I know the public transportation in Korea is of a high
standard, but my girlfriend and I have only 8 days in Korea,
and we would like to see as much as possible. Is it
recommendable to rent a car? I would like to rent it in
Seoul, can you recommend a place? How expensive is it? How
are the roads? Are the traffic signs only in Korean? Please
help a Dane!
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Hello Dane,
I have lived in Korea for the last year and a half. I
do not recommend renting a car. First of all, the drivers
here are not very good. Because of the economic boom in
the past most Koreans own a car. Although, they pass a
standardized test most people did not grow up around cars
and are still learning how to drive and what the traffic
laws are and should be. Not only that the roads here don't
have names and most of the signs have some English but are
not very helpful. I own a motorcylce and beleive me the
traffic can be dangerous in a small town much less a major
city like Seoul. Public transportation here is efficient
and relatively inexpensive. If you travel during the week
by bus there won't be many traffic problems but on the
weekend you should take a train or even get a cheap
domestic flight.
The best thing to do is to learn some basic Korean and
get the latest LP. You should be able to make it around
alright. If you have problems just start asking around for
help. You are bound to find someone here who speaks enough
English to help you (more like you should be able to find
someone because even though they learn English in high
school many don't retain it or are too embarrassed to use
it).
I hope this has helped.
Buck
Re: crazy drivers; If you've driven in Italy, Korea
shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you do take the bus
or train, you can write out the ticket request on a piece
of paper.
Transport in Seoul: if you can't read Hangeul, forget about
using buses. The subway system will take you to most places
that you'd want to go.
Tranport between cities: intercity buses are cheapest and
most convenient; buses between Seoul and other major cities
run dozens of times a day; trains more expensive and more
comfortable, but run less frequently and do not go
everywhere; planes probably not worth the expense when you
consider transport time to and from the airport, plus
checking in, going through security. Cheju is the only place
I'd fly to. Seoul's main bus terminal is the Express Bus
Terminal in Kangnam. There are separate buildings for buses
heading south and east, and each building has an
information desk where people probably speak some English.
Writing the name on a piece of paper in English could be a
problem as there are cities with very similar names that are
often spelled the same in English. To make sure you don't
end up in Ch'eongju when you want to go to Cheonju, it might
be better to point to the destination on the map.