Travel Solo
Travel with public transportation
Are you planning to travel alone out of Seoul? If so, you have various options for public transportation. Many people opt for the KTX because it’s fast and convenient, but it has limited stops in smaller cities. Even at smaller railway stations, there are only 2 or 3 trains per day. Therefore, many Koreans, whose hometowns are outside Seoul, choose intercity buses instead. However, for people like me, who were born and have spent almost their entire lives in Seoul, deciding which bus terminal to use can be challenging. Technically, Seoul has three different intercity terminals. I’m going to review all of them, starting with the Express Bus Terminal, which is connected to the Express Bus Terminal Metro station on lines 3, 7, and 9.
There are two bus stations on one site:
the Central City Bus Terminal and the Express Bus Terminal. Each operates different routes. Buses from the Central City Terminal run along the Honam route, which traverses the western part of the South Korean peninsula from Seoul to Haenam in the far south east. The coverage area includes Seoul, Gyeonggi-Do, Chungcheong-Do, and Julla-Do (Do meaning Province). If you plan to travel to eastern locations like Busan or Gyeongju-si in Gyeongsang-Do, or Pyeongchang or Sokcho in Gangwon-Do, you need to use the Gyeongbu and Youngdong route. Gyeongbu route follows a highway similar to the Honam route until the Daejeon area. Because it takes a diagonal highway, it may take a bit longer. Despite being called the Express Bus Terminal, it also makes stops at larger cities. Although most small local stations accommodate intercity buses, it’s much more convenient for people to transfer at the same station.
How to find each of Route in Express bus terminal
Route maps to navigate each bus
Short history about Express bus terminal
People may be surprised that this huge terminal is situated in one of the most expensive real estate areas, Gangnam. However, there’s a simple reason for it. Central City terminal was opened in 1978, and the Express Bus Terminal was opened in 1981, before its value increased as it is today. Central City underwent a huge remodeling by Sinsegye company in 2012, improving its facilities to what they are today, resembling a luxurious department store. Both terminals have convenient kiosk ticketing systems and online ticketing systems. In particular, the online reservation system, accessible through applications, is quite convenient, and most Koreans prefer it. I’ll post how to reserve in the near future. 🙂
EZsPEDIA © 2024 by YUNMI LEE is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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