Last Updated on 16 January 2026 by Cycloscope
Bicycle touring in South Korea from Seoul to Boryeong. The many small lakes, free campgrounds, and public gyms. Cycling off-the-beaten-path
After spending some time in Incheon, the offshore islands, and Seoul, we finally began our bicycle tour in South Korea. Having heard that there was nothing to see along the west coast, we decided to go there and check whether it was true.
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This article is part of our South Korea travel log series. It describes the 200km bike ride from Seoul to Boryeong.
We spent two months bicycle touring off-the-beaten-path in Korea, and we loved it. Check here if you want to learn some tricks for traveling to South Korea on a budget (less than $10 per day).
Cycling out of Seoul (49.6km)
Finally, after enjoying the capital and visiting all the Royal Palaces of Seoul, we are ready to explore this tiny but super-interesting peninsula!
We were fed up with having to run for trains and ferries. A three-month visa to see a state as big as Beijing and a province is wonderful! We take the bicycle path along the Han River that leads to the city of Suwon.
We’re quickly out of Seoul without even having to struggle with traffic. This path looks like a parallel world, along the river, with its inhabitants and its rhythms.
About ten kilometers before Suwon, we meet a Korean cyclist. Cycling in Korea seems very fashionable, also because it offers the opportunity to practice in the city.
He speaks English, asks a lot of questions, and brings us under a bridge where other cyclists give us cookies. One of them is going to Suwon and “escort” us to the city.
Once there, we stopped to eat something. Our new friend bought us cookies, ice cream, and coffee, then gave us 10,000 won (10 euros). I like the Koreans!
He shows us pictures of his youth with his racing bike. Images look quite old, but he doesn’t. Probably, he has many more years than he shows.
From Seoul to here, we were never out of the urban area, some sixty kilometers, the city seems endless. We see the first fields of chili, but we are still in town.
The chili is everywhere; they grow it everywhere, on the terrace, in the atrium of the buildings, beside the highway in town. In Korean cuisine, chili is ubiquitous, so they use a lot of it.
We are looking for a place to sleep. Our GPS says there is a pond within 10 kilometers. We get there, we are close to a small village. The pond is a little creepy, and its shore is fairly desolate. There are a lot of dead fish, but who knows for what reason?
We decide to try to go to the other side of the pond to see if the situation is better. By sticking between the houses, we find a narrow alley that leads to a path around the lake, and we pitch the tent in the small wood, with a view of the lake. Dead fish are out of sight; from here, it looks like a beautiful place.
The bath we dreamed of so much, though, is not an option. So says a man walking his dog close to the shore… of course, it wasn’t very inviting anyway. While we eat our noodles, tiger mosquitoes eat us, we’ll soon buy some fumigators.
Tight splitters and free camping (53.2km)
Today it’s raining, and we’re finally in the countryside. The road is up and down, but never too tough. Chili and soy fields and rice paddies. Around 6 pm, it’s still raining and getting stronger, so we retreat to sleep in one of the many wooden gazebos.
There is again another lake view and, in a little park with exercise equipment, we try the “thighs splitter” tool for the first time and fall in love with it. A gentleman who was on a bus (we are near a parking lot) gave us a fumigator that saved us for the evening. I like the Koreans!
Free meals, free campgrounds (42.6km)
Still raining. We are still in the gazebo, lounging until noon, listening to Korean radio. Just set off, and a guy in a car stopped us and took us to lunch. I like Koreans.
Roasted pork, soup with tofu and octopus, salad, and rice. He writes our names in Korean. He says he’s often in Italy for holidays. He is a farmer, he says, but he doesn’t look like, his hands look more like those of a bank employee. Perhaps it is the landowner.
We hit the road, again a big avenue, always heading south. We arrive on the shore of a lake again, we buy hard-boiled eggs and fill bottles with water from an old lady with the usual perm, surprised to see two wacky Westerners in her store.
A few kilometers later, we see the sign “campsite”, which is an area equipped for tents. There is a shelter, tables, bathrooms, and also the wifi… all for free! I like Koreans.
Just arrived, then the rain became more intense, so having shelter is super nice. And of course, the guys from the next tent readily offer us dinner. I like Koreans! Kimchi, funny grilled mushrooms, rice with barbecued pork, rice with kimchi, soju, and beer.
The lake is called Yedang Reservoir, and those are the GPS coordinates:Â 36.635998, 126.799498
On this lake, and also those encountered previously, there are pretty floating houses used for fishing, if you ever saw the Kim Ki Duk movie, the Isle you know what those are.
We slept well, woke up to go to the bathroom, and met a long earthworm at least half a meter long. Good morning.
In the men’s room, there is a pipe which is used to rinse the floor, and we use it to take a shower. The only thing missing here.
We keep on heading south, 54km more to Boryeong, for the last day of the Boryeong Mud Festival. A festival that is held every year on the beach, where there is mud, and the people cover themselves with it, and also play stupid games like mud wrestling.
Bicycle touring from Seoul to Boryeong – gpx track with elevation profile
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