Nami Island, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm are three of the most popular day-trip destinations outside of Seoul. Because of their close proximity to each other, it's worth to bundle the three sites in a single full-day itinerary.
However, a lot of travelers don't know it's possible because they don't have enough information of local transportation. As a result, many end up visiting only one or two of these beautiful places.
So here's a guide on how we went to Nami Island, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm and back to Seoul via commuting.
Take the Subway to Yongsan Station
We left Yellow Brick Hostel at 5:00AM to be able to catch the 5:23AM trip of the Subway Line 1 from Jongno-3 Station to Yongsan Station.
Yongsan Station is one of the biggest stations in Seoul. Aside from serving Line 1, the station also serves as the terminus for high speed and long distance trains including the regional ITX or the Intercity Train eXpress.
Train ride from Jongno-3 to Yongsan costs KRW1,250 using the T-Money Card.
Take the ITX to Gapyeong Station
The ITX-Cheongchun line is the fastest rail service to Gapyeong Station, the jump off point to Nami Island, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm. The train has top speeds of 180 kph. It departs from Yongsan Station on every hour starting at 6:00AM. The train stops at two other stations - Cheongnyangni and Pyeongnaehopyeong, before arriving at Gapyeong Station.
We purchased our ITX tickets in advance via the Korail website. This ensured we had reserved seats and avoided standing for the entire 56-minute ride. After arriving at Yongsan Station, we went straight to the ITX platform and boarded the train. The correct step, however, is to get the actual tickets at the counter by presenting the printed confirmation letter and passport. It was a good thing we were not questioned by the conductor when we only showed the confirmation letter during the ride.
The ITX ticket costs KRW5,200. To purchase in advance, visit the booking site here.
Walk from Gapyeong Station to Gapyeong Wharf
As it was only 6:56AM and too early for the first Gapyeong City Tour Bus, we decided to just walk towards the wharf. The route wasn't complicated as we just followed the road signs. It was a pleasant experience going out into the Korean countryside and seeing the sun and the green. After about 20 minutes of walking, we knew we reached the wharf when a motley collection of buildings and a huge parking lot came into view. This parking lot gets filled with tour buses during the mid-day, so this can be your landmark if you decide to visit Nami Island after 9:00AM.
Another option is to take a taxi from the station to the wharf. The taxi can be shared by 4 people and costs approximately KRW4,000.
Take the ferry to Nami Island
There are two ways to get into Nami Island. One is to take the a 5-minute ferry ride or a 2-minute zipline to the island. The ferry costs KRW13,000 (with KRW3,000 discount during our visit) while the zipline costs KRW44,000. Because of the huge price difference, we decided to just take the ferry.
The ferry schedules are as follows:
We took the first ferry into the island at 7:30AM. The best thing about arriving early is avoiding the large tour groups and the feeling of having the place all to yourselves. Although the ferry ride was totally full, most other passengers were staffs of the establishments in the island.
Take the ferry back to Gapyeong Wharf
After having our fill of admiring the beautiful island and taking hundreds of pictures, we decided to head back to the mainland at 10:15AM. By that time, hoards of tourists started arriving.
We boarded a near empty ferry boat then arrived back at the Gapyeong Wharf to have an early lunch.
The return ferry trip is already included in the Nami Island ticket.
Take the Gapyeong City Tour Bus to the Garden of Morning Calm
From the restaurant where we had our lunch, we walked our way through the parking lot of the wharf until we reached the bus stop for the Gapyeong City Tour Bus. The first bus stop next to the convenience store is the bus stop for the descending route or the route going back to Gapyeong Station. The bus stop for the ascending route going to Petite France and Garden of Morning Calm is located across the street and next to a small chicken stall named Chicken Gangjeong.
The Gapyeong City Tour Bus is a hop on hop off service that covers major attractions within Gapyeong County. By taking this bus, passengers can jump on and off the bus at stops as many times as they want within a day for only KRW6,000. The bus operates from 9:00AM to 8:00PM and stops at the following locations:
We took the 11:25AM bus and purchased our tickets onboard using T-Money Card. We actually planned on hopping off first at Petite France but thought it might be better to visit the Garden of Morning Calm as most people would go for the former right after Nami Island. And rightly so, most of the people went down at Petite France. We just watched them alight from the bus and proceeded to get some nap time on the way to the arboretum.
We arrived at the Garden of Morning Calm at 12:40PM.
Take the Gapyeong City Tour Bus to Petite France
After going around the garden and enjoying the weather for more than 2 hours, we headed back to the bus stop which is located just a few steps from the entrance of the attraction. As it is the last of the bus stops, the drop off point of the ascending route is the same as the pick up point of the descending route.
We took the 3:00PM schedule of the descending bus and arrived in Petite France at 3:50PM.
Take the Gapyeong City Tour Bus back to Gapyeong Station
We only stayed in Petite France for 1 hour. From there, we crossed the street to the bus stop and took the 4:50PM bus to go back to Gapyeong Station. The trip took around 40 minutes.
Take the Subway back to Central Seoul
Since we were no longer rushing to catch a schedule, we decided to take the GyeongChun Subway Line to go back to Seoul. This runs parallel to the ITX Line but the GyeongChun Line stops in every train station. It is also cheaper at KRW2,250 using the T-Money Card.
From Gapyeong Station, we alighted at Hoegi Station, 17 stops later. We then transferred to the Subway Line 1 to go back to Jongno-3 Station. After about 105 minutes, we arrived back at the Yellow Brick Hostel.
We hope the above detailed guide have been helpful. Please feel free to comment or share your experiences going to Nami Island, Petite France, and Garden of Morning Calm.
Read our other Seoul-related posts:
Beyond Seoul: Exploring Nami Island
Beyond Seoul: Being Inspired at Petite France
Beyond Seoul: Visiting the Garden of Morning Calm
Experiencing Palatial Grandeur Inside Gyeongbokgung Palace
Yangban For A Day: Suiting Up A Hanbok
Seeing from Above the N Seoul Tower
Seoul: A Travel Guide for First Timers
Seoul: A Budget Travel Guide for Juans
Waking Up to Good Things at Yellow Brick Hostel Seoul
How to Apply for a South Korea Tourist Visa for Filipinos
How to Claim Shopping Tax Refund in South Korea
However, a lot of travelers don't know it's possible because they don't have enough information of local transportation. As a result, many end up visiting only one or two of these beautiful places.
So here's a guide on how we went to Nami Island, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm and back to Seoul via commuting.
 |
| The Garden of Morning Calm |
We left Yellow Brick Hostel at 5:00AM to be able to catch the 5:23AM trip of the Subway Line 1 from Jongno-3 Station to Yongsan Station.
Yongsan Station is one of the biggest stations in Seoul. Aside from serving Line 1, the station also serves as the terminus for high speed and long distance trains including the regional ITX or the Intercity Train eXpress.
Train ride from Jongno-3 to Yongsan costs KRW1,250 using the T-Money Card.
Take the ITX to Gapyeong Station
The ITX-Cheongchun line is the fastest rail service to Gapyeong Station, the jump off point to Nami Island, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm. The train has top speeds of 180 kph. It departs from Yongsan Station on every hour starting at 6:00AM. The train stops at two other stations - Cheongnyangni and Pyeongnaehopyeong, before arriving at Gapyeong Station.
 |
| The comfortable seats of the ITX-Cheongchun Line |
The ITX ticket costs KRW5,200. To purchase in advance, visit the booking site here.
 |
| The ITX schedules as seen in the booking page of Korail |
As it was only 6:56AM and too early for the first Gapyeong City Tour Bus, we decided to just walk towards the wharf. The route wasn't complicated as we just followed the road signs. It was a pleasant experience going out into the Korean countryside and seeing the sun and the green. After about 20 minutes of walking, we knew we reached the wharf when a motley collection of buildings and a huge parking lot came into view. This parking lot gets filled with tour buses during the mid-day, so this can be your landmark if you decide to visit Nami Island after 9:00AM.
 |
| Gapyeong Train Station |
 |
| The view while walking to Gapyeong Wharf |
 |
| The entrance to the parking lot of the wharf |
Take the ferry to Nami Island
There are two ways to get into Nami Island. One is to take the a 5-minute ferry ride or a 2-minute zipline to the island. The ferry costs KRW13,000 (with KRW3,000 discount during our visit) while the zipline costs KRW44,000. Because of the huge price difference, we decided to just take the ferry.
The ferry schedules are as follows:
Time
|
Frequency
|
7:30AM – 9:30AM
|
Every 30 minutes
|
9:00AM – 6:00PM
|
Every 10-20 minutes
|
6:00PM – 9:40PM
|
Every 30 minutes
|
We took the first ferry into the island at 7:30AM. The best thing about arriving early is avoiding the large tour groups and the feeling of having the place all to yourselves. Although the ferry ride was totally full, most other passengers were staffs of the establishments in the island.
 |
| The ticket booth of Nami Island |
 |
| The Nami Island Ferry |
After having our fill of admiring the beautiful island and taking hundreds of pictures, we decided to head back to the mainland at 10:15AM. By that time, hoards of tourists started arriving.
We boarded a near empty ferry boat then arrived back at the Gapyeong Wharf to have an early lunch.
The return ferry trip is already included in the Nami Island ticket.
Take the Gapyeong City Tour Bus to the Garden of Morning Calm
From the restaurant where we had our lunch, we walked our way through the parking lot of the wharf until we reached the bus stop for the Gapyeong City Tour Bus. The first bus stop next to the convenience store is the bus stop for the descending route or the route going back to Gapyeong Station. The bus stop for the ascending route going to Petite France and Garden of Morning Calm is located across the street and next to a small chicken stall named Chicken Gangjeong.
 |
| Bus Stop next to Chicken Gangjeong |
§ Gapyeong Terminal
§
§ Jarasum
§
§ Nami Island
§ Petite France
§ Cheongpyeong Terminal
§ Cheongpyeong Station
§ Garden of Morning Calm
 |
| The Gapyeong City Tour Bus and Tickets |
We arrived at the Garden of Morning Calm at 12:40PM.
Take the Gapyeong City Tour Bus to Petite France
After going around the garden and enjoying the weather for more than 2 hours, we headed back to the bus stop which is located just a few steps from the entrance of the attraction. As it is the last of the bus stops, the drop off point of the ascending route is the same as the pick up point of the descending route.
We took the 3:00PM schedule of the descending bus and arrived in Petite France at 3:50PM.
Take the Gapyeong City Tour Bus back to Gapyeong Station
We only stayed in Petite France for 1 hour. From there, we crossed the street to the bus stop and took the 4:50PM bus to go back to Gapyeong Station. The trip took around 40 minutes.
Take the Subway back to Central Seoul
Since we were no longer rushing to catch a schedule, we decided to take the GyeongChun Subway Line to go back to Seoul. This runs parallel to the ITX Line but the GyeongChun Line stops in every train station. It is also cheaper at KRW2,250 using the T-Money Card.
 |
| The turnstiles to the ITX and GyeongChun Lines |
We hope the above detailed guide have been helpful. Please feel free to comment or share your experiences going to Nami Island, Petite France, and Garden of Morning Calm.
Read our other Seoul-related posts:
Beyond Seoul: Exploring Nami Island
Beyond Seoul: Being Inspired at Petite France
Beyond Seoul: Visiting the Garden of Morning Calm
Experiencing Palatial Grandeur Inside Gyeongbokgung Palace
Yangban For A Day: Suiting Up A Hanbok
Seeing from Above the N Seoul Tower
Seoul: A Travel Guide for First Timers
Seoul: A Budget Travel Guide for Juans
Waking Up to Good Things at Yellow Brick Hostel Seoul
How to Apply for a South Korea Tourist Visa for Filipinos
How to Claim Shopping Tax Refund in South Korea
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