15 Oct
Beauty, Adventure, Convenience
Biking along the Han River in Seoul is one of my favorite ways to explore the city while getting in some exercise and enjoying the fall weather. The Han River bike path stretches across the city and can take you to some of the best parks like Mangwon, Yeouido, Jamsil, and Ttukseom parks. Since the Han River divides Seoul in half, you can also commute via bike and spend the majority of your commute along the river until hopping off at whatever city exit you need! On the weekends I take my bike everywhere as I head to movie theaters, markets, and my friend’s houses. In this blog post, I’ll give you the insider info on biking in Korea!
How To Get A Bike
When I first moved to Korea, I bought my own bike from Carrot market (당근마켓), a reselling app, because biking is something I love to do. But for those who don’t want to purchase a bike, there are rentals available at parks or throughout the city by using the Ddareungi (따릉이) app. The Ddareungi service is only 1,000 KRW ($1 USD = 1,362 KRW) per hour, to boot!
Another pro tip is that if you have a Climate Card, you can pay 65,000 won a month (48 USD) for unlimited buses, trains, and Ddareungi bike rental. The Ddareungi bikes have a basket which is convenient for stowing your bag, but they are single gear, so if you are more serious about biking I think it’s worth it to invest in your own bike. I purchased my 8 speed road bike for only 120,000 won (89 USD). The bike needed a little tune up, but the investment was totally worth it since biking was one of my main hobbies back home and I wanted to maintain my lifestyle in Korea! There are also some other places along the Han River where they actually let you use a bike for a few hours for FREE if you show proof you live in that district!
4 Rivers Bike Path
For those looking for a bigger adventure, I also recommend checking out the 4 Rivers Bike Path (Saejae), which forms part of a national cycling network that connects the Han, Nakdong, Geum, and Yeongsan rivers. The entire path is around 633 kilometers long and will take you around the ENTIRE COUNTRY. The government offers a cool program called the 4 Rivers Passbook where you can collect stamps as you ride the cycling routes. Once you have completed the booklet with all stamps, you can send it in and get a certificate and medal. My friends did this whole route during their spring vacation, but for a more leisurely cyclist like myself, I usually just stick to the section of bike path along the Han River. I like to ride from my house in Mapo in the direction of Namsan Tower to catch a great sunset view on the weekends, but you can also head towards Dongjak or Seongsu bridge. Seongsu has a ton of great coffee shops and restaurants so it’s a great stop off point.
Commuting Convenience
As I mentioned before, the Han river bike path is a great option for commuting. If I take the bus from my house in Mapo to Mangwon parks to meet my friends, the commute is around 45 minutes and includes waiting time at the bus transfer. However, when I ride by bike to Mangwon park, I can get there in just 15 minutes! Saving myself that half hour and being eco-friendly are both things that I value. If you’re anything like me, biking through Seoul will quickly become your go to commuting option!
Whether you’re a novice or hard-core cyclist, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of all the benefits of biking on the Han River!
Michelle Duquette, Marketing Assistant
Michelle Duquette is from Toronto, Canada and moved to South Korea in 2015. She has a Bachelors in English literature and a Masters in ESL Education. Michelle has taught at Creverse campuses in Gangneung, Songpa, and Mokdong and currently works as a CDI and April Trainer. Michelle never set out to be a teacher but fell in love with Korean culture and the excitement of being in the classroom. Michelle lives in Seoul with her partner and two cats, Cherry and Frost.