Most people would be familiar with Nami Island as one of those ‘must-visit’ destinations in Korea.
Many would associate it with the filming site of famous K-drama Winter Sonata, but did you know that the half-moon shaped river island was formed as the land around it was inundated by rising water as the result of the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam in 1944? Hence, Nami Island is actually formed not very long ago, and not as historic as one would assume!
There are two ways of getting here: by ferry or by flying fox (yes, you didn’t read that wrongly). You can read more on how to get to Gapyeong Wharf if you prefer to travel by ferry here!
I visited Nami Island twice: once in winter, and the most recent time in autumn. Both are very great timings to visit the island as it is very scenic. Just avoid summer though – I’ve heard of people who visited during this season and got bored by the rows of green trees.
According to Wikipedia, the name of the island originates from General Nami. He died at the age of 28 after being falsely accused of treason during the reign of King Sejo, the seventh king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea.
Although his grave was not discovered, there were a pile of stones where his body was supposed to be buried. It was believed that if someone took even one stone from there, it would bring misfortune to their house.
Now this is where it gets interesting. A tour company actually arranged the grave with soil and then developed Namiseom into an amusement park!
There are quite a few cafes and restaurants around Nami Island, so you don’t have to worry about having nothing to eat.
Yes, Nami Island has an official/unofficial flag, lol.
The signboards around Nami Island are a little primitive, but still very cute! They also highlight the spot where they filmed the famous snowman scene in Winter Sonata if you’re keen to check it out.
The snow makes everything very gorgeous in winter!
If you read some reviews and accounts online, some would mention this adorable rabbit on Nami Island! Unfortunately, this was taken quite some time back in 2017, so I’m not too sure if it is still around. But do look out for other cute creatures around the island!
For families with young children, you can also stop by the Picture Book Library. They have tons of books here!
What I really liked was that they offered a variety of children’s picture books, including English. You don’t have to worry about not understanding Korean at all. They’ve really set up Nami Island to be as tourist-friendly as possible, which is not a bad thing!
I made another trip to Nami Island in the autumn of 2022 after COVID restrictions were lifted. I was a bit surprised to see that most things are more or less similar, but everything did look very different in a different season!
Also spotted some other animals around – including ostriches!
Look at how stunning the fall foliage is on Nami Island! I haven’t seen anywhere else in Seoul with such beautiful colour gradients, so this was definitely such a beautiful sight to behold.
I’m not sure whether we went to a different cafe or the same one renovated/upgraded during COVID, but the pastries and drinks were much tastier this time round! I personally really liked the einspanner – realised that this is a very popular coffee option in Korea for some reason haha.
I know a lot of people are divided over whether Nami Island is worth visiting. Personally, I find the scenery here very beautiful and definitely worth checking out during the autumn season. If I’m not wrong, you might even be able to see cherry blossoms here during the spring!
Sadly, I do find the crowds quite a turn-off. It seems that the whole world visits Nami Island on the same days. Hence, the scenic experience does get marred a little by the noise and human jams.
Nonetheless, I do think it is worth visiting at least once. This is especially if you’ve never been to South Korea and want an easier and faster way to explore outside of Seoul. Many tour packages would bundle this together with other attractions in Chuncheon, or offer shuttle buses to the Gapyeong Wharf, so it’s definitely a breeze getting to Nami Island.
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