Last checked: October 20, 2026 · Sources: Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korail, Kobus, T-money and app makers’ official pages, through our guides linked below.
For most visitors, getting around Korea takes a transit card for the subway and buses, Naver Map for directions, Korail’s English site for KTX trains, Kobus or T-money for long-distance buses, and k.ride for taxis. The table below shows which to use for which trip.
Which do I use for this trip?
| Trip | Use | Key fact | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around Seoul | Subway and buses with a T-money-type card | 1,550 won base fare by card. Foreign contactless credit cards still can’t be tapped at the gates. | Subway fares |
| Seoul after the last subway | Night bus (N routes) | 14 routes, first buses around 23:10 and last around 04:10; 2,500 won by card or cash. | Night buses |
| Gimpo Airport into Seoul | AREX all-stop, or Line 9 express for Gangnam | About 23 minutes to Seoul Station for 1,750 won by card. | Gimpo Airport to Seoul |
| Lots of rides in Seoul | Climate Card short-term pass | 1 to 7 days for 5,000–20,000 won; the card itself costs 3,000 won. | Climate Card pass · T-money vs WOWPASS |
| City to city, fast | KTX on Korail’s English site | Email and password, foreign Visa or Mastercard. Trains go on sale at 7:00 a.m. Korea time, two months ahead. | Booking KTX · booking window |
| KTX from Gangnam | Suseo Station | Former SRT trains have run as KTX from Suseo since September 1, 2026. | Seoul Station vs Suseo |
| Rail pass? | Usually not worth it | A 2-day Korail Pass is ₩131,000, more than a Seoul–Busan KTX round trip (₩108,800). | Korail Pass math |
| Mountains, small towns | Express or intercity bus | Express buses on Kobus, intercity on T-money. Cancelling 2+ days ahead is free on both. | Booking buses |
| Seoul to Gyeongju | KTX to Gyeongju Station, or express bus downtown | The express bus takes about 3h30 for 36,700 won (Excellent); the KTX station is outside town, so add a 1,500-won city bus. | Seoul to Gyeongju |
| Door to door | Taxi app | k.ride signs up with Google, Apple or email and takes foreign cards; Uber also calls licensed taxis. | Taxi apps |
Which map app works?
Naver Map works in English and gives subway, bus and walking directions. Since June 4, 2026 you can verify a Naver account with a foreign passport. Google Maps in Korea shows transit routes but not walking, driving or cycling directions. See Naver Map in English and does Google Maps work in Korea.