Seoul | Day 66 – 82 – eat bike fly

1 – 18 June 2025 | Seoul, Jamsil & Suwon

After our hiking adventures along the Seohaerang Gil end we head back to Seoul for some rest and recovery. However, that doesn’t last long as we are always looking fot the next adventure so between our time in Jamsil and Suwon, we end up on some trails and climbing a few more mountains along the way! ⛰️

Tuesday 3 June: Gwanaksan Mountain / 관악산. We have a free day in Seoul and decide to do some hiking up Gwanaksan, which stands at 632m alt ⛰️ It’s quite popular with the locals so best to avoid it on weekends or holidays, if possible. We plan to head up on a Tuesday to avoid the crowds, however Tuesday turns out to be Presidential Election Day (ie. a Public Holiday) so it’s actually busier than a regular weekend. There are three main ways to head to the Yeonjudae Peak, the most popular being from Seoul National University or Gwacheon Station 🚊 The third longer and more challenging route is from Sadang. It involves a bit of rock scrambling and climbing but offers some cracking views the entire way up. (Note: Turns out there is an easier trail via Sadang, we just followed the crowd who had veered off the main path and decided to rock scramble their way up). Our mate Jimmy decides to join us for the climb too. The weather is beautiful and the crowds thin out the further up we head, however it’s chaos at the summit – so many people! ☀️ There is a huge line up for a photo with the famous rock and crowds waiting to grab some food or drink from the stalls. We decide to head down via the Gwacheon route, which is a lot easier but also quite closed off, so there aren’t any views like the Sadang route. Down in Gwacheon there is an awesome bakery cafe called From The Earth which does really good coffee and bread 🥐 We plan to hike up there again soon, hopefully minus all the crowds!

Thursday 5 June: Suwon Hwaseong Fortress / 수원화성. We are currently in Suwon, South Korea’s 7th largest city with a population of around 1.2 million people. It’s only an hour away from Seoul but the vibe is a lot more relaxing. Parts of the city are surrounded by Hwaseong Fortress so today we decide to take a walk around the fortress wall which is about 6km. There are parts that give you a beautiful view of the city, and some areas take you up Paldalsan Mountain which sits at 145m ⛰️ The wall takes us past many cafes and restaurants, and we make a stop at the local markets. Some areas even bring back memories of walking along the Great Wall of China. Tourists generally stay in Seoul and will visit Suwon as a day trip, but the vibe is a relaxing one so we have decided to spend a few extra days here 🇰🇷

Saturday 7 June: Gwanggyosan / 광교산. Today we take a 17km hike up the highest mountain in Suwon, which stands at 582m ⛰️ There are many different trails but we start from the Munam Valley Entrance, which is about a 5km hike to the highest peak 시루봉 (Sirubong), though it’s another 3km to the start point for us. The first few kms is a ‘VIP’ trail, covered in straw carpet with a gradual ascent. The weather is hot (27°c) but the trails are mostly shaded so it’s fairly cool 🌲 After about 2km we arrive at the first smaller peak 형제봉 (Hyeongjebong), which sits at 448m and has a beautiful view of Suwon. There are heaps of people taking photos and enjoying the view, and even an Ahjusshi selling ice cream, drinks and alcohol 🍺 We decide to continue onto the next peak 비라봉 (Birabong, 492m) but there isn’t much to see from there. The highest peak 시루봉 (Sirubong, 582m) is only another 1.2km hike so we continue on. There are so many stairs going up and down and we notice lots of trail runners competing in an event which turns out to be the Song Pa Trail Marathon 🏃🏻 We get to the top but instead of an amazing view (which is covered by the bushes) we get a rock marking the peak and cute photo installation. There is another Ahjusshi selling ice cream so we buy some which are really enjoyable while sitting in the breeze 🍦 We decide to head back down a slightly different way towards 경기대학교 (Kyeonggi University) which has a bit more of a dirt trail vs the VIP carpet from this morning. It’s a really enjoyable hike and as soon as you’re back on the streets it’s very close to 연무시장 (Yeonmu Market street) where we stop by a local bunsik for a late lunch 🍚 Later that evening we end up at a lovely but oddly named dessert cafe ‘Sniff Sniffers’ for their signature mango cake.

Monday 9 – Sunday 15 June. Seoul Dulle Gil / 서울둘레길. Can’t believe we have been in South Korea for nearly three months! For our final week we decided to hike the entire Seoul Dulle Gil, a series of 21 different trails totalling 157km that take you around Seoul 🥾 There is a stamp book which enables you to receive a certificate and badge if you collect all 28 stamps along the course. Some really nice trails with our favourites being Gwanaksan, Royal Azalea Park, Achasan and Hyeongjebong ⛰️ We had a few Korean friends join us who enjoyed exploring with us, saying it was like being a tourist in their own city. Highly recommended if you are in Seoul! 🇰🇷

Tuesday 17 June. Songpa Dulle Gil / 송파둘레길. After completing the Seohaerang Gil followed by a side quest, the Seoul Dulle Gil, we discovered a mini side quest called the Songpa Dulle Gil (it’s like Dulle Gil inception) 🥾 So for our last day in Seoul we decide to complete the 21km trail consisting of four courses, completing a stamp book along the way. The trail takes you along a number of streams, finishing along the Hangang River and it’s amazing how many different trails there are in South Korea 🇰🇷 It was interesting to see umbrella stands along the route where you can borrow umbrellas if you get caught out in the rain ☔️ After collecting all four stamps we visit Songpa Tourist Information Centre where they give you a certificate, a cute pin and a tacky but hilarious green screen photo. We have a nice chat to one of the staff members JD, and we share travel stories before heading off to get ready for a night at the baseball ⚾️

Jamsil Baseball Stadium / 잠실야구장. What better way to finish our Korean travels than at the baseball ⚾️ Our mate Jimmy scored tickets in the ‘exciting zone’ which is so close to the action (front row) they give you a helmet in case of any fly balls. Cheye manages to catch one for the pool room! Even better that our team, the NC Dinos wins 6-2 against LG Twins, who are currently the top team. Tomorrow we leave Korea after three months to start our cycling adventures in Taiwan 🚲 🇹🇼 See you then!