Interesting news from the Joongang Ilbo last month. An excerpt:
The journey from Gyeongju to Chuam is part of a three-day “rail cruise,” a luxury train package that Korail has ambitiously modeled after the Blue Train, a luxury rail experience that cuts through the heart of South Africa.
The trip works rather like a sea cruise. Each day passengers are dropped in major cities across the country and a local guide picks them up at the station and takes them sightseeing. After the tour, the passengers board the train and head to the next destination.
The "Simile" line stops in Suncheon, though the trip begins from Seoul. A little more from the article:
Korail offers four package tours. “Haeoreum,” a two-day route, stops at Jikji Temple, Gyeongju, Chuam and then returns to Seoul. “Simile,” another two-day tour, heads to Mokpo for a ferry ride, stops at Suncheon for sightseeing, and then heads to Namwon, the home of Chunhyang, the heroine of a popular folk tale. “Channuri,” a three-day tour, takes in Gwangju, Busan, Gyeongju and Chuam, in time for sunrise. “Aura,” another three-day tour, stops at Mokpo, Gyeongju and Chuam.
And
The facilities inside Haerang were originally aimed at meeting the standards of a luxury hotel.
Each suite comes with a TV and a private bathroom with bidet, which caused quite a fuss. The rooms, though tiny, are warm enough to walk around in shorts.
In the dining car, guests can sip free wine and help themselves to a bowl of fruit and biscuits by the counter.
Eh, I like trains and hotels so this sounds like fun, but it's pricey. Ordinarily it costs between 1.5 and 2.39 million won per room---depending on the duration, the room type, and the number of people---though through February 28th the range is down to 1.2 and 1.8 million. More details and pictures here, in Korean.
There are a bunch of other train tours available from Korail, but I can't link to them directly. Does anyone have any experience with them?
6 comments:
Wow, that's expensive. I once saw something called a Wine Train roll through Daejeon...the sides were painted with vines and I could see a bunch of ajoomas inside partying.
I've always wished I had more cause to take non KTX trains in Korea, but fact of the matter is they're a little slow, and you can't always get to where you want to go. For example, to go from Busan to Gwangju or anywhere in Jeolla you have to go all the way up to Daegu.
And I thought Amtrak was expensive. A cross-country single roomette with use of a common shower and toilet is about $300 one-way. Two-person bedrooms with private bath or four-person family rooms without private bath are about $800. All meals are included in the room price. In poorer countries trains are cheaper than planes, but in richer countries, trains are more expensive. The only reason to take them is to see the scenery, and an overnight train in Korea, which can be traversed from one end to the other in less than a day, defeats that purpose. Some Amtrak trains are scheduled to pass through more scenic parts during daylight hours. On the Southwest Chief, I slept through Kansas and spent the next day enjoying the magnificent deserts of southeast Colorado and northern New Mexico and Arizona.
How many people fit into a room?
Back before the KTX, I used to deliberately time my travel to take the 침대차 when going to Pusan or, especially, to Kangnŭng.
Anyway, the train tour idea is a cool concept, if only they could make it a little more scaled down and accessible to the less monied public.
Aaron - I'm with you there. I live down near Mokpo, and I would take the train much more often if I didn't have to go all the way to Daegu to get anywhere east of Gwangju!
At those prices, I could just about buy a car (from craigslist), gas it up and take off... How long does it really take to get from point A to point B? That should mean more time for touring, right? Still... Adventure of a lifetime for some people...
Yeah, it really don't take much more than a couple hours to get from point A to point B, so the thrill is touring the sites once you stop and in the view. I'd consider doing it if it were cheaper. I know they have winter train tours in Gangwon-do (and in Japan) that look like fun, but before I knew it winter was over.
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