There are a number of things you can do in Gapyeong if you’re looking to get away from the city and explore other parts of South Korea. Including visiting Gapyeong Rail Park, The Garden of the Morning Calm and Nami Island in Korea. Here is an itinerary on how to spend a day in Gapyeong including visiting the famous Nami Island that is featured in so many K-Dramas.
Getting to Gapyeong – Seoul to Gapyeong
You can get from Seoul to Gapyeong in a number of different ways. The cheapest is Bus or Subway and the most expensive would be by taxi. Naver Map should give you the best options based on where you are.
We went by bus because it was the most convenient from our Airbnb in Gangnam and it was the most direct i.e. we did not need to change anywhere. The one issue with taking the bus is that you’ll never know when it arrives, it could come early or late and they do not come often so we waited about 30mins for the bus to come. You could use your T-Money card to pay for the trip which is very convenient and the trip there was about 1h and a half.
Q&A
You can get from Seoul to Gapyeong in a number of different ways. The cheapest is Bus or Subway and the most expensive would be by taxi. Naver Map should give you the best options based on where you are.
Personally, if you’re planning to do a lot in a one-day trip then I would suggest going on a tour – it is about £10 more expensive and you do have to wake up earlier but it should be a lot less of a hassle than going by yourself. There were a lot of times on the trip when we weren’t sure where to get the bus or how to get back to Seoul. The bus/train timetables were different because we went during the shoulder season so there was a lot of waiting around which isn’t fun.
One day should a good amount of time if you only want to go to a few of things not having to rush. We spent just the one day there and enjoyed our time.
I would spend 2 if you want to pace yourself and see everything.
A Gapyeong Day Trip Itinerary
Gapyeong Rail Park
Gapyeong Rail Park is a cool and unique sightseeing experience in Gapyeong where you ride on carriages and cycle through an old railway track. The track runs through the countryside paths and on top of bridges and through tunnels.
We did not pre-book tickets for the park because we wanted to be more flexible on our trip. But it was quite quick and simple getting them from the ticket station because we were early and it was the winter season. They have timeslots starting from 9:00 am rach being 1.5 hours.
Gapyeong Rail Park Information
- 2-seater 30,000 KRW
- 4-seater 40,000 KRW
Winter Operating Hours
- November – February –
- 9:00am – 15:30
Summer Operating Hours
- March – October
- 9:00am – 17:00
We got a 2 seater which was 30,000 KRW and waited on top of the platform till our timeslot at 10:30am. We were given brief safety instructions on how to steer and paddle before hopping onto the bikes. There is a basket behind your carriage for you to put your belongings in if needed.
I enjoyed my experience on the railway. It was nice being outside and seeing how beautiful the Gapyeong countryside is. There was a rest stop halfway through the ride where you can have snacks at a shop and go to the bathroom. This is also where they rotate the carts to go back to the starting point.
Just be aware that it changes based on the season. For example, on TikTok and YouTube videos, it looks like the route goes through tunnels but when we went in November we only went through tree/forest paths.
Gapyeong City Tour Bus
The Gapyeong City Tour bus is a bus route which takes you to all the tourist spots in Gapyeong. This includes the Gapyeong Rail Park, Nami Island Petite France and the Garden of the morning calm. It’s very convenient if you’re going to multiple places in the area because you can jump on and off.
If you’re only planning on going to one of the attractions then I would recommend you get the regular bus.
Nami Island in Korea
After jumping onto the Gapyeong City Tour bus we got off at Nami Island Wharf which is the entrance where you can get tickets to the ferry and the island itself. You can either get your tickets from the self-service kiosks or the ticket office.
Nami Island in Korea Information
Entrance Fee and Ferry Ride
- 16 000 KRW regular ticket
First and Last Ferry
- 7:30 am – 9:30 pm
Nami Island is very popular and so just be aware that it can get really busy here. The ferry comes every 30mins and it was packed, we ended up standing which is not too bad considering the journey last about 10-15mins.
On arrival, you’ll see a massive welcome sign and maps on which direction you want to go in. Our main aim was to take one whole loop around the whole island and see the forest and famous hotspots.
There are restaurants and cafés dotted around the island if you’re looking to take a rest stop. There are so many picturesque spots, especially in autumn when the trees are a sea of red. Although, we were a bit late and most of the leaves had already fallen.
Nami Island in Korea Photo Spots
After walking around the island which took around an hour and a half, we made our way back to the docks. To get the ferry back to Nami whalf so we could get the bus to the long bit of the ride which was to the garden of the morning calm.
The Garden of the Morning Calm
It took an hour from Nami Island to get to the Garden of the Morning Calm and at this point, it was 4 pm. As it was quite late, it was not busy at all. We bought tickets from the kiosk at the entrance and went straight it.
The Garden of the Morning Calm
11 000 KRW Per Person
Operating hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm
This place is huge and beautiful, you can see the amount of effort they put in to make this place so well maintained. What I found unique about this place is the massive bonsai-looking trees, they were huge!
It was so peaceful here and there are so many areas to explore and sit and relax. I would recommend spending about an hour inside the gardens and then taking a break and enjoying some of the street food stalls they have outside. They had hotteok which was perfect for the chilly night.
During the autumn season, the gardens put together a light show where they had the bridge and trees lit up with fairy lights and it looked so cute. Although, whilst we were there it was not that dark so it didn’t have its full effect.
After, the round trip to the gardens, we hopped on the bus to Cheongpyeong Terminal to make our way back to Seoul. It was nice being back on the train after the number of different bus trips we made that day.
Overall, I enjoyed our relaxing trip to Gapyeong where we really got to experience the Korean countryside and what nature had to offer.
Read more South Korea Content
- Busan X the SKY | South Korea TravelOpens in a new tab
- Top 10 Best Things To Do In Busan | South Korea TravelOpens in a new tab
- Naejangsan National Park | Autumn in KoreaOpens in a new tab
