Korea Rail Pass

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

I'm planning a trip to Korea with some friends and wanted to confirm you can by the KR rail pass in the county.

Read a few things which seems to indicate you can, but then they talk about eticket and swapping that for the pass.

I know with the JR pass you have to buy outside the country.

 

[Melburnian1]

I have had one, but from memory you must use the Internet site to obtain a voucher that you then swap at Incheon International Airport (a special counter in the middle of the airport, landside), Seoul station or other major stations.

South Korea's railways are terrific, even on the lines that lack the high speed trains that go to Busan and part of the way to Mokpo if I recall.

The staff are always incredibly polite. Upgrading to first class on the high speed trains used to cost KRW 8000 which is very cheap. For that you get large seats with a 2+! configuration and a much longer pitch. There may be limited free refreshments.

Some of the secondary lines have great scenery, and accommodation is easy to find and can be inexpensive. Overall, it was a great country to visit, far better than I had expected (I've now been more than once).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

if it's any help seat61 has a comprehensive section on South Korea including a little section on the rail pass.

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

Thanks. Still not 100% clear but seems you can buy the eticket on the Korail website up to 180 days in advance so might end up doing that as the travel date gets closer.

Not sure how recent the posting was, but someone says you can upgrade to first class for just 8000 Won (roughly $8) which would be worth it to go from 2 2 to 2 1 seating, especially since we're doing an overnight flight into ICN then thinking to head straight to busan, so it will be nice to have a couple of hours doze on the train.

 

[gunzel2]

I've just returned from using a Korail pass - excellent value and an excellent system. You need to specify your dates in advance. An e-ticket is issued which needs to be exchanged for the pass at any Korail travel centre (not the booking or ticket office). There is a Korail travel centre at Incheon with limited operating hours. Your credit card isn't charged for the Korail pass until you exchange your voucher for the pass.

Enjoy the brilliant GT26's! They sound superb.