Gapyeong

Gapyeong (가평) is the lake and river county an hour east of Seoul that has turned itself into the capital's weekend garden. Its centrepiece is Nami Island, a half-moon of land in the Bukhan River reached by ferry or by zipwire, laid out with long straight avenues of metasequoia, birch and ginkgo that change colour in sequence through the year. Nearby the Garden of Morning Calm keeps a large landscaped arboretum that stays open through winter for a lighting festival. Two built attractions sit on the same route, Petite France and an Italian village, both assembled as film sets and kept as theme parks. The Bukhan River itself carries rail bikes along a disused track and boats out onto Cheongpyeong Lake.