Seoul Transportation

Getting There:

Air:

Incheon International Airport (ICN)
+82 032 741 0104
http://www.aiport.or.kr

ICN is located on Yongjong Island, 51 kilometers (32 miles) west of downtown.

Air Canada (+1 800 776 3000 / http://www.aircanada.ca)
Air China (+1 800 227 5118 / http://www.china-airlines.com)
Air France (+1 800 871 1366 / http://www.airfrance.com)
American Airline (+1 800 433 7300 / http://www.aa.com)
British Airways (+1 800 247 9297 / http://www.british-airways.com)
Cathay (+1 800 231 0856 / http://www.cathaypacific.com)
Delta (+1 800 221 1212 / http://www.delta.com)
Garuda (+1 800 342 7832 / http://www.garuda-international.com)
Japan Airlines (+1 800 525 3663 / http://www.japanair.com)
KLM (+1 800 374 7747 / http://www.klm.nl)
Korean Air (+1 800 438 5000 / http://www.koreanair.com)
Lufthansa (+1 800 645 3880 / http://www.lufthansa.com)
Nippon (+1 888 422 7533 / http://www.ana.co.jp)
Qantas (+1 604 279 6611 / http://www.qantas.com)
Singapore Air (+1 800 742 3333 / http://www.singaporeair.com)
Thai Airways (http://www.thaiairways.com)
United (+1 800 241 6522 / http://www.ual.com)

Gimpo Airport (SEL)
+82 02 660 2114
http://www.airport.co.kr/eng/dba/airport/gimpo

SEL is located only 18 kilometers (11 miles) west of downtown.

Asiana Airlines (+1 800 227 4262 / http://www.flyasiana.com)
Korean Air (+1 800438 5000 / http://www.koreanair.com)

From the Airport:

Incheon International Airport

Taxi:

Seoul's taxi services are safe, clean, and fast. Some taxis even provide a free interpretation service, for an extra fee by calling +82 2 3431 5100. Taxis can be found outside the terminals. A regular taxi averages USD13, while a deluxe cab charges around USD20.

Subway:

Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation http://www.smrt.co.kr/ An underground passageway connects all three terminals with the airport's subway station. Line number 5 leads directly into downtown and takes about 15 minutes.

Car Rental:

Avis (+1 800 831 2847 / http://www.avis.com)
Hertz (+1 800 654 3131 / http://www.hertz.com)

Gimpo International

Taxi:

The fare from Kimpo International Airport to downtown Seoul is from 10,000 to 15,000 South Korean Won and from Kimpo to Jamsil is about 17,000 South Korean Won (KRW).

Subway:

Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation http://www.smrt.co.kr/

Car Rental:

Hertz (+1 800 654 3131 / http://www.hertz.com)
Jeju (+82 02 664 5486)
Sambo (+82 02 666 1689)

Train

The Korean National Railroad http://www.korail.go.kr Services all of South Korea.

Seoul Station +82 02 778 6393 This is the city's main train stop, features the Gyeongbu line which fans out all over the country before terminating in Busan.

Cheongnyangni Station +82 02 969 8003 This is the main base for the Jungangseon line which covers the eastern seaboard.

Seongbuk Station +82 02 917 7445 This station offers the Gyeongchunseon line, big with tourists for its scenic one-day excursions along the Hangang River.

Highway

Highway 1 (Gyeongbu Expressway) enters Seoul from a south direction after starting in Busan, in South Korea's southeast corner. Highway 15 (Seohaean Expressway) fans into Highway 1 south of Seoul after following a scenic route along the country's western seaboard. And Highway 50 (Yeongdong Expressway) also connects into Highway 1 south of the city and represents the fastest thoroughfare east across the country to the Sea of Japan.

Getting Around:

Car

Driving is not recommended. Congestion is constant and parking is limited to private garages, many of which charge as much as 6,700 KRW an hour.

Taxi

Taxis are easy to flag in the city and passengers can choose between inexpensive or pricey. Regular taxis are white or silver and charge less. Almost none of the drivers, however, speak English; having a written destination is recommended. The deluxe taxis are twice as expensive but worth the cost since most of the drivers speak English and are trained to cater to tourists. And as an added bonus mobile car phones are available.

Subway

The Seoul Subway Corporation (http://www.seoulsubway.co.kr) and the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (http://www.smrt.co.kr) combine to move more than 4 million passengers daily. Their eight lines cover downtown and the suburbs, attending all of Seoul's main attractions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Jeongdong Theater, and the National Folk Museum. All stations are serviced every two minutes during rush hours and every five minutes otherwise. English marked signs make the subway tourist friendly. Fares are based on zones, and regular fare applies to journeys within a 10km range, with added charge for longer journeys. Regular fare is around KRW1000 (less than USD1). Hours: 5a-1a weekdays and Saturdays, 5a-12a Sundays and holidays.

Bus

Seoul's 400 bus routes handle 30 percent of Seoul's daily traffic. The regular buses (1000 KRW) are inexpensive, but involve more stops and longer destination times. The express buses (1800 KRW) provide faster service, air conditioning, and a better chance of nabbing a seat. Village buses (700 KRW) only service short distances, usually between subway stations.

The express bus terminal (+82 02 969 8003), located along the Hangang River, handles most of Seoul's out of town bus traffic via four lines. The Dong Seoul terminal (+82 02 917 7445) is smaller and only handles buses servicing South Korea's eastern coast including Gangneung and Busan.

Planning a Trip

Getting There & Away

By Plane -- Seoul is served by two airports, but the majority of international passengers arrive at Incheon International Airport (tel. 032/1577-2600; www.airport.or.kr). It was built in 2001, 52km (32 miles) west of Seoul, on Yeongjong Island, which is part of the city of Incheon. The third-largest passenger terminal in the world, Incheon Airport was ranked second in Skytrax World Airport Awards 2006 "Best Airport Worldwide" survey by passengers, just behind Hong Kong International. Arrivals are on the first floor, where you will find Global ATMs, foreign currency exchanges (daily 6am-10pm), the Incheon Tourist Information Center (tel. 032/743-0011; daily 7am-10pm), the Korea Tourism Organization Information Center (KTO; tel. 1330; 7am-10pm), and the Hotel Information Center (tel. 032/743-2570; 9am-10pm), a private company that offers some discounts to midrange and high-end hotels. The second floor has a few domestic flights to and from Jeju-do and Busan, an Internet cafe lounge (tel. 032/743-7427; W3,000/$3.25/£1.60 per hr.; daily 8am-7:30pm).

Special airport buses run every 10 to 30 minutes, starting daily around 5:30am until 10pm. A trip to downtown Seoul takes about 90 minutes (longer during high traffic times). Limousine buses cost around W8,000 ($8.60/£4.30), while KAL deluxe limousine buses cost W12,000 ($13/£6.45) and stop at 20 of the major hotels in Seoul. Regular taxis charge around W38,000 ($40/£20) to go downtown, while deluxe taxis (they're black) charge around W63,000 ($68/£34). Taxi fares can be considerably more during high traffic times. After midnight, regular taxi fares increase by 20% (deluxe taxi fares stay the same).

There is no direct rail service from Incheon Airport to Seoul. However, the newly constructed Airport Railroad (A'REX) connects Incheon to Gimpo Airport, where you can transfer to Seoul's subway, and it takes about 30 minutes, running at 15-minute intervals. The extension to Seoul station is slated to be completed by January 2010.

The older Gimpo International Airport (tel. 02/660-2114; www.airport.co.kr) handles all domestic flights except for a few to and from Jeju-do and Busan. It is located south of the Han River in western Seoul. Arrivals are on the first floor, where you'll find a Tourist Information Booth (tel. 02/3707-9465; daily 9am-9pm). Tip: This booth offers free Internet access. The second floor is for check-ins, and the third floor is for departures. You'll find all the restaurants, duty-free shops, banks, lost luggage, and a medical center on the fourth floor. There's a pharmacy on the third floor. The only international flights from Gimpo go to and from Haneda (Tokyo) from a separate international terminal.

The easiest way to get downtown from Gimpo is via subway -- take line 5 (W1,100/$1.18/60p to City Hall station). Taxis to city hall (18km/11 miles) are considerably more expensive, around W18,000 ($20/£10) for regular taxis and W30,000 ($32/£16) for deluxe taxis. Limousine buses run anywhere from W2,500 to W6,000 ($2.70-$6/£1.40-£3.25).

By Train -- Seoul is the center of an extensive domestic rail system operated by the Korean National Railroad (tel. 02/1544-7788; www.korail.go.kr). Tickets can be purchased up to a month in advance at many travel agents and up to an hour before departure at train stations. You should book ahead, especially if you plan on traveling during high traffic times, such as the Lunar New Year (usually early Feb) or Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving (usually sometime in Sept).

Since 2004, the KTX (Korea Train Express; http://ktx.korail.go.kr/eng) bullet train has also been an option. There are two lines with stops in major cities. The Gyeongbu line goes to Busan (Seoul to Busan tickets are W44,800/$48/£24) in under 3 hours via Daejeon and the Honam line, which travels through west Daejeon, and ends at Gwangju (W33,300/$37/£18 from Seoul) or Mokpo (W37,200/$40/£20 from Seoul). The second phase, linking Daegu and Gyeongju to Busan, is scheduled to be completed in 2010. You can purchase tickets up to 2 months in advance or as close to an hour before departure. Tickets are available online, at most travel agents in Seoul, or at ticket counters and automatic ticket machines at the station.

Foreigners can buy a voucher for a KR Pass in their home country and exchange these vouchers in Seoul for passes for unlimited travel on the railways. The passes are not available for purchase in South Korea. The KR Passes are good for travel during consecutive days in increments of 3 ($76/£38), 5 ($115/£58), 7 ($145/£73), and 10 ($166/£83) days. A Saver Pass can be purchased for two to five people traveling together at a 10% discount. Those under 25 can get a Youth Pass for 20% less. Check the Korean Railroad website (www.korail.go.kr) for more info or contact STA Travel (tel. 800/777-0112 or 02/733-9494 in Seoul; www.statravelgroup.com). In Seoul, STA Pass vouchers can be exchanged for train tickets at Kises Tour, located in the YMCA Building, Suite 505, Jongno 2-ga. Take subway line 1 to Jonggak station, exit 3 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm; Sat 9am-3pm).

By Bus -- You can take a bus from Seoul to and from any region and any city in South Korea. Express buses to every major bus station in the country originate from either the Seoul Express Bus Terminal or the Central City Terminal next door. To get to smaller stations outside the larger cities, you can change buses or take a direct bus from one of Seoul's smaller bus stations.

Express buses to the Gyeongnam area (Gyubu line), Chungcheong area (Guma line), and Gangwon-do (Yeongdong line) start from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal, 19-4 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu (tel. 02/535-4151). Buses on the Honam line that go to Jeolla-do to the south and the Namhaeseon (southern coastal line) start from the Central City Terminal, 19-4 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu (tel. 02/6282-0114), which is located right next to the Seoul Express Bus Terminal. Both bus terminals can be accessed by subway. Take line 3 or 7 (line 3 is easier) to the Express Bus Terminal station and take the underground passage that leads to the bus terminals.

Buses from the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, 546-1 Gui-dong, Gwangjin-gu (tel. 02/446-8000), go primarily north and east from Seoul. You can catch a bus to Andong, Gangneung, Sokcho, and Wonju from here. Also, buses from this terminal take the scenic (but longer) route to Seoraksan National Park. You can get to the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal by taking subway line 2 to Gangbyeon station (exit 4).

The Nambu Bus Terminal, 1446-1 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu (tel. 02/521-8550), services mostly the southern region. Popular destinations from this station include Osan, Pyongtaek, and Songnisan National Park. You can get to the Nambu Bus Terminal by taking subway line 3 to the Nambu Bus Terminal station (exit 5).

Buses from the Sangbong Bus Terminal, 83-1 Sangbong-dong, Jungnang-gu (tel. 02/435-2122), go generally east and north. You can get to Chuncheon and Sokcho from this station. You can get to the Sangbong Bus Terminal by taking subway line 7 to the Sangbong station (exit 2). Walk straight for about 5 minutes and the bus terminal will be on your right, across the street from the E-Mart.

Visitor Information

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), B1, KTO Building (T2 Tower), 40, Cheongyecheonno, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-180 (tel. 02/7299-497, ext. 499; http://english.tour2korea.com; daily 9am-8pm), publishes a variety of free brochures and maps, and provides transportation reservations and other traveler's assistance. You can also call tel. 1330, the 24-hour Korea Travel Phone, for assistance in English. Dial Seoul's area code (02) for info about the city from elsewhere in the country.

The KTO has several tourist information locations throughout Seoul. There are two at Incheon Airport, gates 12-13 and gates 1-2 on the arrival floor (tel. 032/743-2600, ext. 3; daily 7am-10pm), which are the easiest places to pick up free maps and other information about the city in English. The headquarters office also offers free Internet access and a travel agency desk (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm), where you can arrange for travel from Seoul. There are other locations at Seoul City Hall, 2nd Floor, Main Hall, Taepyeong-no 1-ga (daily 9am-9pm); Dongdaemun, in front of Dongdaemun Stadium, Dongdaemun-gu (daily 9am-5pm); Myeongdong, in front of the Metro Midopa building, Namdaemun-no 2-ga (daily 9am-5pm); Insadong, Gwanhun-dong, 155-20, Jongno-gu (daily 10am-10pm); and in Itaewon, on the basement level of Itaewon subway station (line 6), Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu (daily 9am-9pm).

City Layout

Your first impression of Seoul may be that it is a sprawling city of hundreds of high-rise apartments and modern buildings with the occasional historic building randomly thrown in. Once you get to know the city, you'll see that it's a patchwork of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own flavor and character. The primary landmark is the Han-gahng (Han River), which runs east to west through the city.

Small streets in Seoul rarely have names or signs indicating what they're called, but larger streets have signs in both Korean and English. Buildings are not always numbered, and when they are, the numbers may not make logical sense (since they were numbered by when they were built, not by physical order). The easiest way to find a place is to start from a subway station or a major landmark and make your way from there. Luckily, the subway system is widespread and efficient, and announcements and signs are in English and Korean. Of course, residents are usually willing to help with directions, even if they don't speak English.