Hi everyone,

My wife and I are planning a trip to Korea and we'll be traveling between cities using trains and buses. I'm having trouble understanding the transportation system, so I hope you can help!

I've been looking at the bus ticket system on this site: https://txbuse.t-money.co.kr/runinf/readRunInfList.do <- Side question: Is this a reliable site? It shows the price, company name, etc., but it doesn't specify where we should be boarding the bus. How do we find the boarding locations for these buses?

Additionally, we're planning to travel from Incheon to Jeonju by KTX train, Jeonju to Suncheon by KTX train, Suncheon to Busan by bus, and Busan to Seoul by KTX train (hopefully a bullet train to save time). Is this the optimal route? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help

I might make this into a series or something, but if it is, here's the first one.

I'll be covering Korea's high speed trains(ktx, srt) intercity train(itx, nuriro) and all stop train(mugunghwa) and the routes they travel in, times they travel in.

&#x200B;

Please read all the tips, as lots of tips are shared by trains, I only said them once.

1. The trainsKTX(KTX, KTX sancheon, KTX eum)

KTX

KTX Sancheon

KTX eum

Many people know KTX from train to Busan, they are the first highspeed train in Korea developed at 2004(Based on France TGV) with a top speed of 305km/h(189mph)(except ktx eum, which is at 260km/h) they are the most common high-speed trains you'll see.

&#x200B;

Current map of high to high-ish rails in Korea. KTX and SRT run using these lines, dotted lines are under construction.

Economy seats on KTX, First class seats are usually in red, and they offer much more leg room. Note that KTX-eum has better economy seats.

Tips:

• During rush hours, KTX tends to run with two trains joined together. Make sure you're getting on the right section of the train. If not, get off at next station, move to the right section of the train. This is for SRT as well.
• In KTX(and also some Sancheon, not applicable to Eum): Go for cab 5 when booking. Cab 5 used to be first class when it was first built, it became economy later on due to lack of demand for first class. It still has better seats and better leg room.
• How do you tell if you're getting better seat by going cab 5? If you see a single seat on cab 5, it means that cab 5 used to be first class.
• However, you need a korail account to select seats while booking, or the system puts you in a random seat. It is diffcult to set up a korail account as a foriegner. So unless you have a railpass, if you want to select seats while booking, you need to go to the station and buy tickets. You are allowed to buy tickets from one month before departure.
• Group purchase of ktx tickets on the computer shows a page that tells you to contact korail on the phone. However, group purchase on the korail app(korailtalk) shows you checkout page right away. While you are still unable to choose seats, the system tries to assign seats so groups can sit together if it is available.
• Is first class worth it?: First class offer water bottles(vending machine, free of charge), earphones and sleep mask(Ask conductors if you can get one), wet wipes, snacks(COVID might disrupt this), newspapers, better seats.
• WIFI is available in all seats. Actually, all trains have WIFI
• If there's an emergency, pull the red lever front or back of the car, near the door. This will make conductors come running.(Also installed on SRT and ITX)
• They don't check your train tickets. They only check tickets if the seat you are sitting is supposed to be empty. This is same for all the other trains.
• Overhead luggage, and luggage racks are available.

SRT

&#x200B;

Despite it having a different name, SRT is basically KTX sancheon painted in purple

SRT and KTX share many similarities, but differences are:

• Wider legroom
• SRT only Stations(Suseo, Dongtan, PyeontakJije) SRT DOES NOT GO TO SEOUL STATION.
• SRT runs on Suseo to Mokpo/Suseo to Busan
• SRT and KTX are run by different companies, although they are working together often. You still have to buy tickets on different site.
• SRT first class offer all the amenities that KTX offers, with an addition of mouthwash.
• SRT has limited coverage of train tracks, but they come by very often on tracks they travel on.
• Cab 5 rule for KTX isn't the case for SRT. They have all the same seats except for first class.
• SRT does not accept Korailpass. No Pass is available for purchase for SRT.(There is, but this is more of an monthly subscription of tickets)
• Unlike KTX, SRT does not have standing tickets. So if tickets are sold out, you can't get on. Unless...

How to get SRT standing tickets.

1. Buy the areas that you could get tickets on. For example, Lets' say someone is trying to get from Suseo to Busan and the tickets are sold out. Yet, they could get tickets only to Osong, and not further.(IMPORTANT: IF YOU'RE HEADING TO BUSAN(or vise versa to Mokpo), MAKE SURE TRAIN ITSELF IS ACTUALLY GOING TO YOUR INTENDED DESTNATION. DIVERGENCE IS AT OSONG. If you just buy SRT tickets that goes to Osong, it's a 50/50 chance of where it is headed.
2. Before you get to the destination of your ticket, find the train conductor. So early as possible.
3. Explain that you would like an extension on your trip. (Train conductors do speak basic English, some speaks fluently.)
4. It is up to the conductor to allow extension or not, but they usually do. If they don't, it is 95% caused by different destination that I mentioned in step 1.
5. Once you get your ticket extension, you'll pay for the extension fee. And now you have a standing ticket.
6. The retractable seats between cars are for people who got extended. You can sit there if it's free.

ITX

ITX-Samaul: This is more common type of train you'll see for ITX

ITX-Chungchun: This is the only 2nd decker train in Korea. Not all cars are second deckers.

When I say ITX in this post, I'm referring to ITX-Samaul.

• Top speed to 150km/h
• These trains are very new, and they offer better legroom then KTX.
• No first class. Only economy.
• WIFI available.
• Personally, seats are comfortable, but long train rides can be hard.

&#x200B;

Mugunghwa

Note that Mugunghwa has lots of engine cars, and the looks may vary a lot. If it has red-white-blue color scheme, it's mugunghwa

• The slowest train in Korea. With top speed of 120~130km/h
• However, they'll stop in just about every station, having excellent coverage.
• These trains are old. They definitely are not the most comfortable, still has wifi and toilets. Condition of cabs may vary. They're not horrendous, just... okay.
• They are to be decommissioned by 2027.
• Ride this if you want that long, sightseeing train rides instead of getting from point a to point b really really fast.

See detailed report here: https://www.reddit.com/r/koreatravel/comments/y080wg/follow_up_of_a_guide_to_koreas_trains_from_a_guy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

2. Train tracks.

Current coverage of tracks in Korea

I can't go over all the train tracks, so I'll be talking about the ones that most people would be traveling on.

1. Gyeongbu high speed railway.-Connects Seoul-Busan. If you're going to Seoul, Gwangmyeong, Cheonanasan, Osong, Dajeon, Gimcheon, Daegu, Gyeongju Busan using KTX or SRT, you're on this track. This is the first high speed railway tracks Korea got. Lots of things happened during planning and construction. Including the country literally going bankrupt.(1998)
2. Honam high speed railway-Connects Osong-Mokpo. If you're going to Mokpo, Gwangju, Iksan, Gongju using SRT or KTX, you're on this train track.
3. Suseo-Pyeongtak high speed railway- Connects Suseo, Dongtan, Pyeongtakjije station. Currently, only SRT are running on these tracks. 82% of train tracks on this line are underground. Which is the second longest tunnel in Korea, after the entirety of Seoul metro line 5. Not much sightseeing except if you like staring into the void. Connects to Gyeongbu high speed railway afterwards.
4. Jungang line- Connects Cheongyangli(Seoul)-Gyeongju. KTX eum run on this line. If you're going to yangpyeong, Wonju, Jaecheon, Andong, Gyeongju starting from Cheongyangli, you're on this line. This is a pretty old line, but it is going through an extensive rework of train tracks. You can see old trains(Mugunghwa) and new trains(KTX-eum) running at the same time on this track.

&#x200B;

General tips

• Try to arrive 15 minutes before train departure.
• People getting off the train has priority over people getting on. Wait for them to get off.
• Korea has no night trains. There used to be until recently, no longer. If you see a travel guide mentioning night trains, don't plan around that.(there actually is once a month night train, but I doubt anyone here will plan on using this) All trains operate around 5am~until midnight(might go slightly over midnight)
• If you see train tickets too expensive, and you could bleed some time, transferring trains can be a good idea. Osong and Daejun is major train hub, so you some part in highspeed train, do some other part using cheaper trains. Give at least 10 minutes gap between transfer, as trains can be delayed.
• S-train, V-train, Samaul(Not ITX-samaul, just samaul) is another less common trains, these trains can be compared to being a little bit better then Mugunghwa.

&#x200B;

If there are any questions, please ask me on comments.

I just arrived in Seoul a few hours ago and saw that the distance from my hotel to some areas I wanted to visit (Gangnam, Jamsil, SNU) where pretty great. That leads me to this question: what’s the fastest and best way to get around Seoul? Metro or bus? I’m going to be here for 4 days, what type of transportation card should I use?

Thankful for all suggestions!

[removed]

Is it better to use train, bus, Uber or Taxi? This is my first time traveling solo so I’m nervous. I heard from a buddy buddy that taxi is expensive and since I don’t know the language I’m going to have a hard time. I’m trying not to panic and tell myself this is going to be a breeze. I think I will be fine with the language with the Papago app. I called my credit card and unfortunately Korea is not a place where I can use it. So my option for these transit would be cash. Would I be fine with cash or is card used more? I have a debit card but I’m trying not to use it that much cause I get charge 2 dollar every transaction.

I’m a U.S. student studying in Seoul for the summer. Twice now in the evening I’ve boarded (at least what I thought was) a 마포09 bus and it’s gone the opposite direction I was expecting. Can someone help me understand what I’m doing wrong? Thank you 😭

Start time: 09:25 at jangsan station in busan Arrival at Gangnam in Seoul at 19:25

Summary:

• From jangsan 1.5hr train ride +30min walk to the first hitch spot
• 5min wait for ride 1
• Ride 1: male 30 Korean near fluent English Busan - gyeongju - 54km
• 10min wait for ride 2
• Ride 2: Police 2 men Korean 40ish low English very friendly and helpful Gyeongju outskirts - Gyeongju onramp -2km
• 1.5hr wait for ride 3
• Ride 3: male 30 Korean medium English Gyeongju - weonju -230km
• Ride 3 insisted on buying me a bus ticket to Seoul from weonju.
• 15 min wait for ride 4(bus)
• Ride 4 (bus): weonju - Gangnam -87km

Stats:

• 4 rides for a total of 389km
• ride length average: 97.2km
• Time spent waiting: 2h 0m
• Average wait time 30m
• time spent moving: 8h 0m
• total travel time: 10h 0m
• cost: 1900원 / $1.90cad

Some time ago, I wrote a short English guide about navigating the Seoul Metro system, aimed at my foreigner friends. Apparently, this guide has proved useful enough in guiding them through the complex - and admittedly, a bit weird - system of subways Seoul possesses, enough so that they've encouraged me to post this on the community here. As for myself, I've seen my fair share of foreigners clearly stumped, not knowing where they are or where to go in some random-ass station at 2AM - enough to make me motivated to copy-paste the guide here.

So, without further ado, here's a rough guide to navigating and avoiding trouble with Seoul's Metro system.

&#x200B;

1. ALWAYS check the colors on the subway stations and subway cars! EVERY line in the Seoul Metro is color-coded; Lines 1 though 8 are colored BLUE, GREEN, ORANGE, RED, PURPLE, BROWN, DARK GREEN, and PINK respectively. The same thing goes for stations, too; A station on line 3 would have orange markings on its walls. So if you are unsure of your location, make sure to check the colors!
   1. If you see a color other than those above, check again. If you see something else - like say, black, white, or sky-blue - move. If you are in a subway car, immediately drop off at the next station. If you are at a station, attempt to leave. The faster you move, the less chance you have of getting lost. It's best you minimize the time spent on unknown areas, lest others get confident enough to approach you.
   2. If you can't see any colors, stay. Don't move - at this point you've come too far, but not toooo far. Don't talk to anyone, just stay there until....something happens.
2. DON'T use the public wifi. It's slow and unreliable, often requires you to have a subscription plan (ha, so much for "free" wifi), and they can see what you're searching. Better turn on that 5G.
3. DON'T stare at the TV screens in the subway car for too long. They're in Korean, so you won't understand them (if you do, you probably have no need for this guide). If you think you can understand what the videos say, try to sleep. You don't understand Korean. YOU. DON'T. UNDERSTAND. THE. VIDEOS. PLEASE.
4. If possible, don't stare at the posters in the cars, too - they won't make your eyes bleed like the TV screens, but you might get motion sickness, mild fever, or drowsiness. It is, however, infinitely more palatable then staring at windows for a long time. Remember, windows work both ways - despite how dark it appears underground - they can see you, too.
5. DO trust the subway maps you bring along - either print one out, grab one from a tourist stand, or download a PDF/save an image on your phone. Better, do all of the above. They won't change unlike the ones inside the metro, and knowing where you are is paramount to navigation.
6. DO watch the cars you are getting into - even if they have the correct color!
   1. Some cars in the very FRONT and REAR ends have no seats. This is normal (they allow the boarding of more people). But if you board a section in the middle, and the cars have no seats - wait for the next one.
   2. Some cars are LESS cold or warm than others. This is normal, they're designed that way so that the elderly and others can enjoy temperate weather. However, there are NO cars that are more cold or warm than others.
7. TALK to young people, WATCH old people. The younger population is easier to talk to, but the elders have wisdom in their frames.
8. It's better to stay silent than to talk; the more you talk, the more you reveal yourself. If you have to talk, talk to officials - there's usually at least a few in each station. But even then, don't trust everyone.

&#x200B;

That's it for now - if you have any question regarding subway lines, trips, etc, drop a comment and I'll try to reply. Hope you enjoy your stay in Seoul.