Icheon Voyage Tips and guide

Icheon is a small city south east of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do Province. Icheon is a center for Korean ceramics and holds the annual Icheon Ceramic festival - the largest ceramic culture festival in Korea.

The history of Icheon began as a small state within the Mahan confederacy. During the Three Kingdoms period, it was a strategic military point, initially part of Baekje's territory before being successively occupied by Goguryeo and Silla. The name 'Icheon' was bestowed by Taejo of Goryeo; after a victory in the area on his way to conquer Later Baekje, he named it Icheon (利川), combining the Hanja characters for 'beneficial' (利) and 'stream' (川). During the Joseon Dynasty, Icheon gained fame as a center for ceramics and high-quality rice. It solidified its identity as the 'home of pottery' by supplying exceptional white porcelain to the royal court. The reputation of Icheon rice, which was also presented to the king, began during this period. After enduring the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War, Icheon was elevated to city status in 1996 and has since grown into a key city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Today, it is a city where its traditional legacy in ceramics and rice thrives alongside modern, high-tech industries such as semiconductors.

Icheon has four distinct seasons and a very large annual temperature range. In the summer, it is hot and humid, with rainfall concentrated during the monsoon season. In the winter, is persistently cold and dry with snowfall. Spring and autumn are generally clear and pleasant, making them ideal for outdoor activities due to migratory anticyclones. You can experience the diverse changes of nature in each season.

There is an intercity coach service between Seoul Express Bus Terminal (Metro Line 3) and Icheon Bus Terminal. The journey is ₩2300 each way (as of May 2015), with a bus departing every 30 minutes and takes just over an hour if you can avoid the heavy traffic period. You can pick up tickets at the ticket office if needed as the ticket machines only present locations in Hangeul and there are plenty of refreshments and food available at the station for travelers who skipped breakfast that morning.

37.278127.4471 Icheon Bus Terminal (이천 버스 터미널ㅇ천 버스 터미널ㅇ), 1200, Iseopdaecheon-ro, ☏ 031-635-5431NOCC. (updated Oct 2025)

• You can take a taxi at the taxi stand. The taxi stand is usually near the bus stop.

• As of July 2023, the basic fare for regular taxis is ₩4,800 (₩5,800 at night), with a surcharge of ₩100 applied according to time and distance. (The basic fare is up to 1.6 km (1 mi), plus ₩100 per 135 m.)

There is a well stocked tourist information center at the entrance of Seolbong Park with maps available in English, Korean or Chinese.

37°16′41″N 127°26′49″E

Map of Icheon

Icheon's traveling spots are not so far from its terminal. Cycling term is not so long in the center of Icheon. So, bus can be one option.

To get to Janghowon-eup, buses leave from DongSeoul Bus Terminal (Gangbyeon Station, Line 2) and Janghowon Bus Stop. The travel time is 1 hour 35 minutes. The buses usually run every 30 to 50 minutes.

• 37.2776127.42751 Seolbong Park and Lake (설봉공원), 408-3 Gwan-go-dong, ☏ 031-644-2682NOCC. Found at the base of Seolbongsan mountain, the park is a medium size space that also plays host to the city's many traditional festivals. Year round there are some small ceramic based exhibitions, two museums and a sculpture garden to meander through. The park itself is 20 minutes walk from the town center or an even less demanding 5-minute cab ride. Entrance is free although the museums will charge a small fee. Free. (updated Oct 2025)
• 37.2951127.41382 Icheon Ceramics Village (이천도자기마을), 24 Gyeongchung-daero 2993beon-gil. Over 300 small shops and workshops sharing the goal to pass on Korean Ceramic making traditions onto the next generation. You can experience ceramic making itself or purchase a few unique pieces. (updated Oct 2025)
• 37.242107127.3926943 Starlight Garden Space (별빛정원우주), 287-76, Deoki-ro 154beon-gil, Majang-myeon, ☏ +82 31 645 0002. 17:00~23:00. It is a place where various images of the universe are displayed, and you can take pictures in many photo zones. Over 14 years old ₩12,000, 3-13 years old ₩6,000. (updated Nov 2022)
• 37.085802127.584034 The Pig Museum (돼지박물관), Pig Theme Park 129-7 Imosan-ro 372beon-gil, Yul-myeon, ☏ +82 507 1366 7540. 10:00~17:00 (closed on Monday). This is an educational farm where you can learn about life and environmental love. Adult ₩7,000, teenager ₩6,000. (updated Nov 2022)
• 37.232319127.3372285 Deokpyeong Dinosaur Arboretum (덕평공룡수목), Deokpyeong Dinosaur Arboretum, 282, Jakchon-ro, Majang-myeon, ☏ +82 031-633-5029. Daily 09:00-18:00. Icheon Deokpyeong Dinosaur Arboretum is a dinosaur-themed arboretum that combines dinosaur and insect themes with the arboretum in a fir forest of 80,000 pyeong at the foot of the arterial mountain in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do. (updated Sep 2024)
• 37.3438127.47876 Cornelian Cherry Village (산수유마을), 17, Wonjeok-ro 775, Baeksa-myeon (driving: 'Sansuyu Village' or 'Sansuyu Love Chae' on the navigation, Subway: 10 minutes by bus number 281 or taxi from Sindundo Yechon Station on the Gyeonggang Line), ☏ +81 31-632-4304. 10:00-18:00. Cornelian Cherry Village, where the Cornelian Cherry Flower Festival is held every spring according to the flowering season, offers Cornelian cherry theme experience (chocolate, soap making) using Cornelian Cherry, traditional play experience, pressed flower experience linked to the village, and flower tea blend experience. At the entrance is Hanok Cornelian Cherry Sarangchae, which is open in the village, where family and group hanok experience and accommodation are always possible, and the Lovers' Road and Sangsuyudulegil (Cornelian cherry road) are a comfortable walkway and are a good course to cleanse the mind and body in nature. Free. (updated Sep 2025)
• 37.104876127.6106067 Muryangsa temple, 128-19, boksoongahro 158beon-gil, Janghowon-eup, ☏ +82 31-641-4026. The Muryangsa Temple was greatly expanded by Monk Bowon after 1986. As an independent temple aiming to be a center for spiritual practice, its grounds include a stone pagoda, the Geungnakbojeon (Hall of Supreme Bliss), an Iljumun (One Pillar Gate), a Cheonwangmun (Gate of the Heavenly Kings), and a Sansingak (Mountain Spirit Shrine). The temple is also famous as the 'Golden Temple' because it is painted in a brilliant golden color throughout. (updated Sep 2025)
• 37.136233127.5883938 Arirang Agricultural Museum, 261-1 Seoneup-ri, Janghowon-eup, ☏ +82 31-641-5477. This farm is an agricultural experience center where visitors can learn about rural life and traditional farming. It houses a collection of historical agricultural artifacts. The 11,570 m² (approximately 3,500-pyeong) site features an exhibition of these artifacts and enclosures for animals such as donkeys and guinea pigs. Activities available to visitors include feeding the animals, making flower tea, riding a tractor carriage, and preparing lotus leaf rice. ₩5000. (updated Oct 2025)
• 37.145713127.5570559 Shinheungsa temple, 930-2 Seoneup-ri, Janghowon-eup, ☏ +82 31-645-3654. Sinheungsa Temple, a traditional Gyeonggi Province temple with a long history, is located midway up Seolseongsan Mountain in Icheon. Within its grounds are various halls, including Geungnakbojeon Hall, and it also encompasses Seolseongsanseong Fortress, built during the Silla Dynasty. At the foot of the mountain stands the Seoneup-ri Standing Stone Buddha, adding to the temple's rich cultural heritage. A stroll through the charming temple grounds offers a healing experience for both body and mind. The refreshing, panoramic view from the summit is a highlight for visitors. (updated Oct 2025)

• 37.087986127.6031231 Baekjok mountain, 309-109, Eoseok-ro 48beongil, Janghowon-eup. The mountain where the name Baekjok (百足, 白足) originated from a centipede legend. As the guardian mountain of Janghowon-eup, there is a "Centipede Cave" at its 402-meter peak where a centipede with a hundred feet is said to have lived. The name Baekjok is said to have originated from this centipede legend. (updated Sep 2025)

Hiking courses:

1. Mineral Spring → Fork → Summit → Cave Rock → Mineral Spring (4.4 km, 120 min)

2. Mineral Spring → Fork → Summit → Cave Rock → Heliport → Eoseok Valley → Heliport → Forest Road → Mineral Spring (4.5 km, 120 min)

3. Mineral Spring → Fork → Summit → Cave Rock → Gujeol Site → Heliport → Eoseok Valley → Heliport (Songsan) → Fork → Mineral Spring (6.1 km, 150 min)

• 37.11729127.61012 Hatsare Janghowon Peach Festival, 117, Seodong-daero 8759beon-gil, Janghowon-eup (after boarding bus 525 at Icheon Station, get off at Janghowon St. Mary's Hospital), ☏ +82 31-641-5215. 10:00-18:00. The peach harvest period in the Janghowon area is generally from July to early October, and various varieties of peaches are shipped from early to mid- to late-term varieties, but the best peach among them is "Janghowon Hwangdo," which is gaining the most popularity from consumers for its sugar content and aroma, and will be introduced to consumers around mid-September. The festival also offers a variety of hands-on activities, such as making peach desserts and picking peaches, as well as stage performances like concerts by guest singers and a local singing contest. Free. (updated Sep 2025)

• Rice: Icheon is the most famous city for rice in the South Korea.
• Peach (Janghowon yellow peach). It is a mutant variety grafted onto a yellow-fleshed peach tree introduced from Japan and was discovered in the farm of Choi Sang-yong, a farmer in Janghowon. It was selected and named by the Fruit Research Institute in 1993, and in addition to Janghowon Hwangdo, Janghowon cultivates various peach varieties introduced from Japan and other countries. Peaches are shipped under the joint brand name 'Haetsare' in cooperation with neighboring regions such as Gamgok and Eumseong. (updated Sep 2025)

• 37.279023127.4000061 Ei Jin shop (이진상회), 648, Seoicheon-ro, Majang-myeon, ☏ +82 0507-1497-8882. Daily 09:00-21:30. Binary Sanghoe Coffee, Binary Sanghoe Bakery, The Binary, and Complex Cultural Space. 5,000 pyeong of walking trail, coffee from a high-end roasting process, You can find a bakery with fresh ingredients, Filming and venue rental and various cultural events are regularly operated. (updated Sep 2024)
• 37.115015127.6300162 Cavaliere, 14-10 Onam-ri, Janghowon-eup, ☏ +82 507-1305-5615. 11:30-22:00. This is an Italian Mediterranean restaurant located in Janghowon Traditional Market that offers a variety of pasta dishes and course meals. (updated Oct 2025)
• 37.11737127.6301453 Janggamro Gyeongyangsik, 114-16 Janghowon-ri, Janghowon-eup, ☏ +82 31-642-9068. 11:00-20:00. This is a Western-style restaurant specializing in tonkatsu and soba, with an old-fashioned interior and cozy atmosphere. (updated Oct 2025)

• 37.248262127.3878821 Cafe Anuban (카페 아누반), Cafe Anuban, 109-42, Seocheon-ro 320beon-gil, Majang-myeon, ☏ +82 0507-1367-7759. Daily 10:00-21:00. Icheon Cafe Anuban is within a minute of Icheon Lotte Premium Outlet car. It is equipped with a parking lot that can accommodate 100 vehicles. It is free of charge to all visitors without any time limit. (updated Sep 2024)
• 37.131311127.5828082 Jukyo, 857 Seoljang-ro, Janghowon-eup, ☏ +82 507-1325-3249. 10:30-20:00. This is a coffee shop that stands out for its spacious parking and aesthetic interior, providing a comfortable atmosphere for visitors with a minimalist design that harmonizes with the natural scenery. (updated Oct 2025)
• 37.121704127.6163673 Acme roastery cafe, 309 Janghowon-ri, Janghowon-eup, ☏ +82 70-8800-3991. 11:30-17:00. This is a coffee shop where you can taste coffee made from beans roasted in-house. (updated Oct 2025)

• Sansooyou village is just north of Icheon and offers a few temples and Naksujae Waterfall