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Living & Surviving in Korea | |
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Transportation in Korea
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Getting around in a foreign, non-English speaking country is always an adventure (maps links, travel/accommodation links).
You can purchase tickets at the vending machines, working out the price from the above maps (just look for your destination and the price is on it). These tickets can be bought as single one way trips, or for W5,000, W10,000 and W20,000 you can buy concession tickets that are very handy and last for ages. It is also now possible to buy a 'smart card' called a 'Seoul Multi-trans Card' from Hanvit banks. This card costs around W13000 and can work magically through you wallet when you swipe you bag over a sensor. These cards can be used on both the subways and buses in Seoul. To use your subway ticket, just put the ticket into the machines that let you through (do they have a name??) and then again on the way out. If you purchase a one-way ticket, usually W500 - W800, the machines will 'eat' your ticket when you go out. Never throw out your ticket, you will either get it back or not from the machines, depending on if it is multiple or one-way. Transferring is a little daunting to begin with, but the subway system is well sign-posted in English, and with colors. Each line has a specific color, so follow the color you need to transfer to and you will find your destination easily. Make sure you get yourself a subway map in English, which you can get from the tourist information booths or the tourist center, so you know which train to get on. You can only go two ways, so make sure you are going the right way! In Pusan (or should I say Busan!) the Subway system is much the same as Seoul's except on a much smaller scale, although they are planning massive extensions.
Some taxis now have 'free interpreter phones' for foreigners, so you can in theory speak to someone that understands English that will then translate to driver where you want to go.To be on the safe side, get a Korean friend / the school supervisor / your director to write you some notes in Korean like 'Take me to Itaewon please', 'Take me to Samsung Hospital' and one for taking you home again. To get to places it is often easiest to ask to be taken to the nearby subway station, and you do this by adding 'yok'(subway) after the name of the stop. So, you would say 'Samgakchi yok juusay o' - Samgakchi subway please. Alternatively, if you only need to go straight you just say 'jik gin' - straight ahead.
They are numbered but since their signs are only in Korean, finding the right bus may be confusing to a first-time visitor. It is advisable to request assistance to find the bus stop and number that you need. The bus fare can be paid with either coins or a bus card available at booths near bus stops. Local buses are the most common means of transportation in Seoul. They are frequent, reliable, and inexpensive. Seoul's bus network serves every area of the city. The adult fare is 600 won regardless of distance. City coach buses, called Jwaseok bus in Korean, are more comfortable and air-conditioned. They stop less frequently and travel through congested areas faster. The fares for the city coach buses and the new deluxe city express buses are 1,300 won and 1,500 won respectively. The are literally thousands of buses in Seoul, and once you work them out you may well find that they can be more convenient than using the subway for getting to where you want to go. The buses have different numbers, but are not designed to be at all 'user friendly' to those of us who do not speak or read enough Korean to figure out where they are going! It is a good idea to just jump on one if it goes by your place and see where you end up! The buses are not however for the faint hearted or those that are 'unsteady on their feet'! It is usual to hurtle at what seems like 200km per hour through hectic intersections and concrete tunnels. Concession tickets can be purchased in most small grocery stores for use on the bus or you can just pay as you get on. Outside of Seoul you will find that once you know where the buses go they are fairly easy to negotiate. From our experience, all towns have a fairly extensive and regular public bus service.
The Bus system is great, with the two main options being the 'Intercity Buses' and the 'Express buses'. Both are similar in terms of quality and price, so you just need to find the terminal closest to you. You basically just turn up to the terminal and ask for a ticket, and are pretty much guaranteed on getting on the next bus (the longest we have ever had to wait was 30 mins!). There are two different classes of buses, first and second class. First class is not that expensive and you get you own comfy reclining chair (there is only 3 seats across as opposed to the standard 4). This is a great option if you are traveling during the night, as you can easily catch up on some sleep! The traffic can be a bit of a problem around holiday times, but the buses are not usually affected too much as there is separate bus lanes. One important point to note with the buses is that they all stop at the same place for a 'rest stop', your bus will pull in behind heaps of other buses and gradually moves up the cue as you are inside having something to eat, therefore you bus will have moved when you go to get back on! Although we have not used the trains as much they are good as well, and Seoul Stn has a special line for 'foreigners', so you shouldn't have too many problems working out the trains. There are also local trains that stop at all the smaller towns along the way, which are incredibly cheap although probably not worthwhile unless you live out of Seoul as they are quite time consuming.
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Inside a subway carriage
Typical Korean street
City bus |