[KOREA] NAMI ISLAND (NAMISEOM 남이섬 종합휴양지) – Travel Guide

When you think of traveling to South Korea, Nami Island always on the top of the list of places that must be visited. Nami Island is one of the best places to visit if you want to see the gorgeous and beautiful autumn foliage. This is our most favorite place and the most memorable moment during our #FoodInLoveKOREA trip last autumn. In this post, we’ll be providing you with details on what you can do and how to get to Nami Island from Seoul.

For complete guide and list of 30 things to eat in Seoul, please read: [KOREA] FOOD GUIDE – WHAT TO EAT IN SEOUL

Guide to the best destinations to enjoy Autumn in Seoul, please read [KOREA] AUTUMN IN SEOUL – Fall Foliage Destinations and Places to Visit

Need more info to plan your daily itinerary in Seoul? Check our itinerary guide [KOREA] ITINERARY TRAVEL GUIDE – Top Places to Visit in Seoul

How to go to Nami Island from Seoul

Nami Island (Namiseom 남이섬 종합휴양지) is located around 63km from Seoul in the direction of Chuncheon. The island is 30 minutes away from Chuncheon and an hour away from the suburbs of Seoul. From our hostel in Myeongdong, we take Subway to Cheongnyani Station and proceed over to the ITX machine. ITX is the fastest way to Gapyeong Station (around 40 mins) and cost you KRW 4,000. Alternatively, you can go to Gapyeong Station by Subway from Cheongnyangi Station for only KRW 2,150 but it will take around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

For more info about Subway, we highly recommend you to download and install Korea Subway app in your mobile phone so you can check every route, fare, time estimation, and schedule easily.

Screenshot_2017-02-26-22-45-12-791_com.imagedrome — Korea Subway Mobile App

ITX to Gapyeong at Cheongnyangni Station

The ITX timing runs on an hourly basis, so pretty much there’s only one train every hour with limited seats. However, if you do not mind standing for approximately 40 minutes, then you can opt for the non-assigned seats. For more detail train schedule, please refer to www.letskorail.com

After arrived at Gapyeong Station, wed on down and cross the road to the bus stop and wait for Gapyeong Shuttle Bus (KRW 6,000 / person for one day). You can hop on and hop off to Petite France, Nami Island, and other destinations with the same bus. Please mind that the intervals of each departing are approximately one hour so do plan your time strategically and be at the bus stop at least 10 mins before the estimated time.

For more flexible choice, we take another bus (KRW 1,500 / person for a single trip) because of the very long queues. It only takes around 5 mins to Nami Island. Or alternatively, you could also take a taxi from the nearby taxi stand. Advisable for groups of 4 who intend to visit Nami Island only as the taxi fare costs approx. only KRW 4,000.

For guide on how to go back to Gapyeong Station from Nami Island, please check the detailed information at the end of this post

Bus stop at the opposite of Gapyeong Station

We purchased Nami Island entrance ticket at Nami Island ferry wharf for KRW 8,000 / person for the foreigner (admission fee is including ferry ride round trip) then rode the ferry to the island. Please make sure to note the first and last ferry schedule so you won’t miss the ride.

Ferry Schedule:
07:30-09:00 (30 mins intervals)
09:00-18:00 (10-20 mins intervals)
18:00-21:40 (30 mins intervals)

Alternatively, you could also take the zip wire to Nami Island for the more memorable experience. It cost KRW 38,000 / person include the entrance fee to Nami Island.

What to do in Nami Island

After touched down in Nami Island, you’ll be greeted by the beautiful nature and landscape in this island. All you have to do is get your camera ready and take a lot of pictures. The first thing we should mention is the fact that Nami Island is huge. It may not look like it on the map provided but yes, it is indeed huge.

There are so many spots where you can take photos of, at the same time, enjoy the freshness of the air. We enjoyed this place very much, without the need of the Korea drama’s influence. For those who aren’t a fan of taking photos, then there might be nothing much for you. But for those who do, this place is simply amazing. Initially, we were scheduled to explore the island in 4 hours, but in fact, we spent more than 6 hours to enjoy the breathtaking autumn vibes in Nami Island.

Nami Island is one of the famous destinations in South Korea both for local and international tourists. Especially for K-drama lovers, most of you must be familiar with this island since it was being used for the famous television drama series, Winter Sonata starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo.

Make sure you have plenty of time to explore the whole island, appreciate the beauty of nature and of course take a lot of pictures. We are deeply in love with the natural feeling of the landscape in this island and autumn is definitely the best season to visit Nami Island. When we went there in early November 2016, the landscape was breathtakingly beautiful you will fall in love instantly with the harmony of yellow, orange, green, red, and brown colors from the trees accompanied by the cool autumn breeze.

There are many souvenir shops, cafes, and restaurants in Nami Island for visitors to eat and rest, one of the most popular and must visit is Seomhyanggi, the famous local Korean BBQ restaurant with the self-service concept. Please read our blog post about Seomhyanggi Korean BBQ for review and more details about menu and price.

After having lunch at Seomhyanggi, we also tried some coffee, sausage, ice cream, etc. We tried Green Tea Latte (KRW 4,000), Americano (KRW 3,000), Sausage (KRW 3,000), Banana Milk (KRW 1,300) and Ice Cream (KRW 3,000). There is also steamed bun with red bean filling inside (KRW 1,000). The sausage was fragrant and delicious while the steamed bun was soft and simply delicious too.

Green Tea Latte (IDR 4,000) & Americano (KRW 3,000)

Steamed Bun with Red Bean Filling (KRW 1,000)

After lunch, we continued to stroll the island and walk to the famous tree lined road to enjoying the picturesque landscape. FYI, you can also rent bicycle so you won’t get tired from exploring the whole island.

Near the cafes and restaurants area, there are also some bonfire so you can warm up your body in the cool autumn breeze.

After we were done with all that, we went on exploring the rest of the island and walk to the winter sonata statue near the famous metasequoia lane road as one of the main filming locations of Winter Sonata. Besides that, there is also another picturesque spot such as river, lawn, garden, and pavilion.

How to Go Back to Gapyeong Station from Nami Island

Firstly, you need to go back to Nami Island Ferry Wharf (the place where you buy the ticket) by ferry same like when you going to the island. Please mind the ferry schedule that we mention before so you wouldn’t miss the ferry, especially if you plan to continue to Petite France or Garden of Morning Calm.

After arrived at Nami Island Ferry Wharf, we decided to go back to Seoul and not continue to Petite France and Garden of Morning Calm because we spent too long on Nami Island and the weather was very gloomy so we thought there would be an eyesore if we going there.

We decided to back to Seoul to explore another place in our bucket list. We take the taxi to Gapyeong Station since the bus queue is very long (the same situation like when we go to Nami Island from Gapyeong Station). The taxi fare just KRW 4,500, (we highly recommended you to use the taxi if you’re in the group of 3 or 4) and it only takes less than 10 mins.

From Gapyeong Station, all you need to do is just proceed to ITX ticketing machine and buy the ticket to Cheongnyangi (the same way as you comes before) and then transfer to Subway according to your destination. The journey back was relatively quick, approximately 30 minutes. The train was both comfortable and clean, which was great!

Overall, we had an amazing time exploring the beautiful landscape with gorgeous autumn foliage. Nami Island will always have a special place in our hearts. It was a great experience for us and we must say that it is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and definitely the TOP MUST VISIT destinations if you are going to South Korea. Seriously, you need to visit Nami Island at least once in a lifetime!