Nami Island from Seoul: Train, Shuttle Bus or Tour

Times are from Naminara Republic, which runs the island. The ferry crossing itself takes about 5 minutes.

How do you get to Nami Island from Seoul by train?

Take Korail's ITX-Cheongchun to Gapyeong Station. It takes about 60 minutes from Yongsan and about 42 minutes from Cheongnyangni, which is the quicker start if you are staying in eastern Seoul or Dongdaemun.

Nami Island belongs to Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, but you reach it from Gapyeong Wharf in Gyeonggi Province, on the other bank of the river. The wharf is 1.5km from Gapyeong Station. Walking takes about 20 minutes, and the 10-4 bus or a taxi takes about 5.

The cheaper train is the Gyeongchun Line subway, which also stops at Gapyeong, about 50 minutes from Sangbong. You pay it with a transit card like any other subway ride. The base fare is 1,550 won and longer rides add to it by distance, so Gapyeong costs more than a trip across the city. Subway fares and transfers explains how that fare is built.

Related guideWOWPASS vs T-money vs Climate Card: Which Transit Card to GetT-money is the default transit card for Korea. A Climate Card pass beats it on Seoul-heavy trips. WOWPASS only earns its fee as a prepaid shopping card.

How much is the Nami Island ticket?

19,000 won for an adult, and the price includes the ferry both ways. The island calls it a Naminara Republic visa, but it works like any entry ticket, sold at the ticket office at Gapyeong Wharf and online.

Children under 36 months enter free. The 13,000 won rate also applies to anyone buying before 8am and boarding an early ferry, and to tickets bought after 6:31pm from April to November or after 6:01pm from December to March. Motorboats run from 9am to 6pm, roughly April to November, and leave when at least 2 people board. The island is open every day of the year.

What are the ferry times?

The first ferry to the island leaves the wharf at 8am and the last at 9pm. Coming back, the first ferry leaves the island at 8:05am and the last at 9:05pm.

Ferries run every 30 minutes from 8am to 9am, every 10 to 20 minutes from 9am to 6pm, and every 30 minutes again until 9pm. That means you rarely wait long in the middle of the day and do not need to plan around a specific boat.

Autumn adds hours. From 18 September to 22 November 2026 the first ferry leaves at 7:30am every day, and on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays the last ferry leaves at 9:30pm.

Is the zipline worth it?

Only if you want the ride itself, because it is a one-way entry and costs nearly three times the ferry ticket. The zip-wire drops from an 80m tower across the river, and the fee includes your ferry back from the island.

The Family Course lands directly on Nami Island for 55,000 won. The Adventure Course lands on Jaraseom and finishes with a motorboat to Nami Island, for 58,000 won. Both run from 9am to 6pm, riders must be 140 to 200cm tall and weigh 45 to 120kg, and weather can stop the ride.

Is the shuttle bus easier than the train?

It is if you are staying in Hongdae, Myeongdong or Dongdaemun and want no changes at all. A daily direct shuttle, operated by Ktourstory and sold round trip only through resellers including Klook, KKday, Trazy and GetYourGuide, picks up at three stops.

The bus reaches the island about 11:30am and leaves again at 4:30pm, so you get about five hours there. Island admission is not included, and pets are not allowed on board.

The trade-off is the fixed day. The train lets you arrive for the 8am ferry, or stay until the evening, and the shuttle does not.

How do you combine Nami Island with Petite France or the Garden of Morning Calm?

By the Gapyeong tourist circulation bus, often called the Gapyeong City Tour Bus, or by booking a tour. The bus loops from Gapyeong Terminal through the Gapyeong Rail Bike, Jaraseom, Gapyeong Station, Nami Island, Petite France and Cheongpyeong to the Garden of Morning Calm.

A day ticket costs 8,000 won for adults and 6,000 won for teenagers, children and seniors, and children aged 3 and under ride free. You buy it from the driver and can get on and off all day. Entry to each sight is paid separately.

The catch is frequency. In 2026 the bus leaves Gapyeong Terminal once an hour from 9am to 6pm and calls at Nami Island at 25 minutes past the hour, reaching the Garden of Morning Calm 70 minutes later. Miss one and you wait an hour, and a day with three stops holds three of those connections.

When is a tour the better call?

When you want more than Nami Island. Our pick is the train for Nami Island alone, because the ferry runs every 10 to 20 minutes through the day and nothing else needs timing. Our pick changes to a tour once the Garden of Morning Calm, Petite France or the rail bike joins the list, because the hourly bus turns each extra stop into a wait.

A tour also settles the return. The garden is the last stop on the bus loop, the farthest from Gapyeong Station, and a day tour from Seoul includes the ride back.

Before booking, check which entry tickets the price includes and how long the tour stays on the island. The tour below combines Nami Island with the Garden of Morning Calm, Petite France and the rail bike.

Tour · Viator

Nami Island and Garden of Morning Calm tour from Seoul

A day tour from Seoul combining Nami Island with the Garden of Morning Calm and other stops near Gapyeong.

Check availability on Viator

The DMZ is the other day trip from Seoul that most visitors weigh against this one, and unlike Nami Island it can only be done on a tour.

Related guideDMZ Tours from Seoul: What You Can Actually VisitMost DMZ visits from Seoul are guided tours, and the JSA at Panmunjom has been shut to the public since December 2023. What that means for what you book.

When are the autumn leaves at their best on Nami Island?

Usually from mid-October to early December, depending on the weather, according to the island. Katsura and maple trees start to turn from mid-October, the ginkgo trees follow later, and the island says it looks its best from late October to mid-November. Around mid-November the Songpa Ginkgo Road is carpeted with ginkgo leaves brought in from Seoul's Songpa district each year.

The autumn ferry schedule, with a 7:30am first ferry from 18 September to 22 November, gives you a head start on the day-trip buses: the shuttle from Seoul does not reach the island until about 11:30am.

Autumn leaves in Korea has the 2026 forecast for Seoul and the mountains, if you are choosing between Nami Island and a foliage trip further out.

For the rest of your time in the city, the Seoul travel guide covers what to see and where to stay.