I am a bit anxious when it comes to navigating public transportation in the United States, so when I thought about the potential challenges of getting around in Korea, I was convinced I would get lost more than a few times.
It turns out that the transportation system in South Korea is excellent, and surprisingly easy to navigate. Having signs in both English and Korean was definitely a saving grace. And although Google maps wasn't always 100% reliable, along with Kakao and Naver maps it definitely got the job done and we only got off at the wrong stop once (thanks to Brent, our master navigator throughout the trip).
Our first interaction with transportation in South Korea was our ride on the AREX express train from Incheon Airport to Seoul station. The 45-minute ride was quick and comfortable, and I enjoyed getting our first peek at the landscape as we whizzed past rivers, bridges and towering buildings. You can pre-book your express train ticket on Klook or Trazy for the cost of approximately $6.00 USD. Something totally unexpected but highly convenient was the conveyor belts up and down the stairways for your luggage at Seoul Station. We didn't pack light at all, so this was a welcome relief.
To access public transportation in South Korea, you will need to purchase a transportation card. This includes Tmoney and Cashbee cards. The best part of your Korean transportation card? There are so many cute designs you can choose from! For K-Pop fans, you can easily find BTS-themed cards. We grabbed our adorable Kakao Friends Tmoney cards from the airport train station in a vending machine, but you can also purchase (and reload) cards at convenience stores, like 7-Eleven, CU, Ministop, emart24 and GS25.
It is also very affordable to get from place to place on the subway or bus. Trips generally cost you no more than the equivalent of a couple of dollars, oftentimes less. In the subways you could easily reload your card using their machines that provided instruction in English for foreigners. We utilized public transportation frequently throughout our trip and only had to refill our cards twice. In all, I believe we spent less than $50 USD for two people over a period of 2 weeks. Most people recommend loading about 5,000-10,000 KRW per day if you plan to use public transportation as your primary method of getting around. That is less than $10 USD per day. Because we were staying in Myeongdong, it was very easy to keep it under 5,000 KRW per person, per day.
Another wonderful thing about Korean public transportation? - People keep to themselves, and you don't see much chaos occurring. It was a significantly different experience from the subway trips I took when I visited New York...nobody was singing loudly off-key to their music from their headphones, nobody sliding down the grab bars/rails, no random dance parties or rats taking a quick ride over to the next block. Everyone just sits quietly, heads down and eyes on their smartphones. There is definitely a clear travel etiquette on the subway and bus in South Korea. There are designated seats for pregnant and elderly passengers, and overall we saw that these special seating areas were respected.
Getting around Seoul is simple and affordable if you utilize the public transportation system. I would highly recommend grabbing yourself a Tmoney card once you arrive to the airport and hopping on the AREX express train to your hotel or AirBnB in the city. Safe and happy travels!
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