One of the newest countries to appear on the international tourism map is South Korea. It must be said that their soap operas have conquered Asia and that through the Internet they are currently conquering hearts in Europe and America. Incredible but real. And so more and more people want to visit the Korean peninsula.
The Republic of Korea, that is the correct name because we bear in mind that there is also a communist Korea, receives more than 10 million tourists per year and it really has a lot to offer in its roughly 100 square kilometers. It is inhabited by 51 and a half million people, of which 20% live in Seoul, the capital and it is a country that is undoubtedly changing rapidly from agricultural to industrial. But what Korea offers travelers?
Tourist trains in South Korea
We could talk about the modern wonders of Seoul, a city that does not have much to envy Tokyo, and the many tours related to its novels that can be done, but it must be said that a great way to get around Korea is on board some of its tourist trains.
Korea has two attractive and recommended tourist trains: el V-Train and the O-Train. His tours will leave us with the best memories of this small Asian country. These two trains travel the inner valleys of the Korean peninsula and each one crosses through different provinces.
Both started operating in April 2013 and they are exclusively tourist services that offer their passengers a comfortable and convenient way to get to know the rural beauty of Korea and its mountainous regions. Because Korea is much more than Seoul and Busan, It is a country that has not completely left its agricultural past behind and that, beyond its skyscrapers and technological development, has its own ancient and 100% Korean charms inside.
The tourist train O-Train
It is a train that connects the inner central region of Korea, made up of three provinces: Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do. A train (one), for three o'clock. It was designed considering how picturesque the four seasons of the year are in this part of the country that contains the largest and longest mountain range in South Korea.
The O-Train it has four wagons who have the capacity to carry 205 passengers. Each one has different types of seats that can accommodate both couples and family groups or friends. There are also individual seats for solo travelers, and all they have plugs to charge laptops, mobiles, tablets or cameras. Of course it is a modern train that It has bathrooms, a children's play area and a cafeteria, but we will also see that throughout the train there are screens that show what is seen from the top of the first car as the formation advances along the tracks.
The train Cross Seoul, Jecheon, Yeongju, and Cheoram in a single-day round trip, although of course you can get off the train at all stations: Seoul, Yeongdeungpo, Suwon, Cheonan, Osong, Chungju, Jecheon, Danyang, Punggi, Yeongju, Bonghwa, Chunyang, Buncheon, Yangwon, Seungbu, and Cheoram.
The tourist train V-Train
If the O on the O-Train is for one the V here is for Valley, Valley. It is the Korean tourist train that goes deep into the mountainous areas of Gangwon-do and Gyeogsangbuk, and many Koreans know him by the nickname of white tiger train because in some of its wagons this animal is painted and when it enters the mountain range it seems that the tiger does the same.
It is a retro style train and many of the places that it travels seem suspended in time and remind us of the '70s or' 80s. And not only that, the staff on board is also dressed in retro so it is quite a curious transport. The service of this train that crosses the Korean valleys makes three trips a day from Buncheon Station in Gyeongsangbuk-do to Cheoram in Ganggwon-do.
You have only three wagons, it is smaller than the O-Train and its capacity is 158 passengers on board. The decoration, in addition to being retro, is minimalist and has a observatory space and a small café. A one-way trip lasts one hour and ten minutes, time that is enlivened by the funny stories of the staff who tell us what we see through the windows.
If the O-Train has many stations the V-Train hardly stops It only makes a short stop at Bidong, another five to ten minutes at Yangwon Station, which holds the title of being the smallest railway station in Korea, and makes another short stop at Seungbu Station for passengers to get off at take some photos because the beautiful landscape deserves it. Then it arrives at the terminal station.
Buy tickets on the O-Train and V-Train tourist trains
The tickets can be bought at the stations, but there are two tourist passes that are useful. The KR Pass or the Nadeuri Integrated Pass allow the use of these two trains and also of other tourist trains such as the S-Train, the DMZ (the one that passes through the famous Demilitarization Zone between the two Koreas), and the A-Train.
The individual price of the O-Train is between 27, 300 and 43.400 won (between 20 and 20 euros), and that of the V-Train is 8.400 and 11 won (700 and 70 euros). The first covers tours of between three, four, five and six hours starting at 8:15 a.m., while the second has a one-hour service that starts at 10:20 a.m. and another of two and a half hours that is at morning.
You have the most complete information on the official Korean tourism website, with a complete and very good version in Spanish, and it is better that you check it because the hours vary every month. Even better, check the KORAIL website for more accurate information and to be able to better organize the trip.