Cheonan

Cheonan (천안, 天安) is a city in South Chungcheong, South Korea.

Cheonan
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       4.9     5 −6       15     7 −3       41     14 1       62     21 7       35     26 13       74     28 18       239     31 21       219     28 21       144     27 16       120     21 8       29     14 2       37     3 −7 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm 2014 Korea Meteorological Administration
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       0.2     41 21       0.6     45 27       1.6     56 34       2.4     69 45       1.4     78 55       2.9     83 65       9.4     87 70       8.6     83 69       5.7     81 60       4.7     70 46       1.1     56 36       1.5     37 20 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Courtyard of the Independence, with the Monument to the Nation in the back

Get in

By train

The KTX from Seoul takes just 35-40 (depending on which train) minutes to zip to Cheonan-Asan Station, but you'll need to connect to the painfully slow #20 or #13 bus (₩1,200 without a card) to get to central the Shingsegae/Bus Terminal area of Cheonan. Alternatively, you can walk about 200m to Asan Station, where for ₩1,000 you can get a 5 minute subway (not underground) train ride into Cheonan Station. From here you can connect to both north lines going towards Suwon/Seoul or to the south lines heading to either Busan or Gwangju/Mokpo.

Alternatively, you can take a 급행 (express) subway directly to Seoul or Yongsan stations in about an hour and a half. These trains run roughly once per hour. You can find the up-to-date timetables in the ticketing area of Cheonan station where you enter for the subway only lines.

By bus

The express and intercity bus terminals are located near each other in the northern part of town. Note that the intercity terminal is hidden in the basement of the Shinsegae department store.

Get around

A complex and confusing system of buses covers the area, but there is no information whatsoever in English at the stops or in the buses themselves. However, nearly all services start from or terminate at the intercity bus terminal.

The subway line has been extended from Cheonan Station to KTX Cheonan-Asan station and continuing to Asan.

See

Grand Hall of the Nation

• Independence Hall of Korea (독립기념관), Jincheon (12 km east of Cheonan). Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00. The largest museum in Korea, sprawling over acres of land in the hills, with seven giant exhibition halls devoted to the country's struggle to throw off the Japanese yoke between 1870 and 1945. Note that this is a privately funded operation and thus even more slanted towards a nationalist version of history than usual. Most 3xx/4xx-series buses pass by, board them either at Cheonan Station or in front of the intercity bus terminal (₩950, 25 minutes). free. 
• Gagwonsa Buddhist Temple (At Taejosan (Mt. Taejo) 태조산). The Buddhist temple has a very large sitting Buddha. A nice place to go hiking. 

Do

Upstairs from the bus station is a movie theater which plays Korean and Western films.

A pool competition is held every Thursday night at 10pm across from Shinsegae Department Store at I.D. Billiards. The size of the turn-out varies, but the people are generally very friendly making it a good place to meet fellow foreigners.

Buy

As of late 2010, the old Galleria shopping complex which doubled as the Cheonan Bus Terminal was remodeled and renamed to Shinsegae. The new Shingsegae is where most Cheonanites go for their local shopping of luxury items in Cheonan.

There is also a new Galleria now opened which is an architectural marvel. It's won many design awards and is set over 9 floors. Definitely worth a taxi ride of ten minutes just to see the building. (If you go planning to buy take a LOT of money).

An Emart is located in the basement of the Shinsegae shopping complex.

Across the street from Shinsegae Department Store is a whole host of other venues to buy you much needed items. Once you exit the Bus Terminal, you'll see the crowds flowing across the street at every green pedestrian light. Over there you'll also find many more food options awaiting your tongue and stomach.

Eat

• Mount Fishtail (Near Cheonan Station (천안역). Walk out the East exit of Cheonan Station and cross the street and it's on the building on the right on the second floor.). A South Asian curry restaurant, which is decidedly uncommon in Cheonon. It's owned by a lovely Nepalese couple. Curries around ₩8,000-₩10,000.. 
• Applebee (Near Ssangyong station (쌍용역).). The way it works is you order a main meat and you can choose from a all-you-can-eat buffet of pastas, salads, other meats, desserts, drinks for prices hovering over ₩20,000 a meal. It's a good place to go if you really want to get stuffed or take a huge crowd of people. Not to be confused with the American chain restaurant 'Applebee's'. 
• Fry Pan (If you can find Angel n Us coffee shop, it's in front of you and on the left. Just look around.). A tasty fried chicken restaurant chain. Their Cheonan location is across the street from the Shinsegae Department Store and boarding the small park. 
• Cafe Riposo. Italian pizzas, pastas, risotto and calzones. Beer and wine is also on the menu. Better taste and prices than anything one can experience in Seoul, however the service is terrible and they are unable to accommodate larger parties. 

Drink

• Banana Bar. Banana Bar in Shinbudong, across the road from Shinsegae Department Store is a great place to fellow expats and Koreans. Pool competitions, open mic night, quiz night and a full stage for performers and bands are available. You can call 010-3424-6309 and speak to Mr Oh. 
• NV. Around the corner from Banana is NV. The owners are foreign English teachers and very friendly. 
• Dolce Bar. Dolce Bar is another really good bar near Cheonan Station. Walk out the east exit and walk towards Mount Fishtail Indian Restaurant. A few stores past Mount Fishtail is Dolce bar on the basement level. They usually have some kind of theme on Fridays or Saturday nights, decent selection of bottled beers and usually flat draft Korean beer. Complementary chips and salsa and peanuts are common. The owner is Korean and speaks very good English. He's a good guy to talk if you happen to stroll in by yourself. 

Sleep

There are plenty of motels in the alleys across the street from the bus terminals and near the train station.

• Joatel 조아텔, Sinbu-dong 455-8 (cross street from bus terminal, straight one block, turn right), ☎ [phone]. This clean motel has spacious, well-equipped rooms, including PCs, fancy showers and big round bathtubs. No room keys, but the staff will let you in and out on request. Some English spoken. ₩40,000-60,000, plus ₩10,000 on weekends. 
• Metro, 57-9, Daeheung-dong, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, ☎ [phone]. 

Go next

• Asan - Hot-spring resort with which Cheonan shares its KTX station.
• Cheongju - Provincial capital of North Chungcheong, and historic town in its own right. Birthplace of jikji, the world's oldest moving metal type print book.
• Chungju - Gateway to Danyang and Suanbo, two hours by direct bus from the intercity terminal
• Gongju - City to the south, and former capital of Baekje, known for its Beakje tombs. Also the gateway to hiking a nearby national park.
• Suwon - Satellite city of Seoul, and sporting a World Heritage fortress.

Routes through Cheonan

Seoul ← Gwangmyeong ←	NW  SE	→ Osong → Daejeon
Seoul ← Suwon ←	NW  SE	→ END
Incheon ← Suwon ←	NW  SE	→ END