What to Do After Arriving in Korea with Your Bicycle (Steps 8–10)

Welcome back! 🤗 You are almost ready to begin your cross-country cycling adventure in Korea.

In Part 1, we covered collecting your bicycle at the airport and preparing your mobile connection and payment options. In Part 2, we looked at where to assemble your bicycle, what to do with the box, and what to check before riding.

👉 Part 1: What to Do After Arriving in Korea with Your Bicycle (Steps 1–4)

👉 Part 2: What to Do After Arriving in Korea with Your Bicycle (Steps 5–7)

👉 Read this article in Korean

Now let’s prepare your navigation tools and cycling certification passport, then take those first pedal strokes. 🚲

A coastal certification booth and a touring bicycle: a memory from a stamp stop.
Photo courtesy of PERDI LEE · Shared album

8. Prepare Your GPX Files and Maps

With your bicycle ready, it is time to decide where you will ride. Before setting off, check today’s route, places to rest, and the location of your accommodation on a map.

For a cycling trip in Korea, it helps to use Naver Map or KakaoMap alongside a GPX route. A map app is useful for finding nearby places, while a route file helps you follow the course you have planned.

What is the difference between a map app and a GPX file?

• Naver Map and KakaoMap: Use these to find accommodation, restaurants, convenience stores, and bicycle repair shops. Save the Korean names of your destinations too, so you can show them to someone when asking for help.
• GPX files: These contain route coordinates. Load a file into a compatible app or cycling GPS device to compare your current position with your planned route.

Saving a GPX file does not automatically save the background map for offline use. Check whether your app supports offline maps and download them separately if needed.

How to find a cycling route in KakaoMap

Start by searching for one section at a time, as far as the next certification center, rather than trying to route all the way to Busan. Here is a practice example from Ara West Sea Lock to Ara Hangang Lock.

1. Search for your destination in KakaoMap. Try entering 아라한강갑문 인증센터 (Ara Hangang Lock Certification Center). Check the place name and its position on the map.
2. Open Directions and set your start and destination. Use 아라서해갑문 인증센터 (Ara West Sea Lock Certification Center) as your starting point and 아라한강갑문 인증센터 as your destination. If you are starting from your current location, make sure it is shown correctly.
3. Select the bicycle icon. Check that you are viewing cycling directions rather than driving or walking directions.
4. Compare the suggested routes. Look at distance, estimated time, elevation, and sections that use ordinary roads. If an option such as “Prefer bicycle paths” is available, compare it with the alternatives. The shortest route may not follow the official certification course.
5. Choose a route and tap “Start guidance” (안내시작). Before moving off, check your current position and direction of travel. Add time for breaks, meals, and photographs to the app’s estimate.

Illustration created for this article. This is an explanatory diagram, not an actual KakaoMap screen or an official Kakao image. Button names and positions may vary by app version and device.

Follow along with official screenshots

• KakaoMap’s official illustrated guide to cycling directions shows elevation graphs, bicycle paths versus ordinary roads, and route options. This guide dates from 2017, so its interface and available options may differ from the current app.
• KakaoMap’s official guide to the 2026 Directions update shows the route overview, the “Start guidance” button, and the landscape layout. It covers driving, walking, and cycling together; the “Prefer toll-free roads” option (무료우선) relates to driving.

Screenshot reference: KakaoMap’s official blog, Kakao. The links above take you to the original illustrated guides in Korean.

✔️ If KakaoMap’s suggested route differs from your GPX track, check the next certification center and the official course again. Follow on-site instructions where a route is closed or diverted.

Before you set off

1. Load today’s GPX file onto your device and open it to check that it works.
2. Confirm the start, finish, and direction of travel.
3. Save certification centers and accommodation separately. Ordinary routing may skip required stamp stops.
4. Briefly turn off mobile data and check whether you can still see the route and the maps you need.
5. Charge your phone and GPS device, and bring a power bank.

✔️ A GPX file is a reference for your planned route. If construction or a closure affects your ride, follow current notices and on-site directions. Stop somewhere safe before checking a route that looks wrong.

9. Get Your Cycling Certification Passport

Korea’s cycling certification passport lets you record your journey with stamps collected at certification centers. Those stamps become a wonderful keepsake after your trip.

A record of cross-country cycling completion. This photo shows certification after the ride, rather than a new passport.
Photo courtesy of PERDI LEE · Shared album

The official guide lists these prices:

Item	Listed price
Certification passport	KRW 4,000
Plastic cover and route map	KRW 500

After getting your passport, attach its serial-number sticker and complete the personal-details section at the front. Keep it in a waterproof pouch to protect it from rain. Prices were checked on October 4, 2026.

Source: Bicycle Happy Sharing — Certification Passport Guide (Korean)

Starting in Incheon: Ara West Sea Lock

🚩 Ara West Sea Lock — 아라서해갑문

• Address: 41, Jeongseojin 1-ro, Seo-gu, Incheon
• Korean address: 인천광역시 서구 정서진1로 41

The official list identifies Ara West Sea Lock as both a passport sales location and a center for processing cycling certification. It is a useful place to check when planning a cross-country ride from Incheon.

The stamp booth and the passport sales counter may have different access arrangements. Before visiting, confirm that passports are in stock and that the sales counter will be open when you arrive. Search the Korean name 아라서해갑문 인증센터 alongside the address to check its location.

Source: Bicycle Happy Sharing — Certification Center Locations (English)

10. Start Your Cross-Country Cycling Adventure!

With your maps and passport ready, it is time to ride. 🤗

If you are heading south from Incheon to Busan, start by collecting your first stamp at Ara West Sea Lock. You could add the date and a short note beside it to remember the beginning of your journey.

From Incheon to Busan: the overall journey

Incheon Airport → transfer to Ara West Sea Lock → begin your bicycle journey

From there, you can plan your ride along this broad sequence:

Ara West Sea Lock → Ara Bicycle Path → Ara Hangang Lock → Seoul and the Hangang → Namhangang → Saejae → Nakdonggang → Busan

The Ara Bicycle Path connects the West Sea Lock with the Hangang Lock. Divide the following sections into daily stages based on distance, accommodation, and certification-center locations.

Source: Bicycle Happy Sharing — Ara Bicycle Path (Korean)

This is an overview of the journey, not a continuous bicycle-only route from the airport. Arrange your transfer from the airport to the starting point separately. If you want official completion certification, check all the required centers for your chosen certification course.

A bicycle at Nakdonggang Estuary Barrage Certification Center in Busan—the goal of a journey from Incheon.
Photo courtesy of PERDI LEE · Shared album

Plan how to reach the route—and how to get back

Along with the ride itself, plan transport to the starting point and your return journey. Save nearby stations and bus terminals on your map in case you decide to finish riding earlier than planned.

On the Bicycle Happy Sharing website, open “National Cross-Country Bicycle Route Information” (국토종주 자전거길 정보), choose a route, then select “Transportation Guide” (교통편안내). This section shows transport access points and connecting directions to the bicycle path.

For example, the official page for the Hangang cycling route, Seoul section, lists these access options:

• Banghwa Station, Seoul Subway Line 5: The guide describes access from Exit 2 via Gaehwa Access Point to the bicycle path, approximately 1.98 km from the station.
• Paldang Station: The guide describes the bicycle path as approximately 100 m from the station.

Use these directions to plan your access to the route. Separately check the railway or bus operator’s current rules for bringing a bicycle: permitted days and times, whether it must be folded or packed, and whether a reservation is needed. A station being close to a bicycle path does not itself mean bicycles are allowed on every service.

Reference: Bicycle Happy Sharing — Hangang Cycling Route (Seoul Section), “Transportation Guide” tab (Korean; checked October 4, 2026)

Take it easy on your first day

You may still be tired after the flight, and a fully loaded bicycle can feel different from your usual ride. Start with a short stretch to check how you and your bicycle feel before committing to a long first day.

• Have you chosen tonight’s accommodation and places to rest along the way?
• Do you have water and a few snacks?
• Have you checked the weather and route-closure notices?
• Are your phone, lights, and GPS device charged?
• Is your certification passport easy to reach and protected from rain?

You have reached the end of the preparation checklist. Stop for a photograph when you find a beautiful view, and take a little longer at places you enjoy.

May your bicycle journey in Korea be safe and full of wonderful memories. Ready to start your cross-country ride? 🚲