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| Korea South Getting Around - Interna Travel |
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Air
Korean Air and Asiana Air run regular
services between Seoul and Busan, Cheju, Kwangju, Taegu
and Ulsan, linking the
Republic of Korea’s 16 main cities.
Seoul
Gimpo (GMP)
The major domestic airport is situated 17 kilometres (10 miles) away from
the city.
Airport Limousine Buses depart
every 5 to 10 minutes to the city from 7.00 am - 10.15 pm with a travel
time of 40 minutes and Airport Express buses depart every 12 minutes.
A subway line 5 runs to the city centre with a
travel time of 40 minutes. Taxis are
also available to the city.
Airport facilities
Include currency exchange, car
hire, children’s restroom, duty-free shop, pharmacy, post office, gift shop, local products shop, restaurant and travel information desk.
Departure
tax: W3,000 - 5,000.
Sea/River
A steamer service runs
along the spectacular south coast between Mokpo and
Busan 2 times a day.
A hydrofoil service links Busan
and Yosu via Ch’ungmu 5 times a day (Angel
Line).
Ferries run from Busan to Cheju-do
Island once a day and car ferries run 3 times a week.
Semo Cruise Company provides a cruise service on
the Han-Gang River in Seoul, which runs around
the city centre. Children pay half fare and night cruises
are also available.
Travel times
From Busan to Cheju by sea is approximately 11 hours (3 hours 30 minutes via the
super-express ferry). From Mokpo to Cheju by sea is about 5 hours 30 minutes.
Rail
Korean National Railroads connect main destinations.
There are 3 classes of trains:
 Local
Express
Super-Express
Super-Express trains operate:
Seoul–Mokpo
Seoul–Busan
Seoul–Chungju–Yosu
Seoul–Incheon
(particularly scenic)
Seoul–Onyang
(second-class only) routes.
Some are air-conditioned and some have restaurant cars. A supplement is
payable for better-quality accommodation. The Station signs are commonly in English
and English translations of timetables are normally available.
Children under 6 years of age travel free and children from 6 to 12 years old pay
half fare. Timetables and fares are accessible online at http://app.korail.go.kr.
Korea Rail Pass
Visitors are allowed by the Korea Rail Pass to get free travel
with reserved seats on any KR train (except subways) within a 3, 5, 7 or 10-day period.
Saver passes
are available for groups of between 2 and 5 people and for people
who are from 13 - 25 years old. A Korea Rail Pass voucher
can be bought at certain offices and travel agencies abroad and
exchanged for the actual pass at Korean railway stations. The voucher
must be exchanged within sixty days from the date of purchase. For
further information, contact the Korea
National Tourist Organisation
Road
Cars are driven on the right hand side. The network
extends over more than 60,000 kilometres (37,300 miles) of roads and over
half of it has been paved.
Great motorways link all the main cities, but minor roads are
usually quite badly maintained. Good thing is that road signs are usually
written in both Korean and English.
Bus
Express and local buses are not expensive, although the local buses
within cities are normally crowded and make no allowances for English-speakers.
Hotel staff will generally be able to help with choosing the correct bus and
stops. Chwasok buses, air-conditioned city-express buses in Korean are much more comfortable than the local buses,
operate in competition with trains for connections to the main cities.
Towns are linked with villages by local bus services. Fares are
paid in change into the coin box to the right of the driver when
boarding. Push one of the stop
buttons to stop the bus at your destination.
Taxi
An inexpensive and good way is to travel by taxis and there are also deluxe-taxis (mobom
taxis) available which are black with a yellow sign on top.
Car hire
Many car hire companies operate in Korea South, including the main
international ones. Some of the travel agents and hotels also have car hire services.
For further information about driving in the Republic of Korea, phone the
Korea Car Rental Union on telephone number: (2) 552
8772.
Documentation
International Driving Licence is required. Drivers must have driving experience of more
than 1 year, be in possession of a valid
passport and be over 21 years of age.
Urban
Underground and suburban railways and well-developed bus
services are available in Seoul, all of which are crowded during rush hours. Underground
station names, transfer signs and ticket counters are clearly marked
in both English and Korean. The Underground
lines are colour-coded, and the trains have multilingual
announcements. Fares are relatively cheap, but different within service
areas. Taxis are available while bus services also operate in other cities.
Travel times
The chart below gives approximate travel times (in hours and
minutes) from Seoul to other main cities/towns in the Republic
of Korea. |
|
| |
Air |
Road |
Rail |
Busan |
0.50
hours |
5.30
hours |
4.10
hours |
Taegu |
0.40
hours |
3.50
hours |
4.10
hours |
Kwangju |
0.50
hours |
3.55
hours |
4.20
hours |
Ulsan |
0.50
hours |
4.40
hours |
4.00
hours |
Chonju |
1.10
hours |
3.00
hours |
3.20
hours |
Cheju |
0.50
hours |
- |
- |
Kyongju |
- |
4.40
hours |
3.30
hours |
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