How to get to Nami island from Seoul? — How to go & how to travel to Nami island from Myeongdong?

Nami Island is an island located on a semicircular river in Chuncheon Province, South Korea, about 2 hours by bus from Seoul. Nami Island, also known as the Naminara Republic, has a poetic landscape, attracting millions of visitors annually. This is also the place where the filming of the famous K-drama Winter Sonata took place. In this post, we will share our experience traveling to Nami Island by shuttle bus. So, how to get to Nami island from Seoul (how to travel to Nami island from Seoul)? Let’s check out my suggested on how to get to Nami island from Myeongdong (how to travel to Nami island from Myeongdong, how to go to Nami island from Myeongdong) by bus and subway to find out the answer!

How to get to Nami island from Seoul? How to get to Nami island from Myeongdong?

There are two options for you to arrive in Nami Island: by train or shuttle bus. If you decide to take the train, you’ll need to get a taxi ride to arrive at the ferry port for Nami Island. If you go by shuttle bus, the bus will take you straight to the port for Nami Island.

Travel by train (how to get to Nami island from Seoul by subway): You travel to the following station Gapyeong Station (Gyeongchun Line). Then walk to Gapyeong Bus Terminal, take the bus number 33-9 to Sora Resort Pension. From Sora Resort Pension, you can walk to the ferry port for Nami Island which takes about 10 minutes. If you don’t want to walk, take the train to Gapyeong Station (Gyeongchun Line). Then, you can catch a taxi to go straight to Nami Island.

The total journey for the above option takes about 2 hours. The train costs around 2,500 won (USD 2.15) and the taxi costs around 8,000 won (USD 6.90). It’s about 10,000 won total.

Travel by shuttle bus (how to go to Nami island from Seoul by bus): It takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. The expense is about 23,000 won. Take a nap and you will arrive there in no time because the bus goes straight to Nami Island. The departure time is usually 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. Pretty early for a night person. When taking the bus, you should book your bus pass online in advance, combined in a ticket combo to Nami Island Island for convenience.

How to go to Nami island from Seoul? Purchase bus tickets to Nami Island combined with ferry pass to Nami Island

This is the way we bought our passes, really quick and convenient. We stayed in Myeong-dong and the bus stop for Nami Island in Myeong-dong is the Shinsegae Duty Free Myeongdong Course (This stop is huge and easy to find. You can see Shinsegaein from anywhere in Myeong-dong). The bus always leaves on time, so you should arrive 10 minutes early to find the right stop and catch the bus to Nami Island.

Combo bus pass to Nami Island + Ferry pass to Nami Island: USD 22 (enter gift code BILLBALO to get a discount of USD 3.6, down to USD 18.4). With this combo, you will get a round-trip pass from Seoul to Nami and from Nami to Seoul for the shuttle bus, plus a ferry pass to Nami Island. It will save you a lot of time.

Depending on the time you buy the pass, the schedule will be as follows:

• 9:30 am/8:30am: Bus departs from Namdaemun
• 9:45 am/8:45am: Bus departs from Shinsegae Duty Free Myeongdong
• 11:30 am: Bus arrives in Nami Island
• 11:30 am-4:30pm: Time for exploring Nami Island
• 5:00 pm: Returning bus departs from Nami Island to Namdaemun
• 6:30 pm-7:00pm: Bus arrives in Namdaemun / Shinsegae Duty Free Myeongdong

How to get to Nami island? Ferry tickets to Nami Island

From Nami Island bus stop, you have to buy ferry pass to get to Nami Island, which is usually referred to as Nami Island entry visa. For tourists, you only need to buy a one-time pass. On Nami Island, you will be able to get a passport with one-year validity and unlimited number of times to enter Nami Island.

The fare for Koreans taking a ferry to Nami Island is 10,000 won/time while the fare for foreigners is only 8,000 won/time. The one-year unlimited-entry passport to Nami Island costs 35,000 won.

Note on the ferry time to Nami Island:

• From 7:30 am to 9:00 am: There is one trip every 30 minutes.
• From 9:00 am to 18:00 pm: One trip every 10 to 20 minutes.
• From 18:00 pm to 21:40 pm: One trip every 30 minutes.
• The first bus departs at 7:30 am and the last one is at 21:40 pm.

The returning bus to Seoul from Nami Island will leave on time, and won’t wait for anyone even if you’re waiting in line to get on the ferry. So take your time. If there are a lot of guests waiting in line, you may need to return to the bus stop one hour in advance in order not to miss the trip. But even if you missed the trip, you will be fine. Just return from Nami Island by train that we have discussed. You can return by the other option, differently to how you went to Nami.

How to get to Nami island from Seoul? Transportation on Nami Island

If you don’t want to take the ferry to Nami Island, you can also try the Zip-wire for 38,000 won/time. The opening hours for Zip-wire is from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. Upon arrival, you can take a Bungee jump to get down there. The cost is 60,000 won/jump with the height of Bungee being 60 meters. It’s a bit expensive but doesn’t matter.

On Nami Island, there are many forms of transport to get around for sightseeing. Because we spent a whole day from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm to explore Nami Island, we chose to walk. However, if you have to follow an itinerary for Nami Island & Petite France, or an itinerary for Nami Island, Garden of Morning Calm & More, you can rent bicycles or electric bicycles to get around on Nami Island to save energy and time.

• Two-person bicycle: 4,000 won/30 minutes or 7,000 won/hour.
• Two-person bicycle: 8,000 won/30 minutes or 14,000 won/hour.
• Tri-way electric bicycle: 10,000 won/30 minutes or 18,000 won/hour.

Yes, that’s it. Nami Island is small and it takes only an hour by foot to visit. By bicycle, it is even much faster. If you want to have lunch on the island, you can choose one of the following two restaurants. Nammoon – specializing in traditional Korean dishes, where we had our lunch. Otherwise, you can choose Dongmoon – specializing in Asian dishes to suit your taste. Dining on the island is quite expensive with the cost varying from 10,000 won and up. But you have no other choice, so eat well to keep up with your journey.

Again, the link to book Nami Island Round Trip Transfer and Admission Ticket from Seoul.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Seoul you can refer to

• Private Incheon International Airport Transfers (ICN) for Seoul
• Discover Seoul Pass (BTS Edition Available)
• [SALE] Instant Ticket! Korea Rail Pass (KR PASS) 2/3/4/5 Days to travel around the cities in Korea
• KAL Limousine Bus Ticket for Seoul
• [Limited Offer] AREX Incheon Airport Express Train One Way Ticket in Seoul
• Bukchon Oneday Hanbok Rental Experience (4/24 Hrs)
• Nami Island, Petite France, Garden of Morning Calm, and Gangchon Rail Bike Day Tour from Seoul
• [Limited Offer] Incheon International Airport (ICN) Luggage Services (Between Airport and Hotel) by Safex
• 4G Prepaid SIM Card (SK Airports Pick Up) for South Korea
• [SALE] South Korea 4G Pocket WiFi (KR Airports Pick Up) from KT Olleh
• 4G Portable WiFi for South Korea from Uroaming (Unlimited Data)

Are you looking for more Namin Island travel guide and top things to do on Nami Island: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Nami Island travel blog — The fullest Nami Island travel guide for a great trip to Nami Island for the first-timers.