See Seoul the Fast and Easy Way: Seoul City Bus
Tour
Want to take in Seoul`s major tourist and shopping sites, but
don`t have the time, energy or inclination to do all the legwork?
Well,
the Seoul City Bus Tour might just be your thing.A tour bus? In Seoul? Well,
other major tourist cities around the world, including New York, Sydney, Tokyo,
Hong Kong, Paris and London have their tour buses, so why not Seoul, a scenic
city with an ancient history and rich culture that draws some 6 million tourists
a year?
The Seoul City Bus Tour links most of the city`s major
sightseeing and shopping areas, including the Gyeongbokgung and Changgyeonggung
palaces, the Namdaemun and Dongdaemun markets and Seoul Tower. This gives
tourists a chance to sample what Seoul has to offer without having to make
recourse to cumbersome maps and brochures or spending much of the day
underground touring Seoul`s (albeit fine) subway system.
For the price of
one ticket, you can get on and off the bus at as many stops along your route as
you like. Just get back on the next bus as soon as you`re done looking
around.
And to top it off, each bus comes equipped with an earphone
speaker that gives you tourist information about the various sites in five
different languages---Korean, English, French, Japanese and Chinese.
It`s
safe. It`s convenient. It`s fun. Give it a try.
Tour
Courses
There are currently three courses available: the Palace Course, the Downtown Course and the Night Course. See the course page --
the Palace Course, the Downtown Tour, the Night Course -- for detailed course information.
City Buses
The buses are easy enough to spot.
See the image on the top.
The design on the bus is called the
Indongdangcho. The design, which is based on vines running together, is a
frequently used on in Korean art. You often find it on Korean roof tiles,
traditional furniture, Korean craftwork and even wall murals of ancient Korean
tombs. Despite being a modern representation of the design, the buses` motif
gives visitors a feel for Korea`s traditional aesthetic sense and appreciation
for nature.
The bus also makes use of bright, vivid colors taken from
Korea`s traditional color scheme, called obangsaek. These five colors---red,
blue, white, yellow and black---represent the five cardinal directions. This
color scheme is one of the defining characteristics of Korean art, so it`s only
fitting that it be employed on the tour buses of Korea`s representative
city.
City Tour
Bus Sign Poles
Three-meters high, cylindrically shaped poles mark
boarding and exit points along the Seoul City Bus Tour routes. Like the bus,
they are a traditional Korean blue. Lights have been placed on their tops to
make them easier to spot at night.