Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
While intercity (
jikhaeng
) buses dominate the back roads between some smaller towns, ex-
press (
goseok
) buses, which ply the nation's highways, account for the vast majority of
bus travel. These are usually large roomy coaches with spacious reclining seats and stor-
age racks or undercarriage compartments for luggage. Onboard washrooms are a rarity, but
buses will usually stop every two or three hours at highway rest areas with bathrooms,
shops, and food stalls.
As express buses run frequently—as often as every 10 or 15 minutes for major
routes—reservations are not usually necessary, and tickets are bought on the spot at bus sta-
tions, although advance booking is a must prior to major holidays. Larger stations will have
some schedule information displayed in English, but this is a rarity at smaller ones, where
the timetable may be nothing more than a few characters scrawled on a board.
Larger cities will typically have multiple express bus stations serving different directions
or routes—in Seoul, for example, most buses depart from the Express Bus Terminal in
Gangnam, but the Dong (Eastern) Seoul Terminal serves several major cities in the eastern
provinces, and the Nambu Terminal serves many towns in the central and southern regions.
Unfortunately it's all too easy to get these places mixed up; bus travelers should double-
check where they'll be departing and arriving.
While it's rarely anyone's first choice, there are a few places in and around South Korea
that can be reached by ferry as well as by car or plane, and some very picturesque getaways
that are accessible only by boat. Ferries are usually large and extremely seaworthy vessels,
with some of the bigger ones equipped with private cabins, restaurants, and even karaoke
bars and casinos.
Within South Korea the most popular routes include Incheon, Mokpo, and Busan to Jeju
Island, as well as Pohang to the rocky green island of Ulleongdo in the East Sea. Smaller
vessels ply the waters between ports such as Incheon and Yeosu and dozens of outlying is-
lands popular in the summer months with fishing enthusiasts and day-trippers.
It's a little-known fact that South Korea has more international sea connections than just
about anywhere else in the region. Scheduled ferry services link Incheon with a dozen cities
on China's east coast, including Dalian, Tianjin, and Qingdao. Busan on the east coast is an
obvious jumping-off point for Japan, with a rapid hydrofoil to Fukuoka and slower services
