Best way to travel in South Korea: South Korea’s Bus System

Are you in the process of planning your South Korea trip and wondering what is the best way to travel between cities in South Korea? In this quick guide we share with you the in’s and out’s of what is in our opinion the easiest mode of transportation in South Korea: the bus system!

We walk you through the process of getting around South Korea by bus, tell you how to find your best connection, when and where to buy your tickets and how much it costs among other things! So, let’s get started!

How to travel South Korea by Bus – Everything you need to know

While train travel is also fairly popular in South Korea, especially the KTX (South Korea’s high speed train), the bus system is far more extensive. So, if you wish to travel South Korea beyond the big cities of Seoul and Busan, chances are you will need to take a bus at some point on your trip.

During our six weeks in South Korea, we took the bus a great many times. While we were a little lost at the beginning, we quickly got the hang of things. In this post, we want to share everything we learned about bus travel in South Korea. That way, you know exactly what to expect!

What is the difference between South Korea’s Express Bus and Intercity Bus?

Essentially, both the Express as well as Intercity Bus System are an easy way of transportation in South Korea that will get you comfortably from one city/town to another. There are some minor differences between the express bus and intercity bus systems.

From our research we grasped that the express busses are run by the national Ministry of Transportation, while intercity busses are run under local government jurisdiction. Therefore, intercity busses often operate routes of less than 100km, while express busses easily travel farther distances. 

However, for you as a traveler the only difference between both bus systems that really is of importance is the fact that intercity busses sometimes have several stops before reaching their final destination whereas express busses tend to only stop at one destination. So, if you happen to ride an intercity bus, do not miss your stop!

How to use the bus system

Since both bus systems are rather similar from a travelers point of view, we will treat them as one from here on out. So, how do you use the bus system most efficiently to get to another city?

🗺️ How to find the best bus connection?

If you ask us, the easiest way to find the best bus connection is by using the App ‘Naver Map’. When traveling to a new location, we simply entered our current location as a starting point and then either our next accommodation or in general the city center as destination.

As a tip: If you are traveling from/to Busan or Seoul we would highly recommend at least entering the general area you are/will be staying at. Both cities have several bus terminals and depending on your location different ones might be more suitable.

🎫 Where do you buy the bus tickets?

Once at the bus terminal, it’s time to buy your tickets. Each bus terminal usually has ticketing machines as well as manned counters. We always used the latter since we had a few problems in South Korea with machines not accepting our foreign credit card.

At the counter, simply tell them where you want to go. Usually you are given a few options, e.g. the bus that leaves in 5 minutes or the one in 1 hour. Then you will be given a few options of seats that are still available. By buying a ticket for an express or intercity bus, you automatically book a specific seat that is then allocated to you.

Note: To date we haven’t found a reliable website where you can buy bus tickets online as a foreigner. Most of the websites only accept Korean credit cards and will ask you a resident registration number in order to buy your ticket.

🕖 Do you need to buy your tickets well in advance?

From personal experience you don’t need to buy your bus tickets in advance. We always simply showed up at the bus station and bought tickets for the next available bus ride, which usually departed about 10-30 minutes after we bought the tickets.

There was only one instance where we had to wait for a free seat for over an hour. This was on a Saturday on our way from Jeonju back to Seoul. So, maybe keep that in mind if you are traveling back to Seoul on a weekend.

What do the busses look like?

Each bus leaves from a designated gate, information on which you can find on your ticket. While entering the bus you scan your ticket and then proceed to your allocated seat.

Good to know: In some busses there is a TV screen with the seating arrangement of the bus, reserved seats are shown as blue. As soon as you scan your ticket, your reserved seat will turn red on the screen, showing that you boarded the bus!

• Typically, the bus seats are in a 2-1 configuration.
• There is plenty of leg space and enough room to put a backpack in front of you.
• Suitcases or in general bigger luggage goes in a compartment under the bus.
• There were no plugs to charge your devices during the drive and also no fold-able tray tables.
• There are no toilets either. However, if the bus journey takes 2 hours or longer, there is usually a short bathroom break somewhere in the middle of the drive.

How much does bus travel in South Korea cost?

The ticket price depends on the length of the bus journey. Another factor that can influence the price is what time of day you will be taking the bus. But to give you a general idea, here are some examples:

• A 1h drive from Busan (Central Bus Terminal) to Gyeongju cost 7.400KRW per person,
• 2h30 from Seoul (Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal) to Sokcho, 21.300KRW per person.

If you want to know exact prices, download ‘Naver Map’ and simulate the journey you want to know the price for. Typically the app indicates the estimated price next to the specific connection.

Transportation in South Korea is not super expensive, but also not that cheap. So, if you are traveling on a tighter budget, maybe try to reduce travel days as much as possible. More tips on how to travel South Korea on a budget can be found in a separate post!

Final thoughts

If you are currently in the process of figuring out how to travel between cities in South Korea, we can definitely recommend you to take a look at the country’s bus system.

Because, to us it is truly the best way to travel in South Korea! It is really easy to use, efficient and also cheaper than other modes of transportation. If you have any more questions on this topic, don’t hesitate to reach out in the comments.