Best Things To Do in Nami Island & Getting There – Updated 2024

If you are looking for a romantic place to visit near Seoul, I’d like to recommend the small and peaceful Nami Island. Because there are a lot of nearby attractions, you may be able to make a great 1-day Seoul vicinity itinerary. Then let’s find out how to get there and what to do on Nami Island.

‘Nami’ is an island in the North Han River with a total area of about 462,000 square meters. Originally, the island was only a small hill, but it became a real island with the construction of the Cheongpyeong Dam.

It’s famous for its beautiful tree paths of white birch, pine, and metasequoia, and cozy Korean-style gardens with various Korean restaurants. Additionally, it was a featured filming location for the famous TV show Winter Sonata. Needless to say, it is one of the best places to visit near Seoul.

How to get to Nami Island from Seoul

By Shuttle Bus

You can take a shuttle bus without worrying about driving or taking public transportation in a foreign country. It’s easy and affordable. Many OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) provide round-trip shuttle bus services. It takes about 1.5 hours to get to the Nami Island Ferry Office from Gangnam Station.

But if you want to visit other attractions like Petite France, the Garden of Morning Calm, or Ganchon Rail-bike, you’d better find other options, such as rent-a-car or package tour products by travel agencies.

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By Train

The ITX train Cheongchun (Yongsan to Chuncheon) is the most economical way to visit the Island.  It takes less than an hour to get to Gapyeong station from Wangshimni station. You can get on the ITX Cheongchun train at Yongsan, Wangsimni, and Cheongryangri stations in Seoul. It takes about 2 hours to get to the Nami Island Ferry Ticket Office from Gangnam Station.

The fare is 6,900 KRW each way and I recommend you purchase train tickets online for the round trip before you leave. If you are going to visit some other places like Busan or Gangwon-do during your stay in Korea, consider purchasing Korea Rail Pass for multiple days.

By Rent-A-Car

If you can drive in Korea, a rental car is probably the best option. There is no need to schedule the ride, and you can change your destination according to the situation. It takes about 1.5 hours to get to the Nami Island Ferry Ticket Office from Gangnam Station.

Nami Island Wharf Address: 1024 Bukhangangbyeon-ro, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Check out the post, “How To Rent A Car in Korea“, or find your car here.

Gapyeong Station To Nami Island

If you purchased a train ticket at the stations in Seoul, take the train on the platform towards your destination of ‘Gapyeong’ station (the island is in Gapyeong-gun). You will arrive at the Gapyeong station while enjoying the nature of Korea.

Now you have to take a bus(No. 33-5, 33-36) or taxi to go to the wharf for the island at the bus stand in front of the station.  The bus fare is about a dollar and the taxi fare is around $6.

The Ferry & Zipwire To Nami Island

Ferry boat to Nami Island schedule

If you get off the bus or taxi at the island ferry wharf, go to the ticket office. The ferry costs 13,000 KRW per person.

※ Nami Island Opening Hours: Nami Island is open throughout the year.

Nami Island Admission Ticket Prices (Round-trip ferry tickets)

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Download the Nami Island English Leaflet with a Map

Zipline to Nami Island

You can take a zipline and fly to the island across the river instead of taking the ferry.  If you are the kind of person who enjoys the excitement, I definitely recommend you to take this adventure.

It is a thrilling activity to glide about 1km from the 80m-high tower at a speed of 80km/h while looking out over the Bukhangang River. The price of the zip wire is 49,900 KRW per person.

※ Zipline may stop operation without any notice because of the bad weather condition.

At last, you have arrived at Nami Island, one of the most romantic places near Seoul! 🙂

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Things to do on Nami Island

Take a walk through beautiful tree paths

When you search for Nami Island, you’ve probably seen many pictures of beautiful tree paths. Nami Island boasts about 10 beautiful tree paths with birch, ginkgo, cypress, cherry trees, and reeds.

If possible, I recommend visiting on a weekday morning when it’s less crowded. Then you’ll probably get some of the best photos of your life.

Of course, the birch path and the metasequoia path are good, but DY and I also love walking along the riverside path looking at the river. The river breeze and beautiful natural scenery will make you forget all the fatigue from your daily life.

Ride tandem bicycle

If you visit Nami Island with your lover, try riding a tandem bicycle. Although Namisum is a bit small to ride a bike, you might fall in love with the two main characters in the famous Korean drama Winter Sonata. If you are with your friends, how about riding a segway?

The Bike Center is located between the UNICEF Hall and the Picture Book Playground.

Enjoy natural gardens

The characteristic of Korean traditional gardens is to show the beauty of nature without too much decoration or design. The natural gardens of Nami Island, which change their colors and appearances according to the four seasons seem to show this kind of Korean garden well.

Forest adventure TreeGo for kids

It is a forest experience facility that develops confidence and adventurous spirit by moving between trees connected by wire ropes and platforms. In addition to the children’s course, there is also an adult course, so the whole family can enjoy it together.

UNICEF Charity Train & Story tour bus

They operate the UNICEF Charity Train, a small train that travels from the marina to the center of the island, where you can enjoy the scenery, and the Story Tour Bus, which allows you to tour the entire Nami Island under the guidance of a professional guide.

Find the filming spots of K-dramas

This is the photo wall from the famous Korean TV show, Winter Sonata. In addition, several Korean dramas were filmed on Nami Island. It could be another interesting experience for K-drama lovers to check the filming spots on the Island.

Foods and Restaurants

There are several Korean restaurants that serve Korean traditional food, such as Pajeon (Korean style pizza with green onions), Dotorimuk (seasoned acorn jelly salad), bibimbap, and makgeolli.

Some restaurants also sell several kinds of finger foods like Jjinbbang (steamed bun with red bean paste filling) similar to Bungeobbang, chicken skewers, fishcakes, and Korean style hot-dog.

Usually, they have a menu stand in front of the restaurants so that you can choose the restaurant and read the menu from the outside.

There are galleries selling traditional products and souvenirs where you can shop, eat, and drink. You can see other Asian food restaurants as well.

If you go to Gapyeong, you must try pine nuts makgeolli! It is makgeolli with a unique flavor by adding pine nuts, one of the representative specialties of Gapyeong. Without artificial fragrance, it tastes soft and calm. If you love Korean makgeolli made with rice, I highly recommend you to try this pine nuts makgeolli. Alcohol is 6%, similar to beer, and when refrigerated, it should be stored upright rather than lying down.

Our Favorite Place on Nami Island

Lastly, I’d like to introduce a fantastic hidden place we love. It’s a Korean traditional gazebo where you can take a break. The view from the pavilion is really awesome. You can go onto the floor of this gorgeous gazebo. Take a seat and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Usually, we have some finger foods here enjoying the scenery. 🙂

Travel Tip: If you are planning to visit Nami Island, I recommend you to go there in the morning to avoid the large crowds.

Other than that, they hold many events, performances, and exhibitions according to the seasons. So I recommend you to visit the official Namisum website before you visit.

When Is The Best Time To Visit Nami Island?

Nami Island shows its own unique beauty in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The best season to visit Nami Island is in spring (April to May) when cherry blossoms bloom and autumn (September to November) when the leaves change. However, unless winters are too cold, summer and winter visits will never disappoint you.

How Much Does It Cost To Go To Nami Island?

It depends on the transportation you will take and what you will do. However, if you go to Nami Island by round-trip shuttle bus and ferry boat from Seoul, it will cost about $40~$50 per person including meals. Here are the details.

Transportation to the ferry ticket office

• Round-trip shuttle bus: $20
• ITX Cheongchun Train + bus: $14 (= $5.8 x 2 + $1.2 x 2)
• ITX Cheongchun Train + taxi: $21.6 (= $5.8 x 2 + $5 x 2)

Ferry Boat Fee or Zipline to get into the Island

• Ferry boat round-trip fee: $11
• Zipline (Zipline to Nami Island + returning boat fee): $42

Food and beverage on Nami Island (Optional)

$6~$20 per person

Attractions Near Nami Island

The Petite France and Pinocchio & Da Vinci

Petite France is a small and beautiful French village in Korea created by Hongseop Han, who fell in love with a beautiful French village while traveling in France. It is based on the novel The Little Prince, and it is said that he wants visitors to discover the world of childhood that they have forgotten.

• Open hours: 9:00 am ~ 6:00 pm
• Price: Adult 10,000 KRW / Juvenile: 8,000 KRW / Kid: 6,000 KRW
• Parking: Free
• Address: 1063 Hoban-ro, Oeseo-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
• Official website: http://www.pfcamp.com/

They recently opened a new Italian village Pinocchio & Da Vinci. This village is a theme park based on the fairy tale Pinocchio and works of the Leonardo da Vinci. You have to pay an admission fee separately from Petite France.

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The Garden of Morning Calm

The Garden of Morning Calm is a huge and pretty arboretum that opened in 1994 on about 33 hectares (82 acres) in Chungyeongsan. There are more than 20 gardens including Hometown Garden, Herb Garden, and Secret Garden, and each garden has its own story and design.

It’s a popular Instagrammable place for lovers with Petite France. Many Korean dramas were filmed in the garden and it could be another fun thing for you to find the famous filming spots.

• Price: Adult 9,500 KRW / Youth 7,000 KRW / Kid 6,000 KRW
• Parking: Free
• Address: 432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
• Official website in English: http://www.morningcalm.co.kr/_ENG/

They recently opened the Zoo of Morning Calm, which houses more than 500 animals of 100 species. You have to pay a separate fee.

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Gangchon Rail-bike

The Gangchon Rail Bike is a rail-bike that converted the Gyeongchun Line, which had been in operation for 70 years, to a rail bike. Gangchon Rail Park is located at Gimyujeong Station.

Rail-biking takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, and the route starts from Gimyujeong Station and passes through 4 tunnels along the beautiful Bukhangang River. When you arrive at Gangchon Station, you can take the shuttle bus back to Gimyujeong Station.

I strongly recommend you make a reservation before you visit the place.

• Price: Cart for 2 people – 35,000 KRW / Cart for 4 people – 48,000 KRW
• Address (Gimyujeong Station): 1383, Gimyujeong-ro , Sindong-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do
• Official website in English: http://www.railpark.co.kr/

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Jade Garden

Jade Garden is a European-style arboretum called ‘Little Europe in the Forest’. In autumn, the pretty Pink Muhly welcomes you, and there are various plants and themed gardens so that you can enjoy nature in a variety of ways. It is also recommended to take a beautiful photo and take a walk along the mountain path that flows through a small valley. If you like Korean dramas, you will easily know that Jade Garden is the shooting place for the drama, That Winter, The Wind Blows, starring Jo In-sung and Song Hye-kyo.

Hours of operation are Monday-Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm, and there is an entrance fee, 10,000 won for adults and 6,000 won for children. As the shuttle bus is currently suspended due to COVID-19, you can find detailed directions for driving by car on their website.

It is 6.8km away from Nami Island, and it takes about 10 minutes by car. Taxi fares can be estimated at around 10,000 won – 15,000 won.

• Address : 111, Seocheon-ri san, Namsan-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Korea
• Call: +82.33.630.5500

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Jarasum Island

Jarasum is close enough to be seen from Nami Island, and it is located about 800m in a straight line. It can be reached in 10 minutes by car. In Jarasum (Jara Island), there are camping sites, cultural parks, and leisure parks as well. Jarasum is famous as a camping ground, but it is also well known as the place where the Jarasum International Jazz Festival, which has been held since 2004, is held. For more information on The 18th Jarasum Jazz Festival 2021, check this official website.  Moreover, Jarasum was the filming location for the Korean drama Iris, with beautiful scenery. In October, the autumn flower festival is going on in Namdo Flower Garden, the sudden part of Jarasum.

• Address : 1-1 Daljeon-ri Gapyeong-eup Gapyeong-gun Gyeonggi-do
• Call: +82 31-8078-8028

Have fun! We always want to help you to have a wonderful experience in Korea.
If you have any questions about Nami Island, leave a comment below or contact us.

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Written by Dy & Jay.

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