Cycling Incheon to Busan: Route Guide, Maps, Insider Secrets

Our Cycling difficulty Rating

Follow this link for general information about bicycle travel and route certification in Korea

Urban Areas and Transportation

Below is a map showing urban areas where you can find accommodation and supplies as well as bus connection information.

It is possible to bring a bicycle on intercity buses, so you can use this information to plan your cycling route.

our guide to Intercity Bus Travel

See Where to Sleep below for recommended itineraries for various travel styles.

Navigation

Like the other major cycle routes in Korea, Incheon to Busan is well signposted. We recommend using the signs in conjunction with GPS. If the signs disagree with Naver Maps, Naver is likely to take you a more direct road with heavier traffic.

Some routes of Korea’s national cycle network overlap, meaning that you will see similar signs pointing in different directions. This happens near Neungnae, Ihwaryeong and Sangjusangpoong Bridge. At these points it’s best to keep a closer eye on digital navigation and get a working knowledge of hangeul to help read the signs.

This is an example of the 4 Rivers signpost, which you will see along the Han and Nakdong Rivers. Keep an eye out for the four-petal flower and the number 4 in the top left if you can’t read Korean.

The signs for Saejae Mountain Pass don’t stand out as much from other road signs, but they are labeled 새재자전거길, saejaejajeongeogil, Saejae Bicycle Road. This word is quite distinctive even without learning to read given the repetition of the ㅅ/ㅈ shape at the beginning of the first four characters.

Seoul or Incheon?

The full extent of the route icludes Incheon, to the West of Seoul, the opposite direction to Busan. You may choose to begin in Seoul after spending time to explore the city, but Incheon is the closest place to Seoul selling the stamp book.

Incheon to Busan (or Busan to Incheon) will suit travellers crossing Korea as part of a multinational tour and those who want to recieve the cross country certificate and see Korea from one coast to the other.

Seoul to Busan will appeal to travellers spending some time cycling as part of a broader trip to Korea, who are less interested in the bike tour certification.

Incheon is accessible by plane or ferry for international travellers, but beware that it is not possible to cycle from the airport to the route. If you fly in with a bike, you should keep it boxed to be allowed on the metro or express bus.

Incheon sits on the West coast, about 40km from the middle of Seoul and forms a mostly continuous urban area with Seoul and cities of Gyeonggi Province. More than half of Incheon’s land is comprised of islands, including the location of the airport.

Where to Sleep

With a fixed route, the key to itinerary planning is deciding where to sleep. Our recommendations depend on your preferred accommodation type, cycling pace and how often you want to stop for sightseeing.

With this in mind, we have prepared example itineraries stopping in urban areas for three travel styles.

Daily Itinerary Suggestions

Andong Detour

When you look at the route map, you may notice one pin way over to the East of the main route. This is Andong Dam, upstream on the Nakdong River.

It is not necessary to get this stamp to receive the Cross Country Certificate, but Andong is well worth visiting if you have time. Dubbed the capital of the Korean spirit, it offers an excellent view into Korean history and folk culture.

Andong is about 100km East of Jeomchon, the closest town on the Incheon-Busan route. This can be broken up with a stay in Gyeongsangbukdocheong (North Gyeongsang Provincial Office) New Town, located nearby Andong Hahoe Folk Village.