Garden of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원)
This is one place I always wanted to go, but didn't have the chance back when I was staying in Seoul. Finally got the chance to visit this year! It's a long journey from Seoul and is probably more worth it if you are visiting Nami Island and Petite France on the same day. There is a Gapyeong City Tour bus which loops around all the attractions and costs just 6,000krw for one day. It's also a short 1 hour drive from Seoul if you are renting a car.
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/B9Mw6E12Z1A2
Directions via public transport: Take the subway to Cheongpyeong station and take the Gapyeong City Tour Bus to Garden of the Morning Calm (6,000krw)
Suggested duration of stay: 1.5 - 2 hours
Keep the ticket for your return trip or if you visiting more than 1 location. I ended up not using the bus for my return trip as I happened to see a public bus to Cheongpyeong Station. That's the good (or bad) thing about understanding Korean - I don't follow the tourists haha! Good because the bus driver gave me a free ride as he saw me holding that ticket, and waived off my bus fare because I was not going to anywhere else with that ticket! Bad because the public bus was so crowded that I was standing at the edge near the stairs, and the roads were so winding and bumpy!! The city bus was almost empty when I came so I guess I could have gone back seated comfortably if I had waited.
Gapyeong
It was a weekend so the roads were crowded!
Take note of the bus timing if you are planning to go to other locations or for your return journey
The crowd near the entrance on a weekend
Dramas and movies which were filmed at Garden of Morning Calm
Garden of Morning Calm is a filming location for soooo many Korean dramas and movies! I just finished watching Lovely Horribly (러블리 호러블리) starring Song Jihyo and Park Sihoo and hence was motivated to write this blog post. Haha! Some of the other dramas filmed there are as follows (taken from koreandramaland.com): Your House Helper (2018); Jugglers (2017-18); I'm Not A Robot (2017-18); Black (2017); School 2017 (2017); Moonlight Drawn by the Clouds (2016); Mary Stayed Out All Night (2010); You’re Beautiful (2009); Smile Again, Dong Hae (2010); A Love To Kill (2005)
Plant shop near the entrance
My first stop was brunch at the "Korean Food Garden"
Overpriced bibimbap in my opinion but still yummy
Good morning coffee
For breastfeeding mummies, there's a nursery near the "Good Morning Coffee" cafe
Pagoda Valley
You will reach the Tea House after passing the Pond Garden
I stopped by for a cup of ginger tea. Delicious!!
Panoramic view of the sunken garden
Highlight of Garden of Morning Calm - The Crown Prince’s (Park Bo Gum) Beloved Pond, Seohwayeon Pond
Pond Garden where they filmed Moonlight Drawn by the Clouds. Unfortunately you can't enter the bridge for photos, but it also means that there won't be any tourists in your photos!
Road to Heaven - at the top of the slope is a small cathedral
I went at the end of April so the tulips were in full bloom!
Millennium Juniper tree, where they filmed the last episode of Lovely Horribly
Oh Eul Soon and You Philip
Cloud Bridge leading you back to the entrance
Even if it was not a filming location, I would still recommend to visit Garden of Morning Calm when the flowers are in full bloom since it's really pretty. It's a nice walk around the garden for families as well. The garden is stroller accessible though some parts of the garden may have steep slopes, so be careful! There's many visitors on weekends so may not be as "calm" as the name suggests. I would recommend visiting on a weekday if you can.
More photos from my instagram post below.
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