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Chuncheon & Namiseom Tour - A Place of Romance

A mere two-hour drive from Seoul, Chuncheon in Gangwon-do Province is a popular retreat for Koreans. It boasts a beautiful landscape, a variety of memorable highlights to experience and enjoy, together with green mountains and clean lakes. In particular, Namiseom Island is one of the famous filming locations of the Korean drama Winter Sonata. As such, it has attracted numerous international visitors who enjoy a leisurely stroll in nature.
So, how about a visit to Chuncheon and Namiseom for a romantic retreat?

With its beautiful landscape, Chuncheon is often referred to as “the land of lakes.” The man-made Chuncheon Dam and Soyanggang Dam have resulted in numerous lake formations, which strike a harmonious balance with the surrounding mountains. Chuncheon is also home to a variety of tourist attractions such as the Animation Museum, Provincial Flower Garden, Makguksu (buckwheat noodles with vegetables) Experience Museum, and Kim Yu-jeong House of Literature. Thus, visitors can expect to find both natural beauty and enjoyable hands-on experiences in Chuncheon.
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 Tourist Attractions
Animation Museum
This is the first animation-related museum in Korea. On exhibit are materials on the origin and development of animation and how animation evolved in Korea as well as in the United States, Japan, and Europe. The museum has a horror studio, 3-D theater, and puppet animation corner.

Gangwon-do Provincial Flower Garden
The garden is home to 1,352 types of flowers, trees, and shrubs, offering visitors a place to relax and experience nature within an urban setting. A variety of exhibitions are also organized to highlight wild flowers, chrysanthemums, and rare insects.

Makguksu Experience Museum
The museum is dedicated to makguksu, a major local dish of Chuncheon. Makguksu is buckwheat noodle served in cold kimchi broth. The museum shows the origin and various types of makguksu. For a fee of 2,000 won, visitors can also participate in a hands-on program to make makguksu themselves.

Statue of Soyanggang Maid
The bronze statue of Soyanggang Maid was erected to promote the beloved Korean song of ‘Soyanggang Cheonyeo (Soyanggang Maid)’ and the Soyanggang River. Come and see the clean river and its beautiful scenery.

Kim Yu-jeong House of Literature
Located in Sille Village in Sindong-myeon, the house honors Kim Yu-jeong (1908~1937), who is regarded as one of Korea’s leading short-story novelists. It has the novelist’s birth home, a gallery, and a walking path. Some programs are organized to reenact the novelist’s works.

Chuncheon Puppet Theater
The theater is the venue for the Chuncheon Puppet Festival held annually in August. There are puppet shows and an exhibit of puppets from around the world.
 Food

Chuncheon’s most famous contribution to Korean cuisine is dakgalbi. This chicken ribs dish is made by pan-frying seasoned boneless chicken, sweet potato, cabbage, vegetables, and rice cakes in hot pepper sauce.

The Chuncheon-style dakgalbi is characterized by its large serving. After you have finished the chicken, you can have rice pan-fried with some vegetables or a bowl of cold makguksu. Myeongdong Geori (Street of Myeongdong) in Chuncheon is famous for Dakgalbi Street, which is visited by both local and foreign visitors. 
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 Accommodation

A popular weekend getaway, Chuncheon offers a wide selection of accommodation. Visitors can get information by calling the Chuncheon Travel Center (+82-33-250-3322, English, Japanese, and Chinese). Prices change depending on the season so visitors are advised to check in advance.  
Name Location Tel
Sejong Hotel Chuncheon, Bongui-dong 15-3 +82-33-252-1191 (English, Japanese)
Hotel Bears Chuncheon Chuncheon, Samcheon-dong 300-3 +82-33-256-2525 (English, Japanese)
Ritz Motel Chuncheon, Geunhwa-dong 284-1 +82-33-241-0797 (Korean)
 Transportation
By Bus
It takes roughly an hour and 30 minutes from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (every 15 minutes, fare 7,800 won) or Sangbong Bus Terminal (every 30 minutes, fare 7,400 won). 。

By Train
It takes 1.5 hours from Cheongnyangni Station to Nam Chuncheon Station (20 daily departures, fare 5,400 won).
There is a free shuttle bus connecting Nam Chuncheon Station with downtown Chuncheon. The shuttle leaves 10 minutes after train arrivals. Operated to compensate for the current construction of Chuncheon Station, the shuttle service will be available until 2009.

Set on Cheongpyeong Lake, Namiseom Island is located at the border of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do. To get there, visitors must take a 5-minute ferry ride from Gapyeong Ferry Wharf in Gyeonggi-do. Also known as the filming location for the Korean drama Winter Sonata, Namiseom is packed with international fans. With its expansive grass field, wooden paths, and lake, the island is a great place to relax in the surrounding nature.
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 Recommended Attractions
Tomb of General Nami
General Nami (1441~1468) was an outstanding military leader who led numerous battles to success but was killed on false charges of treason. People sympathized with him and called the place where he was buried Namiseom Island in his honor.

Metasequoia Road
(Metasequoia trees grow to 25 meters high and are sometimes used for lining streets.)
The road is well known for the Winter Sonata scene where the drama couple enjoys a romantic walk together. The road is easy to walk and has wooden benches along the way. 

Unicef Hall - Open 09:00~18:00
UNICEF is an international organization involved in children support programs in 190 countries around the world. An office of UNICEF is in Namiseom. It organizes exhibitions, a fund for children vaccination, and souvenir sales for fund-raising.    

Caricature
Caricature artists are available in many places on Namiseom Island. As of September 2008, the price per person is 7,000 won for a black and white drawing and 10,000 won for a color drawing, and it takes approximately 15 minutes. Caricature captures a facial characteristic, so it is fun to have your own made.

Herb Experience
The herb experience hall sells various souvenir items related to herbs. Buy herbal tea or herbal fragrances, or enjoy a free cup of herbal tea.

Bike Rental
Visitors can rent a bicycle and enjoy a ride in Namiseom like the Winter Sonata couple. There are bicycles for 2, 3, or 6 persons. There is a 30-minute base price and an extra fare for each additional 10 minutes.
 
Size 30-minute base price Extra fare for each additional 10 minutes
2-persons 6,000won 2,000won
3-persons 10,000won 3,000won
6-persons 15,000won 5,000won
(As of September 2008)
 Food

A 5-minute walk along the wooden path from the wharf, you will find a restaurant area behind the tourist information center. You can also have a simple meal in a café along the road.
☞ Gomok Sikdang Restaurant
 +82-31-582-4443 (Korean) / Cafe Yeongajiga +82-31-582-2550 (Korean)
  Accommodation

Because the island is not very big (about 460,000 square meters), tourists can view it comfortably in 3 to 4 hours. But if you want to enjoy more, you can also stay overnight at Jeonggwanru (also called Naminara Hotel), which offers both a condominium and a villa. To make a reservation, call between 9am and 6pm (+82-31-580-8000, Korean, English, and Japanese) or e-mail (na87@naminara.com) at least 10 days in advance.
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  Transportation

Even though administratively part of Chuncheon City, Namiseom Island sits at the border of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do, and can only be reached by ferry from Gapyeong Wharf in Gyeonggi-do. The fare is 8,000 won (as of September 2008) for a round-trip ferry ride and admission to the island. The ferry schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions but usually there are ferries every 15 to 30 minutes. 

Ferry From Gapyeong From Namiseom
First ferry 07:30 07:35
07:30~09:00 Every 30 minutes Every 30 minutes
09:00~18:00 Every 15 to 20 minutes Every 15 to 20 minutes
18:00~21:00 Every 30 minutes Every 30 minutes
Last ferry 21:40 21:45

By Bus
Take a Jikhaeng (non-stop) bus for Chuncheon from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (every 15 minutes, fare 5,600 won) or Sangbong Bus Terminal (every 30 minutes, fare 5,100 won) and get off at Gapyeong Bus Terminal. It takes approximately an hour and 20 minutes. Then, take a local bus or taxi to the wharf (10 minutes).

By Train
Take a train for Chuncheon at Cheongnyangni Station and get off at Gapyeong Station (20 daily departures, fare 3,800 won). It takes an hour and 20 minutes. Then, take a local bus or taxi to the wharf (10 minutes).

By Shuttle Bus
There is a direct shuttle bus from Tapgol Park in Insa-dong to Gapyeong wharf every day, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of changing. It takes an hour and 40 minutes. (Shuttle leaves Seoul at 09:30, fare 7,500 won)
Reservation) +82-2-753-1245 (Korean, Japanese)


 
 
Date 10/21/2008
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