Getting Around Seoul: Everything you need to know about Seoul Transportation

Do you know in 2019, Seoul Metro/Subway system was ranked as #1 thing to do in Seoul by Tripadvisor? And there is no doubt about it as Seoul subway system is incredibly clean, efficient and comfortable way to go from one spot to other which makes it possible to explore the city to the greatest extent possible within the short time.

This post is about getting around in Seoul and everything you need to know about Seoul Transportation.

Before talking about the Seoul Transportationa and how Seoul subway works, let me first introduce you to the 6 of the must have apps while you are in Korea.

6 of the Must Have Transportation Apps in Seoul, Korea

If you are traveling to Seoul, these are 6 of the must transportation apps that you should have! Even though you might not need all of them, I’d highly recommend you to have 1,3 and 5.
1) Seoul Subway (easy to locate subway stations and route)
2) Kakao Metro (a detailed one, even telling exit infos and places close to each exit)
3) Kakao Bus (find info abt buses throughout the city and their arrival, departure times)
4) Kakako Taxi (best alternative to Uber)
5) Kakao Map (Good if you cant write in Korean)
6) Naver Maps (another good alternative) ?

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Let’s say you have installed Seoul Subway, Seoul Bus, and Kakao Map apps, the other and probably the highly recommended thing is getting a T-Money Subway Card.

The best way to move around the Seoul city is riding a subway. It is very efficient, fast and clean (and cheaper at the same time). There are three ways to use the Seoul Subway ticketing system:
1) T-Money Card (very economical and can be refilled each time it runs low)
2) One time ticket (if you are in Seoul just for a day)
3) Pay with your bank debit card (only if you have bank account and #ARC in #Korea)

What is a TMoney Card?

T-Money Card is a transportation card that can be bought from any convenient store (GS25, 7Eveven or CU) or at the airport. This card comes along with many benefits. Apart from being used to pay for public transportation, this card also gives you a discount on riding subways or buses and also, while transferring from Metro to Bus, you can transfer within 30 mins for free.

Price: Price of T-Money Card is Korean Won 3,000 (almost $3)

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Recently there are a lot of ticket vending machines that allow you to print your OPPA CARD also where you can print a picture of your favorite celebrity or your own customized photo.

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Now let’s start exploring the transportation means available in Seoul one by one.

1) Subway in Seoul

Getting around Seoul by subways/metros is by far the best, cheapest and most convenient method. Seoul subway is one of the most comprehensive networks in the world having 22 rapid transit rails with 9 major lines. Here is a detailed Seoul Subway map.

Most of the trains in Seoul run between 5:30am and continue until midnight. With a starting fare of just ?1,250 ($1.25) will take you 10 kilometers along the line. Don’t forget to tap your Tmoney card while entering and exiting the stations.

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Subway schedule: Every 2 – 3 minutes during peak hours, and 5 – 7 minutes at non-peak hours.

One of the things that I really love about Seoul is that each cabin of Seoul metro has priority seats for people with special needs, pregnant women and elderly people. ?
And to be honest I feel so good when people keep standing and don’t sit on these priority seats

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2) Seoul Public Buses

Riding a public bus in Seoul is again an other option but if you don’t know Korean, you may have a bit of problem as most of the buses have their station names only in Korean. Having said that the bus will always announce the stop name in both English and Korean languages.

Do you know, while transferring from #Subway to #Bus or vice versa, up to four transfers are allowed for free if you are using Tmoney card. To transfer, make sure you scan the Tmoney card at the reader by the bus’ front or rear doors when exiting. Transfer must take place within 30 minutes!

Most of the buses operate between 04:30 to 01:00 every day. Base fair depends on the kind of buses (whether its express, local or village) but generally, the most used ones i.e Blue and green buses have the base fair as: 1,050 won. Another cool thing in Seoul is that you can always find places to sit at the bus stops.

Let me know talk about the 3rd way that will help you to come from and go to Incheon Airport.

3) Airport Buses in Seoul

Airport Limousine Bus from Incheon International Airport to the Seoul centre is highly recommended way to use once you arrive in Korea. Even though the Seoul subway also runs to and from both the Incheon Airport terminals, yet getting on the bus for once and getting off at your destination without having to worry about luggage while you fall asleep, is the biggest pro of Limousine busses compared to other ways.

In order to know how to take the Airport Limousine bus, please watch the video here:

http://www.instagram.com/p/B0UemziF3KG/

We really hope that you loved this aritcle. Don’t forget to comment if you have any questions. And watch this complete video on “Getting Around Seoul”.