Nami Island

Fanny

Nami Island, a little treasure right next to Seoul. Mostly known by the locals, this place is the perfect day trip for you and your friends! It must be the interesting ways to get to the Island, zipline, ferry or water sports or the fact that it actually is a micronation or even it half-moon shape that attracts so many Koreans and other tourists.

1. The Island

Situated in Chuncheon, the best way to get to Nami Island is by the ferry. You get to the ferry by city bus (almost any line 31) or there is also a tour bus that is 6,000 won and takes you to all the attractions near.

Once you pay the fee, you can keep the ticket and take the bus the number of times you want during its availability, although there are no seats guaranteed. So ferry is 8,000 won for the round trip and the entrance included or you can also be more extra and get to the line through zipline (38,000won –includes ferry for way back and entrance). On the island, there are paths to walk and look at the multiple diverse micro forests planted there. There are little trains, cart or bikes (for rental) you can take to discover the island. There are multiple statues and traditional houses of all kinds and you can also see multiple rare & exotic birds such as ostriches and peacock and less exciting, chicken.

2. La Petite France

You can take again, either the city bus or the tour bus, or even the taxi to get to La Petite France. The entrance fee is 10,000 won (can vary). What you can expect inside is: French-style themed park with museums, workshops, restaurants, cafés and guesthouses. It is pretty small so if you are short on money, I don’t recommend it because the visit can be a let down if you were expecting some grand French cuisine or bistro and more.

3. Garden of Morning Calm

This place is open year round and is frequented a lot. During the spring, they usually have a Spring Garden festival that is really pretty and attracts lot of attention. The basic goal of the garden was to spread the concept of Korean beauty to the world. This intention was inspired by a poem called “The Land of the Morning Calm” written by Sir Tagore. The oldest private garden in South Korea, the Garden of the Morning Calm offers scenic walkways, 20 different themed sections and beautiful views. One of the most beautiful attractions is the Sukgeun Garden, representing North and South Korea desire to reunite. Important notice is that last admission is 1 hour before closing (closing time 19h).

4. Gapyeong Rail Park

Gapyeong Rail Park passes by Gapyeongchon Stream Iron Bridge, Bukhanggang Iron Bridge and Zelkova Tree Tunnel. This rail park has featured in a famous scene from the Korean movie “The Letter” (1997).  You can enjoy the pretty river view and capture beautiful scenes from this rail biking park. It is 25,000won for 2 persons.