Chuncheon & Gapyeong

Nami Island, a filming location for "Winter Sonata," plus Petite France, the Uiamho Lake cable car, LEGOLAND and Chuncheon's spicy stir-fried chicken (dakgalbi), about 1 hr from Seoul by ITX.

Chuncheon & Gapyeong lie about 60–90 km northeast of Seoul along the Bukhangang River. Gapyeong County belongs to Gyeonggi Province, while Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon State. The two are linked by the Gyeongchun Line commuter rail and the ITX-Cheongchun train: from Seoul's Yongsan or Cheongnyangni stations it takes about 1 hr to Gapyeong and about 1 hr 10 min to Chuncheon. With its many lakes, including Cheongpyeong, Uiam and Soyang, Chuncheon is known as the "City of Lakes," and the area is a popular filming location for K-dramas such as "Winter Sonata."

Areas to explore: ① Gapyeong – Nami Island, Jaraseom Island, Petite France and the Italian Village, the Garden of Morning Calm and water sports on Cheongpyeong Lake; ideal as a day trip, with the Gapyeong City Tour bus looping from Gapyeong Station; ② Gangchon and Namsan-myeon – Gangchon Rail Bike, Kim Yu-jeong Literary Village, Gugok Falls, Jade Garden and Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort; ③ central Chuncheon – LEGOLAND on Uiamho Lake, the Samaksan Lake Cable Car, Soyanggang Skywalk, the Animation Museum and Chuncheon National Museum, then dakgalbi in Myeong-dong in the evening; ④ Soyangho Lake – boats from Soyang Dam to Cheongpyeongsa Temple.

Best seasons: ginkgo and autumn leaves are at their best from late Oct to early Nov; from Dec to Mar there is skiing, the Garden of Morning Calm light festival and snowy Nami Island; cherry blossoms and spring flowers in Apr; and water fun on Cheongpyeong Lake in Jul–Aug, though this is the rainy season. Allow 2 days: one in Gapyeong and one in Chuncheon, or visit single sights as day trips from Seoul. Note: the Gyeongchun Line and Nami Island ferry get crowded on autumn weekends, so try to avoid peak times; LEGOLAND closes for part of the winter; and at many sights, part of the admission fee is refunded as Chuncheon local vouchers that can be spent in the area.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries