Daejeon Station & the Old Downtown

Getting here

From Seoul

Take the KTX from Seoul Station or Yongsan Station to Daejeon Station: about an hour, by Daejeon City's 2022 directions page, which lists Daejeon Station on the Gyeongbu Line. Slower trains take 1 hour 40 minutes by Saemaeul and 2 hours by Mugunghwa. By road, VisitKorea's bus guide lists Daejeon among the destinations from Seoul Express Bus Terminal, Dong Seoul Terminal and the Central City terminal.

From Incheon Airport

Go by rail. Daejeon City's 2022 directions page gives AREX to Seoul Station, about 1 hour 10 minutes, then the train to Daejeon Station, about an hour. VisitKorea's airport guide puts the AREX express at 43–51 minutes to Seoul Station and the all-stop train at 59–66 minutes. From Daejeon Station, the old downtown is on foot.

From Busan and Daegu

Stay on the Gyeongbu Line. Daejeon City's 2022 page gives 1 hour 50 minutes by KTX from Busan to Daejeon Station, and VisitKorea's station page lists trains from Daejeon Station to Dongdaegu, Busan and Ulsan, so the same station serves your onward journey.

From Seodaejeon Station

Seodaejeon is a different station, on the Honam Line, with its own tourist information centre. Daejeon City lists bus 618 between Seodaejeon Station and City Hall, and buses 705 and 514 between City Hall and Daejeon Station.

On your doorstep

• Daejeon Station Opened on 1 January 1905, when the railway between Seoul and Busan opened, says VisitKorea, at 215 Jungang-ro, Dong-gu. The metro station of the same name is in front of it.
• Daejeon Jungang Market The largest traditional market in the central region, in VisitKorea's words, with over 100 years of history by its 2025 guide. It stretches from Daejeon Station to the Daejeoncheon Stream, with dried seafood, hardware, fish, herbal medicine, hanbok and food streets, at 783 Daejeon-ro, Dong-gu.
• Soje-dong A century-old railway staff village, now a café street, as VisitKorea puts it. Its brick houses and narrow alleys were once home to railway workers, including many Japanese railway technicians. VisitKorea's 2019 guide puts it five minutes on foot from the station's east exit.
• Euneungjeongi Culture Street In Eunhaeng-dong, in Daejeon's original city centre, at 164 Jungang-ro, Jung-gu. VisitKorea describes a car-free street with cultural events, and its 2024 guide notes well-known restaurants and cute little shops clustered around it.
• Daejeon Modern History Exhibition Hall Opened on 1 October 2013 in the former main hall of the Chungnam Provincial Office, a building from 1932, at 85 Jungang-ro, Jung-gu. It tells the history and development of Daejeon over the past 100 years. Closed on Mondays, 1 January, Seollal and Chuseok.
• Daejeon Travel Lounge The first stop on VisitKorea's walk from Daejeon Station: a new kind of tourist lounge, in Dong-gu, with tourist information, costume rentals and foreign-language services.
• Daedong Sky Park The last stop on VisitKorea's 4.3 km walking course from the station, and, in its words, a great spot for a panoramic view of downtown Daejeon.
• The Sky Road A media street with large LED screens that show videos after 6 p.m., which VisitKorea's 2025 Daejeon guide lists alongside Jungang Market.
• Uam Historical Park Dedicated to the philosophy of Song Si-yeol, a Confucian scholar of the late Joseon period, at 53 Chungjeong-ro, Dong-gu.
• Sangso-dong Forest Park A beloved healing spot in Dong-gu, says VisitKorea, with forest trails and an auto-camping site.

One easy day from here

1. Morning Start at the Daejeon Travel Lounge, the first stop on VisitKorea's walk from the station, then Soje-dong's railway-village alleys, five minutes on foot from the east exit.
2. Late morning Jungang Market, from the station towards the Daejeoncheon Stream: dried seafood, herbal medicine, hanbok and the food streets.
3. Afternoon Euneungjeongi Culture Street in Eunhaeng-dong, then the Modern History Exhibition Hall in the 1932 provincial office, closed on Mondays.
4. Evening Daedong Sky Park for the panorama over downtown, or the Sky Road's LED screens after 6 p.m.

Before you book

• Match your base to your train. Daejeon Station is on the Gyeongbu Line; Seodaejeon is a different station, on the Honam Line. Book by Daejeon Station when your ticket says Daejeon.
• Plan the Modern History Exhibition Hall for Tuesday to Sunday: it closes on Mondays, 1 January, Seollal and Chuseok.
• Go to Jungang Market in the daytime. VisitKorea gives it no single opening time, because each shop keeps its own hours.
• Stay out after dark for the Sky Road: VisitKorea says its LED screens show videos after 6 p.m.
• Want a hot-spring evening too? The metro station in front of Daejeon Station is on Line 1, which runs to Yuseong Spa Station.