“It’s been a while since I visited Pocheon Herb Island, specifically timed to catch the Light & Fairy Tale Festival at around 5 PM.
It seemed like everything had changed, from the entrance to the parking lot, perhaps because it had been so long since my last visit. Every time I come, there’s a new feeling – more than enough to be considered one of the places to visit in Gyeonggi Province in October.
Was it about 10 years ago? The entrance has completely changed from what it used to be. The parking facilities have improved, and it seems like the waiting time for parking has decreased.
From the hilltop, you can even see a movie theater. It seems to operate as a drive-in theater late in the evening.
🌈 Ticket Booth Entrance
The ticket booth has completely changed from the old days. Now it has a funfair-like feeling, making it feel like you’ve come to an amusement park.
🌈 Pocheon Herb Island Top 5 Attractions
- Herb Plant Museum (It would be great if it were even larger or if there were one more in another location).
- Starlight Fairy Tale Festival.
- Herb Village Garden and Santa Village.
- Garlic Stick Bakery (Haven’t tried it yet).
- Athens Hall Restaurant (Herb Flower Bibimbap). I don’t recall there being an Athens Hall in the past, but it seems to have been recently added.
Aroma Bath at the Healing Center, I’m not sure about the merits of a foot bath.
Tractor Carriage – Something that didn’t exist before.
Perhaps it was expanded as a facility concept for children and the elderly?
🌈 Operating Hours
Weekdays: 1 PM – 5 PM Weekends: 11 AM – 7 PM
The round-trip fee is 5,000 won for adults and children alike.
🌈 Herb Island Admission Fees
Admission Fees:
Weekends: Adults (from high school students and up) – 12,000 won, Children (37 months to middle school students) and seniors aged 65 and above – 10,000 won, Children (36 months and under) and residents of Pocheon Sinbuk-myeon – Free.
On weekdays, there is a 2,000 won discount on each of these fees.
Regular closing on Wednesdays (except for holidays).
Tickets can be purchased separately at the kiosk. I remember when I first came here, they used to issue tickets on the spot from the car, but it seems that there are more visitors now, and the area has become larger.
Festival Lighting Time: 6:30 PM In the summer, since the sun sets after 8 PM, it might be better to go a bit later. In the winter, aiming for 6:30 PM to enjoy the daytime and evening might be the best option.
Coming out of the ticket booth, the first things you see are the Herb Experience Center and the Herb Healing Center.
In other words, they’re souvenir shops. It’s nice, but having another herb botanical garden would be great too.
October is a season when a gentle breeze blows, and looking at the unique items displayed inside while taking a break sounds good.
However, I don’t see anything I particularly want to buy. Many herbs were indoors, but most of the products were related to herbs.
Nutcracker Doll – I met a Nutcracker doll in Europe a few years ago, so seeing it again here was quietly pleasing.
Herb Island History Exhibition Hall – There weren’t many people interested in history, so the space felt quite empty.
Tractor Train – Operates only round-trip, 5,000 won for adults and children alike, but only until 7 PM on weekends and until 5 PM on weekdays.
On a nice day, is there a place in Gyeonggi Province in October that’s better than this? I thought it was a good place for couples as a Gyeonggi-do Pocheon date course and a good autumn spot for family travelers.
Mini Train and Tractor Train – If it used to be popular with adults in the past, it has now become a place that is popular with people of all ages throughout the seasons due to the expansion of facilities for children.
There is now a ride-like facility that provides joy for children, something that wasn’t available in the past.
Dinosaur Rider, Tractor Carriage, Mini Train – I guess it’s called Santa Village, right? When it’s 6:30 PM, the lights come on. However, outside of the Christmas season, it seems that the herb field is not illuminated, which is a bit disappointing.
Personally, isn’t it wiser to visit in the hour leading up to sunset and into the evening? For families or houses with children, there is a donkey riding experience area at the bottom of Santa Village, which seems like a place worth visiting.
I recommend it!
Pocheon Herb Island Overall Map – It has changed a lot since my first visit long ago.
Inside Santa Village – In about two months, won’t Pocheon Herb Island become the hottest place?
Greenhouse Botanical Garden – Inside the greenhouse, there are various herbs and trees, as well as tunnels connected to beautiful LED lights.
There are chairs placed at various intervals, and hidden healing spaces are surrounded by natural herbs and plants in various places.
The place I liked the most
After passing through this greenhouse, you can meet Santa Village at the top.
It has changed a lot since I visited it a long time ago. If I come back in about 10 years, it will probably have transformed into something else.
You can take pictures from a good vantage point.
DIY Experience Workshop – Various cute miniatures are on display.
After seeing this, I looked it up online. I’m moved by miniatures like this. Maybe my next hobby will be making miniatures!
At 6:30 PM, the lights come on as expected.
In the winter, it seems that around 7-8 PM is the best time since the sun sets after 8 PM. It might be even prettier when it gets darker and turns into a pitch-black night.
As time passes, as the day gets darker, Pocheon Herb Island’s Starlight Festival seems to shine even more beautifully.
The beautiful canal with lights that gave the illusion of being in Venice, Italy.
A great place to take photos
Depending on your phone camera’s exposure settings, left and right photos change slightly.
Adjusting it appropriately seems to be the best.
I like this exotic lighting and building feel. It gives me the illusion of being in a cafe on a California beach.
Overall, a round takes about 2-3 hours, making it one of the places to visit in Gyeonggi Province in October among domestic travel destinations.
Finally, I returned to the entrance.
This feeling is like coming back after Sen and Chihiro’s Spirited Away adventure.
Pocheon Herb Island’s Light and Fairy Tale Festival with beautiful light bulbs adorning the trees in the garden and lights on the outer walls of the buildings create a different atmosphere during the day and night.
It was a place I liked, as much as the memories from a long time ago.
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