Korea, Travel, Wow Korea

Visiting Gyeonggi Province: Yangpyeong

We went to Yangpyeong after visiting Icheon and Yeoju on the first day and it was unexpectedly a very beautiful and memorable trip. Yangpyeong is a thirty minutes drive from Icheon.

Wild Flower Arboretum (들꽃수목원)

This Arboretum is a nature learning center that has about 200 different types of endangered wild flower species. It also has a Herb Garden that grows 50 different types of herbs.

Inside the park, you will find a greenhouse at the bottom with beautiful flowers that can not bloom in the winter. It was also a great hide out to feel less cold because it was freezing outside when we were there.

If you are coming from Seoul, take a bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal and take an intercity bus to Yangpyeong. From Yangpyeong Bus Terminal, take a taxi to Yangpyeong Wild Flower Arboretum. Alternatively, take the Jungang line from Seoul to Obin Station and the Arboterum is nearby.

1676528_1_36Admission to the park costs 7,000 KRW for adults, 5,000 KRW for youths and 4,000 KRW for children.

The Greem Cafe

After freezing out in the cold in the Arboretum, we went to the Greem Cafe to warm ourselves up with a cup of hot chocolate.

It’s a very unique cafe (and garden) because you will pay entrance fee of 7,000 KRW instead of paying for the drink directly. They will then give you  a complimentary drink in the cafe area (first building on the right from the entrance). There were 7 choices of drinks from Americano, Ice / Hot Choco, some juices and flavoured tea.

The Greem is a popular drama set that has been featured in Korean dramas like Nice Guy (Song Joong Ki and Moon Chae Won), Rooftop Prince (Micky Yoo Cheon and Han Ji Min) and many more. There are many beautiful photo spots in the cafe area, so come prepared with your camera! 😀

Dumulmeori and Semiwon (두물머리 & 세미원)

Dumulmeori literally means ‘two water area’, and refers to the place where North Hangang River and South Hangang River meet. It is a dock and park where you can walk around and it connects with Semiwon, another nature park founded on the principle of “natural purification”. The name “Semiwon” comes from an old proverb that says “one can cleanse his mind by looking at water and enlighten his spirit by looking at flowers”.

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The first snow, 첫눈, of the winter 2016 season fell when we were in the Greem Cafe and by the time we reached Dumulmeori and Semiwon, the snow has already covered almost every part of the park making it look like a winter wonderland.

It was freezing and very hard to take photos because the snow was pouring down like a blizzard but Rufus still managed to capture many beautiful shots 😀

The normal entrance fee or Semiwon is 5,000 KRW for adults but they are now having a discount until 17 February 2017 so it costs 3,000 KRW! Semiwon opens at 9AM and the last admission is 4.30PM and 5.30PM for the winter season and other seasons respectively. Admission for Dumulmeori is free of charge!

The nearest station to get to Dumulmeori is Yangsu Station (exit 1) on the Jungang line. Alternatively, go to Gangbyeon Station (Seoul Subway Line 2), Exit 4 and take Bus 2000-1. Get off at Yangsu-ri Dumulmeori and follow the signs.

11 thoughts on “Visiting Gyeonggi Province: Yangpyeong

  1. […] Semiwon and Dumulmeori are two connecting parks offering beautiful sceneries perfect for your gram in Yangpyeong. I was there during Korea’s first snowfall of the season last year and it was like I was in winter wonderland! I visited the second time after my fun strawberry picking activity (this is a must do when you are in Korea during winter season!) and when it is not snowing, you will be able to see clear views of the surrounding mountain and river. […]

  2. Hi 🙂 i like your blog dumulmeori and other places in korea. It is attractive!!
    I wanna ask something
    I wanna visit dumulmeori on the november 2018. I heard that dumulmeori famous for the ride bike in there. Do you how to rental elections bicycle in dumulmeori ?

  3. hello!
    i’m planning to take a trip to the dumulmeori area soon, but was wondering if it’s possible to enter Semiwon from its exit? (Go to Dumulmeori first, then head to Semiwon by the walkway, like a reverse trip)

    Thank you! 🙂

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