Express buses in Korea are a means of public transportation that connects major cities in Korea quickly and conveniently, and are popular with domestic and international travelers due to their various routes and convenient facilities. Express buses connect not only major cities such as Seoul and Busan, but also small cities in the provinces. If you want to visit various regions of Korea, we recommend using express buses.
Express buses in Korea are a form of public transportation with many advantages. They are cheap and have comfortable seats for long-distance travel. Most importantly, they are easy for foreigners to use. They are easily accessible because you can make reservations on the world-renowned travel app KLOOK.
There are three types of express buses: regular, deluxe, and premium. Depending on the class, the seats on the bus will vary. You can think of it as a similar concept to economy and first class on an airplane.
Premium Bus
Premium buses have wider seats than deluxe buses, and each seat has a curtain, electric seat, and folding desk. The seats are reminiscent of first-class airplane seats. The price is similar to that of a high-speed train for a similar distance, and those who want to travel comfortably even if it takes a long time often choose premium buses. Premium buses are not yet available on some routes, and their frequency is not high. However, the trend is gradually increasing, and they are now common buses.
Premium bus
The deluxe bus is the most common bus and provides comfortable seats suitable for long-distance travel. Even if you only use the deluxe bus, you can travel long distances comfortably. It is wider and more comfortable than a regular bus and is cheaper than a train, so many people use it.
Regular bus
Unlike deluxe buses and premium buses, regular buses have 4 seats per row. Therefore, the seats are narrow and uncomfortable, making long-distance travel difficult. However, the price is the cheapest, and since people don't ride it often, the seat next to you is likely to be empty, so it's good to use if you have a lot of belongings. Also, because it's cheap, only about half the price of a train, it's still a frequently used bus.
One tip is that on the reservation screen, it may be marked as a regular bus, but in reality, it may be a deluxe bus. When selecting a seat, if there are three seats in a row, it is a deluxe bus. In that case, you can pay the regular bus fare and ride the deluxe bus.
The table below shows the bus fare by class for the Seoul-Busan route. Please also compare the prices with those of Korea's high-speed train (KTX).
| rating | Fare (Seoul-Busan) |
| common | 26,000 won |
| honor | 40,000 won |
| premium | 52,000 |
| High-speed train (KTX) | 60,000 |
Express bus reservations can be made through the travel app KLOOK. Since it supports languages from all over the world, it is not difficult as long as you know the terminal name. However, large cities like Seoul and Busan have multiple terminals, so be careful not to get confused about which terminal to use. In addition, we recommend installing KLOOK because in addition to express bus reservations, you can also purchase Korean USIM, transportation cards, etc. and it also offers various travel products.
Reservation is simple. Select Transportation from the main screen. Then select Korea and press Bus.
After selecting the departure point and destination and pressing Search, several dispatches will appear. Check the time and bus class, then select the bus you want. Enter the number of passengers and press Select Seat to specify the desired seat.
After completing payment, select 'Reservation' under 'Account' on the main screen and you will see the QR code as shown in the picture. Just show the QR code when boarding the bus.
In Korea, there are intercity buses in addition to express buses. Intercity buses can visit more places than express buses. Express buses mainly only have routes to big cities, so you have to use intercity buses to visit small cities.
However, there are still restrictions on foreigners using intercity buses. When reserving an intercity bus, you must have a Korean number and be able to verify your identity. However, you can purchase a ticket by making a reservation on the spot. Intercity buses usually have seats available even without a reservation, so you can board as long as you show up on time.
If there are only intercity buses in the area you want to visit, please use the intercity bus by making a reservation on site. Even if you cannot make a reservation, you can check the departure time and remaining seats through the link below.
When you access the site, you can change the language in the upper right corner. However, since it only offers English, Japanese, and Chinese, we recommend changing it to the language you are most comfortable with.