To and From Other Cities:
Buses and Trains
BUS TERMINALS
There are two main bus terminals in Cheongju, nearly across the street from one another, in Gagyeong-dong on the west side of town.
- The Express Bus Terminal (고속 버스 터미널, "ko-sohk bus tuh-mi-nul") is located in the Dream Plus shopping center which includes Lotte Mart. It goes to Seoul (Gangnam and Dong-Seoul), Changwon, Sangbong, Busan, Gwangju, and Daegu only. Express Bus Terminal Bus Times website (in English)
- The Intercity/Shiwae Bus Terminal (시외 버스 터미널, "shi-way bus tuh-mi-nul") is across from the front of Dream Plus/Lotte Mart. It goes to all other destinations, including Incheon Airport, Daejon, Seoul (Gangnam, Dong-Seoul, Nambu) and many smaller cities. Intercity/ Shiwae Bus Terminal Bus Times website (in Korean). You can select the departure city, arrival city, date, and time to see the schedule of buses. You can also book tickets through this site.
There are also two smaller bus terminals.
- The North Cheongju Bus Stop (북부 버스정류장 , "book-boo bus chuhng-nyu-jahng") is near Cheongju University in the northeast part of the city. It goes to Seoul (Gangnam and Dong-Seoul) and some smaller cities, like Jeungpyeong and Gwaesan. Recently, it has also started going to Incheon Airport via Gimpo Airport.
- The South Cheongju Bus Stop (남부 버스정류장), "nahm-boo bus chuhng-nyu-jahng") is in Bunpyeong-dong in the southeast part of the city. It goes to a few nearby locations, like Boeun, Sognisan, and Daejeon.
Your bus ticket will have the platform number and usually an assigned seat number (although some destinations that have frequent buses don't assign seats). Make sure you're on the right bus by checking the time and destination posted on the front of the bus.
FIRST AND LAST BUS TIMES (accurate as of June 2016)
From Cheongju Shiwae to Incheon Airport: first, 3:50am, last, 6:30pm
From Incheon Airport to Cheongju Shiwae: first, 6:30am, last, 11:30pm
(for a complete list of these times, see the Airports page)
TRAINS
- You can take a regular train from Cheongju Station (청주역, "Cheongju yuhk"), which is about 10 minutes outside the city to the west, or from Ogeunjang Station (오근장역, "oh-gun-jahng yuhk"), which is about 15 minutes outside the city to the northeast, near Cheongju Airport. You can check the Korail website (below) for destinations serviced, how long they take, and where they stop. The train doesn't get used by foreigners much because it tends to be less convenient.
- The KTX, a high-speed train, is a good option if you are traveling somewhere more than 2 hours away. It will cost more than a bus or regular train, but will get you there faster. Also, there are bathrooms on-board and ride is very smooth. The nearest KTX station is Osong Station (오송역, "oh-sohng yuhk"), which is about 15~20 minutes outside the city to the west. From the bus terminal area, a taxi would cost about 10,000won.
Korail Train/KTX site (in English)
You can see the schedule for, and book tickets for, travel within the next 30 days. (You should use a PC/Internet Explorer)
If you book tickets online, you should bring your reservation number and passport to the station to collect your tickets at the ticket desk.