Kiosk ordering and a 5F observatory at Gangneung Sand Main Branch

I visited Gangneung Sand Main Branch, the famous cookie-sand souvenir spot everyone talks about for Gangneung travel gifts!

Gangneung's cookie-sand souvenir, "Gangneung Sand"

Where is Gangneung Sand Main Branch, and is there parking?

Gangneung Sand Main Branch is at 17 Geumseong-ro 23beon-gil, Gangneung-si (Seongnam-dong), open daily 10:00–20:00 year-round. Parking is available too.

The building itself was so big and sleek that I first thought, "is this really it??" haha — but there was a "Gangneung Sand" sign right at the entrance, so I went in with confidence.

There's plenty of roomy parking right below the shop 🚗🚗

Off I went to the entrance!

Floor by floor: 1st-floor experience room to 5th-floor observatory

The actual Gangneung Sand shop (counter) is on the 2nd floor, but there was a floor guide inside the elevator! It was fun seeing how each floor had a different purpose.

• 5F Observatory entrance
• 4F Office
• 3F Lounge
• 2F Counter
• 1F Experience room

Such a varied layout floor to floor — pretty surprising.

Inside the Santorini-style Gangneung Sand shop

The moment the door opened on the 2nd floor, the vibe completely flipped 😍 Blue-and-white tones like Santorini in Greece, plus lemon and olive trees placed around — it genuinely felt like being on vacation 🍋🌿

There's plenty of seating too, so it's not just a souvenir stop — you can actually settle in and enjoy your coffee!

Inside, there was a whole wall displaying Gangneung Sand's award history — bronze in 2021, gold in 2022, silver in 2025 — they basically swept the Gangneung tourism souvenir competition 🏆✨✨

Gangneung Sand menu and the six flavors

Here's the Gangneung Sand Main Branch menu! There are beverages and special items separately, and you can pick and choose your Gangneung Sand flavors.

• BEVERAGE: Persimmon latte / Strawberry latte / Daegwallyeong chicken latte / Peach iced tea / Canned Americano HOT / Canned Americano ICE
• SPECIAL: Gangneung breakwater bread (7 pieces) ₩10,000 / Dried persimmon jam (150g) ₩10,000

Six flavors to pick to your taste! Coffee / dried persimmon / Chodang corn / black sesame / strawberry / sweet potato

For a Gangneung dessert snack, the flavor variety is genuinely huge — I agonized over the choice for a while.

You order through the kiosk! I picked strawberry and Chodang corn Gangneung Sand, two total.

Experience and event zones, courier shipping, and the review event

Gangneung Sand Main Branch also has an experience zone and an event zone, so there's a space where little kids can play! You can even ship gifts by courier, which is amazing!

Gangneung Sand is also running a review event! Leave a receipt review and they'll give you an Americano! Everyone should definitely take part.

Cherry blossom packaging: strawberry vs Chodang corn Gangneung Sand

Gangneung Sand's packaging box has a cherry blossom concept and it's just gorgeous — perfect for a Gangneung travel gift 🌸

Everything was arranged so neatly and prettily, I thought it'd make the best gift! I'd tried cookie-sand elsewhere before and the bread was a bit soggy, which I didn't love — but Gangneung Sand's was really crisp! And still not hard at all. The strawberry flavor was tangy-sweet, the Chodang corn was more savory, so eating both together gave two totally different charms!

How to tell the original Gangneung Sand by the cookie engraving

And here's a tip a staff member shared! Because there are so many copycat versions of this Gangneung souvenir snack, the original Gangneung Sand has "강릉샌드" engraved right into the cookie surface! I almost ate it without noticing, but when I took a photo, the lettering showed up clearly 👀

Is Gangneung Sand Main Branch worth it for a Gangneung travel gift?

Gangneung Sand, the go-to for Gangneung souvenir snacks! Pretty interior, tasty cookies, and a great pick for a Gangneung travel gift.

Above all, knowing they've swept the Gangneung tourism souvenir competition made me trust the purchase, and checking the cookie engraving carefully meant I could bring home the real Gangneung Sand without worrying about copycats!

Plus six flavors to choose from to your taste! It was fun exploring the Greek-style interior, and with experience zones and an observatory floor by floor, it felt less like a café and more like an actual tourist attraction. If you're deciding on a Gangneung dessert snack or travel gift, I highly recommend Gangneung Sand Main Branch! 🤫💗