Cheonan

Of interest: station square, old downtown

Lodging: Hotel on station plaza

Tourist Office: Yes

Computers in the station: yes, but may be hard to find

Cheonan is a city of about 500,000 people. It is the largest city in Chungnam. It is near Gyeonggi Province on the major transportation routes connecting Seoul with the rest of the country. Trains for Chungnam Province (Janghang line) branch of from the main Seoul-Busan line here. This makes the station a little confusing. There are actually two stations in the building, the main one and the one that serves the Janghang line and the subway. So if you can't find your train, go into the hallway and look for the other station. Do not leave the station.

Like many Korean cities, Cheonan has an old and a new downtown. The new downtown is located near the bus station. The old downtown is just southeast of the train station. Explore far enough, and you will run into a traditional market.

There are large public spaces on both sides of the train station. The tourist office is located in the one that flanks the main station entrance. There are sometimes musical performances in this area. I think this is exit 1, and it exits from the east of the station.

Note: There is a store on station square that advertises international goods that it does not sell. The original store was sold and the new owners never took down the old signs.