An open-top double-decker bus carries tourists to Haeundae Beach. By Shin Dong-yeon

Just like the recent heat wave, your summer holiday is fading into the past - but you’ve still got the urge to get up and go. After all, the air is crisp, the sky is azure and the breeze is gentle. It’s the perfect time to travel.

If you can’t afford to take off more time from work, how about going on a day trip by using city tour buses that are available at 50 places across the nation? They’re cheap, convenient and accessible.

Below is a list of cities and local counties that offer city tour buses.

 

	From the top: Seoul, Suwon, Gyeongju, Jeju Island,Gapyeong.

Seoul

Because Seoul is the biggest city, there are four courses to choose from: the city circulating course, Cheonggye/palace course, traditional market course and night tour course.

All the courses are hop-on-hop-off courses, making it possible for tourists to create their own itineraries.

The city circulating course stops at major tourist attractions and shopping districts in central Seoul, while the Cheonggye/palace course travels back and forth between Cheonggye Stream and the major palaces downtown.

The night tour course enables people to get a glimpse of the city at night.

The traditional market course is the newest and it stops at 18 major traditional markets, including Gwangjang Market, which is famous for its street food stalls, Namdaemun Market and Jungang Market in Hwanghak-dong, which is popular with lovers of Korean antiques.

Open-top double-decker buses depart every 30 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day along the traditional market course.

Adults: 15,000 won ($13.80), teenagers: 10,000 won

seoultrolley.com / 1544-4239

Busan

The nation’s largest port city, Busan, has six tour courses.

Of the six, two of them are circulating courses, in which people can freely hop on and off. The first course covers the area in and around Haeundae Beach, while the second covers the area in and around Taejongdae Park.

Meanwhile, the other four courses are package tours, accompanied by tour guides: a history course (9:20 a.m.); Haedong Yonggung Temple (2 p.m.); Eulsukdo Eco tour (9:40 a.m., 2:10 p.m.); and a night tour (7:30 p.m.)

Of the six tours, the city circulating courses are most popular, chosen by 87 percent of the 180,000 travelers who rode the tour buses in Busan last year.

A highlight of the circulating courses is being able to enjoy the nature of Busan by looking down on the city from the open-top double-decker buses, which depart from Busan Station at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Adults: 10,000 won, teenagers: 5,000 won Buses do not operate Mondays.

citytourbusan.com / 1688-0098

Suwon

Suwon deserves to be dubbed another capital of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), as it has the largest number of Unesco World Heritage sites.

In order to live up to its nickname, two tour courses are available for those who want to trace the history of the Joseon Dynasty.

The first course is called Hwaseong Fortress, which has seven stops.

Of the seven stops, five are historic sites, including the Hwaseong Fortress, which was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 1997, and Hwaseong Haenggung Palace, a separate palace that was frequented by King Jeongjo when he was away from Seoul to worship his father’s tomb.

Inside Hwaseong Haenggung Palace, diverse events are available throughout the year, such as wearing hanbok, or traditional Korean garment, or making tteok, or rice cake.

An interesting destination on the first course is Haewoojae, a large building which resembles a toilet bowl. It is a private museum established by the late former Suwon Mayor Shim Jae-deok, who was nicknamed “Mr. Toilet” during his lifetime for his effort to launch a campaign to make toilets clean and beautiful. He even turned his house into a toilet-shaped building. A detailed history of the nation’s toilets is well-displayed and organized.

Suwon has a second city tour course that is only operated Sundays. The difference between the first and the second course is the latter stops at Mulhyanggi Arboretum in Osan and Yongjoosa Temple.

The two Suwon courses are package tours, presided by cultural commentators.

The first course departs from Suwon Station at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and it takes 3.5 hours to complete. The second course begins at 9:30 a.m. at Suwon Station.

Adults: 11,000 won, teenagers: 8,000 won

suwoncitytour.co.kr / 031-256-8300

Gyeongju

Four tour courses are available in Gyeongju, the famous ancient city in North Gyeongsang. All of them are package tours.

The two most popular courses are called “Silla History” and “Unesco World Heritage Sites.” They cover almost all of Gyeongju’s famous historical sites, including Bulguksa Temple (National Treasure No. 33) and Cheonmachong Tomb. Cultural commentators accompany the tours, too.

The Silla History course departs from in front of Singyeongju Station at 8:50 a.m. and the Unesco World Heritage Sites course departs from The-K Gyeongju Hotel at 10:15 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Donghae course, which partially includes sightseeing in the East Sea region, is operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends, while the Yangdong Village and Namsan course is available on weekends.

Each course takes between six and eight hours.

Adults: 15,000 won, teenagers: 13,000 won. Travelers must pay extra for lunches and admission tickets.

cmtour.co.kr / 1666-8788

Jeju Island

Most people look around Jeju Island by renting a car but that can be expensive. It costs at least 50,000 won a day to rent a compact car. For those who can’t afford to do that but still want to visit the island, there is a city tour bus, which is much cheaper.

The bus enables tourists to hop on and off at 19 sightseeing places in Jeju City. However, the tour doesn’t cover sightseeing destinations in Seogwipo.

There are two courses, A course and B course. They cover the same 19 stops, but go in opposite directions.

A course begins at Jeju Intercity Bus Terminal. The first bus departs at 9 a.m.

B course begins across the street from the terminal. The first bus departs at 8 a.m.

Adults: 5,000 won, teenagers: 3,000 won

064-728-3211

Gapyeong

There are many places around Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, you can visit for a day trip, such as Nami Island, the Garden of Morning Calm, which is an arboretum, and Petite France, a multi-purpose village which initially became famous for its exotic buildings and settings. But Petite France also has performance halls, restaurants, accommodations and a hands-on experience for younger visitors.

Two hop-on, hop-off courses are available in Gapyeong. Both courses begin at 9 a.m. The first one, course A, stops at the major sightseeing sites in Gapyeong, while course B has only four stops, including Gapyeong Station, Cheongpyeong Terminal and Gapyeong Arboretum.

Unlike other courses, cultural commentators ride with visitors and briefly explain about each tourist spot.

Adults: 5,000 won, teenagers: 3,000 won

gptour.go.kr / 031-582-2421


BY LEE SEOK-HEE, BAEK JONG-HYUN [so@joongang.co.kr]