Italian Village Korea: A Little Taste of Italy in KR
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The Italian Village in Korea is a famous tourist attraction in the north of the country in Gapyeong. The Village is based on the life of Da Vinci and also the traditional story of Pinocchio. Throughout this village that replicates the stunning Italian lifestyle, you’ll find many paintings, murals, and art pieces dedicated to these two Italian legends.
The village has a handful of small stores where you can buy things commonly found in Italy. Not to mention the Italian restaurant offering – you guessed it – delicious Italian cuisine. While spending some time here you can temporarily forget that you’re actually still in Korea.
This colourful village is located right next door to Petite France which is used as both another fun and quirky tourist attraction but also a regular KDrama filming location.
| Country: | South Korea (Republic of Korea) |
| Currency: | South Korean Won / KRW |
| Do you need a visa to visit as tourists? | Check here |
How to get to the Italian Village in Korea?
Location: 616-2 ~Goseong-ri Cheongpyeong-myeon Gapyeong-gun Gyeonggi-do ( 경기 가평군 청평면 호반로 1063 )
Located in Gapyeong, the Italian Village is on the same plot of land as the Petite France Village. Easily accessed by public transport and cars you’ll have no trouble reaching this popular tourist attraction offering a taste of Italy.
Driving to Italian Village
If you live in Korea and have a car, then you can simply use the address above to drive to the park directly. If you are just a visitor, you can rent a car. If you’re visiting Korea with a licence issued in the UK or another country, you will need to bring your IDP along with your driving licence in order to successfully rent a car as a foreigner.
If you travel by public transport, don’t forget your T Money Card.
Public Transportation Routes
The cheapest public transportation option is to take the intercity bus:
- Get on at Anyang Intercity Bus Stop. Check you’re at the Southbound stop
- Ride the bus for 2 hours
- Get off at the Cheongpyeong Bus terminal
- Get on the #30-5 bus and ride for 9 stops / 20 minutes
- Get off at the Petite France & Italian Village stop
- Walk 8 minutes to the entrance
If you’d prefer to take the high-speed KTX train part of the way you can take this route instead:
Click here for a discounted KTX pass and click here for train reservations & schedules.
- Take the KTX from Seoul Express Station to Cheongnyangni Station
- Change to the Gyeongchun Train Line until you reach Cheonpyeong Station
- Walk for 16 minutes to the Cheongpyeong Bus Terminal
- Get on the #30-5 bus and ride for 9 stops / 20 minutes
- Get off at Petite France and walk 8 minutes to the entrance
What to Expect in the Italian Village?
Entrance Costs
If you are travelling to the Italian Village independently then you can purchase your entry tickets on arrival.
Tickets cost the following amounts:
- Adults: 10,000 KRW (£6 / $7.55 USD)
- Teenagers: 8,000 KRW (£4.80 / $6 USD)
- Children: 6,000 KRW (£3.60 / $4.50 USD)
The prices are completely reasonable as you can enjoy performances, exploring the village, the photo zones and more for a low cost.
the Village
The Italian Village is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a small tourist culture village designed to look just like a traditional part of Italy.
To reach the park entrance you need to walk up an extremely steep hill for a few minutes where you will see a huge (I’m talking 2-3 stories tall) statue of Pinnochio. He gives the impression of the Village guard as he is the first thing you see before entering.
As you head through the large entrance gate you’ll see each of the buildings are coloured in various pink and pastel shades. If you travel up to the rooftop from any of the staircases between the stores you’ll reach a great viewpoint that allows you to see the Italian Village of Korea in its entirety,
Museums
You’ll find various museums and exhibits throughout the Italian Village of Korea. These will include many art pieces replicating those created by Leonardo Da Vinci. As he is one of the most famous and well-known artists from Italy, it’s a no-brainer that they made sure to showcase art in the same style he created.
You’ll also find a toy museum that offers multiple exhibits on Pinnochio. It is one of Italy’s most loved traditional stories after all. The puppet (and eventual real human boy) is depicted in many different styles throughout the museum, from paintings, plush toys, statues and of course his regular form of wooden puppet (or marionette).
You’ll get to walk through the museum seeing the various ways this character has been portrayed through the many story adaptations throughout the years.
The Italian Food
No trip to Italy is complete without a taste of Italian food so the Italian Village in Korea is of course no different. Offering a seat in the restaurant or in the small cafe, you have a few different options available to you. Do you want to eat a pasta or spaghetti dish rich in Italian flavours, or how about some small casual dining pastries or gelato?
You can enjoy these many Italian favourites during your short visit to this Village in Korea.
The Props & Performances
Inside the museums and elsewhere in the Italian Village of Korea you’ll find the other characters made famous from the Pinocchio franchise. You’ll see the mischievous characters that lead our beloved puppet astray, as well as Figaro the cat and Cleo the fish. There are even images of Gippetto found throughout the museum corridors too.
Not only will you see characters from the famous stories, but you’ll also notice there are large props scattered around outside too. There are two large carriages that would have been pulled by horses once upon a time, a giant jester and even some daily performances ready for you to watch.
The main performance that is shown to visitors is a small marionette dance show. During this show, the puppets will dance to well-known songs in front of an audience of children and their families.
Multi-stop Tours visiting The Italian Village in Korea
The Italian Village is one of the main attractions in the Gapyeaong area and is one of two parks on the same grounds. The Italian Village is right next door to Petite France so the two villages share a car park. You can easily visit both attractions in a few hours!
If you start your trip in Seoul, most of the tours that visit the Italian Village also visit Nami Island, the Garden of Morning Calm or the Rail Park.
- Nami Island, Petite France / Italian Village and the Garden of Morning Calm
- Nami Island, Petite France / Italian Village with optional Rail Bike
Final Thoughts on The Italian Village in Korea
As you can see the Italian Village offers a small taste of this European country without having to leave Korea. In under 2 hours from Seoul, you can eat spaghetti, marvel at replicas of Da Vinci works of art, and enjoy the many small features that really tie this place together.
There are not many other places in Korea that make you forget where you are, but this is certainly one of them.
Have you been to the Italian Village in Korea yet? What did you think?
