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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.

Updated Sep 2, 20265 min read

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The European-style arched main gate of Everland

These six are all within an hour or two of Seoul. The catch is that the first two things anyone looks up — admission and opening hours — come back wrong at every one of them.

The price often belongs to a different place inside the site, the hours may not be published at all, or the whole timetable is swapped out by season. So this guide reads them alongside the tickets each place actually sells, which is usually the more reliable answer.

Everland does not publish a closing time

There is no fixed one. The operator sets it per date and posts it on a daily-operations page alongside which rides are running, and the ticket page carries no standard hours either.

The composition of the tickets shows how the day divides instead.

ticketadult
All-dayKRW 52,000
Afternoonfrom 27,000varies by period and product
Night19,000entry from 18:00

You cannot learn the closing time from this, but you can learn that there is enough left after 18:00 to be sold separately.

Korean Folk Village is currently selling evening tickets only

The operator states outright that hours vary with season and weather, and that shows up in the tickets. At the moment this site checked, exactly two were on sale, and both were evening entry.

  • 4pm evening ticket, KRW 19,000 — entry from 4pm daily
  • 6pm evening ticket, KRW 17,000 — entry from 6pm daily

No all-day ticket was being sold. So the quickest way to find out when it opens is to look at which ticket you can buy that week.

This is the state of one season rather than a permanent property of the village. Next month an all-day ticket may be back, so check the sales page before you go.

Hwaseong is free; the 2,000 won is for Hwaseong Haenggung

Search for "Hwaseong Fortress admission" and 2,000 won comes back. But the fortress itself is free, open all year, and the operator says night visits are possible.

The 2,000 belongs to Hwaseong Haenggung, the detached palace inside the walls, which is a separate place with its own gate, closing time and last admission.

adultyouth / soldierchild
Hwaseong HaenggungKRW 2,0001,5001,000
Combined (Haenggung, Hwaseong Museum, Suwon Museum)4,0002,5001,000

The exemptions are worth knowing: wearing hanbok, modernised hanbok included, gets you in free, as do people 65 and over with ID and pre-school children of six and under.

The Garden of Morning Calm changes its hours completely in winter

Normally it is 08:30–19:00 daily, all year, with last admission an hour before closing. During the Lighting Festival that becomes 10:00–21:00, extended to 23:00 on Saturdays only.

The festival timetable replaces the usual hours rather than adding to them. Arrive at 8:30 in the morning during the festival and the gate is shut.

The period is also not fixed to dates. The operator writes only "early December to mid-March", with the start and end decided each season. That is a third of the year, so check the dates before you plan around it.

Admission is 11,000 adult / 8,500 youth / 7,500 child, 9,000 for the concession (seniors, national merit, disabled), and 8,000 for Gapyeong residents.

Nami Island's ticket is a boat fare, and Jarasum costs nothing to enter

  • Nami Island — admission is 19,000 standard, 16,000 concession, 13,000 special concession, and the round-trip boat is included in that price. The island has no hours of its own, so the ferry timetable is what you plan around. You buy the ticket in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do, and land in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do. There are also year-long Naminarian passports: 69,000 standard, 98,000 child-friendly, 72,000 pet-friendly, 59,000 senior.
  • Jarasum — the one of the six with no charge to set foot on it. The charges attach to what you do once there: flower festival grounds 7,000 (free for Gapyeong residents and under-fives), bicycles per 30 minutes at 3,000 solo / 5,000 tandem / 10,000 family, pool 4,000 child / 5,000 teen / 6,000 adult. Gapyeong residents, disabled visitors and national merit holders take 30% off, and a separate 50% band exists.

The two pages to re-read before you go

None of the six reduces to "admission costs X, it opens at Y", so what you need to check differs at each. Two in particular need their operator's page re-read on the day.

  • Everland — the closing time is set per date, so read the daily operating information for your date.
  • Korean Folk Village — which tickets are on sale is the current timetable, so read the sales page.

The other four are stable. For Hwaseong, know that the price attaches to the palace rather than the walls; for the Garden of Morning Calm, that the winter timetable replaces rather than extends; for Nami Island, that the ticket is a boat fare. Jarasum needs nothing at all to walk onto.

In this list

  1. The European-style archway entrance to Everland
    Nationwide

    Everland

    Korea's largest theme park, in Yongin, with rides, a zoo and seasonal gardens on one site. Its closing time is not fixed and changes by date — but the fact that it sells a day ticket, an afternoon ticket and an evening ticket tells you how the day divides.

    What you do there
    Rides, a zoo and seasonal gardens
    What the ticket tells you
    Three tickets means the day comes in three parts
    Getting there
    About an hour from Seoul by bus or car
    Best for
    Giving it a whole day

    not published by the operatorNot published by the operator₩19,000–₩52,000

    See details

  2. A traditional performance staged in front of a hanok building at the Korean Folk Village
    Nationwide

    Korean Folk Village

    A reconstructed late-Joseon village where traditional performances and folk games run between the thatched and tiled houses. Its hours move with the season and the weather, so which tickets are on sale is effectively this month's timetable — checking the sales page is checking the hours.

    What you do there
    A reconstructed village and its performances
    What the ticket tells you
    The tickets on sale are the current hours
    Getting there
    Yongin, the same direction as Everland
    Best for
    Wanting to see traditional performance

    not published by the operatorNot published by the operator₩17,000–₩19,000

    See details

  3. Janganmun, the north gate of Hwaseong Fortress, its two-storey pavilion above the stone arch with the wall running to either side.
    Nationwide

    Suwon Hwaseong Fortress

    The late-Joseon walls encircling central Suwon, which you can walk in a circuit along the top. The fortress itself is open ground with no gate and no ticket office, walkable after dark, and the admission price people quote belongs to Hwaseong Haenggung inside it rather than to the walls.

    What you do there
    Walking a late-Joseon city wall
    What the ticket tells you
    The ticket belongs to the palace inside, not the walls
    Getting there
    City bus from Suwon Station
    Best for
    When walking is the point

    open at all hours · Hwaseong Haenggung 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) · Hwaseong Haenggung May–Nov Fri~Sun·holidays night opening, 1 May – 1 November 2026 18:00–21:30 (last entry 21:00)Open year-round₩2,000–₩4,000

    See details

  4. Lawns and garden beds at the Garden of Morning Calm with the autumn slopes of Chungnyeongsan behind
    Nationwide

    The Garden of Morning Calm

    An arboretum on the hillsides of Gapyeong where a different garden leads in each season. For a third of the year it switches to the winter light-festival timetable — replacing the usual hours rather than adding to them — so when you go decides what you see.

    What you do there
    Seasonal gardens, and a winter light festival
    What the ticket tells you
    The winter timetable replaces, it does not extend
    Getting there
    Gapyeong, the same direction as Nami Island
    Best for
    When you are clear which season you want

    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 10:00–23:00Open year-round₩8,000–₩11,000

    See details

  5. A broad dirt avenue on Nami Island under an arch of branches from the trees on either side, with walkers further down it and the North Han River beyond the right-hand verge
    Gangwon

    Nami Island

    An island in the Bukhan River whose avenues of pine and metasequoia are the image of it. You buy the ticket in Gapyeong, in Gyeonggi, and step off on an island that belongs to Chuncheon in Gangwon — and since that ticket is really a boat fare, the crossing has to go into the plan.

    What you do there
    Tree-lined walks on a river island
    What the ticket tells you
    The ticket is a boat fare, not an admission
    Getting there
    Gapyeong Station, the wharf, then the boat
    Best for
    When the crossing is part of the appeal

    not published by the operator · Nami Island ferry sailings to the island 08:00–21:00 · Nami Island ferry sailings back 08:05–21:05 · Nami Island motorboat Apr–Nov seasonal 09:00–18:00Open year-round₩19,000

    See details

  6. Jaraseom in winter: frozen shallows and dry reeds along the Bukhan River, with bare trees and low hills on the far bank
    Nationwide

    Jarasum

    A river island in the same part of Gapyeong, best known for its jazz festival. It costs nothing to enter and you walk onto it over a bridge, so the charges attach to what you do there — camping, bicycles — rather than to arriving.

    What you do there
    Open grass and campsites on a river island
    What the ticket tells you
    Nothing to enter; you pay for activities
    Getting there
    Walk over the bridge from Gapyeong Station
    Best for
    Resting without spending

    not published by the operatorNot published by the operator

    See details

Frequently asked questions

What time does Everland close?

There is no fixed closing time. The operator sets it by date and posts it under daily operating information alongside which rides are running, and its own ticket page carries no standard hours. The ticket structure is the clue instead: a day ticket at 52,000 won, an afternoon ticket from 27,000, and an evening ticket at 19,000 admitting from 18:00. You may not know the closing time, but you know enough is left after 18:00 to sell separately.

Can I visit Korean Folk Village during the day?

At the point this site checked, no day ticket was on sale — only two evening tickets, a 16:00 entry at 19,000 won and an 18:00 entry at 17,000. The operator states outright that hours move with the season and the weather, so this is the state of one season rather than a permanent property. Check the sales page again before you go.

Is admission to Hwaseong 2,000 won?

No. Hwaseong itself is free, open year-round, and the operator says it can be walked after dark. The 2,000 won belongs to Hwaseong Haenggung, the detached palace inside the walls — a separate place with its own gate, closing time and last admission. A combined ticket covering the palace and the Hwaseong and Suwon museums is 4,000 won for an adult.

Can I do Nami Island and Jarasum in one day?

Both are in Gapyeong, so moving between them is easy. The difference is that Nami's ticket is effectively a boat fare, so the crossing takes time out of the day, while Jarasum is reached on foot over a bridge and takes none. Jarasum also costs nothing to enter, which makes it the easy thing to attach to whatever time Nami leaves over.

Is the Garden of Morning Calm worth it in winter?

Yes, but it is close to visiting a different place. In winter it switches to the light-festival timetable, and that replaces the usual hours rather than extending them — so arriving in winter expecting the daytime gardens means arriving in the wrong part of the day entirely. A third of the year is in this state, so check the dates first.

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