Seoul Window
The short answer
- Season: farms near Seoul open for picking in December and run until May, some into June. In Korea, strawberries are a winter greenhouse crop.
- Cost: last season's posted prices were about ₩15,000–25,000 per person, usually for a set container you take home. Jam or cake making costs extra.
- No car? Take the Gyeongui-Jungang Line to Ungilsan or Yangsu station, then a short taxi to the farm.
- Book ahead. Most farms take bookings by phone, Naver Booking or Instagram message, and many are closed one weekday.
- Nonsan, Korea's best-known strawberry town, hosts a world strawberry expo from February 26 to March 21, 2027.
Korean strawberries are a winter fruit. They are grown in heated greenhouses, so the market stalls turn red in December, not June. Picking works on the same calendar. While Seoul is at its coldest, families and couples head an hour east to warm plastic greenhouses and fill a plastic tub with berries.
This guide covers the farm version: when it runs, what farms actually charge, which ones you can reach by train, and how booking works. If you would rather eat strawberries than pick them, our Seoul hotel strawberry buffet guide covers the indoor option. To see where picking sits among other seasonal day trips, check the near-Seoul seasonal tour calendar.
When is strawberry picking season near Seoul?
Strawberry picking near Seoul runs from about December to May, and a few farms stay open into June. Each farm sets its own dates, so check before you go, especially at the start and end of the season.
📅 Posted picking seasons near Seoul (as of October 2026)
| Area or farm | Season | Where the dates come from |
|---|---|---|
| Yangpyeong County (21 picking farms) | December to early June | Kyeongin Ilbo report, April 2026 |
| Gwangju City harvest program (13 farms) | December 2024 to May 2025 | City announcement, reported December 2024 |
| Matdanya farm, Toechon (Gwangju) | December to June | Farm’s tourism listing |
| The Dream farm, Joan-myeon (Namyangju) | Closed May to November | Farm’s tourism listing |
The supply side explains the timing. Most Korean strawberries now grow on raised hydroponic beds in greenhouses. Rural Development Administration (RDA) figures put that share at 35.5% of growing area, up from 2.6% ten years earlier. Many picking farms use these raised beds. Yangsuri Strawberry Farm’s listing, for one, says you pick standing up, with the fruit at a child’s hand height.
Practical tip
Weekend slots go first, and around Korean holidays such as Seollal (Lunar New Year, early February 2027) a farm may close or sell out, so check its notice. A weekday visit is the safer bet. Many farms close one weekday, usually Monday or Tuesday, so check the day off before you go.
How much does strawberry picking cost near Seoul?
Expect about ₩15,000–25,000 per person for the picking itself, based on last season’s posted prices. That fee usually covers a set container to fill and take home, sometimes with tasting in the greenhouse. Making jam, cake or ice cream is a separate fee.
🍓 Posted prices, 2025-26 season (2026-27 prices not yet posted as of October 2026)
| Farm (area) | Picking | Add-on programs |
|---|---|---|
| Yangsuri Strawberry Farm (Yangseo-myeon, Yangpyeong) | ₩15,000; ₩25,000 with unlimited tasting | Jam making ₩22,000 |
| Hansarang Strawberry Farm (Joan-myeon, Namyangju) | Adult ₩18,000–20,000, toddler ₩15,000–18,000 | Jam ₩18,000–20,000, ice cream ₩15,000 |
| The Dream Strawberry Farm (Joan-myeon, Namyangju) | ₩20,000 (picking and jam) | Ice cream ₩12,000, chocolate fondue ₩15,000 |
| Byeolmaeul Strawberry Farm (Jingeon-eup, Namyangju) | ₩18,000–20,000 | Waffle making ₩15,000 |
| Matdanya Strawberry Farm (Toechon-myeon, Gwangju) | ₩25,000 (500 g tub, 30 minutes) | Cake ₩35,000, pizza ₩35,000, waffle ₩15,000 |
| Gwangju City program, 13 farms (2024-25) | Adult ₩25,000, child ₩22,000 (500 g) | Varies by farm |
Where a listing gives two prices, we show both as a range. Farm prices change between seasons, so confirm when you book.
Background
Most farms charge per person for a fixed amount, not by weight. You get a tub, often 500 g, and fill it. Gwangju City's program set prices on a 500 g basis, and Matdanya's listing gives 30 minutes to fill a 500 g tub. A Yangpyeong farm package sold on the traveler platform Trazy gives adults 1 kg and children 500 g over one hour. Babies are often free: The Dream lists free entry under 24 months, Byeolmaeul under 36 months.
For context on what you’d pay in a shop, our guide to Korean fruit prices tracks strawberries through the winter.
Which strawberry farms near Seoul can you reach by train?
The Gyeongui-Jungang Line is your best car-free route. It runs east from central Seoul through Yongsan, Oksu, Wangsimni and Cheongnyangni toward Yangpyeong. Two stops serve farm areas: Ungilsan (Joan-myeon, Namyangju) and Yangsu (Yangsu-ri, Yangpyeong). The other farms below are easier by car or taxi.
Joan-myeon, Namyangju (Ungilsan Station area)
This riverside district sits where the North Han River runs along the foot of Ungilsan mountain. Hansarang lists hours of 10:00 to 16:00 and gives each group its own greenhouse, which is good if you’re nervous about crowds. Korean visitors book through Naver Booking. The Dream lists 10:30 to 16:00. It has two sites, one beside the riverside walking and cycling path, and both have a kids’ room and a nursing room.
📍 Open in Naver Map — Hansarang
📍 Open in Naver Map — The Dream
Yangsu-ri, Yangpyeong (Yangsu Station area)
Yangsu-ri is the village at Dumulmeori, where the North and South Han rivers meet. Yangsuri Strawberry Farm is a big operation with nine greenhouses, two rest halls and a jam room. It mostly hosts kindergarten groups, but individuals can book too. Its listing gives hours of 10:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 16:00 on weekends. Dumulmeori is a pleasant riverside walk if you have time after picking.
📍 Open in Naver Map — Yangsuri
Further out: Jingeon-eup and Toechon
Byeolmaeul in Jingeon-eup, Namyangju, grows its berries hydroponically in a climate-controlled smart greenhouse. It lists hours of 10:00 to 17:00 and recommends booking online. Matdanya in Toechon-myeon, Gwangju, is one of the 13 farms in Gwangju City’s harvest program. It lists 11:30 to 16:30 and closes on Tuesdays. Its listing says Korean visitors must book, by phone or Instagram message. Neither farm is near a train station, so drive or take a taxi, and check bus options in Naver Map.
📍 Open in Naver Map — Byeolmaeul
📍 Open in Naver Map — Matdanya
Getting from the station to the farm
None of these farms is right at a platform. Save the farm's Korean name and address before you leave Seoul, then show it to a taxi driver or search it in Naver Map at the station. Google Maps won't give reliable directions here. Our guide to why Google Maps doesn't work in Korea explains the alternatives. For more ideas in the area, see our Gyeonggi-do day trips from Seoul.
How do you book a strawberry farm in Korea?
Book ahead by phone, Naver Booking or the farm’s Instagram, and pick a time slot. Korean farms list the activity as 딸기체험 (strawberry experience) or 딸기따기 (strawberry picking), so search with those words if you look farms up yourself.
- Find the farm in Naver Map and look for the booking button (Naver Booking), a phone number or an Instagram link. Our five farms above all have tourism listings with phone numbers.
- Choose the program: picking only, or picking plus jam, cake or ice cream. Add-ons are priced separately.
- Check what the fee covers: container size, whether you can taste in the greenhouse, and the free age for toddlers.
- Read the cancellation rules. As one example, the Yangpyeong package on Trazy refunds in full up to 3 days before, 50% at 2 days, and nothing after that.
- If a Korean booking page blocks you, send an Instagram message in simple English or ask your hotel front desk to call for you.
Traveler platforms like Trazy also sell picking packages, and some day tours combine a farm with Nami Island or other stops. Our seasonal tour calendar lists a few of those tours.
What happens at a strawberry-picking farm?
A visit usually takes about an hour, plus any add-on class. You get a short explanation from the farmer, pick into a tub for about 30 minutes to an hour, and leave with the berries. Gwangju City built the farmer’s briefing into its program, and Matdanya lists 30 minutes of picking.
Yangpyeong farms offer the widest range of add-ons. A local report on the county’s 21 farms lists jam, chocolate fondue, strawberry pizza and tarts, strawberry syrup and lattes, and ice cream. Matdanya lists cake, pizza and waffle classes, and Byeolmaeul a waffle class, so check each farm’s menu if you have kids who want to bake.
Greenhouse manners
- Ask before you eat. Some farms allow tasting in the greenhouse; others charge extra for it or don't allow it.
- Only pick what fits your tub. The fee covers a set amount, so ask before you pick extra.
- Dress in layers. It's cold outside and warm inside the greenhouse.
- Carry the tub flat on the way back to Seoul. Ripe berries bruise easily.
Which Korean strawberry varieties will you pick?
Most likely Seolhyang, which covered 84.5% of Korea’s strawberry growing area in RDA’s 2021 analysis. Korea used to grow mostly imported varieties. Domestic varieties went from 9.2% of the crop in 2005 to 96.3% in 2021.
🍓 Varieties you may see on farms and in shops (RDA analysis via Eco Journal, January 2022; Kingsberry via WikiTree)
| Variety | Bred by | What it’s like |
|---|---|---|
| 설향 Seolhyang | Chungcheongnam-do research station | Big, juicy and high-yielding; 10.4 Brix. The default farm berry |
| 금실 Geumsil | Gyeongsangnam-do research station | Firm, 11.4 Brix; a main export variety |
| 죽향 Jukhyang | Damyang County agricultural center | Sweeter on paper at 12.8 Brix; ranks third |
| 매향 Maehyang | Not stated in source | Good flavor and shelf life; grown for export |
| 킹스베리 Kingsberry | Not stated in source | Very large berries sold as a premium pack of 4–6 |
Gwangju City’s program had a nice twist: some farms trialed Geumsil, so you could taste it next to Seolhyang. If a farm grows more than one variety, ask to try both.
Is Nonsan worth the trip for strawberries?
For the 2027 expo, it can be. Nonsan in South Chungcheong Province is Korea’s best-known strawberry town. Its March festival drew about 670,000 visitors over four days in 2026 (March 26–29) and sold 150 tonnes of strawberries, according to the city’s figures as reported in the press.
In 2027 the town goes bigger. The official website lists the 2027 Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo from February 26 to March 21, 2027 (24 days) at Nonsan Citizens’ Family Park, the festival’s usual home. As of October 30, 2026 we found no separate announcement for a 2027 Nonsan Strawberry Festival, so watch the expo and city websites.
🎟️ 2027 Nonsan expo ticket prices (official site, as of October 2026)
| Ticket | Adult (19–64) | Youth (13–18) | Child (7–12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular, on site | ₩12,000 | ₩10,000 | ₩7,000 |
| Regular, advance | ₩9,000 | ₩7,000 | ₩5,000 |
| Group, advance (10+ foreign visitors entering together) | ₩8,000 | ₩6,000 | ₩4,000 |
| Full-run pass (unlimited entry) | ₩30,000 | ₩20,000 | ₩15,000 |
Children under 7 enter free. Advance sales opened on July 20, 2026. Full-run passes need a photo and personal details registered, are collected at the ticket office during the expo, and can only be refunded until January 31, 2027 if not yet registered.
Nonsan is a long day trip. Nonsan Station is on the Honam Line with direct trains from Yongsan, including some KTX services. Check Korail’s timetable and our KTX day trips from Seoul guide. For a simple afternoon of picking, the farms an hour east of Seoul are the easier choice.
Sources
- 2027 Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo — official website (dates, venue)
- 2027 Nonsan expo — ticket price table, age bands, pass and refund rules
- Money Today via Supple — expo advance ticket sales from July 20, 2026
- Herald — 2026 Nonsan Strawberry Festival opens, March 26–29, 2026
- Supple — 2026 Nonsan festival: about 670,000 visitors, 150 tonnes sold (March 2026)
- Eco Journal — RDA figures on Korean strawberry varieties (January 2022)
- Korea Farmers Newspaper — RDA analysis: 96.3% domestic, Seolhyang 84.5%, hydroponics 35.5% (January 2022)
- WikiTree — Kingsberry premium strawberries (November 2025)
- Kyeongin Ilbo — Yangpyeong's 21 strawberry farms and programs (April 2026)
- Kyeonggi Ilbo — Gwangju City strawberry harvest program, 13 farms and prices (December 2024)
- K-Trip Tips — Yangsuri Strawberry Farm listing (updated March 2026)
- K-Trip Tips — Hansarang Strawberry Farm listing (updated April 2026)
- K-Trip Tips — The Dream Strawberry Farm listing (updated August 2026)
- K-Trip Tips — Byeolmaeul Strawberry Farm listing (updated April 2026)
- K-Trip Tips — Matdanya Strawberry Farm listing (updated October 2026)
- Trazy — Yangpyeong strawberry picking package (amounts, booking and refund terms)