How to Get There
The first section of the Hangang Bike Path lives in Seoul. Though sprawling, the metro mecca’s top-tier transportation networks make this cycling route the easiest to access in Korea.
You have four options to transport you and your bike onto the bike path.
Subways
It’s the weekend or national holiday. You’re in Seoul. What’s the best way to the bike paths? Subway.
(Remember, most of the Seoul Metro System’s lines and commuter trains forbid anything larger than a folding bike on weekdays. There are exceptions.)
Start Line
The Hangang Bicycle Path begins on the eastern end of the Ara Bicycle Path.
The nearest subway stop is Banghwa Station (방화역) on Seoul’s Subway Line 5. Ride two kilometers to the Ara Hangang Lock Certification Center (아라한강갑문), the start line (directions).
You can also jump on the Airport Express (AREX), get off at Gyeyang Station (계양역), then cycle eight kilometers down to Ara Hangang Lock (directions).
Hangang (Seoul) Finish Line
Seoul’s subways don’t reach Chungju City, the Hangang Path’s end. But they touch Hanam City, the end of the Hangang Bike Path in Seoul.
To reach Paldang Bridge, the finish line, hop on Subway Line 5 and ride it to Hanam Geomdansan Station (하남검단산역), the end of the line. Pop out Exit 2 and cycle 1.4 kilometers north (directions).
Subway Lines
Many subway lines glance off the Hangang Bicycle Path in Seoul. Here are the four most useful:
- Line 5 (5호선) stops at the beginning (방화역) and end (하남풍산) of the bike paths in Seoul. It also drops by Yeouido (여의도역) and Gwangnaru (천호역) Hangang Parks.
- Line 9 (9호선) follows the Han River’s south side. It stops on Yeouido Island (당산역), Express Bus Terminal (고속터미널역), and Olympic Park (올림픽공원역).
- Line 2 (2호선) circles the inner part of the Seoul. Use it to access at Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (강변역), Jamsil Sports Complex (종합운동장역), Yanghwa Hangang Park (당산역), and Mangwon Hangang Park (합정역).
Commuter Trains
Ten commuter trains integrate into the Seoul Subway System and pass into the capital’s satellite cities. Like subways, most allow full-size bikes aboard on weekends and holidays.
The Gyeongchun and Gyeongui–Jungang Lines scoot along the Namhangang and Bukhangang Bike Paths outside Seoul.
Gyeongchun Line
The Gyeongchun Line (경춘선) carries cyclists from the center of Seoul north to the city of Chuncheon City (춘천시). Both commuter and an ITX Limited Express train travel its rails.
Ride this line if you want to tackle the Bukhangang Bicycle Path. It doesn’t touch any part of the Hangang Bicycle Path.
Gyeongui–Jungang Line
Want to ride on the Namhangang portion of the Hangang Bike Path? Gyeongui–Jungang Line (경의·중앙선) is the simplest transportation out of Seoul.
The line snakes east/west through Seoul. In Namyangju City, it meets then runs beside the Hangang Bike Path for 30 kilometers (directions), all the way to Yangpyeong County (양평역).
In Seoul, the Gyeongui–Jungang Line stops near Ichon Hangang Park (이촌역; 서빙고역; 한남역; 옥수역). Outside of Seoul, from Namyangju to Yangpyeong, its trains stop at seven train stations on the Hangang Bike Path.
Cyclists use the Gyeongui–Jungang Line to escape Seoul for a scenic weekend ride. Come sundown, they swing by the nearest stations and jet home by supper.
Intercity Buses
Subways and trains are best for getting around Seoul on the weekends. Intercity buses, however, let riders access southern parts of the Hangang Bike Path (a.k.a. Namhangang).
Year-round, they travel to every city and county along the South Han River. Just buy a ticket, nestle your bike in the intercity bus’s underbelly, and hop aboard.
Bus Terminals in Seoul
There are five bus terminals to choose from in Seoul. Lucky for you, the two most trafficked perch near the Han River.
- Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (North Side)
- Seoul Express Bus Terminal (South Side)
Dong Seoul Bus Terminal
The Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (동서울종합터미널) ranks as one of Korea’s busiest. It lies in the eastern regions of the city, a couple hundred meters from the North Side bike road and across the street from find Gangbyeon Station (강변역), which services Seoul’s Subway Line 5 (5호선).
Dong Seoul is a jonghap (종합), serving both intercity (timetable) and express (timetable) buses. From its platforms, buses visit almost every city, county, and Podunk village on the south side of the peninsula.
Seoul Express Bus Terminal
Seoul Express Bus Terminal (서울고속버스터미널) sits farther from the bike path; about a kilometer south of Banpo Hangang Park, in the center of Seoul (directions).
Like Dong Seoul, a subway stop — Express Bus Terminal Station (고속터미널역) — feeds into the building. It serves Subways Line 3, Line 7, and Line 9.
The express terminal’s buses don’t connect with intercity terminals. But its fleet reaches every express bus terminal in the nation (timetable).
South Han River Bus Terminals
Every county and city on the Namhangang Bicycle Path offers a bus terminal placed near its downtown, less than a kilometer from the South Han River.
- Hanam City Bus Terminal (하남시버스환승공영차고지)
- Yangpyeong County Bus Terminal (양평버스터미널)
- Yeoju City Bus Terminal (여주종합터미널)
- Chungju City Bus Terminal (충주공용버스터미널)
Hanam City’s terminal doesn’t run express buses. And Seoul’s local transportation network integrates with the satellite city, so none of Hanam’s intercity buses visit the capital (timetable).
Yangpyeong’s smaller terminal only offers a few routes to Seoul, Incheon, and nearby settlements in Gangwon and Gyeonggi Provinces (timetable).
Both Yeoju and Chungju provide larger, combined jonghap (종합) bus terminals.
Yeoju’s terminal shoots intercity (timetable) and express (timetable) to the nation’s largest cities, Gyeonggi Province, and a smattering of other nearby outposts.
The largest terminal on the South Han, Chungju’s intercity (timetable) and express (timetable) buses navigate to every metropolitan city and many surrounding provinces, including Gyeonggi and North Chungcheong Province.
Hangang Bus Terminals
Find a complete list of intercity bus terminals on the Hangang Bicycle Path below.
- Dong (East) Seoul Bus Terminal — (동서울종합터미널) — Start
- Seoul Express Bus Terminal — (서울고속버스터미널) — Start
- Central City Bus Terminal (Honam) — (센트럴시티터미널 (호남))
- Hanam Bus Terminal — (하남시버스환승공영차고지)
- Yangpyeong Intercity Bus Terminal — (양평버스터미널)
- Yeoju Bus Terminal — (여주종합터미널)
- Chungju Bus Terminal — (충주공용버스터미널) — End
Airplanes
Flying into Korea with your bike?
Incheon International Airport (인천국제공항), the country’s primary gateway, lives on Yeongjong Island in the Yellow Sea, about fifty kilometers from Seoul.
The airport boasts an arsenal of quick, long-distance transportation into Seoul and the nation.
Airport Subway
The Airport Express (AREX) is a commuter train on Seoul’s Metro System. It travels from Incheon Int. Airport to Seoul Station (서울역) in the capital.
On the weekends or holidays, riders can bring full-size (road, MTB, hybrid) bikes aboard.
The train departs from the lower levels of both Terminal 1 or 2. Riders can buy a transportation card, scan it, and hop on the train’s first or last car.
Not the weekend? Leave your bicycle in its transport case. If you can handle your luggage without help, you could get away with bringing it on the AREX.
Airport Bus
The nation’s largest airport also doubles as a large intercity bus terminal.
Starting from Terminal 2, then passing through Terminal 1, an endless stream of long-distance buses distribute incoming flyers throughout the nation (timetable).
None, however, venture into Seoul.
Don’t fret. Take the airport limousine or late night bus. They shuttle passengers and their large luggage (bikes) into downtown Seoul.
From 9 AM until 6 PM, Bus 6009 passes through Seoul’s northern districts, and Bus 6100 meanders through the southern districts (timetable).
From midnight to 5 AM, two late night buses make limited stops on their way to either Seoul Station (서울역) in the north or Gangnam Bus Terminal (강남터미널) in the south (timetable).
