Getting Around Korea: T-money, Subway, Buses & KTX (2026 Guide for Foreigners)

Getting Around Korea: Transport Options at a Glance

	T-money Card	Subway	City Bus	KTX / SRT	Taxi
Best for	Seamless transfers across all transit modes	Navigating Seoul & major cities; English signage throughout	Local neighbourhoods; colour-coded routes (Seoul: blue = trunk, green = branch, red = express, yellow = circular)	Fast intercity travel; advance booking recommended on weekends & holidays	Door-to-door convenience, especially late night
How to get / book	Buy at convenience stores (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven) or subway station vending machines; top up with cash at the same locations	Tap T-money card at entry & exit gates	Tap T-money card when boarding and alighting (both taps required for transfer discount)	Book via Korail app / Let's Korail (KTX) or the SRT app (SRT)	Hail on the street, call via Kakao T app, or use K.RIDE (foreigner-only app, no Korean number required)
Fare / cost	Blank card: approx. ₩3,000–5,000 (non-refundable; card value only, does not include credit). Load any amount separately.	Base fare ₩1,550 by card (approx., eff. Jun 2025); distance-based surcharge beyond 10 km. Cash: ₩1,650.	Trunk & branch (blue/green): ₩1,500 by card (approx., 2025). Rapid/express (red): ₩2,300. Local (yellow/village): ₩900–1,200. Cash adds ₩100.	KTX Seoul–Busan standard class: from ₩59,800 one-way (approx., 2026). SRT slightly cheaper (from ≈ ₩52,600). Prices vary by train and seat type; book early.	Sedan base fare ₩4,800 (first 1.6 km, daytime). Night surcharge: 20% (22:00–23:00 & 02:00–04:00) or 40% (23:00–02:00). (Rates eff. Feb 2023; check before travel.)
Operating hours	N/A (card, not a service)	Approx. 05:30 – midnight (varies by line & station)	Regular routes: approx. 05:30 – 23:10 (varies by route). Night buses (N-routes) cover major corridors from approx. 23:10 to 06:00.	First departure from Seoul Station approx. 05:15; last approx. 22:30. Frequency varies by route and season — check Korail or SRT app for current timetable.	24 hours
Transfer discount	Automatically applied when switching between subway and bus (within 30-min window; up to 60 min 21:00–07:00)	Yes — tap out to activate	Yes — tap card on both boarding and alighting	N/A (separate ticketed service)	No transfer discount
English support	Tourist-edition prepaid cards available	Good — English announcements & signage on Seoul metro	Limited — route boards may be Korean only	Apps available in English; station signs bilingual	Kakao T supports English; K.RIDE is fully English-only
Notes	Also accepted at some convenience stores for retail purchases	Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon also have metro systems	Seoul colour system (blue/green/red/yellow) may differ in other cities	Seats sell out fast on weekends & public holidays — book early; intercity buses (Kobus etc.) are a cheaper alternative	Can also pay with T-money card in most taxis

Sources: Seoul Metropolitan Government – Modes of Transport, Seoul Metropolitan Government – Transportation Fares, Seoul Metropolitan Government – Taxi — fares as of 2025–2026 and change periodically; check the operator before travel.

Quick answer

Get one rechargeable T-money card (a tap-to-pay transit card) — buy it at any convenience store or subway-station vending machine, load it with cash, and tap it on subways, city buses, and taxis. For travel between cities, book high-speed rail (KTX or SRT) through the Korail or SRT app. For taxis, use the Kakao T app or K.RIDE (the foreigner-friendly alternative). And for navigation, use Naver Map or Kakao Map — not Google Maps, which has significant limitations in Korea (see below).

T-money Transit Card

T-money is Korea's standard rechargeable tap-to-pay transit card. You can buy one at convenience stores, such as GS25, CU, and 7-Eleven, or from vending machines inside subway stations. Load it with cash and use it for the subway, city buses, taxis, and even small purchases at some convenience stores. Transfer discounts are applied automatically, so switching from subway to bus (or vice versa) usually costs little or nothing extra. There's also a separate, differently designed prepaid card aimed specifically at foreign tourists — officially called the Korea Tour Card (koreatourcard.kr), which bundles T-money transit functionality with discounts at popular attractions, shopping, and performances (as of 2026).

Transfer Discount — How It Works

Whenever you switch between the subway and a bus (in any combination) using a T-money card, the second base fare is waived and you pay only the distance-based difference. To qualify, you must tap your card both on and off every ride, and you must board the next vehicle within 30 minutes of tapping off (extended to 60 minutes between 21:00 and 07:00). Up to four consecutive transfers are allowed (five rides total). Transfers between two buses of identical route numbers do not qualify.

Getting to Seoul from the Airport (AREX)

Incheon International Airport is connected to central Seoul by the AREX Airport Railroad, operated by Airport Railroad Co., Ltd. There are two services:

• Express Train — non-stop to Seoul Station in roughly 43 minutes. Adult fare: ₩13,000 (as of 2026); reserved seating. Tickets bookable at the airport or via the AREX website (airportrailroad.com).
• All-Stop Train — stops at 11 stations including Gimpo Airport and Hongik University Station; takes approximately 59–66 minutes. Fares vary by destination (up to ₩5,350); T-money card accepted.

Both trains run frequently from early morning until midnight. For the most current schedule and fares, check the official AREX site.

Subway

Seoul and its surrounding metropolitan area have an extensive subway network, with reliable English signage on maps, signs, and announcements. Fares are based on distance; as of June 2026, the base fare is ₩1,550 by card (₩1,650 cash), effective from 28 June 2025 when fares were raised from ₩1,400. (Fares can change, so it's worth checking the current rate before you travel.) Trains typically run from around 5:30 AM until roughly midnight. Other major cities — Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, and Daejeon — have their own subway systems too.

City Buses

In Seoul, a bus's color tells you what kind of route it serves:

• Blue — trunk-line buses covering long routes across the city
• Green — branch/feeder buses connecting neighborhoods to subway stations and trunk lines
• Red — wide-area express buses linking Seoul with surrounding metropolitan areas (e.g., Gyeonggi and Incheon)
• Yellow — short circular/loop routes within a single district

Tap your card on the reader both when you board and when you get off — tapping off is required to receive the transfer discount.

Transit Passes / Climate Card

The Seoul city government runs the Climate Card (also written 기후동행카드), a monthly flat-rate pass that gives you unlimited rides on public transit within Seoul. As of 2026, the standard pass (subway + bus, no bike-share) costs ₩62,000 per month; a version including Ttareungi bike-share is ₩65,000. Youth aged 13–39 receive a ₩7,000 discount. At ₩1,550 per trip, the basic pass breaks even at roughly 40 rides a month — so if you commute daily it typically pays off. Pricing and coverage can change with policy updates; check the official Seoul city government guidance (english.seoul.go.kr) for current details. If you commute by public transit every day, a pass often works out cheaper than paying each individual fare.

Ttareungi — Seoul Public Bike-Share

Seoul operates a public bike-share system called Ttareungi (따릉이), with docking stations near most subway exits, bus stops, and residential areas. Bikes can be rented and returned at any station. Download the Ttareungi app to find nearby stations and unlock a bike by scanning the QR code on the rear of the seat. Key fees (as of 2026, per the Seoul Metropolitan Government):

• One-time use: ₩1,000–₩3,000 per ride (standard or premium time limit)
• 3-hour pass: ₩3,000 (available from November 2025)
• 7-day pass: ₩3,000 (60 min per ride) / ₩4,000 (120 min per ride)

Rides beyond the pass time limit incur additional charges of ₩200 per 5 minutes (capped at ₩30,000). The Climate Card's monthly pass (₩65,000/month) includes unlimited Ttareungi use. Payment is by credit card, Kakao Pay, Zero Pay, or the Discover Seoul Pass for non-members.

Intercity Travel (KTX / SRT / Express Bus)

For trips between cities, high-speed rail is the fastest option. The KTX is Korea's high-speed train, operated by the national rail company Korail; the SRT is a comparable high-speed service run by a separate operator. Book KTX tickets through the Korail app (Let's Korail) and SRT tickets through the SRT app. A cheaper alternative is the intercity bus. Note that Korea splits intercity buses into two separate services: 고속버스 (express coaches for long-haul routes between major cities, bookable through KOBUS) and 시외버스 (regional intercity buses serving smaller towns and shorter routes), and they often depart from different terminals — so check which one your destination uses. During holidays and weekends, seats sell out fast, so reserve ahead when you can.

Taxis / Ride-Hailing Apps

You can flag a taxi on the street or order one through the Kakao T app. For foreigners who don't have a Korean phone number, K.RIDE (launched by Kakao Mobility) is a fully English taxi-hailing app that works with international credit cards and requires no Korean account. Expect a base fare of ₩4,800 for the first 1.6 km (daytime sedan), plus a late-night surcharge of 20–40% depending on the hour. You can pay by credit card, transit card, or in-app payment.

Navigation Apps — Why Google Maps Has Limits Here

In most countries, Google Maps is all you need — but Korea is an exception. South Korean law restricts the export of detailed domestic map data to overseas servers, which prevents Google from providing full walking directions or accurate driving routes within the country. In practice, this means Google Maps can display the map and show you a location, but will not give you step-by-step transit or walking routes inside Korea.

Instead, use either of these two apps:

• Naver Map — the most comprehensive option for foreigners. Supports full English mode with turn-by-turn walking directions, transit routing (including transfer times and platform numbers), real-time bus arrivals, and an "avoid stairs" option useful for travellers with luggage (added July 2025).
• Kakao Map — strong for real-time transit arrival data and taxi integration (connected to Kakao T). Partial English support; some menus remain in Korean.

The recommended approach is to install both: use Naver Map for walking and general navigation, and Kakao Map for real-time subway or bus arrival times.

A Note on Changing Fares

Fares, operating hours, and pass policies change frequently in Korea. For the most current details on subway and bus fares and Climate Card terms, check the official sources for each operator — for example, Seoul Metro and the Seoul city government.