Seoul Day Trip – Nami Island + The Garden of Morning Calm
Welcome to the Naminara Republic. Exports: imagination and fairytales! Known as Nami Island, the culturally independent Republic is a beautiful island of nature and art. Together with the Garden of Morning Calm, it is the perfect day trip from Seoul. Save and share this guide for your trip to Korea!
- The Republic
- The Tree Lanes
- Art
- The Waters
- Food
- The Garden of Morning Calm
- Getting There and Getting Around
The Republic
Nami Island is a petite, half-moon shaped island on the River Han. The Naminara Republic, which declared its cultural independence from South Korea, celebrates the joys of imagination and fairytales. Visitors come for its art and natural beauty, along with a few K-drama spots!
The Tree Lanes
The island is covered in tree lined lanes – with the Pine Tree Lane and connected Ginko Tree Lane crossing the whole island. When you leave the ferry turn right and start walking along the main Pine Tree Lane, from which you will start seeing the sights along with some little friends.
Art
Culture is integral to Nami Island – you will find numerous art pieces dotted all over the island. On the right of the main tree line you will see the Maple Gardens art installation – take your time to enjoy it in the serene forest surroundings.
As you wander around the island keep look out for art pieces large and small, including the famous Nami Island snowmen and the striking mother and children sculpture. There are also numerous indoor galleries and art/souvenir shops.
The Waters
The island also has some beautiful water features, including the Yeonji Pond (Pond with Lotus) and the Elysian Waterfall. Also wander around the edges are island for a peaceful stroll, especially the Willow Lane running across the top of the island.
Food
There are plenty of cafes to choose from, but you should not miss Nami Islands version of the Hotteok: a sweet, filled pancake found at street food vendors all over Korea. It’s delicious and cheap – I would recommend the Sonata Cafe for your pancake fix!
The Garden of Morning Calm
Once you have finished wandering Nami Island, I would highly recommend a visit to The Garden of Morning Calm. Their website has an excellent map of the key sites, but a wandering walk is the best way to see these beautiful gardens.
The gardens are set in the beautiful surrounding hills and forest. All through spring and summer, stunning flower beds can be seen all over the gardens (these pictures we’re taken in September). Come autumn (fall), the greenery turns to every autumn colour you can imagine, or visit December to March for the lighting festival.
Do not miss the serene Moonlight Garden leading up the petite church, and take some time to sit by the peaceful garden pond.
The gardens are striking at all times of year. I visited in September which was good time to see the flowers in full bloom as well as the start of the autumn (fall) change. Alternatively, visit in October to see the full autumn display, or during winter (December – March) for the lighting festival.
Getting There and Around
A visit to Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm is an easy day trip from Seoul. Take the ITX train heading to Cheongchun from Yongsan Station in Seoul (accessible via two metro lines – map here). After around 40-55 minutes, get off at Gapyeong Station. To search and book your trains visit Korail – note that you need to enter the specific station (not the city) you are travelling to or from, and you can only book tickets 1 month in advance.
If you are seeing multiple sights in the area, I would highly recommend the hop-on-hop-off Gapyeong City Tour Bus (Route A). This circular service will take you to all the main sites in the area – including the Gapyeong Rail Bike, Gapyeong Wharf (for the Nami Island ferry), Interactive Art Museum, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm. Time your arrival so you can catch the hourly bus which leaves Gapyeong Station at 20 minutes past the hour (though the distance from the station to the Gapyeong Wharf is walkable).
The bus stop is right outside the station and I would recommend you pick up an English leaflet for a map and times. Buy your unlimited day ticket on the bus for 8000 won (= £5.10 / $7.20, as of February 2021) from the driver. While cards are technically accepted, I found that my western bank cards were often declined in Korea, so I would always recommend having cash with you.
To get to Nami Island, get off at the first stop after 5 minutes. From there take the ferry to Nami Island, which runs every 10-20 minutes during core hours and takes only 5 minutes. You need to pay a ‘visa fee’ of 13000 won (= £8.29 /$11.69, as of February 2021) which covers your ferry and entrance fees. From Nami Island (Gapyeong Wharf), the bus to the Garden of Morning Clam is 1 hour 10 minutes, with the return bus to Gapyeong Station talking 1 hour 20 minutes from the gardens.
To Tour or Not to Tour
Day tours from Seoul are easily available, often covering the trio of Nami Island, Petite France and the Garden of Morning Calm. I would say that seeing these sights independently – and cheaply – via the bus service is completely doable. This also gives you the flexibility to stay as long as you would like at each sight and take your time (Nami Island is a gentle place for meandering not rushing!) However, given the bus only runs each hour and the travel times, I would advise some flexible pre-planning with the bus timetable, especially if you are looking to see 3 or more sites. I personally would not visit Petite France, but I speak as someone with the real France on their doorstep!
What would you like to see the most? What’s your recommendations for Nami Island or the gardens? Let me know in the comments!
All pictures are my own, full rights reserved.
