Cars, Subways and Buses, Seoul

When traveling Free & Easy in Seoul, the bus & subway concession card called "T money "comes in handy. You can buy the "T money" easily at any GS25, family mart and other convenience stores. The cost of the card (non refundable) is $2500won. You can top it up at any amount above $1000won.

There is a concession (for instance, a discount of $100won per subway trip etc) when you use the T-Money on buses or subways. But it's actually the convenience it gives us that really matters.

When using the card on buses, you have to tap it when you board the bus and tap on the machine again when you alight.

If you need to get a refund for the remaining top up amount in your T-Money card before you leave Seoul, you may go to their convenience store GS25 for the refund.

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The cost is 7,000 won for round trip ride to seoul tower in nam san mountain and it is open from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm and there is a shuttle bus going to chunguro station (the nearest subway to Nam San for 1000 won per trip). The Namsan Cable Car is located on the north side of Namsan Mountain and is accessible by way of Soya-gil Rood. Parking is available at the cable car entrance and there are small stands there to offer rest and refreshments. It is open every day from 9:30 A.M. to 10:30 P.M. Tickets are sold on the third floor.

Address is: Hwaehyun-dong 1-ga, Seoul, South Korea 100-501

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The Seoul Subway System is operated by three organizations : Seoul Metro, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, and Korea Railroad. Seoul Metro is responsible for line 1,2,3 and 4, while Korea Railroad Operates extensions of these line s on the national railway. Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation is reponsible for line 5,6,7 and 8. Subway trains operate at intervals of 2.5 to 6 minutes during the morning and evening rush hours, and at intervals of 4 to 12 minutes during the non-rush hours.

Standard tickets can be purchased at either Automated Ticket Vending Machine or the ticket office. Your fares could vary depending on your destination station. A map showing the subway lines and cost per stop from the starting point of the station in which you are standing can be found on the wall near the ticket sellers booth and/or the ticket vending machines. The base price is 900 won (discounted to W800 for those using a smart card called T-money). Validate the ticket by inserting it and picking it up as you go through the turnstile; make sure you keep it unbent or uncrumpled for use at the destination turnstile that will retain one-way tickets. Stand in line for boarding and board quickly. Stops are announced in Korean and English; markings on the subway map inside each car generally indicate which side the doors open for exiting at each station.

As been asked many times on this forum, what is the best way to get to Seoul from IIA? Buses from Incheon International Airport to Seoul operate on 10-15 minute intervals during the flight operation hours. As the subway between IIA and Seoul is currently under construction, the most convenient and cheapest way to get to Seoul is Limousine Bus. Deluxe Limousine Bus tickets to Seoul cost 12,000-13,000 won, Standard Limousine Bus tickets cost 7,500-8,000 won. Tickets can be purchased at the Transportation Information Counter near the exits No. 2, 4, 9, 13 on the arrival floor (1st floor) or at the bus stops themselves. Which bus you take depends on the part of the city you are going to. Don't worry, the places are written on the buses in English as well as Korean. Here is a list of the buses, where they go, and which exit in the airport to head for to catch them:

http://www.airport.or.kr/airport/traffic/bus/busList.iia?flag=E&fake=1142381787184

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The buses are an easy and cheap way to get around Seoul... if you can figure out the system. Normally buses cost only 700 Won. If you don't speak Hangul, many list the major stops in English on the side of the bus. Bus 82 goes from Itaewon to Myeongdong and Bus 23 runs between Itaewon and City Hall.

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I have driven in a lot of countries, but Korea is definately one of the worst. If it weren't for the enormous volume of traffic, the lack of respect for the rules of the road, and the random no-notice construction, the highways would be fine. The narrow roads in town, along with the park-anywhere policy, and the lack of traffic law enforcement makes the towns and cities even worse.

If you happen to get in a minor accident, the best bet is to negotiate a quick settlement with the other drivers before the police arrive--even if there is no damage--otherwise the person at fault will be fined by the police...

Travelling with metro is very easy and efficient at Seoul.. We have stayed at Yeongdong Jasmil area and in order to travel to Downtown seoul we have used the metro.

The Koreans names at first seems very difficult to understand, but one very good thing is that each subway station has a number and you can easily catch the stops via their numbers...

There are 8 main lines and they have 8 different color codes.. If you are in the City hall, that is the first stop of line 2.. So the number of the station is 201.. And all stations has first number as their line code and later the stop number...

The subway system in Seoul is one of the best we have used, and that includes New York City and London, England.

The subway is easy to navigate as signs are posted in Korean and English. I guess that makes it easy if you read Korean and/or English. None the less, if reading the signs doesn't work the friendly citizens of Korea are very willing to help. More than once my wife and I would stop to look at a map and a helpful native would quickly ask if we needed directions.

Not only are the numbered and colored lines easy to navigate but the system itself was extremely clean, cool (we where visiting in July), and timely.

A classy system for a classy city.