map 1 | Brief outline: |
| Leaving Seoul City via the famous bikelanes network, following the Han River. |
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0 km | Start on the Han River bike path on Yeouido Island. Follow the River on the south bank in eastern direction. |
27.9 km | The path seems to end here, but turn left and after 130 m the path continues along the river. |
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map 2 | Brief outline: |
| Following roads no. 88 mostly along the south side of the Han River. Fairly flat, tough climbing after Toecheon, 53 km. Passing along (not passing through) the towns of Hanam and Yangpyeong. Roads can be busy. |
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33.6 km | Cross the Deokpung stream and join the Han River again. |
36.6 km | Climb up to the road when the bikelane ends and continue along this road, direction east, along the Han River. |
40.6 km | Paldang Dam. Follow road no. 45, direction Gwangju. |
47.5 km | Turn left, road no. 88 to Toechon. |
51.1 km | Town of Toechon |
52.7 km | Turn left, road no. 88 direction Yangpyeong. |
53.6 km |  |
59.0 km |  |
59.5 km |  |
61.5 km | You reach the Han River. Stay on the south bank, continue on road no. 88. From now on for the next 11 km, you'll find many motels  |
70.5 km | You are opposite the city of Yangpyeong , but the route stays on the south (west) bank of the river, road no. 88. |
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map 3 | Brief outline: |
| Following roads no. 88 (at some parts joined with no. 89) and 333 mostly along the west side of the Han River. It starts with a hilly section with many short climbs and descents. Major town on the route: Yeosu at 100 km. Mostly quiet roads. |
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75.8 km | Turn left, road no. 88 direction Ipo. After 700 meters, again turn left, road no. 88 direction Ipo. Note: Ipo=Geumsa. |
79.4 km |  |
81.6 km | Turn left, road no. 88, direction of Daesin and Icheon. |
83.8 km | Near the bridge: go straight through the village of Geumsa . After leaving the village, turn left onto road no. 333 to Yeoju. |
85.5 km | Turn left, follow road no. 333 to Yeoju. |
88.3 km | Turn left, follow road no. 333 to Yeoju. |
92.1 km | Turn left, follow road no. 333 to Yeoju. |
100.4 km | Turn left, in order to pass through the centre of Yeoju town  |
103.0 km | Follow direction of Yangpyeong, road no. 37. After taking the bridge crossing the Namhan River, turn right at the traffic lights, direction Wonju, road no. 345. |
107.9 km | Continue following road to Buron. |
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map 4 | Brief outline: |
| This is a very scenic part along the Han River. At times the road is flat, at times there are some tough hills to climb. |
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109.2 km | Turn right (underneath highway) to Gaya-ri and continue on this road for 8 kms. |
116.9 km | Turn right to Buron, just before the motorway. |
121.2 km | Turn right to Buron |
125.1 km | Just before Buron the road forks, take the left side, passing the village on the east side. |
126.1 km | Continue on road no 531 direction south. Just after the bridge, turn right. |
132.2 km | Take the small concrete road that diverts to the right, this is a nice shortcut. If you miss it, continue to the junction and turn right onto road no 531. |
135.9 km | Turn right, to follow the road on the eastbank of the Han river. |
143.9 km | Turn right, road no. 599 to Chungju. After 400 metres: go straight to Chungju. |
149.5 km | Turn right onto road no. 19. After 600 m: . |
150.7 km | Turn right onto road no. 38, crossing the Han River. |
152.4 km | Turn left, road no. 520 to Chungju. |
158.1 km | Turn left, stay close to the river. You pass by the 'Jungang Tap'. |
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map 5 | Brief outline: |
| It starts with a less scenic section along the Han River. The route leads through the city of Chungju, but map no. 5 shows an alternative route if you want to bypass it. After Chungju comes a scenic part all along National Road no. 3. There are many newly constructed sections, but thanks to the fact that the old road no. 3 is available, the road is fairly quiet and of excellent quality. No steep climbs, but there is a very gentle climb all the way to Suanbo. |
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160.9 km | Follow road no. 520 along the river. |
164.0 km | Take the bridge over the water and immediately turn right after the bridge. Follow the road that goes along a canal. |
166.2 km | Turn right, crossing the bridge. Follow the road, that turns anti-clockwise, until you cross the railway underneath. Turn right to Chungju railway station. |
167.3 km | Cross the junction in front of the railway station, direction east into the city, or:NOTE
The route goes through the centre of Chungju, but if you want to bypass the city turn right, following the signs for Suanbo, joining the mapped route on road no. 3 just before the point marked 174.1 km. The bypass is 1.2 km shorter than the main route. |
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166.8 km | At the big junction, turn 60 degrees left and follow the road into the city of Chungju . |
169.5 km | Turn right following road no. 3. |
170.2 km | Turn right crossing the stream, following road no. 3, leaving the city. |
174.1 km | Take the exit from road no. 3, going down and crossing road no. 3 underneath. Stay on the east bank of the river, following the old road no. 3. After 3.5 km, join the big road again. |
179.1 km |  |
180.0 km | Make sure to follow the old road (left side) through Salmi village |
181.9 km | Junction with road no. 36. Continue on road no. 3 to Suanbo. |
182.2 km |  |
183.6 km | Cross the road at the sign "Sangju 69, Mungyeong 50, Suanbo 6" and continue on the old road no. 3 for a short while (beyond the village, join the big road again) |
184.6 km |  |
186.7 km | Cross the main road in order to continue over the old road no. 3. Follow the river. |
190.5 km | Village of Suanbo, a spa resort . Please note that there is not much budget accomodation among the abundance of hotels. Continue in the same direction. |
191.9 km | Turn right to Yeonpung |
192.6 km | Join the big road no. 3 for a while |
193.6 km | Take the exit on the right, pass road no. 3 underneath, direction Joryeonggwangmun. Some climbing now. |
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map 6 | Brief outline: |
| This is a very scenic section, passing over the continental divide. Two mountain passes are taken, at 196 km and at 208 km. After Mungyeong Spa, the route goes through the valleys of the Joreong River and the Yeonggang River. Very quiet roads (mainly the old road no. 3) |
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196.4 km | This is a small pass at altitude 372 m. Go direction Jeomchon, road no. 3. |
197.6 km | (also at 199.9 km). |
202.7 km | Turn left, go underneath road no. 3 and follow the old road no. 3 to Ihwaryeong Pass. Prepare for almost 5 kilometers of climbing. |
207.8 km | Ihwaryeong Pass. Highest point of the route, altitude 529 m. Here is the continental divide of the Korean Peninsula. |
213.3 km | 200 meters after you pass under highway no. 45, turn left. Take the tunnel underneath new road no. 3 and follow the stream to the parking lot and the ceramic museum. From there, you cross the stream and come on to the road that leads (in opposite direction) to the Mungyeong Saejae national park. Turn right, passing through the gate marking the exit of the national park. |
215.3 km |  |
216.8 km | Town of Mungyeong . Be aware that 26 kms more south there is a bigger city with the same name (which is a.k.a. Jeomchon). Follow the old road no. 3 to the other Mungyeong. |
219.9 km | Turn left direction Oe-eo-ri, after passing underneath the old railway line. After crossing the river, after 100 m, turn right. Then after 2.5 km, you join road no. 3 again. |
225.9 km | Take the old road no. 3. This means crossing the road to pass in front of the roadside restaurant and follow the road along the river and the old railway. |
228.3 km | Instead of following the new road no. 3 again, turn off the road on the right side and join the old road no.3, along the river. |
230.3 km | Cross the stream over the bridge, cross road no. 34 (traffic lights) and turn right onto the small lane that runs parallel to highway 34. Continue on this lane, which bends left in the village of Gyeontan and keeps more or less parallel to highway 34. |
232.0 km | At the T-junction, turn right. Try to stay on the small roads parallel to highway 34, until you end up at highway 34. |
232.7 km | Cross the river over the narrow bridge (without railing!) and turn left. Try to stay not to far from the river. After a few kilometers you will find a road of which the left side is reserved for bicycles only! |
234.3 km |  |
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map 7 | Brief outline: |
| Most of this section is characterized by very quiet roads and rural sceneries. Korea's remote countryside at it's best. If you like to visit a bigger city (Jeomchon), make a small detour at 239.2 km. |
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239.2 km | At T-junction turn left (cross this river for the last time) and follow road no. 34, direction Andong. |
240.4 km | At T-junction turn left, road no. 3 direction Yecheon. |
242.2 km | Take the parallel road, between new road no. 34 and the railway line. |
244.4 km | After passing through the Village of Sanyang, cross road no. 34, but stay on the old road (keep right) through the village of Yonggung. |
245.9 km | Turn right on to road no. 924, direction Hoeryongpo, keep following road no. 924.NOTE
At 250.0 km, you could follow an attractive alternative shortcut route along the river, only passable if the river water level is not too high. To do so, turn right to Hoeryongpo and follow the dotted track on map 7. Pick up the main route again at 258.6 km.
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254.1 km | At the T-junction turn right, after 1 km cross road no. 34 and enter the village of Gaepo. |
256.1 km | Turn right, direction Hoeryongpo. Keep on following direction Hoeryongpo until you reach the river. |
258.6 km | Turn left, follow the river in eastern direction. |
262.9 km | On road no. 28, turn right, cross the river. |
264.4 km | One km after the bridge, turn left, direction Homyeong. Then after 1.2 km, on top of a hill, turn right. Don't let yourself discourage by narrow roads and very remote farming communities, your general direction is southeast, keep on going in that direction (if in doubt, turn left) |
271.0 km | At T-junction (road no. 927), turn right. Cross the Nakdong River in the village of Gudam . |
274.2 km | Turn left road no. 927 direction Uiseong (climbing). |
280.4 km | Turn left, road no. 927 to Sinpyeong this road is also sometimes referred to as no. 912) |
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map 8 | Brief outline: |
| Gently ondulating terrain, many farming villages on the way and a few nice small towns, like Bongyang and Geumseong. No cities. There are not many motels along this section. |
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299.1 km | Village of Anpyeong. Keep on following road no. 927. |
308.5 km | Village of Bongyang , Turn left and then join road no. 5, direction Uiseong and Andong. Cross the highway underneath. (for finding several motels, turn right into the village instead of left) |
310.4 km | Turn right, road no. 927 to Geumseong. |
320.1 km | Join road no. 28, direction Yeongcheon. Pass through the village of Geumseong by taking the old road on the left. |
322.1 km | At the end of the village, before joining road no. 28, turn left onto road no. 68. |
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map 9 | Brief outline: |
| Gently ondulating terrain, many farming villages on the way and there are not many motels along this section. |
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327.0 km | Village of Gaeum. Turn right onto road no. 79, to Uiheung. |
334.5 km | Follow road no. 79, which involves turning left and ( 1 km later) right respectively (to Sanseong) and crossing road no. 28. |
341.1 km | Enter the village of Sanseong. Keep on following road no. 79. |
346.5 km | After crossing the railway line underneath, turn left, follow road no. 908 to Sinnyeong. |
348.2 km | After 1.7 km, turn right onto the small road that follows (and crosses) the railway line. |
351.2 km | Turn left onto road no. 919. |
353.7 km |  |
356.4 km | Village of Sinnyeong . Don't enter the village, but right after crossing the stream, turn right, following the stream over the dike. |
359.1 km | When the (concrete) path along the streams ends, turn left and you will come on to road no. 919. Turn right (direction south) |
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map 10 | Brief outline: |
| You enter more populated area and the roads become busier. To visit the city of Yeongcheon, make a detour at 374 km (at Geumho). After Geumho the route follows quiet roads, but the terrain becomes more mountainous. The region is well known for it's fruit farms and vinyards. |
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363.1 km | Village of Cheongtong . Turn left, road no. 909 direction Yeongcheon. |
367.5 km | Turn right onto road no. 909, to Geumho. |
371.1 km |  |
374.2 km | Town of Geumho . Keep direction south, crossing road no. 4 and the railway line, until you reach a T-junction. Turn left and after 300 metres turn right, crossing the river, road 909 direction Bugan. |
381.2 km | Village of Daechang. Continu on road 909, direction Bugan. |
392.3 km | At T-junction, turn right onto road no. 921, direction Cheongdo. Climbing ahead. |
406.0 km | At end of road, at Unmun lake, turn left onto road no. 20 direction Gyeongju. |
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map 11 | Brief outline: |
| After gently climbing through the Dongchang River valley, the scenery becomes more mountainous. There is a gentle climb till 427 km, after that the road is going downhill for the next 10 kilometers. Nice mountain scenery. |
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413.3 km |  |
413.6 km | Turn right at the village of Sannae, following road no. 921, direction Eonyang. |
423.7 km | For the next 7 kilometres, you will encounter several motels. At 430 km there are several motels in a village . |
432.2 km | Continue on road no. 921, direction Eonyang. |
435.4 km | Turn left on to road no. 24 direction Eonyang. |
435.9 km |  |
437.3 km | Take the old road no. 24 to the right, direction Sangbuk town office. |
438.9 km | Turn right, direction Deungeok Hotspring |
443.2 km | At T-junction, turn left.  |
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map 12 | Brief outline: |
| Nice section that leads along the famous Tongdosa temple and no serious climbs. Very gentle riding, mostly over quiet country roads, but at times you have to join the busy road no. 35 for short sections. |
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444.4 km | At T-junction, continue to the left, direction Eonyang. |
445.8 km |  Just when the highrise apartment buildings of the next village come in sight, turn right, crossing the stream. At the T-junction in the next village (after 900 m), turn left. After 150 m: |
446.9 km | You reach (old) road 35; turn right and pass through the village, until you come on to the wide (new) road no. 35. |
448.8 km | Go slightly to the right to continue on the old road no. 35. Repeat this action also at 450.5 km. |
453.0 km | Village of Sinpyeong , better known by the name of it's temple: Tongdo-sa. At the end of the village, turn right at the large crossing. Immediately after the next traffic lights, take the small road to the right, going a bit uphill. |
453.6 km | You just left the big road no. 35. On the junction, turn left direction Samju. |
461.5 km | Cross the wide road and continue going south, to Yangsan. Stay on the right (west) side of the river. |
464.2 km | Continue direction Eogol |
466.8 km | Turn left to Yangsan and then immediately turn right again to continue south, staying on the west side of the river. |
471.3 km | Opposite the stadium: Cross the river over the bridge turning left and continue alongside the stadium. Follow direction City Hall, road no. 1077. |
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map 13 | Brief outline: |
| After leaving Yangsan, the route follows for some parts small roads, entering Busan City 'via a backdoor' near Guseo-dong. Even then, the route follows a track that avoids when possible the main traffic arteries of Busan City. One medium size hill on the way. |
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472.2 km | Yangsan city center . Turn right direction City Hall, road 1077. After 200 m, go slightly left to follow road 1077 direction City Hall and Dongnae. As long as you are in and near Yangsan City, keep on following direction Dongnae. |
473.7 km | At the big junction, turn left direction Dongnae, road 1077. |
475.5 km | Cross the road (turning left) at the 2nd traffic lights, follow the old road no. 35 (that's a lot better than the road you are on now!) After 2 kilometers you'll have to join the busy road again for a short while. |
478.6 km | Take the exit and follow road 1077 direction Ulsan. After 400 m, turn left direction Ulsan, road 1077. |
481.8 km | Cross the junction, go straight direction Cheolma, Gijang. After 300 meters, right after the bridge, turn right over the small path along the stream. At the end, turn left (there's no other option). |
482.3 km | Follow the path along the stream and take the first bridge on the right, then turn right again to follow the small road along the stream. This bends to the left, direction south. Keep on following this path, crossing 2 roads, one at level and one underneath. |
485.6 km | The path joins with road 6106. When this road turns right (over the bridge), you continue a little bit more and take the exclusive bicycle bridge over the river. Then, continu on road 6106 again towards Busan City. |
490.0 km | You pass through a tunnel under a highway and enter Busan City. Just 100 meters before you reach the main north-south traffic artery through the city, turn 45 degrees left and follow the road (no. 4002), which runs parallel to the mentioned main traffic artery. Keep this road as long as possible. |
495.2 km | Cross the big junction, continue straight. Follow direction City Hall. |
496.1 km | At the T-junction, turn left, to Seomyeon Junction. Stay on the right side, the road continues to the right, under the railway bridge. Continue straight all the way to the end. |
501.0 km | Seomyeon Junction.
All the above has been provided by Jan, follow him on: |
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy friends & I have recently cycled from Seoul to Busan and used your website as inspiration, we made a little video of our trip, this will give everyone a great idea of what it's like
http://vimeo.com/58534795
Enjoy!!
Chris