Last month I traveled with the high speed train in South Korea! Specifically the SRT High Speed Train from Seoul to Busan. Please read below my review of the SRT High Speed Train in South Korea. Also learn about the difference with the KTX High Speed train and the best way to buy your train ticket.
This trip was part of a 3 week trip through South Korea. I’ll also post reviews of the Andaz Gangnam, Grand Hyatt Incheon, Grand Hyatt Seoul, Park Hyatt Busan, and Grand Hyatt Jeju.
How to buy your SRT Train Ticket
It’s recommended to book your ticket in advance especially if you want to travel first class and/or are traveling with a group (and want to sit together). There are a lot of 3rd party websites where you can purchase your train ticket but these websites charge service costs. These service costs can in some cases be even more than the regular ticket price! So it’s recommended to buy your ticket using the official website. The website is also in English and it’s really straightforward. The ticket issued via the website is also your final ticket so you don’t need to swap it at the station.
Please be aware that when you book with SRT, you cannot use the Korail Pass. If you consider buying the Korail Pass (or you have already purchased the Korail Pass), you probably want to use the KTX train.
SRT vs KTX High Speed Train
When you want to take the High Speed Train from Seoul to Busan, you have the choice between the SRT and KTX High Speed Train. The main difference between SRT and KTX (besides the fact that you can use KTX with Korail), is the departing train station. KTX is using the Seoul Train Station while SRT uses the Suseo Train Station. The Suseo train station is dedicated to SRT and is a lot less hectic than the Seoul Train Station.
Both first class wagons are very comparable. The only noticeable difference is that with the SRT train, someone is handing out a bag of nuts and a small bottle of water shortly after departure, while with the KTX train, you are invited to take this yourself. Both trains offer the same level of comfort.
SRT High Speed Train Experience
Before you can board the train in Seoul, the train is cleaned. And of course, the train is spotless when it’s ready. You wouldn’t expect anything else in South Korea.
Seats are in a 1-2 configuration and these seats are very comfortable with plenty of legroom. There is a personal power socket and there is wireless internet.
The train itself is very smooth even at high speeds; the train reaches speeds of up to 300 km/h. The journey to Busan takes a bit more than 2 and a half hours and it’s a very pleasant experience.
I can recommend taking the high speed train from Seoul to Busan. When you want to book a ticket, check out the price difference between second class and first class. When I booked my ticket, the difference wasn’t very big. For this SRT first class train ticket I paid 75.700 Won which equals roughly 47 Euro. I think that’s a great value.
Check out my video on my Youtube Channel I made of this trip and don’t forget to like the video!
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