“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they must be felt with the heart.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

Why the Little Prince quote you may ask? well, this little town of Petite France is built to enrapture the beauty of flowers, stars, and the Little Prince (signifying the joys and perks of youth). This colorful village has dedicated a memorial hall to Saint-Exupery, a French aristocrat known for his book called “The Little Prince”, almost similar to this theme park’s name Petite France (or easily translated as Little France).

To check out other places in South Korea, you can read my article about Seoul and Nami Island. It’ll also give you a proper head start about how I got here at Petite France.

How to get there

After Nami Island, my friend John and I decided to go to Petite France which is only 15-20 minutes away by bus. Going there is pretty simple, as mentioned in my previous post, just ride the same bus line you took to go to Nami Island entrance. If you availed of the city tour ticket, your transport from Nami Entrance to Petite France should not require any additional payment. Simply present the city tour bus ticket, and you should be good to go. As a constant reminder, please do not lose that ticket, or else you will have to pay the bus again to go to Petite France and other parts of Gapyeong (in case of loss, you may purchase another bus ticket via cash or T-Money Card)

Petit France (Entrance Fee: 10,000 won)

Upon arrival at your destination, you will be greeted by this pastel-painted town and scenic views. The village is meant to imitate French villages and decors! even their cafe is very French and classy! it feels as if I transported from Korea to France in a matter of minutes (well, I haven’t been to France so this is the closest thing I could get from it, besides Hollywood movies).

First thought as I walk through that pavement? I was mesmerized. No kidding. Everything is so cute! From the little umbrellas, the lamps, the designs, the statues – everything! it’s like a little village made to satisfy my inner childhood Barbie dreams (lol). Usually, I would find fascination over minimalist structures and designs but, this one is different. The details are so well placed that you’ll start to think as if it all came from a dream.

There are museums composed of vintage artifacts that capture the park’s theme. There are dozens of porcelain dolls, ceramic wares and china tea sets on each museum, as well as little hints of French fabric here and there.

A few more hours in and I started to feel like the place is a never-ending maze. My friend and I were so eager to see everything! so we went to every museum, every loop holes, climb all the stairs, entered as many houses as we can and try not to buy souvenirs because the prices are too high, it’s ridiculous.

By 2pm, a rush of tourist started coming in and the park is becoming a bit packed. Luckily, we were able to find a place for us to rest for a bit. At one of the houses, there is a roof deck with basically NOBODY in there, equipped with an amazing view. You can see the entire Island, including Nami! Check out these photos:

Other than the museums they also have some adorable imitations of famous French landmarks and statues, which is a very good touch, I must say. They have a Mini Eiffel Tower and Houses like the one in Rennes, France.

Another thing worth mentioning is the TREE BELL. I have no idea what is up with Koreans and love messages but I guess they are just romantic that way. The idea is to hang a bell on a tree and write a short love message onto the bell. It will then signify your Eternal Love for the person you are writing for. Cheesy right? and because I am single, I ignored the tree and accepted my fate for eternal singledom.

In case the photos I have posted are not enough, here are some of my favorite shots as well:

Going Back to Seoul

We pretty much had our fill of walking, galavanting, or whatever you might call it at around 4/5pm, so we decided to head back to good old Seoul to fetch ourselves some really good dinner. Heading back is easy, the bus stop is literally at the front of Petite France, so I’m sure you wouldn’t miss it. Ask around if that bus is heading back to the Gapyeong Train Station and proceed to present the same city tour ticket you purchased at the beginning.

Before we went back to our respective place, John and I decided to stretch the remaining hours of the day and do a little walking around Seoul. The wind was nice, plus Seoul is really stunning at night. We went to see Lotte malls and buildings and eventually ended up looking for SUPERMOON. Supermoon is a huge ball that changes color every few minutes, and for some odd reason, everyone is going crazy for it! It was placed right by the lake, next to the tallest building in Seoul. Look at the photos below for more details:

So there you go, this pretty much concludes my South Korea series for now. If you would like to read about other places in Korea that I have gone to, check out this link, and this link.

Happy walking! 😀

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