Taking the Seoul Subway for the First Time: Transport Cards, Transfers and Exits

Find the route all the way to your destination's entrance

Search for your destination's Korean name and address on the map, then check the final walking section. Even a building with the same name as the station may not be right outside the exit. Save screenshots of the line, direction, transfer station and station where you will alight so you can check them again if you lose your internet connection.

How should you prepare map apps and transport cards?

Enter your departure point and destination in Naver Map or KakaoMap and select a public-transport route. Both apps are also listed in the Korea Tourism Organization's transport guidance for international visitors. If an English search returns several similarly named places, compare them with the Korean name and address you saved.

If you plan to use a transport card such as Tmoney, check where to buy it and how to top it up first. Buying a ticket with an overseas credit card is different from tapping that credit card directly at the gate. Also distinguish which tickets or cards can be used on the Airport Railroad, regular subway services and buses.

Take out just one card and tap it at the gate

Regular transport cards, fixed-price passes and separate train tickets cover different sections. Check that they suit your journeys, and confirm how to buy or top them up. Being able to buy a ticket with an overseas card does not mean you can top up a transport card in the same way.

At the gate, take out and tap only the card you will use. If there is an error, do not follow someone else through or climb over the gate. Show the screen to a station staff member and ask for help.

Check both the line color and the next station's name

On the platform, check not only the line color but also the next stop and the direction of the terminus. At a transfer station, follow the signs for the line you are changing to. Unless the route instructions tell you to go outside, there is no need to head for an exit first.

If you have large luggage or a stroller, locate the elevators separately. The exit closest to your destination may have only stairs.

Check the last train based on the transfers you need to reach your accommodation

There is not one single last-train time for each subway line. Search for the route back to your accommodation using your departure station, direction and connecting trains. If a performance or baseball game finishes late, you could miss the final transfer, so prepare another way back, such as a taxi.