Spend A Day In A French And Italian Village Near Seoul That Appears In K-Dramas And TV Shows

If you're living in Korea or traveling there, you might want some fresh air and escape to a place that can remind you of some European landscapes. Don't search more, "Petite France" is for you! This tiny village, in the northern mountain of Seoul, get its inspiration from French villages, mostly located in the Northern region "Alsace", and Southern region "Côte d'Azur". In addition, next to Petite France opened one year ago an Italian-type village.

Let's have a look at Petite France and its secrets!

 

1. Pinocchio & Da Vinci

Pinocchio & Da Vinci is the curious name given to the Italian village, on top of the mountain. Dedicated mostly to the fairytale Pinocchio, it helps to discover the story of the wooden boy. Most of the streets are surrounded by pink and orange buildings you can visit. You'll find a room dedicated to Venetian masks you can try on, and some Italian pieces of furniture you can buy.

At every corner, some puppets and Pinocchio statues remind you where you are, and you can also witness a puppet show! During our daily trip to the village, we could watch a Fredy Mercury puppet performance! Next to the show, a cafe and a restaurant to offer you some Italian delicacies if you're hungry or thirsty. Moreover, they're also a gift shop if you want to bring back a souvenir!

The best point of this village is its view! You can see a beautiful lake from the top of the mountain, and Petite France below Pinocchio & Da Vinci. As we went there in December, some Christmas decorations illuminated the place at the center of the village. And if you look closely, even the big clock has a Pinocchio drawing on it! This kind of tiny detail gives more charm to this place.

Even though the weather was quite cold, we could enter every building to get warmer and discover more Italian spots. In one of the buildings, you can read about Pinocchio in several languages, including English, Italian, French, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc., and you have photo spots if you want to have some souvenirs from your trip. You can seat among puppets or the blue fairy.

On the very top of the village, a gondola is waiting for even more pictures. During the summer, no doubt this place must be beautiful with the water and flowers around it. Some buildings around this place display paintings and statues, to have a glimpse at Italian famous art. One street is even dedicated to gramophones if you enjoy listening to music. Plus, there is some Da Vinci arts!

You can discover more photos and events about Pinocchio & Da Vinci on its Instagram here.

 

2. Petite France

Petite France is the main attraction of this place. It evolves around the "Little Prince", a famous novel by the french author Saint-Exupery. Much older than the Italian village, they didn't change the name of this place to include Pinocchio & Da Vinci, so people still know this place, independently of Italia or France, as Petite France.

Whereas you could find puppets in Italia, in France, clowns are the main characters of the village, excluding the Little Prince. As you could expect, there's also a tiny reproduction of the Eiffel Tower, and a gift shop if you want to bring back home some keyrings or music boxes dedicated to the Little Prince, and you can visit sixteen french-style buildings, quite similar to the Italian ones.

In one room, you can learn more about french musical instruments such as organs. In another one, some paintings are being displayed to be immersed in the South of France, among Lavanda and cafes. Then, take time to have a look at sculptures and paintings of the Gallic Rooster, the national symbol of France. Let us know in the comment below what is you country's national animal or symbol!

You can enjoy walking around this village for 2h, 3h if you want to stop by a restaurant or a bistro. It is a magical place for kids especially if you want to introduce them to European arts and architecture. If you like porcelain dolls or tableware, don't forget to explore each building! This place is especially popular among young Korean couples or people who want some pictures for their Instagram or Twitter.

Finally, one of the buildings is dedicated to french traditional games, such as the soccer table, and the pétanque, famous in the South of France. Looking at the snow around the village, it definitively gives a more dreamy vibe to this place! During your visit, you can have a seat at the outdoor theater, and there's a stamping activity: if you collect more than 5 stamps around the Pinocchio & Da Vinci and Petite France, you'll get a postcard as a souvenir!

You can discover more photos and events about Petite France on its Instagram here.

 

3. TV Appearance

As famous as this village is, it appeared in some K-Dramas and TV shows! Indeed, some scenes were shot there for "Beethoven Virus", "Secret Garden", "Personal Taste", "My Love From The Star" and the show "Running Man".

If you wish to discover by yourself this cute little village, you can take the subway to Cheongpyeong Station, and either take bus 30-5 or the local Gapyeong Circle Bus. Even though the bus 30-5 might be faster, we recommend you take the circle bus if you want to discover more attractions during your day, such as Jaraseom Island, Gapyeong Rail Bike, Nami Island, and Garden of the Morning Calm.

If you want to learn more about this place, check the official website here, and let us know what do you think of this village!