During my latest trip to Korea, I really wanted to visit Chuncheon, an area/city near Nami Island. Chuncheon is harder to get to by public transportation compared to Nami Island, but I managed to find a day trip package to Chuncheon from Trazy, a tour & activity online booking platform based in Korea.
This day trip to Chuncheon is definitely a good activity for those who have been to Seoul several times and is bored of the usual trio of Nami Island, Petite France & Garden of Morning Calm. During the trip, we visited three places in Chuncheon area including Jade Garden, Alpaca World and Gubongsan Observatory. Here’s a review of my trip to Chuncheon with the Trazy package.
Booking & pick-up
The Chuncheon day trip tour runs twice a week from Seoul, every Wednesday and Friday. Booking the trip is easy: you can book your trip to Chuncheon online here. The whole trip cost 64,000 KRW per person and it includes transportation to and from Seoul, a guide, all entrance fees and one free drink at Gubongsan Observatory. You can book this tour up to 2 days in advance.
There are three pick-up points from Seoul: Hongik University Station exit 4, Myeongdong Station exit 2 and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station. It was not hard to find the guide at the pick-up point and the bus boarding process was smooth.
The bus itself was clean and comfortable for the 1.5-hour ride to our first stop, Jade Garden.
Jade Garden
Jade Garden is an arboretum growing over 3,000 plant species. This European-styled garden is part of the Jade Palace Golf Club and is frequently used as a filming location for Korean dramas.
We visited on the last week of March and although we expected it to be spring, it was still cold. There were only a few green patches around the garden and most of the plants were still budding. It would be better if you visit Jade Garden mid-April onwards when the greeneries are out!
Despite the weather, we had a nice stroll around the garden. The walk took us around half an hour from the front to the end, with many photos in between, so the allocated time in the garden is more than enough.
We even had time to stop by the snack corner, which is located in the middle of the garden, and boil ramyeon (instant noodle) for ourselves. If you’re hungry, you can also get a hotdog from this stall.
Alpaca World
After Jade Garden, we were brought to Alpaca World – a paradise for those who love animals. Alpaca World is located on one of the mountains near Chuncheon city, offering great views of its neighbouring mountains.
As the name suggests, the main attraction of this destination is their cute, fluffy alpacas. There were many spots to interact with alpacas here. We took a short train ride (additional 3,000 KRW per person) and feed alpacas by the side as the train passes the alpaca area. You can also pet and feed the alpacas in several other spots around Alpaca World.
Visitors can purchase alpaca feed (1,000 KRW per serving) through the various feed vending machine. I think the alpacas here are really well fed by the visitors. If you want even more interaction with the alpacas, you can also go for a ‘healing walk’ with the alpacas (one alpaca for 10,000 KRW).
Another part to look forward to for your trip to Alpaca World is the bird’s zone. This giant birdcage is home to many small, colourful birds who come rushing to you once you have feed on you. The feed can be purchased from the vending machine inside for just 1,000 KRW.
I would recommend bringing your own food during this tour as the choices of food at Alpaca World is quite limited (refer to image above).
Gubongsan Observatory Cafe Street
Gubongsan was the second reason why I really wanted to go on this tour to Chuncheon. This Santorini-themed observatory cum cafe has been a hotspot for Korean drama filming locations lately as a dating spot. The cafe is a great place to see Chuncheon from a bird-eyes view. We also got a drink (included in the tour) of our choice as we enjoyed the view.
Chuncheon Tour Recommendation
Overall, the tour was very enjoyable with plenty of time at each spot. I would highly recommend it for families or groups who have been to Seoul more than once and want to visit a new area in South Korea.