Hikes in Incheon and hiking may not be the first thing that pops into your mind when you think about this sprawling city to the West of Seoul. However, there are a surprising amount of hills and mountains to explore that give you great vantage points of the city and coast. In this article, I will be writing about one of the Best Hikes in Incheon: Cheongryangsan in Yeonsu-gu in the southern part of Incheon near Songdo.
Best Hikes in Incheon – Cheongryangsan
How to get to Cheongryangsan Mountain?
Cheongryangsan is located in Yeonsu-Gu in the southern part of Incheon. This is not to be confused with Cheongryangsan in Gyeongsangbukdo province in the southeast part of Korea. It is relatively close to Songdo New City and also not so far from Namdong-Gu areas. There a many many entry points to this small mountain, and any of them will you get you to the ridge with the awesome views, but the entry point that I went to and started with was at Heungryunsa (흥륜사) Temple.
If you have some time, exploring around the temple is worth a few minutes as even at the temple there are some nice views. To start on the trail up Cheongryansan though, walk on the road to the left of the temple and you will see the pathway starting up the mountain. I think this is the best way to access the trail and the path is quite nice through the woods.
So, to get to Heungryunsa, there isn’t really any good public transportation options. Taxi or driving to the temple would be your best bet. If you are coming in from out of town like Seoul or other cities and can access the subway, then the best thing to do would be to take the subway to Yeonsu-gu Station and then from there get a quick taxi ride to Geungryunsa. It should cost less than 5000KRW that way. In the map below, I’ve posted the location of the temple so you can find it or show it to a taxi driver.
Hiking at Cheongryangsan Mountain
The nice thing about hiking at Cheongryansan is that the path is quite easy and won’t exhaust you too much. There are many viewpoints along the ridge and the views of the surrounding cityscape is really fantastic.
Basically if starting from Heungryunsa, just follow the path up the mountain and when you get to the first intersection take a left and then follow the ridge the whole way until you get to the boat like platform with awesome views facing west towards the sea and Incheon Airport island. It’s not hard to follow this path and will give you the best views along the way.
There are some nice rock outcrops for which to view Songdo City and the awesome skyline the city has.
When finishing the hike, from the boatlike platform you will head down some wooden stairs and follow the path until you are right behind the Incheon Municipal Museum (인천광역시시립박물관). From the museum, best way back home by public transportation would be to get a taxi from there to Songdo Station on the Incheon Subway and from there could get back to wherever you need to go. I’m providing the map below of where the museum is so you can know where the hike that I took ends.
The hike I took is not very long and not very strenuous. In total, it shouldn’t take more than an hour from the temple to the museum if all you are doing is hiking the ridge and heading down.
Obviously, there are many great viewpoints and recommend spending some time at the top soaking in the great views of Incheon and Songdo.
Tips for Hiking Cheongryangsan
- I highly recommend doing this hike around Sunset time. A lot of the views face west are an excellent place to take pictures of sunset. Also, the nighttime views of Songdo are phenomenal and don’t want to miss that. So take a flashlight if you plan to stay past dark.
- It’s not a very crowded hike, so be safe if hiking along. Always bring a cellphone just in case.
- There are many other trails to take on the mountain. Don’t be afraid to try some of the other trails and see where they lead.
- If taking night photos at the top, don’t forget your tripod. It’s definitely worth it for the good shots you will get.
Where to stay in Incheon
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links through booking.com, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Incheon is a huge city and there are obviously many many places to stay. Cheongryansan mountain is quite close to Songdo City, so I would recommend a stay there as there are many other things to do there to extend your trip. From Central Park to Triple Street for shopping, Songdo has a lot to explore and the hotels in the city are really nice too. I’ll recommend a few below which you can book from the link I’m sharing.
Oakwood Hotel – This is the most expensive of the hotels, but worth the money. The views over central park are worth every dollar and you will be staying in the tallest building in Songdo.
Orakai Hotel – Another great option with good views over Central Park. Great rooms and good service.
Holiday Inn Songdo – A more affordable option with great proximity to Central Park. Nice rooms and amenities.
If you are looking for other hikes in Incheon, check out our other article about hiking Munhaksan and hiking Gyeyangsan.
As always if you have any questions or comments about the article, please let us know in the comments below.
[…] comparison to Cheongryangsan which you can find in one of my other articles, getting to Munhaksan is quite a bit easier to get […]
[…] other people as well as it is typically more busy than the other two hikes I wrote about which are Cheongryangsan and Munhaksan. You can go to those posts by clicking on the names. Through this article, I’ll […]