Namiseom (Hangeul: 남이섬) is one of the tourist spots in Korea that I’ve been to several times. I’ve also posted about some of those trips on my blog. The last time I was there was in early November, when my two sisters from the Philippines came to visit us. We went there on their third day here.
From Hoegi Station, we took the Jungang line to Sangbong Stn (line 7, Jungang line). We transferred to Gyeongchun line and we were lucky to be there about two minutes before the train left. Trains run three times in an hour. The fare is only 1,800 won. The ride took just 51 minutes. We got off Gapyeong Stn (about 13 stops from Sangbong) and took a taxi to Namiseom. (Tip: Tell the taxi driver “Na-mi-seom ka-ju-se-yo”) Namiseom is only about two kilometers from the station. I paid less than 3,000 won.
Take the Gyeongchun line at Sangbong station (top) and get off at Gapyeong station (bottom).
It is necessary to get a “visa” to get to Naminara. They give a 2,000 won discount to foreigners so I only paid 8,000 won each instead of 10,000 won. Tourist maps are available at the ticket booths. Then we’re off to the ferry for the short ride to the island.
Naminara "visa" and the "Mermaid" ferry
The first time that I visited Nami was in the summer of 2005. That time it was popularly known as the filming location of “Winter Sonata”, the drama starring Bae Yong Joon, Choi Ji Woo and the late Park Yong Ha. So many “improvements” have been made from that time. There are more restaurants now and more facilities for tourists, located at the center of the island. The good thing is the natural surrounding has been preserved.
Pose and post it on Facebook ;p
Namiseom is a nice place to take a walk, ride a bike, have a picnic, play games, try Korean food, and of course – take tons of pictures! My favorite part of the island is the footpath lined by metasequoia trees and another path with gingko trees. I also love the trail along the coast where the pension houses are.
A place where women and chickens mingle ;p
Here are some more pictures that I took on our last visit in autumn:
The famous footpath with metasequoia trees
Autumn is a lovely time to visit Namiseom
Ride a bike or just walk hand in hand at Namiseom's numerous trails
By the way, don’t forget to have “dalk kalbi” (spicy chicken with rice cakes, sweet potatoes and veggies) and “mak-guksu” (noodle dish with spicy sauce) – both are specialties of the region. I had “mak-guksu” for 6,000 won at one of the restaurants there.
Mak-guksu - a specialty of Gangwon province
Namiseom is a beautiful place to visit in winter, spring, summer or autumn. You might want to check my other entries:
Nami Island Once Again (November 16, 2009)
Nami Island – the 4th time around (May 27, 2008)
Pinoy Abroad team in Nami Island (August 11, 2006)
Early Autumn in Namiseom (October 12, 2005)
A Summer’s Day in Namiseom (October 11, 2005)
