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How to get to Gimhae (Busan) airport by bike

3/11/2015

12 Comments

 
(This post is in response to Annick's questions, thank you for the idea.)

When you arrive in Incheon airport it's super easy to just hop on the subway with your bike, however that is not the case in Busan.  Gimhae airport is located just West of Busan city and it is connected to Busan by a light railway train. It is an automatic elevated train and no bicycles are allowed on it. 

So how to get from Gimhae airport into Busan? Or how to get from Gimhae airport to the Nakdong river path leading to Seoul? Or how to get from Busan to Jeju by plane? Well of course you can take a taxi, if the driver agrees and if you take your wheels off. Some airport buses would probably let you store your bicycle under the bus in the luggage department. 

But the best option yet is to simply ride your bike. 

Few people are aware that the airport is 1,5km away from the Nakdong river bike path. So with a little GPS and Google or Naver maps it should be super easy to navigate yourself to the bike path. 
Once you are on the path you can cycle down the West bank all the way to the first certification center, it's about 10km.  If you happen to be doing that in the last week of March or the first week of April you will cycle through a 10km tunnel of Cherry blossom heaven on a dedicated bicycle path. ​
Near the end of the lane of trees the path will turn to cross the river and you will soon see a sign for the certification center. After the certification center you can cross the rest of the river and start the route on the East bank of the Nakdong river and head to Seoul. Or you can cross the bridge and go straight for 1 km to reach Hadan subway station. From Hadan you can take the subway to anywhere in Busan. 

If you cycled from Seoul, ended in Busan and want to take a plane to Jeju, you can cycle from the certification center to the airport.

Routes: 
  • Gimhae airport to the Nakdong river Certification center
  • Gimhae airport to Hadan subway station
Distances:
  • 10 to 13 km one way.
Road surface:
  • 90% cycle track
  • 10% car roads
Elevation:
  • Flat with small ramps when you leave the bicycle paths to enter the road. 
Tips:
  • Always cycle on the East bank of the Nakdong river to and from Seoul if you want an easy path to follow. Cycle on the West bank if you want more challenging hills and navigation. 
  • The West bank of the river always have less people, so for cherry blossom time, Saturdays or holidays that's the best place to cycle just for a day trip.
Bicycles on an airplane
  • At Gimhae airport you can pay and they will provide a box for your bike and pack your bike in the box for you. But you will have to disassemble your bike by yourself. 
12 Comments
chris
3/11/2015 04:24:06 pm

If you have your own box, you can take it on limo bus or subway anytime.

Reply
Cycling Corea
28/6/2016 04:05:59 pm

Thanks Chris!

Reply
Holly
5/4/2016 07:28:11 pm

IF we fly into Gimhae with our bikes in boxes would it be best to just throw it away and get a new one when we return? Or is there a bike store in Busan that we can store it without paying airport fees to store our boxes there?

Reply
Cycling Corea
28/6/2016 04:07:14 pm

I think just getting some new boxes from a shop before you fly out would be best.

Reply
Sam Gunter
6/7/2016 05:41:27 am

Any idea if the bike boxing service still exists? Going to be there in September and its seems like a bit of a gamble cycling to the airport and hoping that its still there! Was it obvious where in the airport it was?
Thanks :)

Reply
Cycling Corea
6/7/2016 11:06:32 pm

Hi Sam, I haven't tried to get my bicycle boxed at Gimhae recently, but there's no reason why the service would not be available anymore.

I asked a Korean friend and he says you pay around 20 000 won and they will provide a box for you.

Let us know how it goes!

Reply
Ryan
3/5/2018 10:25:42 pm

For anyone who may have stumbled on this blog looking for info about the bike boxing service at Gimhae airport as I did...yes, it still exists! This is as of May 3, 2018. I have not been able to find any recent posts on the internet confirming that this service still exists but yesterday I finished my bike tour and I will fly home 2 days from now. I didn’t want to just show up at the airport and assume they’d have a box for me and then be screwed if not so I rode my bike there today to find out. Definitely exists. 3rd floor. There is a bike parking rack outside if you want to go to the information desk on the ground floor first to inquire. Cost is 30,000-40,000 won depending on the bike (so assume 40k) with a touring bike.

Reply
david
9/5/2018 08:21:42 am

Does anyone know if the same boxing service is available at Incheon for those traveling South to North?

Reply
Keith
6/5/2018 01:02:33 am

Thanks for the update! Would the boxing service also provide the padding material like bubble warp to avoid any damage? I'm going to ride the 4 river trail in coming week and would like to discard the bike box in incheon airport after arrival.

Reply
Chris
22/8/2018 12:29:02 am

Can confirm as of 22/8/18 the packing service is still there on the 3rd floor, bubble wrap and other packing materials are provided, also the packing service also offer a luggage storage service for those that wish to get their bike packed before their departure date.

Oh and also the Mono Rail does not accept bicycles, only a few bridges have bicycle/pedestrian access.

Reply
Jodie
25/10/2019 11:43:36 am

The bike packing service at the Gimhae Domestic airport bike packing service is on level 2 near checking counter B24. It cost us 30000 won per bike to pack it and you have to take of pedals, seat and front wheel. Plenty of bubble wrap and tape and scales to weight it all too. Great service.

Reply
Pinet John
5/1/2021 01:12:12 pm

How can i travel to gimhae from busan?

Reply



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