I love to bike. I would spend countless hours on my ten speed when I was a kid, just zooming around the neighborhood. These days I’ve I haven’t found the time to bike as much as I’d like, but when I do there’s only one place in Seoul I want to do it: the Han river.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are tons of places to bike, it’s just that I value my life and well being so I don’t bike on the streets. The traffic is too unpredictable for me to venture in so I play it safe and stick to bike paths along the river. On the upside it provides a beautiful backdrop to ride along. The river is a wide ribbon of blue beauty that I can admire while blazing alongside it.
Seoul makes it easy to bike the Han. You don’t even need your own bike. Periodically, along the river you’ll come across kiosks specially designed to rent out bikes. It’s 3,000 KRW for an hour for an old beat up bike with a basket or 6,000 KRW for a decent Mountain Bike. There are also tandem bikes at 6,000 KRW to rent for those scared to tackle it by themselves. The kiosks are located at Yeoido Park along the Han river near the following stations: Banpo, Gwangnaru, Jamwon, Jamsil, Nanji, Gangseo, Ichon, Mangwon, Ttukseom, and Yeouinaru. You need cash and your Alien Registration Card or photo ID. Rental time is 9 to 6.
Check out the map from Discovering Korea to locate the nearest bike rental spot near you.
Also check out Cycling Seoul for more info on biking trails throughout Korea.
