Nami Island K-Drama Day Trip From Seoul: Tour or Train in Winter?

Tall bare Metasequoia trees lining a lane on Nami Island in winter

By YUNA, my pen name. I read the official pages, then tell you what I’d do.

Topic:

Some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you book through them, Hello Korea Tips may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Last checked: November 4, 2026

Nami Island (남이섬), Petite France (쁘띠프랑스) and the Garden of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원) are three K-drama stops you reach through Gapyeong. If you want all three on one winter day, I’d book a tour that includes all three. If Nami Island is the one you care about, the train and the ferry are enough.

The Garden is the stop to plan around. Its winter lights came on at 17:00 last season, and VisitKorea’s public-transport course covering the three totals about 55 km by subway and bus.

Quick answer

  • 🎬 Dramas: Nami Island for Winter Sonata, Petite France for My Love From the Star and Secret Garden, the Garden of Morning Calm for Now, We Are Breaking Up
  • 🚌 All three in one day: A tour that lists all three stops
  • ⛴️ Nami Island only: Train to Gapyeong, then the ferry from Gapyeongnaru Pier. Regular admission is 19,000 won
  • 🌟 Garden lights: VisitKorea lists winter hours of 10:00–21:00 from December to March; last season the lights came on at 17:00

Tour: Nami Island private charter from Seoul on Klook

Which drama was filmed where

Stop Dramas named in official listings Hours listed
Nami Island Winter Sonata (Metasequoia Lane) 08:00–21:00
Petite France My Love From the Star, Secret Garden, Beethoven Virus 09:00–18:00, may close early depending on season and weather
The Garden of Morning Calm Now, We Are Breaking Up 10:00–21:00 in winter, December to March
K-drama stops reached from Gapyeong (VisitKorea listings and the Garden’s own site, checked November 4, 2026)

VisitKorea names the most titles at Petite France, among them My Love From the Star (2013), Secret Garden (2010) and Beethoven Virus (2008). If you’ve watched any of them, you may recognize a corner or two.

The Garden of Morning Calm is where scenes set in France were filmed for Now, We Are Breaking Up (2021). In winter, VisitKorea says, the arboretum is decorated with lights.

Nami Island’s link goes back to Winter Sonata (2002). VisitKorea credits the drama with making the island’s Metasequoia Lane famous, and there’s a Winter Sonata statue on the island. If you only have time for one drama spot, I’d make it this one.

A white ferry with rows of national flags crossing the river to Nami Island
The ferry that takes you across to Nami Island. Photo: ::::=UT=::::, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tour or train? Count your stops first

Join a tour Go on your own
Stops in one winter day All three, if the tour lists them I’d pick one or two
Between the stops Check whether transfers between the stops are included Gapyeong’s tour bus, 8,000 won a day, no service on Wednesdays except public holidays
Garden lights Only if the tour stays after dark Check the latest Course B timetable for the last departure from the Garden
Time on Nami Island Check the visit time in the itinerary Your call; the last ferry back normally leaves at 21:05

Tour: Nami Island and Garden of Morning Calm day tour on Klook

A tour or your own way, for one winter day from Seoul

If the Garden’s lights are on your list, a tour that stays after dark is the easier way to see them. For the lights, check the confirmed lighting time and return transport for your travel date before choosing a tour.

On your own, I’d keep it to one or two stops. Nami Island is the easy one. VisitKorea puts the train ride to Gapyeong Station at about an hour. Nami Island’s own site puts the walk from Gapyeong Station at about 20 minutes, or about 5 minutes by taxi.

Yuna’s pick

Want all three and the lights? I’d book a tour, after checking the confirmed lighting time and return transport for your travel date.

Only Nami Island? I’d take the train and keep the day focused on the island.

Bus: Seoul–Nami Island shuttle bus on Klook

Nami Island in winter: ferry times, hours and fees

Nami Island at a glance (Nami Island and VisitKorea listings)

  • Island hours: 08:00–21:00
  • Ferry from Gapyeongnaru Pier: every 30 minutes 08:00–09:00, every 10–20 minutes 09:00–18:00, and every 30 minutes 18:00–21:00; the last ferry back from the island normally leaves at 21:05
  • Admission: regular 19,000 won, discount 16,000 won, special 13,000 won; free for children under 36 months travelling with a parent on the regular round-trip ferry (bring proof of age)
  • Zip wire, November–March: 09:00–18:00, 55,000 or 58,000 won
  • Parking: small cars 6,000 won, large cars 10,000 won

You reach the island by ferry from Gapyeongnaru Pier, and VisitKorea warns that the schedule can change. The longer hours you might read about are for the spring blossom, summer and fall foliage seasons, so don’t count on them in winter.

The zip wire costs 55,000 or 58,000 won, including island admission and the return ferry. If you came for the drama spots, skip it.

Check Nami Island’s official admission and ferry pages for the current details.

Snow among tall trees on Nami Island, with an old bicycle propped against a tree trunk
Snow among the trees on Nami Island. Photo: Penmerahpenbiru, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

Petite France: give it daylight

Petite France is open 09:00 to 18:00 all year. VisitKorea notes it can close early depending on the season and the weather, and sends you to the operator’s site if you’re after night hours. Because of that early close, I’d put it in the middle of your day.

The listed price depends on where you look. VisitKorea’s English page and Gapyeong County give 16,000 won for adults and 12,000 won for children. A June 2026 VisitKorea article in Korean gives 12,000 won for adults, or 19,500 won for a combined ticket with the Italian Village. I couldn’t open the operator’s site either, so check the price at the gate, and ask about the combined ticket if the Italian Village is on your list.

White houses with red tiled roofs on a hillside at Petite France in Gapyeong
White houses and red roofs at Petite France. Photo: bandal (Photo and Share CC), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Garden of Morning Calm after dark

VisitKorea lists winter hours of 10:00–21:00 from December to March. Check the Garden’s festival notice for the dates of your visit. Last season ran from December 5, 2025 to March 15, 2026, with lights from 17:00.

Admission is 11,000 won for adults, 8,500 won for teenagers and 7,500 won for children.

Getting back is the hard part on your own. Course B of Gapyeong’s tour bus runs between Cheongpyeong Station and the Garden. A 2022 VisitKorea page also lists local bus No. 30-6 from Cheongpyeong Station, but I didn’t find its evening times. If I were going on my own, I’d see the Garden in daylight and skip the lights.

💡 Yuna’s tip

Ask what time the tour leaves the Garden, and compare that with the confirmed lighting time for your travel date.

A lawn and a path below forested hills at the Garden of Morning Calm in autumn
The Garden of Morning Calm in autumn, before the winter light festival. Photo: 날개 at Korean Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Getting to Gapyeong by train

VisitKorea gives two ways from Seoul to Gapyeong Station: the Gyeongchun Line from Sangbong Station on subway Line 7, or ITX-Cheongchun from Yongsan or Cheongnyangni Station. It puts the journey at about an hour.

From the station, Gapyeong’s tour bus links Gapyeong Station, Nami Island and Petite France. The published routes both serve Petite France; check the current A–B transfer instructions before travelling.

Gapyeong tour bus (Gapyeong County leaflet, March 2026)

  • Course A: Gapyeong Terminal, Gapyeong Station, Nami Island, Petite France & Italian Village and more
  • Course B: Cheongpyeong Station, Cheongpyeong Terminal, the Garden of Morning Calm, Petite France and more
  • Day ticket: adults 8,000 won, teens and children 6,000 won, ages 3 and under free. Buy a day pass on site; check the current boarding instructions before travelling
  • No service: Wednesdays, unless the Wednesday is a public holiday
  • Last bus: check the latest Course A and B timetables before travelling

Leave enough time between the bus and your train, and check Gapyeong County’s current tour-bus leaflet before travelling.

For help in English, the KORAIL Customer Center (+82-1599-7777) answers from 08:00 to 20:00 daily.

What the entry fees add up to

Item Per adult Two adults
Nami Island (regular) 19,000 won 38,000 won
Petite France (higher listed price) 16,000 won 32,000 won
The Garden of Morning Calm 11,000 won 22,000 won
Total of listed entry fees 46,000 won 92,000 won
Example: listed entry fees for two adults, all three stops

Using the higher published Petite France price, these listed entry fees total 92,000 won for two adults. Confirm the operator’s current price before budgeting. That’s before any tour price, train fare or two 8,000-won tour bus tickets. When you compare tours, check whether entry is included. If it isn’t, add this to the tour price before you book.

Honest take

If the lights matter to you, compare the tour’s departure time with the return options for your own trip. If they don’t, the train and Gapyeong’s tour bus will do.

FAQ

Can I see Nami Island, Petite France and the Garden of Morning Calm in one day?

Yes, with a tour that includes all three. On your own, Gapyeong’s tour bus reaches all three, but it doesn’t run on Wednesdays (except public holidays), so I’d pick one or two.

What are Nami Island’s hours?

VisitKorea lists the island at 08:00 to 21:00. Ferries run every 30 minutes from 08:00 to 09:00, every 10–20 minutes from 09:00 to 18:00, and every 30 minutes from 18:00 to 21:00. The last ferry back from the island normally leaves at 21:05.

When do the Garden of Morning Calm lights start?

Last season they came on at 17:00, between December 5, 2025 and March 15, 2026. I couldn’t independently confirm the exact 2026–27 dates, so check the Garden’s official notice before booking.

Yuna

✅ Book before you go

📌 Read next

Sources and last check

Last checked: November 4, 2026. Prices, hours, and timetables change, so please confirm before you travel.

Hi, I'm Yuna. I read the Korean-only fine print so your trip doesn't have to start with a puzzle, and then I tell you what I'd pick.

More about how I work

More guides