TravelinSperry

I'm trying to find the most convenient way to travel from Gyeongju to Haeundae Beach.

1- I can take the Mugunghwa Korail train from Gyeongju Station to Haeundae (90 mins) and then taxi it to the Novotel on the beach (15 minutes by taxi).

* But I cannot find train frequency/schedule. Does anyone know how often these trains run or where to find this info?

Likely much cheaper than option 3 - but ~30 minutes longer (since I have to get from the Hilton in Gyeongju to the train station and arrive before it leaves).

2- I can take the express bus which departs at Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal and arrives Busan (50 minutes). It runs every hour on the hour. http://www.kobus.co.kr/web/eng_new/schedule.jsp

* But it appears the two Bus terminals in Busan (Central and West) are terribly far from Haeundae Beach (>45 minutes by taxi). Or I can two trains after exiting the bus for a total of about 60 mins.

Ugh to option 2!

3- I can take a taxi door to door for about a 100 minute ride or so. Not sure what the cost of this is - any idea? Guessing 90,000 Won/$80USD? Will a taxi outside the Hilton take me - or do I need to find / ask around?

Thanks!

mikesaidyes

http://www.letskorail.com/ebizbf/EbizBfTicketSearch.do

You buy the tickets online and pick them up at the station. You can do this just 10 minutes before departure, no need to arrive super early. There's a train every hour (sometimes every 30 minutes depending on time of day). They take anywhere from 90 mins to 1 hr 45 minutes.

I checked on their Korean app on a random Wednesday and there are trains continually all day long. The Mugunghwa train Gyeongju to Haeundae is cheap at only 6,000W.

mikesaidyes

And yes, I'd just take the train to/from Haeundae. Busan traffic can be HORRIBLE. Especially at Haeundae. You can easily waste an hour or more in traffic getting to the bus/KTX stations.

The taxi hire thing is not really common here. You can do it, but taxi drivers aren't used to it and I think just walking up and asking you tend to overpay.

BuildingMyBento

How topical...I took the Mugunghwa train from Haeundae station to Gyeongju last night. It was about an hour and a half, and on-time. No wifi, but the scenery - from verdant to major industry near Ulsan - helped pass the short trip.

TravelinSperry

Thanks for the link. Not sure why I couldn't fund the schedule last night, but it is there this AM

Do I have to buy the tickets online in advance? I'm not exactly sure what time my sightseeing would be over the day I leave and I'd hate to rush to make a train. I'd be departing Gyeongju on a Thursday afternoon. Do these trains sell out (I'd only go if I had a seat, not standing).

mikesaidyes

What date are you here? As long as it's not 9/13-18 (Chuseok holiday) you should be ok. That Wed-Sun is Korean Thanksgiving and everything has long sold out around that period.

TravelinSperry

Nope, the week after. So I should be good to just buy tix when I show up at the Station then, hopefully.

I will be in Seoul during that holiday. Is everything closed or are there fun things to do during it?

mikesaidyes

Tourist sites are definitely open. The actual Chuseok date is Thursday the 15th, so that's the day most things like restaurants and random places will be closed. The other days are holidays (and people travel to/from). Highways will be clogged. Trains slam full. The usual four hour drive to Busan takes 6-8 because of so much traffic. Sometimes more like ten.

Restaurants will of course, still be open in nightlife areas (Itaewon, Hongdae, Gangnam etc). It's the same here. Spend time with family then go out at night! Things like malls and theaters are of course open, too. Seoul will feel a bit emptier on the streets for sure, but not like literally everyone is gone.