Car and Driver for visiting South Korea
Jan 23rd, 2016, 11:16 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car and Driver for visiting South Korea
We are planning to visit South Korea in April. Will land in Busan and leave from Seoul. Cities we can manage with public transportation, but I think we should consider having a car and driver for the countryside. I'd appreciate any names of drivers, web sites and recommendations.
Jan 24th, 2016, 08:01 AM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thursdaysd, I understand that South Korea's public transportation system is quite good. There are many places we would like to see; a car and driver might make more sense. Having an English speaking driver on other trips did make the road trips more interesting.
Jan 24th, 2016, 04:36 PM
#4
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,287
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I also began in Busan and ended my trip in Seoul. For a week we rented a car which we drove ourselves, did not hire a driver. We did a big loop car trip in the south, returned it back to the Busan airport, then took the train to Seoul. We could have also driven north to Seoul, just didn't happen to plan it that way.
Having a car gets you to places that are not possible via public transportation and also is super convenient in that you can come and go as you please. I am particularly interested in food, and we got to experience some places that otherwise would have been too difficult to access. It worked out better than I could have imagined.
To the OP: Would you hire a driver if you were traveling in the US or Europe?
Having a car gets you to places that are not possible via public transportation and also is super convenient in that you can come and go as you please. I am particularly interested in food, and we got to experience some places that otherwise would have been too difficult to access. It worked out better than I could have imagined.
To the OP: Would you hire a driver if you were traveling in the US or Europe?
Jan 24th, 2016, 06:58 PM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We have driven in Europe, Africa as well as Japan. I was concerned about the smaller roads, but hopefully the GPS will have English. Since we are foodies are there any very special places in the south or in Seoul that we should be aware of.
Jan 24th, 2016, 08:45 PM
#6
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,287
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was really surprised on the fantastic condition of all Korean roads and how quick they are. Even the smaller, twisty roads (the kind of which in Europe can be so slow and tiring to drive on) are easy. Furthermore, the Koreans have tunneled their highways through the mountains, so getting around is faster than it would otherwise be for such a mountainous country.
If you can find out in advance, of course you should ask for GPS in English. If you book from the US or England, I think they are smart enough to know you will need it. I booked through Hertz, though there is no dedicated Hertz counter at the Busan airport, a local carrier provides that service for Hertz. Still, to use the GPS it helps to know what province you are going to, so you can enter that, then the county or town, sometimes the neighborhood, and finally the street number. Korean addresses have all this info in them, so it helps to always have an address.
Also, there is a 24/7 Tourism hotline in English, and they can help you with addresses, directions, and on-the-spot translation help. I found this service useful in a couple of situations.
I am a big fan of Korean motels (the prevalent form of accomodation). They are often heavily themed and cute. Three of the places I stayed had themes of Ancient Greece, Egypt, and French Chateaux, though they also included some elements of Roy Lichtenstein art and space travel. Talk about mixed metaphors!
Although duck or goat do not play a great role in Korean Cuisine, there are places and even entire communities that specialize in raising and serving them. They are mostly found in the countryside. Marinated duck is especially terrific.
Another aspect of Korean cuisine that is much better in Korea than abroad are the noodles. You should seek out kalguksu (often served with chopped clams, but there are many variations), and in summer kongguksu which is noodles in a cold soymilk broth. Sujebi (hand torn noodles) are often served in a soup and are another special noodle to look out for.
Just like in Europe, cuisine in Korea is micro-regional. Every place has specialties they are known for, so although Korean cuisine can seem monolithic, you should always seek out local specialties. Most every town lists them on the English version of their tourism website.
Did you say what time of year you are going?
My single favorite place I visited was Maisan Provincial Park. It is both a cultural and natural site where a hermit constructed 90 or so stone pagodas around a small temple, sandwiched between a couple of oddly shaped mountains. The green tea plantation of Daehan Dawon is especially beautiful and there is a valley with a string of plantations nearby. Also nearby is Nagan stone village, a traditional village that is worth seeing.
I encourage anyone to learn Hangul, the Korean alphabet. It is fun and easy to learn. Once you know it, then the Korean names of things can be easy to decipher.
If you can find out in advance, of course you should ask for GPS in English. If you book from the US or England, I think they are smart enough to know you will need it. I booked through Hertz, though there is no dedicated Hertz counter at the Busan airport, a local carrier provides that service for Hertz. Still, to use the GPS it helps to know what province you are going to, so you can enter that, then the county or town, sometimes the neighborhood, and finally the street number. Korean addresses have all this info in them, so it helps to always have an address.
Also, there is a 24/7 Tourism hotline in English, and they can help you with addresses, directions, and on-the-spot translation help. I found this service useful in a couple of situations.
I am a big fan of Korean motels (the prevalent form of accomodation). They are often heavily themed and cute. Three of the places I stayed had themes of Ancient Greece, Egypt, and French Chateaux, though they also included some elements of Roy Lichtenstein art and space travel. Talk about mixed metaphors!
Although duck or goat do not play a great role in Korean Cuisine, there are places and even entire communities that specialize in raising and serving them. They are mostly found in the countryside. Marinated duck is especially terrific.
Another aspect of Korean cuisine that is much better in Korea than abroad are the noodles. You should seek out kalguksu (often served with chopped clams, but there are many variations), and in summer kongguksu which is noodles in a cold soymilk broth. Sujebi (hand torn noodles) are often served in a soup and are another special noodle to look out for.
Just like in Europe, cuisine in Korea is micro-regional. Every place has specialties they are known for, so although Korean cuisine can seem monolithic, you should always seek out local specialties. Most every town lists them on the English version of their tourism website.
Did you say what time of year you are going?
My single favorite place I visited was Maisan Provincial Park. It is both a cultural and natural site where a hermit constructed 90 or so stone pagodas around a small temple, sandwiched between a couple of oddly shaped mountains. The green tea plantation of Daehan Dawon is especially beautiful and there is a valley with a string of plantations nearby. Also nearby is Nagan stone village, a traditional village that is worth seeing.
I encourage anyone to learn Hangul, the Korean alphabet. It is fun and easy to learn. Once you know it, then the Korean names of things can be easy to decipher.
