Bicycle Route between Seoul and Busan

the Maps

There is a set of 9 digital maps, see index below, showing a scenic route for cyclists to take on a journey from Busan to Seoul or the other way around. The description of the route is in both directions and may be helpful on locations where the maps are not so clear. Because of the large size of each map they will not be directly available for downloading, but can be obtained by contacting me by email (see bottom of this page). To make a hard copy of the digital file, it is advised to print the map on A3 size paper, portrait or landscape, depending on the orientation of the map. I have also prepared a set of 18 maps with exactly the same information, but suitable for printing on A4 size paper. Print the maps using the option 'fit paper size'. The maps are free of charge and in return I am glad to receive any information that may improve the route itself or the description of it. See an example of a part of a map below. The basic map data is taken from a scale 1:100,000 road map atlas. The texts are in hangeul, the Korean script. For the cities and towns along the routes I added also the names in romanized (='our') characters. At major junctions and towns distances are given to /from Seoul-Yeoido and to / from Busan-Seomyeon.
Note: If you send me a request for receiving maps, specify if you want the A3 size or the A4 size maps.

the Route

Until 2007 I maintained two routes, but now there is one, combining the best parts of each of the two. The main objective is to select roads that are relatively quiet, leading through countryside with scenic beauty. Difficult mountain passes are avoided, the roads are paved, exclusive bike paths are included wherever possible. There are no tunnels longer than 100 metres. Some cities are on the route, which may be convenient if more is needed than only food shopping and accommodation for the night. These cities are Yeoju, Chungju and the route passes at close distance from Jeomchon (a.k.a. Mungyeong) and Yeongcheon. A number of small towns are encountered, where basic needs can be found, including internet cafes. A beautiful section is the last 80 kms to (first 80 kms from) Busan, but it may be the toughest part due to high mountains. There is an alternative section bypassing the mountainous part, which is much easier to ride. It is also shorter, but certainly not as interesting as the main route. Follow the links to the description route Seoul to Busan and the description route Busan to Seoul.

GPS

In 2007 I have fixed the route in waypoints using a GPS receiver, as well as the locations of motels along the route. There are two routes available, one is Seoul to Busan and the other is Busan to Seoul. (the one is not just the inverse of the other!) A total of 291 waypoints have been fixed. If you want to receive the file, it includes also the complete set of recorded tracks, contact me and I'll send it to you. The file is available in .gpx format (0.9 mb) and Garmin users can also have it in .gdb format (0.2 mb). You need your own software to load the file into the GPS unit. Units: lat/lon, WGS84 datum
For small GPS units like the ones that are suitable for mounting on a handlebar, there are no background maps available yet for Korea with sufficient detail.

Long Profiles of the route

profile of route on map 1
profile of route on map 2
profile of route on map 3
profile of route on map 4
profile of route on map 5
profile of route on map 6
profile of route on map 7
profile of route on map 8
profile of route on map 9
profile of alternative route

example of a part of a map

Some Advise for Using the Maps and Route Descriptions

  1. Road numbers are important for navigating. Make sure the road numbers show clearly on your map print-out, or write them clearly on it.
  2. The use of a well calibrated bike odometer (preferably in kilometers) is important.
  3. I advise you to update the distance figures at least every day to synchronise it with your bike's odometer.
  4. This is a route guide only, touristic sites on or near the route are not mentioned, please get this from other sources
  5. The maps are not always up-to-date. Especially new roads bypassing villages and towns are not shown. Avoid the new roads as much as possible, the old ones are much more scenic; passing through a village may be much more interesting than joining the motor traffic bypassing it.
  6. In the descriptions means that there are one or more yeogwan (motels) available. means that special attention is required; in most cases because of lack of a roadsign.
  7. When the description reads "in the direction of ...." or "direction ...." it means that the mentioned place itself is not on the route. When the description reads "to .... ", it means that you will actually pass through the mentioned place.

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Go to the Route Descriptions: Seoul to Busan or Busan to Seoul