Driving the Daejeon Bread Taxi Course Yourself (From Sungsimdang to a Full Bread Pilgrimage)

If you’re planning a Daejeon bread tour, driving yourself is plenty — you don’t need the Bread Taxi. The key is building a route that strings together bakeries with parking and no clashing business hours. EasyTicket has re-mapped the Bread Taxi’s favorite course as a self-driving route. It covers both half-day and full-day courses that hit Sungsimdang, Cold Butter Bake Shop, Mongsim, and Thank You Very Much in one go.

Can I Drive the Bread Taxi Course Myself?

With the Daejeon Bread Taxi, the driver fills you in on business hours, wait times, and popular menu items, which makes it genuinely convenient for first-timers. That said, it costs by the hour, and having to finish within a set time can feel a bit rushed. Drive yourself, and the pace is entirely up to you — you can stop for photos, take a break at a café, and wait in line for the next bakery without feeling rushed.

Who Self-Driving Suits Better

• You’re in a group of 3~4 or more and need to buy a lot of bread
• You want to stash bread in the car and take your time
• You want to combine the bread tour with other Daejeon spots (Soje-dong, Daedong Sky Park)

When Bread Taxi Is the Better Choice

• You’re a party of 1~2, so the cost isn’t a big deal
• It’s your first time in Daejeon and you don’t know what to buy where
• You want to focus purely on the bread, with no driving fatigue

3 Things to Nail Down When Planning a Self-Driving Route

The most common mistake when doing a self-driven bread tour is not accounting for different opening times. Even bakeries in the same neighborhood open at different hours, so just visiting them in order of proximity can mean a wasted trip.

Check Each Bakery’s Hours in Advance

• Sungsimdang Main Branch: Opens at 8 a.m. — best to hit first
• Mongsim Daeheung Branch: Open 11 a.m. ~ 6 p.m. — pick up around lunchtime (Source: Korea Tourism Organization)
• Cold Butter Bake Shop Main Branch: The signature cream salt bread starts selling around 1 p.m., in limited quantities
• Thank You Very Much: The most flexible, open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sort Out Parking First

Sungsimdang has its own parking lot, but the wait to get in runs long on weekends. Urideul Park parking lot (30 Jungang-ro 138beon-gil), just around the corner, is usually your best bet. Cold Butter Bake Shop and Mongsim Daeheung Branch mostly rely on street parking in the alley out front, so weekdays are far more convenient.

Storage and Pickup Order

• Pick up items that need to stay cold, like cream salt bread or fresh cream cakes, at your last stop
• Keep a small cooler box plus an insulated bag in the trunk, and you’re covered even in peak summer
• Let freshly baked bread cool, then leave the bag slightly open at the top to keep it from getting soggy

Recommended Self-Driving Courses at a Glance

We’ve put together two courses. The half-day (3~4 hours) course covers 4 spots in the city center, while the full-day (6~7 hours) course is the complete version that adds Daejeon’s scenery on top of the bread.

For both courses, the key is putting Sungsimdang first. Leave at 8 a.m. on a weekday and you’ll face a short wait, plus a solid chance at popular items like mango-siru and twigim-soboro.

Half-Day Course: 4 Spots in the City Center

Everything is clustered inside Jung-gu, so a 5~10-minute drive gets you to the next shop. This is the core route the Bread Taxi loves to run.

Sungsimdang Main Branch (Start at 8 a.m.)

• Address: 15 Daejong-ro 480beon-gil, Jung-gu, Daejeon
• Recommended items: twigim-soboro, chive bread, mango-siru (seasonal)
• Parking: The main branch’s own lot, or Urideul Park parking lot (KRW 1,100 per 30 minutes)
• Tip: Early morning is the quietest time. Mango-siru can have a longer line, so make it your first pickup

If you’re not sure what to pick at Sungsimdang, take a look at 7 Must-Try Breads at Sungsimdang first to speed up your pickup.

Cold Butter Bake Shop Main Branch (11 a.m.)

• Location: Daeheung-dong, about a 3-minute drive from Sungsimdang
• Recommended items: crack salt bread, milk cream salt bread, silk pudding egg tart
• Parking: Street parking in the alley out front (Source: Korea Tourism Organization)
• Tip: Cream salt bread starts selling around 1 p.m. — buy the regular breads first in the morning

Mongsim Daeheung Branch (11:30 a.m.)

• Address: 32 Junggyo-ro, Jung-gu, Daejeon
• Recommended items: milky condensed-milk madeleine, lemon madeleine, chocolate baguette
• Parking: Street parking in the alley out front
• Tip: There’s a takeout pre-order service, so you can order popular items ahead of time

Thank You Very Much (Right After Lunch)

• Address: 49 Junggyo-ro, Jung-gu, Daejeon (1-minute walk from Mongsim)
• Signature: Triple cheese cake and about 30 other handmade cakes
• Parking: Can also use Urideul Park parking lot
• Tip: It’s a cake café, so it’s a great spot to grab a seat and finish up with coffee

Full-Day Course: Half-Day Plus Sunset

Add Soje-dong Cafe Street and Daedong Sky Park to the 4 stops of the half-day course, and you’ve got a complete day-trip route — bread, photos, and a night view, all in one go.

Soje-dong Cafe Street (2~3 p.m.)

• Location: Soje-dong, Dong-gu, behind Daejeon Station
• Vibe: A street of old railway-worker housing turned into cafés — great for photos
• Parking: Use the public lot at the entrance to the street, then explore the alleys on foot

Daedong Sky Park (Around Sunset)

• Location: Daedong, Dong-gu, Daejeon (about a 10-minute drive from Daejeon Station)
• Highlights: A mural village, a windmill viewpoint, and sunset views over downtown Daejeon
• Parking: The public lot below the park, or street parking in the alleys
• Tip: Make it your last stop, and it’s also a good chance to sort through the bread you’ve collected in the car

Pre-Trip Checklist for a Self-Driving Bread Tour

One more check before you leave, and you can wrap up the day without a wasted trip.

• Have you checked the business hours for all 4~6 bakeries you plan to visit?
• Have you checked the start-of-sale time for popular items (mango-siru, cream salt bread, etc.)?
• If it’s a weekend, have you lined up 2 backup parking spots in advance?
• Do you have an insulated bag or cooler box in the trunk?
• If bread will sit in the car a while, have you got a window sunshade ready?
• Besides cash/card, do you have a prepaid payment app ready to go?
• Have you picked a dinner spot for the end of the route?

At some bakeries, popular items sell out by mid-morning. Linger too long at your first stop, and you might miss the next shop’s signature item. It’s safest to cap each stop at 30~40 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. What’s the best time to start a self-driving bread tour?

Leaving between 8~9 a.m. is the most efficient. Start with Sungsimdang Main Branch, and the morning wait is at its shortest, then you can flow naturally into the bakeries that open at 11 (Mongsim, Cold Butter).

Q. Which is more convenient, weekdays or weekends?

Weekdays are far more convenient. On weekends, the roads around Sungsimdang Main Branch get congested and the wait to enter its own parking lot grows long. If you can, we’d recommend picking a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

Q. Won’t the bread go bad if it sits in the car a long time?

In summer, trunk temperatures climb fast. Keep bread and cakes separate in an insulated bag plus ice pack, and keep them out of direct sunlight inside the car. Picking up fresh cream cakes at your last stop is the safest bet.

Q. When is Bread Taxi the better choice over driving yourself?

If you’re a party of 1~2, driving feels like a hassle, or it’s your first time in Daejeon and you’re not sure which bakeries to pick, Bread Taxi delivers more satisfaction for the time spent. At KRW 30,000 per hour, the 3-hour course is the most popular.

Q. Where’s a good place to stop after the bread tour?

Soje-dong Cafe Street (photos, a stroll) and Daedong Sky Park (sunset views) are the most natural way to wrap up a bread tour. Both are close to Daejeon Station, so they fit neatly with a KTX transfer too.

A Daejeon bread tour is plenty enjoyable on your own, as long as you plan the route well. Start at Sungsimdang, string together the 4 spots in the city center, and if you have more time, continue on to Soje-dong and Daedong Sky Park. Just plan ahead for bread storage and parking, and you’ll have a bread pilgrimage every bit as satisfying as the Bread Taxi.

If you’d rather skip the driving and enjoy the bread tour by bus, check out Daejeon Bread Bus: Ppangtikan Sullye vs. Ppangsi Tour as well.