onion kimchi and fried tofu rice balls too, our bags were bursting.

Grilling beef on a griddle while looking out at that cool river view... I had nothing left to envy in the world.

This little fire pit I actually bought secondhand years ago and it had been sitting in a corner ever since, finally got some use, haha. I wondered if meat could even cook properly on something that's not a real BBQ grill, but it came out delicious, haha!

Dog-friendly Urban Slow City, plus a side trip to the nearby dog forest

Urban Slow City being dog-friendly is the best part. There's a huge dog walking trail near Chuncheon called Dog Forest (강아지숲), and since it was still too hot during the day, we went to escape the sun partway through!!! It's only a 30-minute drive!

Our course for the day was: Dog Forest → Urban Slow City → Dog Forest → Urban Slow City, haha.

After the second trip to Dog Forest we were starving, so we started grilling chadolbagi (thinly sliced beef brisket)! Can you tell it's gotten a bit dark, haha. The lights came on too, pure romance right there.

Ramen from the store... an unwritten camping rule. If you don't eat ramen while camping, are you even camping.

A quiet, well-mannered campground at night, and sleeping in the car

Urban Slow City is a well-mannered campground, so if you want a quiet, contemplative kind of camping, you have to come here, haha. It really is quiet and cozy, everything you'd want! Once the sun set and a cool breeze picked up, I didn't quite get my dream fire-gazing session, but I did enjoy some river-gazing instead. Once night fell over the campground, the twinkling string lights turned on and the whole mood got so romantic!

Isn't Coco just so cute, haha. Around 9 pm it started getting dark, so we folded down the trunk to sleep and started tidying up, haha. Coco looked a bit confused about it all.

I slept like an absolute log, haha.

A beginner's final verdict on Urban Slow City

As beginners, what we worried about most at Urban Slow City was amenities like restrooms and stores, but the unmanned store operated 24 hours and was still managed incredibly well. Butane gas, wet wipes, snacks, ice — everything you might urgently need was all stocked, which completely erased a beginner camper's anxiety. The shower and restroom buildings were also spotlessly clean, so there was zero discomfort the whole time we used them.

If you're a view lover who craves wide-open scenery, someone who likes a lively, cheerful atmosphere, or a beginner like us with barely any gear who just wants to get the camping vibe going with a one-touch tent and car camping — go to Urban Slow City, no question, haha. I did it, so you can too!

Fantastic Bukhan River views, summer water sports, and even convenient glamping and caravan infrastructure — this place has it all! I went in half-worried, half-excited as a clueless beginner, but eating well and resting deeply in beautiful nature made me understand, body and soul, why people get so hooked on camping. If you're looking for a solid campground around Chuncheon, definitely visit Urban Slow City! You won't regret it. And if you're bringing a dog, make sure to stop by Dog Forest too!