5 Days in Seoul: Day 3 - Nami Island, Petite France, and Myeongdong (Part 2 of 3)

Petite France, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea

From Nami Island to Petit France, we simply rode the ferry back out then walked back to the bus stop where we got off earlier that day. But since we're going to Petite France and not back to Gapyeong, we crossed the street and waited for the Gapyeong Shuttle Bus.

Gapyeong Shuttle Bus Time Table from Nami Island to Petite France

Gapyeong Shuttle Bus Time Table from Nami Island to Gapyeong Station

One of the many blogs I read while planning for our Seoul trip said that we should plan the time very carefully, so that we can have the most of the trip and not miss it waiting for the shuttle bus to come just because we missed the first one.

I remembered this while waiting for the shuttle bus because I think we waited for almost 30 minutes. But even so, I wouldn't suggest the same for other tourists out there who are planning their Nami Island trip. I say just make the most out of your time in one place and when you've had your fill, that's your cue to get to the next destination.

While I was thinking this, I saw the disclaimer on the bottom of the shuttle bus timetable (forgot to take a photo of it). It says that there are instances where the shuttle bus may be late due to some circumstances and true enough, the shuttle bus was late.

My point is, don't get too worked up to meet your schedule. Just go with the flow and enjoy the ride. :))

When the shuttle bus came, we boarded it and since we failed to catch it the first time, only now were we purchasing our 6,000 KRW shuttle bus ticket. 25 minutes later, we are paying another 8,000 KRW entrance fee at Petit France.

Summer in Korea is so hot that even these sunflowers withered.

Some say there aren't much to see in Petite France. Well, this may be true but the place holds a certain charm that still attracts tourists. And since it's only 25 minutes from Nami Island, might as well have a look and see what those certain charms are. :)

Not sure why I'm glowing but looove these butterfly wings in Petite France

Another pretty corner in Petite France

 Interesting French art pieces littered the place. So fun!

We also entered some of the houses and the layout and furniture are all very interesting.

Just like the name implies, Petit France is a mini France in Gapyeong. The houses and the brick walls plus the mini Eiffel Tower serves as the main charm of the place.

Next shuttle bus is scheduled to arrive after an hour but the place is so small that we only took maybe around 45 minutes to get the most out of it. So for the remaining minutes, we simply sat down by the bus stop, rest our then aching feet and legs, and waited for the bus to come.

When it finally did, we simply showed the bus driver our tickets and sat down.

Next destination: Myeongdong

5 Days in Seoul: Nami Island, Petite France, and Myeongdong (Part 1 of 3)

Maple Tree Lane in Nami Island

Nami Island is a little far from the main Seoul metropolis, so we expected a long travel time towards the Naminara Republic of South Korea.

We left our hotel in Gangseo at 7:30 AM.
The day looked really gloomy.

How to get to Nami Island:

From Mok-Dong Station, we boarded the Purple Line or Line 5 bound to Sangil-dong or Macheon and got off at Wangsimni station. That's 20 stations.

From Wangsimni, we transfered to another train bound to Gyeongui-Jungang and got off at Mangu station. That's another 5 stations. From Mangu station, we transferred to the GC line and rode the train (ITX) bound to Gyeongchun. We got off at Gapyeong station. That was another 13 stations. 38 stations in total. Whew!

Follow the signs. ;)

There are several ways and train lines combinations you can take to get to Gapyeong station since the subway lines are very much interconnected. The trick is to take the time to study the Seoul Subway map and find out the best route for you. This was the best route for us.

From Gapyeong Station, cross the street as you get out the station and wait for the shuttle bus. First trip was 9AM but we know that we already missed that. Next trip was at 10AM.

Note that there are several other buses that will stop there to pick passengers but you shouldn't get on any of them unless the bus has the words "Gapyeong City Tour" on the side. That's the shuttle bus you need to get on. Shuttle bus fare is 6,000 KRW and as long as you keep your ticket, you can hop on and off the shuttle bus to Nami Island, Petit France, Garden of Morning Calm, etc. without paying anything more than the initial 6,000 KRW. You will buy the ticket from the driver.

The view of the bus stop from the exit of Gapyeong Station.

The view of Gapyeong station from the Bus stop to Nami Island

 But we failed to do this. When a bus came and I asked if it's going to Nami Island and the driver said yes, we boarded it and so, we had to pay separate amount then pay another 6,000 KRW when we finally caught the shuttle bus from Nami Island to Petit France.

Gapyeong Shuttle Bus Timetable if you're coming from Gapyeong Station

Gapyeong Shuttle Bus Timetable if you're coming from Cheongpyeong Station

From Gapyeong Station, it will take 25 minutes  to get to Nami Island and again, an overhead speaker will announce the destination.

But before going to Nami Island, we first had our brunch.

We ordered a simple set A with chicken and cold black bean noodle.

But then again, it's Korean serving so there's A LOT!

Brunch done, we now walk towards the entrance where we purchased our tickets. But before that, we saw these giant books and didn't miss the chance to take photos.

 

These giant books right outside Nami Island. There are Filipino books, too! :)

Entrance fee to Nami Island is 8,000 KRW and visitors will have to either ride the ferry (included in the entrance fee) or take the zip wire (zipline) for a separate fee.

I would've loved to zipline to Nami Island but Lyn is afraid of heights, so onto the ferry we rode. :)

Entrance to Nami Island. They welcome tourists in their mother tongue. Awesome!

We saw different nationalities and even though it was a Monday, every ferry that leaves for the island is full!

The weather was a little gloomy that day and the sun didn't shine down on us at all which was okay because it made the air cooler. Ferry ride was short and soon, we're walking towards Nami Island.

It's a little difficult to have solo pictures as there are a lot of people. 

Walking with the crowd of Nami Island.

And since there are a lot of people walking around the "main path", we took the road less traveled and walked on the lower part of the island by the lake. These beautiful pictures are taken from there. :)

Nami Island is very scenic.

Feels like a scene from a Korean drama. Well, it is. Winter Sonata, anyone? :)

This tree caught my interest. Look how the dead main trunk gave birth to
a new healthy trunk with the greenest leaves! Nature is really awesome. :)

We asked a nice Korean woman to take photos of us by this tree line. :)

And now we reach the infamous Central Korean Maple Tree Lane.

Another point of interest in Nami Island. A mother breastfeeding her son while he pees.
(She's breastfeeding another child behind her. Go figure.)

Yep. The statue is veeeeery detailed. But you know, I had to check. ;)

Fans of the Korean drama, Winter Sonat is very much familiar of this statue. The First Kiss.

My favorite part of Nami Island. The Ginkgo Tree Lane.
The leaves are soooo green even though the sun remained shy.

 Another fun activity to do on Nami Island is to bike around, so we did just that. Using the map we took upon purchasing our tickets, we located the bike center and rented 2 single bikes. There are couple bikes and some other types of bikes for families with small children.

So, of course, we did that, too!

The sun may be hidden from sight but it sure was hot! So, ice cream we go. :)

While walking towards the bike center where we'll rent our bikes, we saw some interesting arts. 

The color caught my eye but upon close checkup, they're actual books! Not sure how to feel about this.

Finally, we got our bikes! Time to tour Nami Island on wheels. Pedal on!

I love this picture. :)

This young and very shy Maple tree. It would be really really beautiful come Autumn.

Since we avoided the crowd, we used the main path as we exit.

Hello. This is Nami Island.

Had to take a photo where my Mother Tongue is written of course. :)

We were supposed to come to Seoul with a Malaysian friend. But since she couldn't come, we took this photo for her.

Photo by the entrance of Nami Island before hopping on the ferry back out. Ironic, huh? :)

It was almost past 2PM when we decided to leave Nami Island and go to Petit France.