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Maybe one day. The DMZ train was definitely an interesting adventure to consider if you ever do make it out this way. Too bad his actions led to everyone else being delayed. Recommended option Subway, taxi Take the subway from Jonggak Station to Soyosan Station You can also use the to anywhere feature if youre flexible on where youre going.Buses buses are comfy and efficient. Hola from Spain. Ask us on live chat! Got lots of questions swimming in my head that I dont even know where to begin. Got a question about this activity? Moreover, the DMZ offers numerous outdoor activities such as hiking trails, camping areas, and scenic lookout points that let you fully appreciate the natural beauty of this part of South Korea. It was a really bizarre and fun day. The ride will take about 20 minutes, one way. I never even considered the possibility that one could visit the border without a tour. The Imjingang Station was formerly the final stop on the Gyeongui Line before the DMZ train began allowing visitors to go beyond it, once it began operating in 2014. I love the interior decorations of the DMZ train. How often can you say youve walked inside a living piece of history like this? Taking the train plus the DMZ bus circuit we did comes out to nearly the same price as the cheapest tours from Seoul, but ultimately the DMZ train proves to be a few thousand won (a couple dollars) cheaper than the absolute cheapest DMZ tours we saw from Seoul. Hope you have a great trip. Nice to hear you were able to purchase train tickets using the website too. And the windows are rather broad too. Train pretty full yesterday, our carriage containing Indonesians, Thais, Swedes, Germans and English as well as a good few Koreans, in a way, our own little United Nations on our way to see the disunity of Korea. Its totally empty. They also put cameras in the front and the back of the train, with closed-circuit TV so you can see where youre heading through a TV monitor. Yikes! Recommended Bus Take the bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Gwanin Bus Terminal 1h 55m 21,200 - 24,200 Subway, taxi The factories appeared active with the industrial plants producing exhaust from the rooftops and perhaps adding to the heavy haze in the air. We dont get any notice when the DMZ Twill be open again.. Hiring a car will be especially useful on Jeju Island.For hotels in Korea, I use Booking.com they also have self-catering apartments. You can choose to ride this bus the day before the DMZ tour, on the same day, or the day after it, if you wish! So there are no immigration procedures or passport stamps issued. This famous Panmunjom truce village in the JSA can only be visited as part of a tour from Seoul, like this one. Thanks again for your information. There were laughable oddities intermixed where horrible tragedies have played out. Seoul Station to DMZ Tours - 4 ways to travel via subway, taxi, bus The Third Tunnel is the only one visitors can go inside during DMZ Korea tours. Our journey on the DMZ train was during a cold early-January day in Seoul, so it was an effortlesstask to ensure we were covered up. During our tour, there was no English spoken at all. Read reviews and book JSA tour here. Get around the DMZ in style and comfort in one of our air-conditioned buses. Theres an empty arrivals hall, a full customs & immigration area, and even an Inter-Korean transit office. was discovered in the 1970s measuring 435 metres in length, North Korea said it wasnt theirs. Youll even visit the Dora Observatory, where you can get glimpses of nearby North Korean villages through telescopes and binoculars and see how the villagers go about their lives. 10 Best Open Street Markets in South Korea to Check Out, Winter Festivals at Theme Parks in South Korea, T-Money Cards in Seoul A Complete Overview for Foreigners, Churches in Korea List of the Biggest Churches Worth Visiting, Learn Korean on Instagram 10 Accounts to Follow, 10 Things to Know Before Traveling to South Korea, 10 Tips for the Boryeong Mud Festival Best Festival in Korea, The 10 Best Soju Cocktails You Can Make in Minutes, Top 10 Best Korean Side Dishes to Try Recipes included, The Best Places to Eat Korean Street Food in Seoul, Richest Kdrama Actresses of All-Time Highest Paid for Korean Dramas. How much is it? The BEST DMZ Tour from Seoul To Go On! - The Wandering Quinn Travel Blog It was unique to arrive into the DMZ by train and overall our DMZ train review is definitely a positive one! Ah! Hope you have a great trip to Seoul and a positive experience of taking the DMZ train next month. We had an excellent time exploring the DMZ and the 3rd tunnel. After this tour, youll get taken back to Seoul where you can immediately hop on a Seoul City Tour Bus and go on an exciting sightseeing adventure. This rail journey left us sharing South Koreas vision of unification. Seoul to DMZ Tours - 4 ways to travel via bus, subway, taxi, and car The JSA is a neutral meeting place inside the DMZ. I enjoyed reading this article so much! Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Half-Day Tour from Seoul 2023 - Viator Appreciate if there is any advise? Life Along the Korean DMZ, 70 Years After the Fighting Ended This era was a tragic one that saw the loss of almost 10 million Korean lives. 1. Furthermore, one of the tunnels is so big that it can bring over 30,000 troops into South Korea per hour. Thanks so much for the update and kind remarks! From Dorasan Station, passengers are not permitted to tour the various sites throughout the DMZ on their own. So glad it was helpful and thanks for dropping a comment! No civilians live in the area, which is jointly overseen by the UN Command and North Korea. When you mentioned that the bus tour is time perfectly with the DMZ train, does that mean once we arrived at Dorason station we can immediately hop on the bus? We are planning to take DMZ peace train along with the 2 days flexi Korail train pass, can I check if the bus ticket is readily for sale in the train ride so long we are on board the train? We waited in a short queue at this military checkpoint and were processed in as if we were entering another country. They will tell you to leave all your bags on the bus however, you will be allowed to bring your phone and camera. The only thing I wondered though was, what if there are more people on the train than seats on the bus? Hi, may I know about the bus tour for DMZ train passengers? Also love hearing you had your own little UN plying the rails into the DMZ. Many of the DMZ bus tours even stop at Dorasan Station because it is a point of interest on their tours. We purchased the bus tour tickets on the train using MasterCard a lady came around with the forms etc. You can tour historic military fortifications, learn about the tense relations between North and South Korea, and even view North Korean villages hidden just beyond the border. I understand that DMZ bus tours from Seoul already include going to the DMZ and back to Seoul transportations, however, Id like to experience the DMZ train too. From Dorasan Station, the bus includes four stops throughout the DMZ: Our first stop was the Dorasan Peace Park. I think thats the closest one can get to N.Korea, though it might be opening up to tourists off late, for those who would give a positive note on N. Korea. Yeah, the tours including the JSA can be a bit of a gamble, particularly if booking months in advance. Especially when things will open up again and everyone will want to travel again at the same time. 15 Best Things To Do At Imjingak Park Near Seoul, South Korea - MSN John I absolutely LOVED this blog post on using Korail to get to DMZ! So thats why its important to dress up a bit while at the DMZ. DMZ Tour from Seoul + Seoul City Tour Bus Ticket - Klook Travel Its never too late to plan a trip to Korea! Hotel Pick-Up: Most all DMZ tours from Seoul offer free hotel pick-up, making for a more seamless experience and saving on transit expense on getting to the train station. In fact, four sizeable underground tunnels have been discovered in the DMZ.When The Third Tunnel of Aggression (what a name!) Required fields are marked *. How to visit the DMZ on the Korean Peninsula | CNN How to visit the Korean Demilitarized Zone By Kate Springer, CNN Updated 8:38 PM EST, Tue February 26, 2019 Link Copied! I also check Viator and Klook in case they have a better price.For food tours with passionate local chefs and foodies, check out EatWith.Need travel insurance? South Korea owns the 2 kilometers to the South, and North Korea owns the 2 kilometers to the North. So I dont mind missing it. It will be an unforgettable experience that you wont want to miss! As a divided nation, only 2.5 miles (4 km) separate the North from the South at what is the most heavily armed border on earth. The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) runs along the complete 248-km land border between North Korea and South Korea and is 4 km wide. If you know much about the Vietnamese war, its the same, right down to the fact that the Soviets occupied the North and the Americans occupied the South, fighting to stop the country slipping to the others school of thought. (888) 651-9785 Chat now Top Seoul Full-day Tours Full-day Tours Half-day Tours Cultural Tours City Tours Sightseeing Tours Private and Luxury Night Tours Trolley Tours Adventure Tours Day Trips Plantation Tours Architecture Tours Walking Tours Photography Tours Car Tours Private Sightseeing Tours Shopping Tours Historical Tours Eco Tours Pickup offered Mobile ticket Offered in: English Overview Enjoy the undivided attention of your private guide on a 10-hour tour to the DMZ. Met many at the bars, lol. There are 5 ways to get from Nine Tree Premier Hotel Insadong, Seoul to DMZ Tours by subway, taxi, bus or car Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner. Regarding the tunnel, from the furthest point we got to, its fortified with fencing, barbed wire, artillery, etc. The tunnels can go as deep as 75 meters below ground. A thought-provoking tour that I highly recommend. DMZ Tour from Seoul + Seoul City Tour Bus Ticket. In 1910 Japan annexed Korea and ran it as part of the Japanese Empire. Once you arrive at Dorasan Station, youll be ushered onto the bus. DMZ Tour Zone is officially closed by government. The Ultimate 4-Day Seoul to Busan Itinerary with the - Klook Travel Good luck man. It was around this time of escalations in early 2018 when a North Korea soldier had recently defected, while Trump and Kim Jong-Un were trading insults about who has a bigger button. Hope you have a great trip to Seoul! Really such an interesting experience! The train itself is quite interesting and colorful! Safe, happy travels to you from Sam in YYJ. That Dorasan Station seems fully ready for northbound service. Taking a DMZ tour from Seoul was high on my South Korea bucket list. The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) - what is it and a short history. Id suggest trying to decide whats more important to you, the train ride or a visiting the actual border at the JSA. Traveling to the DMZ - A Once in a Lifetime Experience - SEOULSPACE The DMZ Train: How To Travel from Seoul to North Korea Border That is definitely not a place to wander off. Who knew you could play a round of frisbee golf amongst killing machines in the middle of a peace park inside this war zone? Yet instead of taking one of the many DMZ-bound tours directly from Seoul, we wondered if it was possible to travel from Seoul to the DMZ without a tour. You can also see war tanks and aircraft dating back to the War, as well as The Bridge of Freedom which many South Koreans crossed to come home after having been displaced by the fighting. Gave me chills to see that there. Visit the DMZ from Seoul on a morning or afternoon half-day tour, with optional upgrades to include lunch or a full-day tour that also visits Insadong Antique Street, a mecca of antique shops, boutiques and tea houses. No revealing clothing. Also at Dora Observatory all binoculars are now completely free to use, and I think I only paid 7,000 for the buffet which would be a decrease in price. It was established to serve as a buffer zone between the countries of North Korea and South Korea under the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement . Your post is super informative and now I want to visit Korea, just not sure about taking the train all the way to the DMZ! Never know if tensions could flair or ease entirely. There are sculptures, history plaques, a small ecology museum showing the DMZs wildlife, decommissioned army tanks, an enclosure with deer, a tall looming cone tower, a frisbee golf course, a look-out point, and even something called the Paul McCartney Forest to commemorate the former Beatles singers first concert in South Korea. She wants to show other women that solo travel isn't scary and doesn't have to be expensive! Buen viaje! Peek into North Korean territory from the Dora Observatory. 7 Best DMZ Tours from Seoul - Travlists And the fact that South Korea has a fully stocked station ready to go as soon as peace breaks out. Thanks very much for putting all this information together! Visiting the DMZ Between North and South Korea 75 Years After - Insider Everyone on the train buys the bus tour ticket. Now thats interesting, Didnt know DMZs can be open for tours. All throughout this tour, youll be accompanied by an English-speaking tour guide who will share gripping narratives and insightful commentary about the conflict between and the reality of North Koreans as you visit and explore the zones most important landmarks, like Imjingak Park, the Unification Bridge, the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, and the Dorasan Train Station. From bustling cities like Seoul to stunning natural landscapes such as the beaches of Jeju Island, there is something for everyone. Required fields are marked *. I was happy to learn that tourists can visit the DMZ So thats what I did!There was so much I still didnt know: how had North and South Korea split? Someday Ill do it too. The alternative is to hang around Dorasan for five hours, when the DMZ train returns back to Seoul. Built in 1953, this bridge was temporarily built to exchange 12,773 Prisoners of War (POWs). What a mad world we live in, but Im so grateful for my ability to explore it. I am worried to end up waiting for return train if we didnt manage to get any bus ticket in advance. Dorasan Station was constructed in the early 2000s and the rail lines actually do connect North Korea and South Korea. A journey arrives and departs Seoul daily but the line cant continue any further as the next stop would be in North Korea. Sadly, you cannot film or take pictures inside the tunnels. The attractions remain the same but the peace park and Dorasan station now have many photos of the historic meetings between the North and South leaders last year, giving the day a lot of recent optimism for the future. Package options Select options It is the border between South Korea and North Korea. The final destination aboard the DMZ train is Dorasan Station. Im brazilian and very interested in DMZ visiting. Enjoy! DMZ Train from Seoul to North Korea Border To prepare for this rail adventure to the DMZ, we made sure to dress accordingly for the day straddling the North Korea border. Straining my eyes through the binoculars, I was fascinated to spy an elderly man riding a bicycle.Trying to picture his life blew my mind. There are 4 ways to get from Seoul Station to DMZ Tours by subway, taxi, bus or car Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner. Book DMZ Tours & Tickets in Seoul Today - Viator What a bizarre trip! Ive seen North Korea from the Chinese side many years ago, it did not look anything like that! Your email address will not be published. Osan to DMZ Tours - 7 ways to travel via train, subway, line 1 subway This bus is timed to connect with the train and the bus tickets are easily purchased while on the DMZ train. Will it happen? Yes, the bus goes in a loop. But there are absolutely no passenger trains in South Korea that can continue on to North Korea. It starts at Yongsang station 10.08, Seoul Station 10.12 and arrives at Dorasan 11.42. Visiting the DMZ in Korea is a one-day trip. Book this DMZ bus tour from Seoul here. Things to do in Seoul DMZ Tours DMZ Tours and Tickets 13,044 Reviews Nowhere is the tension between North and South Korea more palpable than in the no-man's-land known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ. Yet a few decades after the tunnels discovery, South Korea has transformed this sign of aggression from the North into yet another bizarre touristic site to now explore within the DMZ. The DMZ train is the cheapest way to tour the DMZ from Seoul. It would be a great idea to be able to do the train and the JSA together, but its currently not a tour/route that is offered. Also, remember, TAKE YOUR PASSPORT! Its really helpful to help keep this post up-to-date and help other travelers partake in this interesting experience. It was very cold, dark and eerie (although less so because it was so busy) and we had to wear helmets in case of falling rocks. . It makes sense: two regions at loggerheads are more likely to fight and invade one another if they are at a close locality.The DMZ measures four kilometres in size. Those bus tour tickets can be purchased while on the DMZ train as an usher comes by to sell them. Its also where visitors can actually be permitted to slightly cross the border and briefly step foot into North Korea while within the buildings of a special neutral zone. Same here, we tried to visit on 11th of January 2020. Overall a good and informative day trip. VISITING SOUTH KOREA? Its doubtful theyd drop you off unaccompanied to take the train back. Ive been living in West-Berlin (Germany) at the time the wall existed and witnessed its disappearance allmost exactly 30 years ago. More bizzare trip to the DMZ-had a friend who served a tour in Korea,on one alert he drove his Palladin(self propelled artillery,he was crew chief) to within a few Km of the DMZ and actually sighted in on targets across the border! Have a great trip! We paid for this on the train. Its our favorite meal we ate in Seoul. The minute we asked a political question, our guide just started her speech from the start again! The DMZ was put in place at the end of the Korean War. Have you always been intrigued by the relationship between North and South Korea and looking to know more about the reality of the former? There have been some freight trains between the two Koreas that have been permitted to pass on occasion. Then we were shocked when we found we were nearly the only ones on the train. The bus ultimately brought us back to Dorasan Station for the return DMZ train journey back to Seoul on the same Gyeongui Line we had rolled in on. This bus is specifically for train passengers, so it does drop passengers off back at Dorasan Station to catch the train back to Seoul. Great breakdown of costs, timings and pros/cons of the train vs. tour options. Let us know how it goes. The Freedom House has meeting rooms on the border of South and North Korea. . In the afternoon, you will visit the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, and learn more about the Korean War continued for 3 years, from 1950 to 1953. Id just like to boldly endorse that comment: Ill be in Seoul next week-end and will definetly try out the train option. DMZ Train Ticket Price from Seoul Station: 17,800 roundtrip (8,900 each way) DMZ Train Ticket Price from Yongsan Station: 18,400 roundtrip (9,200 each way), +DMZ bus trip from Dorasan Station, visiting Peace Park, Observatory & Third Tunnel: 13,000 (update: As of Oct 2019, a reader has commented the price is now 18,000). Youll find plenty of travel inspo in this blog in the form of solo travel tips, budget travel guides, food blogs and nomad & blogging resources. You do indeed get to gaze down into North Korea with binoculars, which is interesting to see in person. Filed Under: Destination Guides, Adventures Around the World, Travel Tips Around the World Tagged With: Asia, Korea. Visitors are safe if they follow the strict regulations the United Nations imposes and take caution. To see him with my own eyes made everything feel real and sad. Thanks for this! Overall, my experience visiting the DMZ from Seoul wasnt happy or upbeat but it was truly worthwhile. For hostels, I use Hostelworld.Browse South Korea tours and activities on GetYourGuide. Oh, and beer too, hehe! Bringing you a complete overall view of the Korean Wave. The audio propaganda is said to have since ceased at the time of writing amidst current peace talks. However, its a bit of a clunky interface in which you must make two separate purchases of one-way tickets in order to secure the roundtrip passage thats needed. While it was an interesting stop, I was excited to get to. You simply wouldnt have the experience of actually riding on the train. September 22, 2018 By John Widmer 60 Comments. Yet there wasnt much life visible in the empty streets. Really, really thorough! How had the DMZ buffer come to exist? I can understand how your friend liked Korea we also really enjoyed it. Korean Demilitarized Zone - Wikipedia Adorning the DMZ train wallsare an odd mix of symbols, showing peace along with harsh signs of war. Its been reported that North Korea films DMZ tourists on the other side of the border. Theres a strict dress code at the DMZ. . This little-used train station sits a bit more than a mile from the actual border of North Korea. If you ever do make it out that way, would definitely recommend taking a poke around the DMZ. Who knows, maybe one day in the not-so-distant future the train line will continue all the way through the DMZ, from Seoul to Pyongyang by rail. We made sure to dress the part. Update: Readers have reported that their bus tour did provide some limited English commentary. Back up into the daylight, we found that the grounds surrounding the once-secret tunnel between warring countries is now strewn with strange photo ops. Tickets & Tours - DMZ, Seoul - Viator Our guide said she hopes it will one day but its not on the cards for the immediate future. How to Visit North Korea's DMZ Border (Updated 2023) Theyre synced up, just separate purchases. For example, an empty military helmet is surrounded by words like harmony. Its all quite a contrast that sets the tone for the journey ahead. The gray buildings belong to North Korea, and the blue buildings belong to South Korea. Therefore it can be worthwhile to research some of the sights youre visiting in advance. Great review! Maybe sometime again. Most JSA tours do include a visit to Dorasan Station, so that would still give you some idea of train travel in the DMZ. Below are some considerations to keep in mind to help decide between the DMZ train and a DMZ tour from Seoul. Seoul DMZ Shuttle Bus Travel Activity South Korea Paju Perfect Summer Getaways in Korea DMZ/JSA Tours Transport & Wi-Fi Attraction & City Transfer Beyond Seoul Just Outside of Seoul Gyeonggi-do Tours Availability Tue~Sun Minimum Pax 1 person Duration 5 hours 40 mins Book 2 days in advance Confirmed Instantly Ticket Show your mobile Meet Location SeoulSpace covers Korean Culture, Lifestyle, Kpop, and Korean Entertainment. This is when the train actually enters the civilian-restricted area known as the demilitarized zone (DMZ), which separates North and South Korea. So what is there to see on the other side of the Korean border? So unfortunatly, right now it is imposible to visit DMZ, with or without a tour company. Yet for us, it was our departure point arriving on the one and only train that currently pulls into Dorasan Station nearly every day. That is what the Gyeongui Line was intended for after all. What an interesting part of the world to visit! After leaving Dorasan Station, the stops are (1) Dorasan Peace Park, (2) lunch stop at the cafeteria, (3) Dora Observatory, and (4) 3rd Tunnel of Aggression + the adjacent DMZ Pavillion museum.