seoul.go.kr, or call 
1330.With Seoul’s hectic streets making poor choices for cars and bicycles, the city is covered by a cheap, clean and highly comprehensive public transport system – the subway network is one of the best developed in the world, not least because of the sheer number of workers it has to speed from A to B. Buses dash around the city every which way, and even taxis are cheap enough to be viable for many routes.
Busy roads mean that walking through Seoul is rarely pleasurable, though Insadonggil has traffic restrictions through the day; the shopping district of Myeongdong and club-heavy Hongdae have zones so swamped with people that vehicles tend to avoid these areas; and there are innumerable malls and underground shopping arcades around the city. Riding a bike is only really advisable on a specially designed route along the Hangang and other riverbanks.
Seoul’s subway system consists of eighteen lines and over 300 stations, and is still growing – it’s one of the most comprehensive on earth, and in terms of annual passenger numbers, third only to Beijing and Shanghai. In the area bounded by the circular 2 line, you’ll never be more than a short walk or taxi ride from the nearest station, while line 1 runs for a whole third of the country’s length, stretching well over 100km from Soyosan in the north to Sinchang in the south. It’s also possible to get to Suwon or Incheon by subway. Running from around 5.30am to midnight (closing slightly earlier on weekends), trains are extremely frequent but usually packed to bursting at rush hour.
Fares are extremely reasonable, starting at W1350 for rides of less than 10km, and very rarely costing more than W2000. Unless you’ve invested in a transport card (highly recommended; see box), you’ll have to buy a single-use card from a machine; though the operating system is a little curious, you should get there in the end. Each card requires a deposit of W500, retrievable from machines outside the turnstiles when you’ve completed your journey. The subway system itself is very user-friendly: network maps are conveniently located around the stations, which are made easily navigable by multi-language signage. You’ll be able to find maps of the surrounding area on walls near the station exits, though be warned that north only faces upwards a quarter of the time, since each map is oriented to the direction that it happens to be facing.
In comparison with the almost idiot-proof subway system, Seoul’s bus network often proves too complicated for foreign guests – English-language signage and announcements exist, but can be confusing. Routes are given at almost every stop, though often in Korean only, or with only the main subway stations listed in English. The buses are split into four coloured categories – blue buses travel long distances along major arterial roads, green buses are for shorter hops, red ones travel out to the suburbs and yellow ones run tight loop routes. Tickets start at W1250 for blue and green buses, W2300 for red buses and W1100 for yellow buses, increasing on longer journeys; cash is no longer accepted on most buses, so travel cards are the way to go (see box), but always be sure to beep out at the end of your trip. Handily, a bus-plus-subway-plus-bus journey often counts as just one trip. For more information on routes go to seoul.go.kr, or call 1330.
Transport cards and passes
Transport cards such as T-Money or Cashbee are sold from W2500 at all subway stations, and some street-level kiosks. After loading them with credit (easiest at machines in the subway station), you’ll save W50–100 on each subway or bus journey, and any remaining balance can be refunded at the end of your stay. These cards make it possible to switch at no extra cost from bus to subway – or vice versa – should you need to. In addition, you can use them to pay taxi fares, make phone calls from most streetside booths, and even pay your bill at convenience stores, plus they’re useable for such purposes clean across the land (many cities have their own cards, but T-Money and Cashbee work nationwide). These cards often come in different forms, such as dongles one can attach to a smartphone.
Special tourist cards are also available (W15,000 for one day, up to W64,500 for one week), though they’re a little ludicrous – you’d have to be doing an awful lot of travelling to make them value for money.
Seoul’s taxis are cheap and ubiquitous. A W3000 fare covers the first 2km, and goes up in W100 increments every 142m – it often works out almost as cheap for groups of three or four to travel short distances by cab rather than public transport. Note that a twenty percent surcharge is added between midnight and 4am. There are also deluxe mobeom cabs, which are black with a yellow stripe; these usually congregate around expensive hotels, charging W5000 for the first 3km and W200 for each additional 164m. You should never have to wait long for a cab. Drivers do not expect tips, but it’s unlikely that they’ll speak any English – having your destination written in hangeul is the easiest way to get the information across, though many drivers will be both willing and able to call an interpreter on their phone. Uber has existed in Seoul, but lobbying from taxi unions was severely complicating matters at the time of writing – it’s worth checking to see whether the service is still in use. These days almost every Seoulite has the Kakao T taxi app, which alerts regular cabs to your presence, and brings them to your feet; in certain areas, at certain times of day, it’ll be hard to hail a cab without it.
Incheon International Airport www.airport.or.kr. Information on flights into and out of Korea’s main airport.
Korail letskorail.com. Information on train times and passes.
Korean Airports Corporation airport.co.kr. Almost identical to the Incheon site, this also has details of domestic and international flights for the smaller Korean airports.
Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transport (SMRT) smrt.co.kr. Timetables, and a useful best-route subway map.
Visit Korea english.visitkorea.or.kr. Good for bus connections between major cities, and has cursory information on trains and ferries.