Gyeongju-Busan-Seoul Day 1 - Getting from Seoul Incheon Airport to Gyeongju by AREX, KTX and Bus

3 May 2012

We arrived at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport at about 3.40 PM in the afternoon. Instead of spending the night in Seoul, my plan was to make the journey to Gyeongju upon landing. There are a couple of options for the journey there. By airport limousine bus, by train or by KTX  (Korea’s bullet train). We choose the fastest but slightly more expensive option by KTX. Unfortunately, the KTX does not operate from the Airport, so we have to make the trip into Seoul to board the 6.30PM KTX train at Seoul Station. The good thing is that the AREX (Airport Rail Express) train is now operating from the Incheon Airport direct to Seoul Station. Previously, travellers had to make this part of the journey by bus or subway.

Getting to Seoul station on the AREX is fast and convenient. Upon exiting from the airport, we followed the signs that led us through the airport buildings to the AREX train station. The AREX has two lines: an express line that runs directly from the Incheon Airport to Seoul Station with no stops in between (a 43-minute ride) and a commuter line, which runs parallel to the express line and makes stops at major subway stations in the downtown area (a 53-minute ride).

You can buy the AREX tickets online at a discount here.

We took the express AREX train and we almost got the whole train to ourselves.

The AREX train from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station in the heart of Seoul city only takes 45 minutes on the express train.

We took the 4.30 PM AREX train and arrived at the Seoul Station at 5.14 PM. There was plenty of time to collect our pre-booked KTX tickets from the Korail ticket booth, take our dinner before boarding the KTX bound for SinGyeongju KTX Station (the nearest KTX station to Gyeongju). I even had time to go recce the outside of Seoul Station before boarding the KTX at 6.30 PM.

Note: Sin-Gyeongju Station literally mean New Gyeongju Station. KTX only stops at the new station located outside the city while the standard train stops at the Gyeongju Station within the city.

Outside of Seoul Station. For KTX, Train, Subway, AREX.

The journey by KTX train #155 from Seoul Station to SinGyeongju took 2 hours 15 minutes (43,800 KRW/pax).   ETD 1830 hr. ETA 2038 hr. The train was packed. It was a good thing we made our bookings with confirmed seatings on the internet and only need to collect our tickets at the Korail ticket booth 30 minutes before scheduled departure.

Not much luggage space in the KTX train, so we have to place our luggage on the overhead racks.

Travel Tips: Read here for more information about travelling by train in South Korea.

The KTX train departed Seoul Station as per schedule.  Unlike the AREX, this KTX train was crowded. Mostly locals. The train did not have designated space for luggage. My sympathy to those with heavy, oversized luggage and weak upper limbs! We managed to squeeze our mid-sized luggage into the overhead racks.

The KTX has a maximum speed of 300 km/hr. Because of stops along the way, it only reached close to that top speed on a few stretches of the journey. Even then, it is the fastest way to get from Seoul to Gyeongju using land transport.

TV monitor in the KTX train cabin showing the train’s speed. Took this photo when it hits close to 300 km/hr. Fast but we don’t feel it inside.

As it was nightfall, there was not much to see outside and curtain were drawn closed. We had to listen to announcements and watch the TV monitors to make sure we got off at the right stop.

We arrived at the SinGyeongju Station as per schedule. Upon exiting from train station, we saw a lady with a sash who looked like a tourist ambassador standing near the exit of the train station. We approached her to ask about the bus to Bomun Resort. She understood English and personally brought us outside the station and point the way to the Bus Stop for us to catch the #700 Bus.

We were right on time. The #700 bus came as we approached the stop. Over here, passengers board and alight from the only door located at the front of bus. The driver was patient to wait for us to board, dump our luggage on a couple of empty seats near the front, pay him in Korean currency notes and then give me the change in Korean coins before moving off. He nods his head when I told him we were going to Hyundai Hotel.

Bus #700 is a regular city bus and stops were made along the way, with announcements in Korean informing passengers of current and next stops. Not understanding Korean language, we listened to the key words especially “Hyundai”, assuming the locals pronounced it the way I expected it to be pronounced.

I was hoping and expecting the driver to tell us where to alight but he either forgot about us or he did not understood me in the first place. We did not alight at the designated bus stop upon reaching the hotel. Fortunately, I knew we were close to our destination and saw the hotel when the bus stopped at a red light at the traffic junction just outside the hotel, past the designated bus stop. Fortunately, the driver allowed us to alight at this unscheduled stop after we told him to open the door for us.

Not bad for our first day. We got to our hotel in Gyeongju as per plan.

I just love it when a plan comes together!