Petite France, Gapyeong: The French Village Where The Little Prince Meets K-Drama

An Hour From Seoul, a Walk Through a European Village

Panoramic view of Petite France on the hills above Cheongpyeong Lake, with pastel buildings and orange tile roofs backed by mountains and water

There is a little French village about an hour’s drive from Seoul. Petite France sits on the shore of Cheongpyeong Lake in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do — a theme park of pastel-colored buildings under orange tile roofs. Honestly, I went in expecting “a nice place to take photos” and nothing more, but there turned out to be a lot more to see than I’d assumed. Between the European antique collection, the Little Prince exhibits, and the K-drama filming locations, half a day of strolling around with the family went by easily.

Where You Meet the Little Prince

The main theme of Petite France is Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel The Little Prince. Sculptures of the prince, the fox, the rose, and the boa constrictor are scattered all over the village, and the Saint-Exupéry Memorial Hall walks you through the author’s life and work.

Inside the Saint-Exupéry Memorial Hall, with 'Le Petit Prince' lettering, black-and-white photos of the author, and Little Prince exhibits A red airplane model in the Saint-Exupéry Memorial Hall, with a mural of space and stars and a panel showing the author's chronology

Photo zone on a building's exterior wall — a relief mural of the Little Prince being carried off by a flock of migrating birds, with a red chair and a sheep figure below

Inside the memorial hall, black-and-white photographs of the author are displayed alongside Little Prince characters. Since Saint-Exupéry was a pilot, there is also a red airplane model that kids can climb into for photos. The walls are painted with illustrations of space and stars, which really does make you feel like you’ve stepped into the book.

The exterior wall has its own photo zone: a relief mural of the Little Prince being carried into the sky by a flock of migrating birds. The prince standing on asteroid B612 is one of the most popular photo spots here.

💡 Why is there a Little Prince theme park in Korea?
Han Hong-seob, the chairman behind Petite France, fell in love with European culture during overseas business trips, closed the paint business he had run for 40 years, and built this village instead. The antiques and archival material he spent more than 20 years collecting across Europe are what fill the exhibition halls.

For K-Drama Fans – A Filming-Location Pilgrimage

Petite France became far better known once word got out that K-dramas were shot here. One of the exhibition halls collects posters and stills from the productions filmed on site.

K-drama filming location exhibit with posters and stills from dramas such as My Love from the Star, plus an information plaque

Major dramas filmed here:

My Love from the Star – the kiss scene between Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) and Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun)
Secret Garden – where Kim Joo-won (Hyun Bin) and Gil Ra-im (Ha Ji-won) first meet
Beethoven Virus – the orchestra’s rehearsal space and Kang Mae’s house
Running Man and a number of other variety shows

The kiss scene in My Love from the Star was shot in front of the antique exhibition hall near the outdoor plaza. A lot of people remember the moment when the lamps flicker on one by one, and during night openings the park sometimes recreates that same atmosphere.

💡 Where exactly are the filming spots?
The outdoor plaza and the staircase leading up to the Guignol Theater are the main ones. The scene coming down the stairs, the encounter in the plaza — most of the dramas’ romantic beats were made right around here.

The European Antique Collection Is the Real Draw

The true value of Petite France, honestly, lies in the European antiques the chairman spent decades collecting. The porcelain, dolls, music boxes, and antique furniture packed by theme into each building aren’t set dressing — they were genuinely sourced in Europe.

Inside the European Doll Exhibition Hall — yellow display cases packed with dolls, with a Little Prince and fox display in the center

Close-up of the European doll collection — porcelain dolls in lace dresses and marionettes

Traditional French house recreation — exposed wooden beams, antique sofas, and glass ornaments hanging from the ceiling

A wall covered with over a hundred European decorative plates, next to an antique dresser and a vintage sewing machine Orgel House — shelves full of antique music boxes, automatons, and a mechanical organ

The European Doll Exhibition Hall holds some 300 dolls ranging from the 19th century to the present day. Porcelain dolls in lace dresses, wooden Pinocchio figures, marionettes — the variety is impressive. A Little Prince and fox display in the middle of the hall doubles as a photo spot.

The traditional French house recreation feels like an actual European living room lifted and dropped here: exposed wooden beams, antique sofas, and decorative plates covering every inch of wall. That plate collection alone runs to more than a hundred pieces, each with a different floral pattern and color scheme, and picking out the differences is half the fun.

The Orgel House displays around 150 kinds of music boxes, from 19th-century pieces to modern ones, and a world music box demonstration is performed at set times each day. The sound of a metal cylinder turning is a very different feeling from music out of a phone.

💡 When are the free performances?
Music box demonstrations, marionette shows (The Adventures of Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood, and others), and mime shows run throughout the day. Grab a schedule when you enter, or check the official website beforehand.

Wandering the Village and Finding Photo Spots

The charm of Petite France is that every alley is worth photographing. Yellow, pink, and light-green pastel buildings climb the hillside, so almost any angle gives you a picture-perfect shot.

A Petite France lane at sunset, with pastel buildings, string lights, and frost-covered trees

The yellow Eiffel Tower replica in the village square, surrounded by colorful pastel buildings

A giant clown marionette in the village square with pastel buildings behind it

Cheongpyeong Lake and the mountain ridges at sunset, seen from a terrace at the top of the village

At the center of the village stands a yellow Eiffel Tower replica. It’s small next to the real thing, but with the colorful buildings and mountains behind it, it’s a popular photo landmark. Nearby there’s also a wall hung with French film posters (Amélie, Breathless, and others) that adds to the mood.

Climb toward the top of the hill and you get a view over Cheongpyeong Lake. At sunset especially, with the light going down over the mountains and the water, it’s genuinely lovely. I visited in early December and got lucky with the weather — not too cold, so it was easy to take my time walking around.

Down in the plaza, a giant clown marionette moves and plays music, and during the Christmas season decorations and lights go up all over the village. Visiting in the evening when the lights come on gives you a completely different atmosphere.

Italian Village Pinocchio & Da Vinci

View of the Italian Village Pinocchio & Da Vinci — a giant Pinocchio statue on the hill and Tuscan-style fortress buildings

Just uphill from Petite France is Italian Village Pinocchio & Da Vinci, which opened in 2021. Same owner, but this time the homage is to a village in Tuscany, with Pinocchio and Leonardo da Vinci as the main themes.

A 10.8-meter-tall Pinocchio statue greets you at the entrance. Inside there’s a Pinocchio exhibition hall, a Da Vinci exhibition hall, a Venice-style street, and an outdoor theater. The Da Vinci hall in particular lays out models of his inventions and an overview of his achievements.

As at Petite France, antiques collected in Europe are displayed throughout — in fact, one story goes that the new theme park was built because there was simply no room left to put anything else at Petite France. The marionette show “The Adventures of Pinocchio” is staged here as well.

💡 Visiting both?
Since the Italian village sits higher up the hill, it’s easier to see it first and work your way down through Petite France. A combined ticket gets you into both at a discount.

Good to Know Before You Go

Hours

Open 09:00 to 18:00 (daily year-round, varies by season)
Last admission: 17:00
Address: 1063 Hoban-ro, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do

Admission

Petite France only: 12,000 KRW (about $9) adults/teens, 10,000 KRW (about $7.50) children (36 months through elementary school)
Italian village only: 12,000 KRW adults/teens, 10,000 KRW children
Combined ticket: 19,500 KRW (about $14.50) adults/teens, 16,000 KRW (about $12) children

Discounts

Naver booking: discounted rates when you reserve online in advance
Seniors: 10,000 KRW for ages 65 and over (ID required)
Gapyeong residents, visitors with disabilities, and people of national merit: 10,000 KRW
For exact discount amounts, contact the main ticket office (031-584-8200)

Parking

Free

Getting There

Seoul–Yangyang Expressway, Hwado IC → follow signs for Chuncheon / Cheongpyeong → from the Cheongpyeong Dam entrance, 10 km toward Homyeong-ri (about 50 minutes from Seoul)
The opening of Gapyeong Bridge cut about 15 minutes off the old route

💡 Can I combine this with Nami Island or the Garden of Morning Calm?
Gapyeong’s main attractions are all clustered together, so they pair well. The Gapyeong City Tour Bus can take you around Nami Island, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm in a single day. That said, if you want to spend real time at each one, I’d narrow it down to one or two stops.

Wrapping Up

I’d filed Petite France away as “that place where people take their best photos,” but going in person, there was far more to look at than I expected, and it’s a pleasant place to walk. It works especially well as a family outing from Seoul with a meal thrown in. The staff were friendly, and with the senior discount it wasn’t a burden to bring older family members along.

If you’re a fan of My Love from the Star or Secret Garden, come for the filming-location pilgrimage. If you love The Little Prince, come for the themed exhibits. And if a trip to Europe isn’t happening any time soon, it’s worth stopping by just for the change of scenery.