This article will explain in detail how we went to the beautiful Nami Island and back to Seoul! There are various other ways to get to Nami Island, and you can click here to see them. However, below is the method we used and it worked very well for us. As usual, please feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below.
Beautiful Nami Island
1. Take the Metro to Yongsan Station
For the first part of our journey, we took the metro to Yongsan Station on Line 1. Above is a picture of the KORAIL counter at Yongsan station.
2. From Yongsan Station, Take the ITX Train to Gapyeong Station (60 minutes)
From Yongsan Station, we took the ITX Train to Gapyeong Station. The trip will take roughly 60 minutes inclusive of waiting times. Each adult ticket costs KRW 4,800. From what we read online, it is highly advisable to purchase the tickets online in advance to ensure availability. Below is how we bought the tickets.
How to buy ITX Tickets Online:
A. Go to the KORAIL website by clicking on this link.
Travel Category: Normal Type
Travel Type: Direct
Departure Time: Fill in your de parture date. Set “Hour” at 0 so that you can get the full list of times.
Departure / Arrival: Yongsan /Gapyeong
Train: ITX-Cheongchun
Passengers: Fill in accordingly
B. Click on the “Inquiry” button and Select your Tickets
After clicking the “Inquiry” button, I was shown the train schedule between Yongsan and Gapyeong. We chose the early timing of 8am as we wanted to avoid the crowds. This turned out to be a correct decision because when we reached Nami Island, it was still relatively tourist-free and we could take many beautiful pictures. However, about an hour after we arrived, other tourists started coming in.
C. Fill in your Particulars and Payment Details
D. Print out the Confirmation
E. Collect your Tickets at Yongsan Station
On the departure day, we collected our tickets from the Korail counter at Yongsan station. We showed both our passports and the printed confirmations to get the tickets. This is important because they will not let you collect the ticket if you do not have your passport and printed confirmation.
3. From Gapyeong Station, take the “Gapyeong Tour Bus” to Gapyeong Wharf. (10 minutes)
After we reached Gapyeong Station, we caught the Gapyeong Tour bus and took it for 3 stops to the Nami Island station. Above is a picture of the bus schedule. The bus leaves on the hour every hour, and the bus fare is KRW 5,000. We bought the tickets on the bus from the driver. If you miss the bus you can simply catch a taxi.
From Nami Island Station, we walked for about two minutes to Gapyeong Wharf.
4. From Gapyeong Wharf, take zipline/ferry to Nami Island
At Gapyeong Wharf, we originally wanted to take the zipline to Nami Island. It sounded pretty fun and seemed like a good way to enjoy a different view of Nami Island from above! The zipline costs KRW 38,000, which includes admission to Nami Island and a ferry ride back. You need to leave your bulky bags in the lockers at the reception area. You will reach Nami Island in less than 2 minutes! However, as the weather was too cold, we decided to go for the ferry ride instead.
It was a scenic ride and we enjoyed the beautiful views of Nami Island and the surrounding waters. The price of the ferry ride is KRW 8,000, which includes the admission fee to Nami Island and the trip back. The trip takes just 5 minutes.
5. Going back to Seoul: Take Gapyeong Tour Bus to Cheongpyeong Station
From Nami Island station, take the tour bus to Cheongpyeong Station, which takes about 50 minutes.
6. From Cheongpyeong Station, Take Subway back to Seoul Station.
We had bought round trip ITX tickets, but the earliest return timing from Cheongpyeong Station to Yongsan was at 8pm, which was way too late for us. Therefore, instead of waiting till 8pm to take the ITX high-speed train, we decided to take the subway back to Seoul station instead.
Subway Directions from Cheongpyeong Station to Seoul Station (click to enlarge)
Click to enlarge
1. From Cheongpyeong Station, we took the Kyeongchun Line towards Mangu Station.
2. From Mangu Station, we changed to the Jungang Line and took the subway to Wangsimni Station.
3. From Wangsimni Station, we changed to Line 2 and took the subway to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station.
4. From Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, we changed to Line 4 and took the subway to Seoul Station.
We arrived back in Seoul Station to freshen up in our pretty Airbnb before heading to Myeongdong for a sumptuous dinner! And this is the full breakdown of how we went to Nami Island and back to Seoul. Hope you found it useful!