The Garden of Morning Calm
아침고요수목원
The only place in this guide whose operator publishes a page for each of the four seasons, and it means it: the hours themselves change for a third of the year, when the winter light festival pushes closing time to 21:00.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 아침고요수목원
- Address
- 432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
- Opening hours
- Otherwise 08:30–19:00 (last entry 18:00) Jan–Mar, Dec Lighting Festival 10:00–21:00 Jan–Mar, Dec Sat Lighting Festival, extended 10:00–23:00
- Closed
- Open year-round
- Hours notes
- During the Lighting Festival the arboretum runs on the second timetable instead of the standing one, not as well as it. Last admission is one hour before closing, which is the rule the operator publishes; 18:00 is that rule applied to the standing 19:00 close, and the festival bands move it with them. The festival dates are given as early December to mid-March rather than as fixed days, so the months above are the operator's own approximation. Tickets are sold at the gate only — there is no online purchase and no booking is needed. Re-entry after leaving is not permitted, and admission is not refunded for rain.
- Time needed
- Half day
- Admission
- ₩8,000–₩11,000
Prices
| Admission · Adult(adult) | ₩11,000 |
|---|---|
| Admission · Youth(youth) | ₩8,500 |
| Admission · Child(36 months through elementary school) | ₩7,500 |
| Discount admission · Senior(ages 65+, national-merit recipients, and disabled visitors) | ₩9,000 |
| Resident admission · Adult(Gapyeong residents) | ₩8,000 |
Filmed here
Love in the Moonlight(구르미 그린 달빛)K-drama
The Korean Garden, with its pond and pavilions.
The Red Sleeve(옷소매 붉은 끝동)K-drama
The Korean Garden, with its pond and pavilions.
Korea Tourism Organization — filming locations for romantic period K-dramas ·
Visiting rules
- PetsNot allowed
- Garden of Morning Calm — hours and admission ·
When to go
Spring
Blossom that outlasts Seoul's
It opens with yellow adonis, hirea and witch hazel, then tulips across the garden with Chungnyeongsan behind. It is colder here than the capital region, so the cherry blossom is still going after Seoul's festivals have finished. Azaleas close the season.
Summer
Hydrangeas without going south
Perennials rather than mass planting — hydrangea, clematis, rose, peony, phlox, veronica, monarda, lily, daylily, water lily — in the Secret Garden, Seohwayeon, the Morning Calm Walk, the Moonlight Garden, the Hagyeong Garden and J's Cottage Garden. Two streams run down from the summit of Chungnyeongsan, with open platforms anyone may use.
Autumn
The mountain is the backdrop from everywhere
Chungnyeongsan turns from every viewpoint in the garden, with chrysanthemum scent through it and ginkgo along the walks. The pink muhly at its peak is the photographed one.
Winter
The Lighting Festival
Snow makes the plainest version of the garden, and the operator says the ink-painting look is the thing only winter gives. The Lighting Festival runs through the winter; its timetable is in the hours above.
Nearby
Gwangneung Royal Tomb
The tomb of Sejo and Queen Jeonghui, and the first to place two mounds on separate hills under a single shrine. The forest around it has been protected ever since the tomb was laid out.
Nami Island
You buy the ticket in one province and land in another, and the ticket is a boat fare. Almost everything that decides your day here — how much you pay, how late you can stay — is set by the ferry timetable rather than by the island.
Sareung Royal Tomb
The tomb of Queen Jeongsun, Danjong’s consort. She died stripped of her rank and was buried with the rites due a grand prince’s wife; nearly one hundred and eighty years later she was restored, and the grave became a royal tomb.
Jarasum
A twenty-minute walk from the Nami Island wharf and the second stop on the county shuttle, so it is the cheapest thing to add to a Nami day. Its garden, Ihwawon, charges separately, and the flower-festival admission only applies while a festival is on.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring my dog?
No. Animals are not admitted to the grounds at all. If you are travelling with a dog, Nami Island in the same cluster does admit them.
Is there a zoo?
There is a family zoo, but it is not inside the arboretum — the operator puts it a kilometre away, and it is separately ticketed.
How do I get there without a car?
Course B of the Gapyeong tourist shuttle terminates here. A day ticket is 8,000 won and covers transfers to Course A at Petite France. The shuttle does not run on Wednesdays unless the Wednesday is a public holiday.
Stories about this place
- Korean Period-Drama Filming Locations: Gwanghalluwon, the Garden of Morning Calm and Munheonseowon
Three gardens and historic sites featured in Korean period dramas, including The King's Affection and Love in the Moonlight. They are in different regions, so choose the one that fits your itinerary.
- Six Day Trips Near Seoul: Everland, Korean Folk Village, Hwaseong, the Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island and Jarasum
Six day trips within reach of Seoul, compared on admission and opening hours. Everland sets its closing time by date, Hwaseong's quoted 2,000 won is the price of Hwaseong Haenggung rather than the walls, and Nami Island's ticket includes the round-trip boat.
Nearby Food
- Four Jeonju Bibimbap Houses and a Bean-Sprout Soup: Three in One Lane, One 4.7 km Out
- How to Find Regional Food in Korea
- A Guide to Banchan — The Name Records How It Was Made, Not Whether You Ordered It
- A Guide to Korean Noodles — What They Are Pulled From, and How They Arrive
- How to Read Korean Soup Names: Guk, Tang, Jjigae and Jeongol
- A First-Timer's Guide to Choosing Korean Food
Travel Guides
- How to Use Korean Convenience Stores: From Heating a Meal to Topping Up a Transit Card
- At a Korean Convenience Store, the Thing to Read Is the Package
- Eating Alone in Korea: Choosing and Ordering a Meal
- How to Order Korean BBQ
- Emergency Numbers and Safety in Korea
- Staying Healthy While Travelling in Korea
Related articles
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- Descendants of the Sun Filming Locations — Two of the Three Sets Are Gone
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- Kingdom Filming Locations in Korea — Four Seoul Palaces, and One Set 131 km Away
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Where these facts come from
- Garden of Morning Calm — hours and admission ·
- Garden of Morning Calm — spring ·
- Garden of Morning Calm — summer ·
- Garden of Morning Calm — autumn ·
- Garden of Morning Calm — winter ·
- Gapyeong County — Garden of Morning Calm and shuttle ·
- Korea Tourism Organization — The Garden of Morning Calm ·
- Korea Tourism Organization — filming locations for romantic period K-dramas ·