Welcome to South Korea's Lego Village

Siukei Cheung

Commissioning Editor

Gamcheon Culture Village, popularly known as South Korea’s Lego Village, is famed for its art, culture and creative residents. With its maze of winding streets, it’s easy to lose track of where you’re going – but in our opinion, this is no bad thing.

A brief history of Gamcheon Village

Before the 1950’s, Gamcheon was a small village of around 20 houses. By 1951, the small hilltop town had expanded to accommodate over half a million residents – many of whom were refugees fleeing from the Korean war. Soon, the place was burgeoning with shanties made from corrugated tin and planks of wood.

Taegukdo influences

The way houses are scattered along the hill is no accident. Though there appears to be little order to the madness, the houses are situated in such a manner that no one house is blocking any of the others. The planning philosophy is reflected in the one of Taegukdo’s core tenets: that permitting each other to flourish is beneficial to everyone.

Why is Gamcheon so colourful?

One day, Gamcheon’s creative residents launched a public art project and the whole village was drenched in a kaleidoscope of colours. At first, the reception to the village’s bold new look was mixed. Some loved it straight from the get go. Other residents felt self-conscious about what little they had to show off, but soon saw the positives of meeting the curious tourists who wanted to see the village for themselves.

Gamcheon now stands as a hopeful testament to the beauty that comes from diversity. Had the original villagers not welcomed hundreds of thousands of war-torn refugees, the village would look very different to the labyrinthine maze of colours it is today.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Culture Trip Spring Sale

Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

X
Edit article