Suwon Transportation

Suwon is a regional transportation hub and Suwon Station is an important stop on the Gyeongbu railway line between Seoul and Busan. There is a bus service to the KTX high-speed train station at Gwangmyeong. Suwon is connected to Seoul and other nearby cities by city and express buses with departure points across the city. There are also two bus terminals in Suwon with inter-city and express bus connections to most cities in Korea. These are Suwon Bus Terminal and West Suwon Bus Terminal, which is located near Sungkyunkwan University. KTX trains also make limited number of stops on services from Seoul to Busan.

Suwon has several stations on Seoul Subway Line 1, which runs North-South through the city, namely Sungkyunkwan University, Hwaseo, Suwon and Seryu. An extension of the Bundang Line to cross Suwon East-West, terminating at Suwon, is under construction, as is a further line connecting Suwon Station to Incheon. Until 1973, the Suryo Line also connected Suwon to Yeoju.

The Yeongdong Expressway (Number 50) passes through Suwon and two exits on this motorway lie within the city limits, being North Suwon and East Suwon. Suwon is also served by the Suwon exit of the Gyeongbu Expressway (Number 1), though this lies a short distance east of the Suwon's limits, near Singal in the city of Yongin.


If arriving by airplane from a foreign country you will more than likely be arriving at Incheon International airport. You can get into Seoul by road or by rail.  First; road:

 It is about a 90 minute drive into the city.  Similar to the Air France buses in Paris Korean Airlines operates a number of "limousines" to the city which are reasonably priced, at about $15 (14,000Won).

There is a separate limousine bus service to what used to be the KCAT (Korea City Air Terminal) but is now called "CALT" in Gangnam. This is non-stop. If you fly Korean Air or Asiana, you can check your baggage-and even emigrate- in town at the Terminal on your way home; BUT this is Gangnam, not Seoul "downtown".

 The Korean Airlines limo buses are deluxe, with 3 across seating in business class style seats.  They give free chilled water, and help with luggage.  The main advantage is that they stop at deluxe hotels, door to door, both going and coming from the airport.   The cheapest hotel on the route is the Koreana Hotel, City Hall line. 


The largest railway operator is Korail. KTX is the express railway service between Seoul and Busan, Seoul and Gyeongju (Singyeongju), Seoul and Mokpo and other destinations between these. Similar to a Japan Railway Pass or a Eurorail Pass, a KR Pass is available to foreigners. More information is here.
SEOUL SUBWAY

Seoul has a modern and efficient system of public transportation that includes both subway trains and buses. Seoul has nine major subway lines that run all throughout the city and even go into the suburbs and surrounding areas.   It is a great system, the trains come about every 5 minutes and are clean.  If you're not use to subways you may find it a little daunting, but don't get worried - it's actually very easy.  As an added convenience, the signs are in both Korean and English.

You will be able to find a taxi anywhere in Seoul. You can hail one in the street, but beware how you do it. Putting your hand opalm out can be regarded as rude. Taxis have advantages but also two major disadvantages. Firstly, especially when it's wet, Seoul traffic can be atrocious and your cab ride could be very very very slow.  This is also likely to be the case in the rush periods.  Seconldy taxi is the most expensive way to get around the city.  However the cost is much lower than western countries snd you don't tip.

For most people, it is advisable to use the subway for most of your transportation needs. You may be OK with the buses but-apart from airport limousine buses and other express buses- bus travel can be quite hard. Many buses will only have Korean language signs, and you also need to know the code for the type of bus -is it blue, yellow, greeen or orange? UNless you know, stick to the subway. .However if you are transporting 2 or more people and heavy luggage taxis are probably your best option.  There are some things you should keep in mind. There are three types of taxis in Seoul.