Thank you so much, I'm starting the 4 Rivers Trail in 2 days, and I still had some questions that you guys answered. I'll definitely check out your other videos.
한국인으로써 말하자면 당신의 정보는 매우 정확합니다. 저는 모든 코스를 추천하고 싶군요. 그 중에서도 특히 서울에서 양평 여주 충주로 이어지는 코스입니다. 최종 목적지는 부산입니다. 도움이 필요하면 주변의 한국인 자전거 라이더에게 요청하세요. 그들은 기꺼이 여러분을 도와줄겁니다.
@user-gt1ob2yg8m님 감사합니다! 저도 모든 코스를 좋아하고 추천해 주신 국토종주 코스는 진짜 재미있죠! 그리고 한국인 라이더들은 너무 친절하고 저는 한국에서 타면서 도움을 엄청 많이 받았어요! 좋은 댓글 남겨주셔서 감사합니다! 재이있고 안전한 라이딩하세요~ ^^
Thanks for this Q&A - so, so helpful! I'm planning my next trip to Korea and your channel is doing a great job convincing to make it a cycling holiday!
Thanks @user-rb4cr8kl1n! February will still be cold here in Korea, but sometimes it can warm up to about 10°C in the day time. If you pack some warm jackets and really nice gloves you might be able to make it work, but I'd say mid-late March would be a lot better.
Hello Matt, we got inspired by your videos and we decided to bike around Korea. We have already cycled from Seoul to Busan. Now we want to keep riding in the east coast, but some cyclists told us that the first part from Busan to Pohang is better if we do it by train or bus. Do you have any recommendation? We have heard that is not easy to take bicycles on public transportation. What should we do? Thank you in advance.
Hi there, thanks a lot for watching and so glad to hear that you made it to Korea to cycle! You can bike up from Busan to Pohang via Ulsan along the coast, but between Busan and Ulsan it's not an official path so I would just advise to stay as close to the coast as possible and avoiding the highways. (I accidentally took a highway when I did it, so I can't vouch completely for the coastal route). As far as transportation goes, you can't take a train with your bike but you can take a bus. Just load your bike into the bottom luggage area and you might have to remove your front wheel to get it in. All the best with your trip and good luck with everything!
@@lostthenfound hey! Thank you for answering our question, we will take a bus to get out of Busan and escape the chaotic traffic so we can enjoy the coast line. Thanks for taking the time to help us.
Thanks so much Sergi! 😊 Check out Bike Nara here: bikenara.modoo.at/?link=5lawjkes It looks like they have the Giant Revolt 3 gravel bike that you can rent and they are used to dealing with tourists too!
Thanks so much! 🙌 Ah hopefully the Omicron situation gets better soon and we can all travel again soon! Can't wait to go to another country again as we haven't since the beginning of the pandemic.
If you go from Pyeongtaek to Jeonui you can connect with the main bike trails! Check it out on Kakao maps. We did that last year and it wasn't too bad.
@@lostthenfound great, that's what I'm doing actually! Then I'll take the one West ward to the ocean. Currently traveling along the little streets by the creek. Safer
짧은 시간에 실용적인 정보들 골라서 알려주실라고 고민을 많이 하신게 느껴지는 영상입니다. 자전거길 그랜드슬램을 마친 저는 그랜드슬램을 계획하신 분들에게 동해안 종주는 꼭 마지막에 가시라고 추천드맂니다. 도장을 찍는 재미는 있지만 반복되는 풍경에 심적으로 약간은 지쳐갈 때 동해안 자전거길이 업힐과 바다 풍경으로 정신이 번쩍들게 해줬으니까요 ㅎㅎ
This is brilliant - thanks! Saved me hours of research, google translating and deliberating. Have 2 weeks for tour in May so thinking of doing the Seomjingang route + the East Coast Trail. Does it matter much which direction to tackle the East Coast Trail, e.g. prevailing winds? I guess heading south to north keeps you closer to the coast.
Thanks a lot Nikita glad we could help out a bit! 😁 On the East Coast Bike Trail we had mostly side ( heading West) and tail winds (heading South) cycling from North to South in April. However, the winds can definitely change very suddenly in Korea so no matter what direction you choose you will have some head winds as well. Also we still had amazing views the whole time going from North to South!
I'm glad we got you interested in cycle touring in Korea Benito! 😁 Here is a website in Korean with so many different types of GPS files for all the routes in Korea (Translate to English with Google Chrome). 5happy.net/archives/2111 Hope it's not too difficult to figure out and happy cycling! 😁
Thanks so much for the video , clear and helpfull information,, we love bike packing in Australia and have just discovered the four rivers bike trail on you tube .. were in our 50s and ride ebikes but are finding it difficult to find reliable ebike hire in korea , do you have any advice? Also do you think we could do the for rivers trail and have our daily distances around 60km and have homestay/ motel accom at the end of each day ? Thanks
Thanks a lot @jugglematt100! 😊 As far as long term E Bike rentals, the only place I can find that seems to be okay for tourists too is called "Seoul Bicycle Rent" (서울자전거대여점) and you can find the E Bikes here: www.greencyclepark.com/bbs_shop/list.htm?board_code=sub3_2&cate_sub_idx=25906&c=1 You might have to go there in person in Itaewon to work it out with the manager, but they should be able to sort you out. As far as doing 60km a day, it should be no problem at all. Korea is a very densely populated country, so there are enough cities to work it out like that. I would download Naver Maps or Kakao Maps on your phone and turn on the bicycle routes filter and plan out your route like that. Good luck with your journey! You'll have a blast!
This video is so helpful, thank you for collecting all this info and supplementing it with your experiences! One question -- if I'm flying into Seoul and plan to ride Four Rivers one way, is there a service that you recommend to send my bike case to Busan? Is Korea Post good or should I look into specialized luggage forwarding services?
Thanks so much @lx425! I'm glad it was helpful! Shipping is pretty cheap and fast within Korea, so if you can get your bike case into a box and ship it via Korea Post to a hotel in Busan that would probably be the best option.
I am glad this video popped on my feed. Amazing content. You answered all the questions I had about taking a multiday ride. Just out of curiosity, what do you do with your saddle bags whenever you spend the night at the jjimjjilbang? Thanks in advace and keep up the excellent content!
Thanks so much for the kind words! 😊🙌 We haven't actually stayed at a Jjimjilbang since we started cycle touring because of the pandemic, but most places in Korea are super friendly about storing bags. If you want to I'd suggest bringing your bags into the Jjimjilbang as you check in and just tell them you are cycling and I guarantee they will find a spot to store everything for you!
Thanks.. very useful info. How do we know what accommodation to book along the path from seoul to bushan? Can it be like we just walk in (is it easy to find last minute accommodation?). How to find help if tyre punctures?
Thanks a lot Julia! 😊 Sorry for the late reply. As far as accomodation goes, luckily most of the cities along the route from Seoul to Busan aren't very tourist heavy, so they usually have tons of openings if you just want to do walk-ins. On Naver Maps (phone app), search for: 모텔 (Motel): Cheaper motels at about 30,000-50,000 KRW 호텔 (Hotel): Nicer hotels at about 50,000 KRW+ 찜질방 (Jjimjilbang): Saunas that allow you to stay overnight for about 10,000-20,000 KRW It would be best to prepare a tire puncture kit and air pump on the trail, but if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, then you can lock your bike up, remove your tire, and take a bus/taxi to the closest city and search for 삼천리자전거 (Samchully Bikes) or just 자전거 (Bike) on Naver Maps. Would probably be easier to flag somedown on the trail to help you out though so you don't have to spend hours and money on transportation.
Hi there Anna thanks a lot! 😊 You can rent bikes at a few places in Seoul. Bike Nara (bikenara.co.kr/) is the most popular that a lot of people tend to recommend (I've never used them so I can't say for myself). There is also Seoul Bicycle Rent (www.greencyclepark.com/) which I've used before and the gear is a bit on the older side but the owner is really nice and accomodating (also ask how much it is for a month because it might be cheaper than 2 weeks because of how the system works there).
Fantastic and informative vid! :) Curious if there is a preferred/safer linkage of roadways to get to the peripheral routes that are not already connected to the main 4 river path?
Thanks so much Manny F. Cheo! 😊 The absolute best way to get to the trails not linked to the 4 Rivers is by bus (or ferry if going to Jeju). I would recommend trying to navigate with Kakao maps by bike if you are really experienced and adventurous, but it can be really hard to avoid highways sometimes and they are very dangerous for cyclists so I'd never recommend them. To reserve the bus in English go here: txbuse.t-money.co.kr/otck/trmlInfEnty.do and to find which bud terminal you should go to, go to Kakao Maps on your phone and look at the city closest to the bike trail you want to cycle (for example Mokpo or Damyang on the Yeongsangang). From Seoul you can go to pretty much any city directly, and you can load your bikes onto the bus below where the luggage storage is.
@@yoohoo909 drivers are really fast here and they aren't used to dealing with cyclists for the most part so they come really close to you and honk at you sometimes. I've never been in an accident, but you have to be really careful and I would avoid cycling with the cars as much as possible.
Thanks for this brilliant video! I'm planning on cycling in Korea for 5-6 days in mid June (my first time in Korea). Based on your video and the info I get on the climate, it could be hot and humid. Would you therefore reccomend the East Coast Trail as opposed to the 4 River Trail? Also, do the roads along the East Coast get busier in the warm part of the year?
Hello indukcija thanks so much! 😊 Sorry for the late reply. You must already be here by now. The East Coast Trail will be a little cooler overall with the winds, but there will definitely be a lot more now that the weather is getting warmer. I would choose the Four Rivers Trail since it's your first time in Korea, and the overall experience is so much smoother and easier. You can avoid traffic for the whole ride, you will find hotels that are very bike friendly and some of them will speak English, and it'll just be a really comfortable and nice experience overall!
Thanks so much Seoul Man! (Love the name!) Yeah that's right. There aren't any official bike paths on the West Coast, so you'd have to take the coastal road which won't be a super smooth experience, but we've never tried it so it might be better than expected!
@@lostthenfound Definitely something I'll have to consider... I've driven the west coast a few times so I have a decent idea what to expect, but never the southern end... I might consider the south first...and then the west... decisions decisions :) Thanks again!
Hi Peter! They aren't all connected, but here are the ways in which they are: 1) Yeongsangang and Seomjingang are connected together via a connector path, and you can continue onto Jeju Fantasy Bike Path if you take a ferry after finishing the Seomjingang in Gwangyang. 2) Four Rivers Trail, Ocheon Bike Path and Geumgang Bike Path are all connected, but you would probably have to do it like this with a bus: Incheon --> Yeonpung -> Gunsan -> Ride Bus to Goesan -> Busan 3) East Coast Bike Trail isn't attached to any routes, so it's best to take a bus to Sokcho to start it and ride north to Gokseong, and then head down to Ulsan (Busan if you don't mind riding on the highways)
Hi there! If you are near the greater Seoul area then there are convenience stores literally everywhere, but in the middle of the countryside sometimes you have to go for big stretches without one (for example Mokpo to Naju which is about 65km without a convenience store). If you are planning your trip, search "편의점" on Naver Maps and save the close/convenient ones as favourites so you know in advance where they are. Then you can plan your ride smoothly!
I am hoping you can give me advice on how best to link together trails for an extended Korea bike tour. My current plan, arriving from Canada this September, is .... 1) Bike Incheon to Busan 2) take the 12 hour ferry from Busan to Jeju Island 3) bike Jeju Island 4) take the ferry back to Busan 5) take a bus to up the east coast to Yeongdeok County 6) bike north up the east coast trail 7) bus back to Seoul. Option 4A) would add another two shorter bike paths ... ferry from Jeju to Mopko and then west to east (i.e. up) the Yeongsangang Path and then down the Seomjingang Path to Gwangyang City. Then I would take an inter-city bus to the start of the East Coast Trail. Are these two extra trails worth riding, compared to the other paths I'd be biking? Option 4B) Instead of taking the ferry all the way back to Busan, would I be better taking a shorter ferry ride to perhaps Wando, and then using an Intercity bus to get to the start of the east coast trail? Thanks for so much and keep making these great videos. Loving them.
Hello northice! I'd 100% recommend taking the ferry from Jeju to Mokpo and then doing 4A riding up Yeongsangang, down Seomjingang, and then take a bus from Gwangyang to Ulsan (if you have time) or Yeongdeok (if you don't have time) to start the East Coast Trail, and this is why: Yeongsangang is not one of the “best trails in Korea”, but you get to see Mokpo which is an amazing city in South Jeolla Province (Jeollanam-do). This region has the best food in all of Korea in my opinion, and the people are incredibly warm and friendly so you can view it as a good opportunity to eat some amazing food and most likely meet some awesome people. The bike trail itself is one of the easiest to cycle (just be prepared between Mokpo and Naju with enough water/food as there's nothing in between). Then bike over to Sunchang city on the connector path from Damyang, go to the Sunchang Bus Terminal and take a bus up to Gangjin (same bus as Jeonju) to start the Seomjingang. Seomjingang is without a doubt our favourite bike trail in Korea. You get to see in my opinion some of the best nature Korea has to offer, and there are so few cyclists that you really get to absorb it all and fully enjoy it. You won’t have this kind of quaint and peaceful riding on any of the other trails here, so I think it’s a really good chance to mix it up and just enjoy the sights slowly. It’s also still in South Jeolla Province, so you get to continue to enjoy the amazing food and warm people. Then when you arrive in Gwangyang, take a bus either to Ulsan or Yeongdeok to start the East Coast Bike Trail. Pick Ulsan if you still have a lot of energy for exploration on the East Sea, and Yeongdeok if you are getting a bit tired and just want to finish off the ride. Hope this helps a bit, and feel free to ask any follow up questions if you have them! You’re going to have an amazing trip!
@@lostthenfound Thanks so much for the detailed reply. Actually, seeing your video on the Seomjingang trail was what made me consider finding a way to add it to my route. It does sound and look pretty wonderful. Thanks so much. Can't wait to get over there. I have even been learning to speak and read Korean for the last six months, which should make the trip even more interesting and fun. Thanks again.
@@northice that's great! Hope your trip goes really well, and kudos on the Korean study too! It'll make things so much smoother overall for you, and people will be super excited that you're making the effort to speak Korean as well. If it helps, the absolute most common things people will say 99% of the time to you are: General: 어디서 오셨어요? = Where are you from? 한국말 잘하시네요! = Your Korean is amazing! (They say this a lot even if you only say 안녕하세요 haha) Convenience Stores: 봉투 필요하세요? = Do you want a bag? 영수증 드릴까요? = Do you need a receipt? Restaurants: 몇 분이세요? = How many people? 드시고 가세요? = Are you eating in? 포장하세요? = Do you want your food to go? 편하게 앉으세요 = Sit wherever you want They will speak really fast most of the time, so it's good to get comfortable with those phrases so you can answer easily!
@@lostthenfound That's a great list. Will be sure to memorize all of them. Have heard I might also get some varation of 매운 거 잘 먹어요? (Are you good at eating spicy food?) :-) So far, in my local Korean restaurant 돌솥 비빔밥 is my favourite dish, though that's not very spicy at all. Also really like 잡채, which seems to me to be the Korean comfort food equivalent of Mac&Cheese. Discovering new dishes and foods will for sure be one of the highlights of the trip.
@@northice people will use "드세요?" instead of "먹어요?" to you most of the time just to be as polite as possible. But people will definitely ask you "매운 걸 잘 드세요?" pretty often! 돌솥비빔밥 and 잡채 are both amazing for sure! I think I had 돌솥비빔밥 almost every day or 2 days for my first year in Korea and I almost burnt out of it haha. Luckily there are so many different foods here so you'll have a blast trying them out!
Thanks for the tips n information. By the way, do you have any routes maps , by days on google map or strava ( p/s I guess google map is out in Korea) with recommendations accommodations n go to spots. So that folk able to follow the routes planning.. 4 rivers Seoul to Busan , sure going to be a “hot hits” for reference for Oversea folks (zero Korean language). Since it the latest video blog.
Thanks a lot Philip! This is something that Yujin and I can make in the future. Maybe we'll end up making a guidebook PDF for cycling in Korea with map links to the trails and restaurants along the way, but I don't think we will have time to do it really soon. Probably at some point this year when we've collected all the stamps. For now I just found this website that has really good information including a Google maps link of the 4 Rivers Trail whattodoinkorea.com/korea-bicycle-map/ Hope it helps a bit!
Was also wondering if you had any suggestions for convenience store lunches, or more importantly, snacks you've bought at a convenience store that are good fuel to take with you on the bike for the rest of the day. Perhaps what to avoid as well, besides anything super spicy :-)
As far as lunches go, you won't get anything "super" healthy, but the microwaveable lunch boxes you find with rice, meat, and side dishes have always treated us well. Also there are a ton of energy bars now luckily! We usually eat the Dr. You Protein Bars or the Protein Chocolate Covered Almonds they sell to take with you! Luckily there are enough convenience stores that you don't have to take too much water/energy bars, but it's a really good idea to look in advance on Kakao Maps and mark down the locations of the ones close to the trails, as sometimes (between Mokpo and Naju) you have to go up to 60km or so without one!
Though korean is so conducive for cycling, sad that she has nor embraced the lingua franca of the world. Or else it'll be so much easier to navigate around if English is commonly used
Ah are you talking about my wife, Yujin? She can speak English too, but making videos in your second language is a lot harder, and since we normally speak Korean together then she speaks Korean most of the time.
Thank you so much, I'm starting the 4 Rivers Trail in 2 days, and I still had some questions that you guys answered. I'll definitely check out your other videos.
Hey @almavogler thanks a lot! Glad to hear that, and have an amazing time cycling down the Four Rivers Trail!
@@lostthenfound How would you move your bike around, I'm biking from Seoul to Busan and heading back to Seoul. Thank you
You can take the bus. Here is a little description of how to do it: th-cam.com/video/JjKp5DSvIEI/w-d-xo.html
정리를 진짜 잘해 주셨네여 외국분들한테도 한국분들한테도 자전거길 설명 제일 잘 되있는 영상 추천 하라하면 이 영상일듯 굿
안녕하세요, Sa wot님! 영상을 보고 댓글까지 남겨주셔서 넘넘 감사해요! 덕분에 기분이 정말 좋아졌어요! 오늘도 행복한 하루 보내세요! ☺️😆😁
fantastic video! so many questions I've had answered! I really appreciate you doing this, thank you very much
Thanks so much! Glad the information was helpful! 😁
thank you for a great upload! very useful information
Thanks so much @setzenmaxette5688! Glad the information was helpful!
Great video! I imagine this might save some people a lot of time since it can take a while to find or figure out all this information on your own.
Thank you so much for watching, Max Macht! 😄
한국인으로써 말하자면 당신의 정보는 매우 정확합니다.
저는 모든 코스를 추천하고 싶군요.
그 중에서도 특히 서울에서 양평 여주 충주로 이어지는 코스입니다. 최종 목적지는 부산입니다.
도움이 필요하면 주변의 한국인 자전거 라이더에게 요청하세요. 그들은 기꺼이 여러분을 도와줄겁니다.
@user-gt1ob2yg8m님 감사합니다! 저도 모든 코스를 좋아하고 추천해 주신 국토종주 코스는 진짜 재미있죠!
그리고 한국인 라이더들은 너무 친절하고 저는 한국에서 타면서 도움을 엄청 많이 받았어요!
좋은 댓글 남겨주셔서 감사합니다! 재이있고 안전한 라이딩하세요~ ^^
This is a really accurate and good video. But now in South Korea, spring and fall are getting shorter. The best time to ride a bike is decreasing.
Thanks so much @user-fn6ti5ol3l! Totally agree too. It's getting way too hot to bike in late June and early September these days. 🥵
Great video! Good luck on your next trips.
Thanks so much! 🙌
Thanks for this Q&A - so, so helpful! I'm planning my next trip to Korea and your channel is doing a great job convincing to make it a cycling holiday!
Thanks so much @houseparade1767! So glad that it was helpful! Hope you can make it to Korea to cycle some day!
Complementary WiFi with purchase
Thanks for everything 🌹🌹, i have my yearly vacation in February 2024 , what do you think about cycling and do tour +km in South Korea?
Thanks @user-rb4cr8kl1n! February will still be cold here in Korea, but sometimes it can warm up to about 10°C in the day time. If you pack some warm jackets and really nice gloves you might be able to make it work, but I'd say mid-late March would be a lot better.
excellent video. One day I want to explore south korea on my bike :)
Thanks so much! It's an amazing country to travel by bike!
Really helpful, thank you! Off to the four rivers path next month!
Thank you Ben! 😁 All the best with the Four Rivers Trail! You will have a blast!
Hello Matt, we got inspired by your videos and we decided to bike around Korea. We have already cycled from Seoul to Busan. Now we want to keep riding in the east coast, but some cyclists told us that the first part from Busan to Pohang is better if we do it by train or bus. Do you have any recommendation? We have heard that is not easy to take bicycles on public transportation. What should we do?
Thank you in advance.
Hi there, thanks a lot for watching and so glad to hear that you made it to Korea to cycle! You can bike up from Busan to Pohang via Ulsan along the coast, but between Busan and Ulsan it's not an official path so I would just advise to stay as close to the coast as possible and avoiding the highways. (I accidentally took a highway when I did it, so I can't vouch completely for the coastal route). As far as transportation goes, you can't take a train with your bike but you can take a bus. Just load your bike into the bottom luggage area and you might have to remove your front wheel to get it in. All the best with your trip and good luck with everything!
@@lostthenfound hey! Thank you for answering our question, we will take a bus to get out of Busan and escape the chaotic traffic so we can enjoy the coast line. Thanks for taking the time to help us.
love the vid!
Thank you so much, Xzar Lim! 😃
Thanks
what an amazing view ...what kind of dron did you use for taking a video ?
I used to use the DJI Mavic Air 2, and now I use the DJI Mini 2.
We told you everything, thanks! Be save😷👋
Thanks a lot! ☺️
즐거윤 추석 보내세요
감사해요! 행복한 추석 보내세요! 🌾
Great video! And veey good tips in just 15min!
One question: do you inow where cannwe rent Gravel bikes for do that tour? Thanks
Thanks so much Sergi! 😊 Check out Bike Nara here: bikenara.modoo.at/?link=5lawjkes It looks like they have the Giant Revolt 3 gravel bike that you can rent and they are used to dealing with tourists too!
@@lostthenfound Wow! thanks a lot for the quick and accurate respone!!
@@sergibelmonte no problem Sergi all the best with it and happy cycling! 😁
Great job you two. This will be helpful!!
Thanks a lot Al! Hope we can do a bike ride together sometime!
Great content as always. Looking forward to cycle in Korea. But at the moment, Morocco does not have access to the K-eta.
Thanks so much! 🙌 Ah hopefully the Omicron situation gets better soon and we can all travel again soon! Can't wait to go to another country again as we haven't since the beginning of the pandemic.
Excellent video guys!!🚴🚴
Thanks a lot Mom!! ♥️
Thankuru Mom 💚
잘보았습니다 ❤❤
@1004-LANDPIA님 감사합니다! 😊
This is so informative ❤️Thanks for the great effort❤️
Thanks so much greentea! 😊
I just started cycling yesterday, Suwon to pyeongtaek. Now I'm wondering where to go next 😃
If you go from Pyeongtaek to Jeonui you can connect with the main bike trails! Check it out on Kakao maps. We did that last year and it wasn't too bad.
@@lostthenfound great, that's what I'm doing actually! Then I'll take the one West ward to the ocean.
Currently traveling along the little streets by the creek. Safer
@@kaynesheenan oh that sounds like a great ride! Safe travels and Happy Chuseok!
짧은 시간에 실용적인 정보들 골라서 알려주실라고 고민을 많이 하신게 느껴지는 영상입니다.
자전거길 그랜드슬램을 마친 저는 그랜드슬램을 계획하신 분들에게 동해안 종주는 꼭 마지막에 가시라고 추천드맂니다. 도장을 찍는 재미는 있지만 반복되는 풍경에 심적으로 약간은 지쳐갈 때 동해안 자전거길이 업힐과 바다 풍경으로 정신이 번쩍들게 해줬으니까요 ㅎㅎ
감사합니다! @Kinbee_Ride님 그랜드슬램을 마치셔서 축하드립니다! 그리고 그게 아주 좋은 팁이네요! 저희도 동해안자전거길을 타면서 풍경이 너무 예뻐 가지고 힐링하는 걸 많이 느꼈어요.
This is brilliant - thanks! Saved me hours of research, google translating and deliberating. Have 2 weeks for tour in May so thinking of doing the Seomjingang route + the East Coast Trail.
Does it matter much which direction to tackle the East Coast Trail, e.g. prevailing winds? I guess heading south to north keeps you closer to the coast.
Thanks a lot Nikita glad we could help out a bit! 😁 On the East Coast Bike Trail we had mostly side ( heading West) and tail winds (heading South) cycling from North to South in April. However, the winds can definitely change very suddenly in Korea so no matter what direction you choose you will have some head winds as well. Also we still had amazing views the whole time going from North to South!
Your video single-handedly made me want to go. Do you have GPX files you can share?
I'm glad we got you interested in cycle touring in Korea Benito! 😁 Here is a website in Korean with so many different types of GPS files for all the routes in Korea (Translate to English with Google Chrome). 5happy.net/archives/2111
Hope it's not too difficult to figure out and happy cycling! 😁
Thanks, this is great information
Thanks a lot! 😊
자전거 여행 너무 멋져용🥰 즐추 보내세욤🌈🤓
고양이님 고마워요!! 😻 즐추 보내요! 🌾
좋은 정보가 많군요👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
감삼늬다 Jin!! ☺️ 해피 추석!! 🌙🍁
Thanks so much for the video , clear and helpfull information,,
we love bike packing in Australia and have just discovered the four rivers bike trail on you tube .. were in our 50s and ride ebikes but are finding it difficult to find reliable ebike hire in korea , do you have any advice?
Also do you think we could do the for rivers trail and have our daily distances around 60km and have homestay/ motel accom at the end of each day ?
Thanks
Thanks a lot @jugglematt100! 😊 As far as long term E Bike rentals, the only place I can find that seems to be okay for tourists too is called "Seoul Bicycle Rent" (서울자전거대여점) and you can find the E Bikes here: www.greencyclepark.com/bbs_shop/list.htm?board_code=sub3_2&cate_sub_idx=25906&c=1
You might have to go there in person in Itaewon to work it out with the manager, but they should be able to sort you out.
As far as doing 60km a day, it should be no problem at all. Korea is a very densely populated country, so there are enough cities to work it out like that. I would download Naver Maps or Kakao Maps on your phone and turn on the bicycle routes filter and plan out your route like that. Good luck with your journey! You'll have a blast!
와 미쳤다...전국일주....
This video is so helpful, thank you for collecting all this info and supplementing it with your experiences! One question -- if I'm flying into Seoul and plan to ride Four Rivers one way, is there a service that you recommend to send my bike case to Busan? Is Korea Post good or should I look into specialized luggage forwarding services?
Thanks so much @lx425! I'm glad it was helpful! Shipping is pretty cheap and fast within Korea, so if you can get your bike case into a box and ship it via Korea Post to a hotel in Busan that would probably be the best option.
Thanks very much!@@lostthenfound
I am glad this video popped on my feed. Amazing content. You answered all the questions I had about taking a multiday ride. Just out of curiosity, what do you do with your saddle bags whenever you spend the night at the jjimjjilbang? Thanks in advace and keep up the excellent content!
Thanks so much for the kind words! 😊🙌 We haven't actually stayed at a Jjimjilbang since we started cycle touring because of the pandemic, but most places in Korea are super friendly about storing bags. If you want to I'd suggest bringing your bags into the Jjimjilbang as you check in and just tell them you are cycling and I guarantee they will find a spot to store everything for you!
@@lostthenfound Thanks brother!
Thanks.. very useful info. How do we know what accommodation to book along the path from seoul to bushan? Can it be like we just walk in (is it easy to find last minute accommodation?). How to find help if tyre punctures?
Thanks a lot Julia! 😊 Sorry for the late reply. As far as accomodation goes, luckily most of the cities along the route from Seoul to Busan aren't very tourist heavy, so they usually have tons of openings if you just want to do walk-ins.
On Naver Maps (phone app), search for:
모텔 (Motel): Cheaper motels at about 30,000-50,000 KRW
호텔 (Hotel): Nicer hotels at about 50,000 KRW+
찜질방 (Jjimjilbang): Saunas that allow you to stay overnight for about 10,000-20,000 KRW
It would be best to prepare a tire puncture kit and air pump on the trail, but if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, then you can lock your bike up, remove your tire, and take a bus/taxi to the closest city and search for 삼천리자전거 (Samchully Bikes) or just 자전거 (Bike) on Naver Maps. Would probably be easier to flag somedown on the trail to help you out though so you don't have to spend hours and money on transportation.
Thanks for a great video! Do you know if it is possible to rent bikes in Seoul for touring South Korea for two weeks?
Hi there Anna thanks a lot! 😊 You can rent bikes at a few places in Seoul. Bike Nara (bikenara.co.kr/) is the most popular that a lot of people tend to recommend (I've never used them so I can't say for myself). There is also Seoul Bicycle Rent (www.greencyclepark.com/) which I've used before and the gear is a bit on the older side but the owner is really nice and accomodating (also ask how much it is for a month because it might be cheaper than 2 weeks because of how the system works there).
@Lost Then Found thanks for your help and quick reply! Looking forward to explore Korea by bike 🙂
Fantastic and informative vid! :) Curious if there is a preferred/safer linkage of roadways to get to the peripheral routes that are not already connected to the main 4 river path?
Thanks so much Manny F. Cheo! 😊 The absolute best way to get to the trails not linked to the 4 Rivers is by bus (or ferry if going to Jeju). I would recommend trying to navigate with Kakao maps by bike if you are really experienced and adventurous, but it can be really hard to avoid highways sometimes and they are very dangerous for cyclists so I'd never recommend them.
To reserve the bus in English go here: txbuse.t-money.co.kr/otck/trmlInfEnty.do and to find which bud terminal you should go to, go to Kakao Maps on your phone and look at the city closest to the bike trail you want to cycle (for example Mokpo or Damyang on the Yeongsangang). From Seoul you can go to pretty much any city directly, and you can load your bikes onto the bus below where the luggage storage is.
@@lostthenfound Got the app and was wondering about how drivers are there.. heard you mention it in one of your other vids :0
@@yoohoo909 drivers are really fast here and they aren't used to dealing with cyclists for the most part so they come really close to you and honk at you sometimes. I've never been in an accident, but you have to be really careful and I would avoid cycling with the cars as much as possible.
Thanks for this brilliant video!
I'm planning on cycling in Korea for 5-6 days in mid June (my first time in Korea). Based on your video and the info I get on the climate, it could be hot and humid. Would you therefore reccomend the East Coast Trail as opposed to the 4 River Trail?
Also, do the roads along the East Coast get busier in the warm part of the year?
Hello indukcija thanks so much! 😊 Sorry for the late reply. You must already be here by now. The East Coast Trail will be a little cooler overall with the winds, but there will definitely be a lot more now that the weather is getting warmer. I would choose the Four Rivers Trail since it's your first time in Korea, and the overall experience is so much smoother and easier. You can avoid traffic for the whole ride, you will find hotels that are very bike friendly and some of them will speak English, and it'll just be a really comfortable and nice experience overall!
@@lostthenfound thanks, I did the 4 Rivers Trail in the 3rd week of June and it was great!
@@indukcija that's amazing! Happy you had a great time!😁
Very informative! Thank you!! Looks like there isn’t a course that goes along the whole west coast like there is on the east coast?
Thanks so much Seoul Man! (Love the name!) Yeah that's right. There aren't any official bike paths on the West Coast, so you'd have to take the coastal road which won't be a super smooth experience, but we've never tried it so it might be better than expected!
@@lostthenfound Definitely something I'll have to consider... I've driven the west coast a few times so I have a decent idea what to expect, but never the southern end... I might consider the south first...and then the west... decisions decisions :) Thanks again!
… oh the summer heat. I remember it well.
It's intense eh? 😳🔥🔥🔥
Can you link up (by bicycle) the established bike paths? In other words, established roads (but not highways) to ride to the next bike path?
Hi Peter! They aren't all connected, but here are the ways in which they are:
1) Yeongsangang and Seomjingang are connected together via a connector path, and you can continue onto Jeju Fantasy Bike Path if you take a ferry after finishing the Seomjingang in Gwangyang.
2) Four Rivers Trail, Ocheon Bike Path and Geumgang Bike Path are all connected, but you would probably have to do it like this with a bus: Incheon --> Yeonpung -> Gunsan -> Ride Bus to Goesan -> Busan
3) East Coast Bike Trail isn't attached to any routes, so it's best to take a bus to Sokcho to start it and ride north to Gokseong, and then head down to Ulsan (Busan if you don't mind riding on the highways)
Thank you!!
Hi! Great adventure! Just a question, there're 🏪 store everywhere near the path or you just stopped for supplies at the towns near by? Thanks!
Hi there! If you are near the greater Seoul area then there are convenience stores literally everywhere, but in the middle of the countryside sometimes you have to go for big stretches without one (for example Mokpo to Naju which is about 65km without a convenience store).
If you are planning your trip, search "편의점" on Naver Maps and save the close/convenient ones as favourites so you know in advance where they are. Then you can plan your ride smoothly!
@@lostthenfound thanks for answering
I am hoping you can give me advice on how best to link together trails for an extended Korea bike tour.
My current plan, arriving from Canada this September, is .... 1) Bike Incheon to Busan 2) take the 12 hour ferry from Busan to Jeju Island 3) bike Jeju Island 4) take the ferry back to Busan 5) take a bus to up the east coast to Yeongdeok County 6) bike north up the east coast trail 7) bus back to Seoul.
Option 4A) would add another two shorter bike paths ... ferry from Jeju to Mopko and then west to east (i.e. up) the Yeongsangang Path and then down the Seomjingang Path to Gwangyang City. Then I would take an inter-city bus to the start of the East Coast Trail. Are these two extra trails worth riding, compared to the other paths I'd be biking?
Option 4B) Instead of taking the ferry all the way back to Busan, would I be better taking a shorter ferry ride to perhaps Wando, and then using an Intercity bus to get to the start of the east coast trail?
Thanks for so much and keep making these great videos. Loving them.
Hello northice! I'd 100% recommend taking the ferry from Jeju to Mokpo and then doing 4A riding up Yeongsangang, down Seomjingang, and then take a bus from Gwangyang to Ulsan (if you have time) or Yeongdeok (if you don't have time) to start the East Coast Trail, and this is why:
Yeongsangang is not one of the “best trails in Korea”, but you get to see Mokpo which is an amazing city in South Jeolla Province (Jeollanam-do). This region has the best food in all of Korea in my opinion, and the people are incredibly warm and friendly so you can view it as a good opportunity to eat some amazing food and most likely meet some awesome people. The bike trail itself is one of the easiest to cycle (just be prepared between Mokpo and Naju with enough water/food as there's nothing in between). Then bike over to Sunchang city on the connector path from Damyang, go to the Sunchang Bus Terminal and take a bus up to Gangjin (same bus as Jeonju) to start the Seomjingang.
Seomjingang is without a doubt our favourite bike trail in Korea. You get to see in my opinion some of the best nature Korea has to offer, and there are so few cyclists that you really get to absorb it all and fully enjoy it. You won’t have this kind of quaint and peaceful riding on any of the other trails here, so I think it’s a really good chance to mix it up and just enjoy the sights slowly. It’s also still in South Jeolla Province, so you get to continue to enjoy the amazing food and warm people. Then when you arrive in Gwangyang, take a bus either to Ulsan or Yeongdeok to start the East Coast Bike Trail.
Pick Ulsan if you still have a lot of energy for exploration on the East Sea, and Yeongdeok if you are getting a bit tired and just want to finish off the ride.
Hope this helps a bit, and feel free to ask any follow up questions if you have them! You’re going to have an amazing trip!
@@lostthenfound Thanks so much for the detailed reply. Actually, seeing your video on the Seomjingang trail was what made me consider finding a way to add it to my route. It does sound and look pretty wonderful. Thanks so much.
Can't wait to get over there. I have even been learning to speak and read Korean for the last six months, which should make the trip even more interesting and fun. Thanks again.
@@northice that's great! Hope your trip goes really well, and kudos on the Korean study too! It'll make things so much smoother overall for you, and people will be super excited that you're making the effort to speak Korean as well. If it helps, the absolute most common things people will say 99% of the time to you are:
General:
어디서 오셨어요? = Where are you from?
한국말 잘하시네요! = Your Korean is amazing! (They say this a lot even if you only say 안녕하세요 haha)
Convenience Stores:
봉투 필요하세요? = Do you want a bag?
영수증 드릴까요? = Do you need a receipt?
Restaurants:
몇 분이세요? = How many people?
드시고 가세요? = Are you eating in?
포장하세요? = Do you want your food to go?
편하게 앉으세요 = Sit wherever you want
They will speak really fast most of the time, so it's good to get comfortable with those phrases so you can answer easily!
@@lostthenfound That's a great list. Will be sure to memorize all of them. Have heard I might also get some varation of 매운 거 잘 먹어요? (Are you good at eating spicy food?) :-) So far, in my local Korean restaurant 돌솥 비빔밥 is my favourite dish, though that's not very spicy at all. Also really like 잡채, which seems to me to be the Korean comfort food equivalent of Mac&Cheese. Discovering new dishes and foods will for sure be one of the highlights of the trip.
@@northice people will use "드세요?" instead of "먹어요?" to you most of the time just to be as polite as possible. But people will definitely ask you "매운 걸 잘 드세요?" pretty often!
돌솥비빔밥 and 잡채 are both amazing for sure! I think I had 돌솥비빔밥 almost every day or 2 days for my first year in Korea and I almost burnt out of it haha. Luckily there are so many different foods here so you'll have a blast trying them out!
Thanks for the tips n information. By the way, do you have any routes maps , by days on google map or strava ( p/s I guess google map is out in Korea) with recommendations accommodations n go to spots. So that folk able to follow the routes planning..
4 rivers Seoul to Busan , sure going to be a “hot hits” for reference for Oversea folks (zero Korean language). Since it the latest video blog.
Thanks a lot Philip! This is something that Yujin and I can make in the future. Maybe we'll end up making a guidebook PDF for cycling in Korea with map links to the trails and restaurants along the way, but I don't think we will have time to do it really soon. Probably at some point this year when we've collected all the stamps.
For now I just found this website that has really good information including a Google maps link of the 4 Rivers Trail whattodoinkorea.com/korea-bicycle-map/
Hope it helps a bit!
@@lostthenfound thanks for the website.. look forwards for guidebook. ..n have fun along the way.. keep up
와 여긴 제대로 알려주시네!
감사합니다! 😊 즐거운 라이딩 되세요~ 🚴♂️🚴♀️ (날씨가 좀 시원해지면요!! 🥵🤣)
Was also wondering if you had any suggestions for convenience store lunches, or more importantly, snacks you've bought at a convenience store that are good fuel to take with you on the bike for the rest of the day. Perhaps what to avoid as well, besides anything super spicy :-)
As far as lunches go, you won't get anything "super" healthy, but the microwaveable lunch boxes you find with rice, meat, and side dishes have always treated us well. Also there are a ton of energy bars now luckily! We usually eat the Dr. You Protein Bars or the Protein Chocolate Covered Almonds they sell to take with you! Luckily there are enough convenience stores that you don't have to take too much water/energy bars, but it's a really good idea to look in advance on Kakao Maps and mark down the locations of the ones close to the trails, as sometimes (between Mokpo and Naju) you have to go up to 60km or so without one!
Does any of the maps you listed matter to use? Which one is better to use?
I would use Kakao Maps most of the time! Only use Naver Maps if you are looking for a convenience store/hotel/restaurant because it's more up to date!
@@lostthenfound ah ok, so have have both but use kakao maps for a majority of the time 👍🏻👍🏻. Thanks 🙏🏻
Hey, I sent you an email from the one you provided on your youtube page, not sure if you got a chance to see it yet. Let me know if you got it :)
Hi there! Thanks for letting us know! Got the email and I will reply to it now! 😊
Though korean is so conducive for cycling, sad that she has nor embraced the lingua franca of the world. Or else it'll be so much easier to navigate around if English is commonly used
Ah are you talking about my wife, Yujin? She can speak English too, but making videos in your second language is a lot harder, and since we normally speak Korean together then she speaks Korean most of the time.