Getting There
There is only one airport in the province at Gunsan, 385 Seonyeon-li (tel. 063/469-8345). Korean Airlines (tel. 063/471-5001) offers flights to and from Jeju twice daily. Flights to Seoul's Gimpo airport were discontinued in 2002 and there are no current plans to revive service. There are local city buses to Gunsan city that run every hour. There are also two nonstop intercity buses to Jeonju and Iksan, which run twice a day. One auto-rental company, Kumho Rent-a-Car (tel. 063/452-8000), has service at the airport.
It is easier to reach the region by train as the Honam Line runs south from Daejeon and connects Iksan and Jeong-eup to Mokpo (the end of the line). The Jeolla Line runs southeast from Iksan to Jeonju, Imsil, and Namwon before going to Suncheon and Yeosu in Jeollanam-do. The short Gunsan Line starts from Iksan and heads west to Gunsan.
It's best to take a bus to Jeonju from Seoul, and then explore the rest of Jeollabuk-do from there.
The Honam Expressway (road 25) runs through the middle of the province. It connects Iksan and port city Gunsan to Jeonju.
Getting Around
Local buses will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go; the only problem is that they run pretty infrequently (about every hour or two) from select destinations. So make sure you know what time the return bus is so that you're not stuck waiting an hour for the next bus. Fares run about W800 to W900 for local buses, so be sure to have plenty of W1,000 bills and coins with you (drivers usually don't give you change). Unfortunately, bus schedules aren't always posted at the bus stops (sometimes there aren't even bus stops), so ask your driver what time the return trips run and plan accordingly, especially when venturing out to less popular places.
Although not recommended, if you want to rent a car, I suggest renting one in a city (like Seoul or at least Jeonju) because you won't find car-rental companies in remote areas (for instance, there is only one company that services Namwon).
Taxis are usually available to be flagged down in cities and major tourist attractions, but you won't find them in some of the smaller remote villages. As in most places outside of Seoul, drivers don't speak English, so be sure to have a map or know the name of your destination in Korean.
Visitor Information
The Jeollabuk-do Tourist Information Center (tel. 063/281-2739) is located in front of the Jeonju Bus Terminal (Geumam-dong, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do) and is open daily from 9am to 6pm.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
