Arriving in Korea
When arriving at Incheon International Airport, you will notice that it offers many services. Do not hesitate to take some time in the airport to check all those services before taking the transportation, as it could be really useful for your next hours in South Korea!
- Use an ATM to withdraw money or go to one of the exchange foreign offices to secure some money for your first days there (sometimes international ATMs can be quite hard to find in Seoul).
- If you need to contact your family or someone else before exiting the airport, you can use one of the pay phones of the free Wi-Fi service! (Wifi rental / Sim card in Korea)
- As you may be a bit tired from your previous flight and as it’s going to take some time to get to your hostel from the airport, I suggest you grab a snack for a pretty decent price at one of the numerous convenience stores.
- Also at the convenience store, I highly suggest buying a T-money card! This card will be very useful during your travel in South Korea. First of all, you can use it for many transportation services such as buses, subway, taxis not only in Seoul but also in various cities across the country (Daejeon, Daegu, Busan…) and it also gives you a discount. Secondly, you can recharge it any time at the convenience stores or inside the subway. The regular type card costs around 2 500 ₩.
- You may be asking yourself which kind of transportation you should use to reach the city of Seoul. There are several options depending on your situation:
- Subway: If you do not have lots of luggage, or if you have friends to help you, this is the cheapest solution.
- Bus: If you have lots of luggage this is a good option as generally employees will help you to load it. Most bus stops are situated on the passenger terminal 1st floor; here are all the buses information depending on your destination.
- Taxis: If you really want to be comfortable you can choose this solution, but be aware: the black taxis are more expensive. Taxis are also situated of the 1st floor, go here for more information.
- Print a map of the localisation of your hotel beforehand, in this way you will always be able to ask for help to somebody on the street in order to find it.
Check out more about ”how to travel from Incheon airport to Seoul” or you can book our private vehicle for airport transfer > Incheon airport private transfer
Traveling in Seoul and all over the country
- Before arriving in Seoul, printing a Seoul subway map or downloading a Seoul subway application (link) on your phone can be very useful. The Seoul subway system is really convenient and not difficult to understand but it can always be a plus to have it, as the application can give you the best itineraries with the exact time needed and so on. The subway operation hours are from 5:30 to approximately 24:00. Not that important but still worth being noted: when taking the escalators, you have to stay on the right side (unless you are in a rush).
- As said earlier, if you want to use taxis you should be aware that there are different kinds of them. Orange and silver taxis are regular taxis, while black taxis are luxury taxis. When taking a taxi, I suggest you write your destinations in both English and Korean (if possible) on a note beforehand, as depending on the driver it’s not certain that he’s going to understand exactly what you need.
- If you want to travel all over the country, going from region to region, you can use the KTX or the Mugunghwa train. However another popular and cheapest transportation service is the Express bus (and Intercity)! The bus system in South Korea is very convenient as a large network connects the entire country, so you can usually get to wherever you need to go by taking a bus or two. Express buses (고속버스) are generally faster while intercity buses (시외버스) provide transport to a greater number of locations. You can also pay for “udeung” buses (우등 버스), which are a bit more expensive but more comfortable. Long distance buses will usually include a TV at the front, air-conditioning systems and other services.
Usually you won’t need to book your ticket in advance, unless it is a public holiday such as Chuseok.
The main bus terminal is called the Seoul Express Bus Terminal and is situated at the Express Bus Terminal Station (subway line 3, 7 and 9). Here is the English website for more information.
Check out more information before you travel to Korea > Things to know before visit Korea
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- If you want to go to Jeju Island, the cheapest airlines are Jeju Air, Air Busan, Eastar Jet and Jin Air. But those airlines have a very low baggage allowance so depending on your situation you might rather choose one of the full-service airlines such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.
- When traveling in South Korea you will come to notice that there are hardly any public trash cans on the streets. Of course littering isn’t an option and the waste management system in Korea is highly strict, so I suggest you always take a plastic bag with you to keep your trash in your bag until you find a trashcan or go back home.
- There is no tipping in South Korea, so you do not need to give extra money in restaurants.
Going back home
Before going back home, if you think that your baggage will be considered as overweight by the airline, it should be better to avoid the extra fees (which are generally quite expensive) by packing part of your things and sending it back home by postal services beforehand. Either you send it through EMS or surface parcel, both choices may still be cheaper than the extra fees asked at the airport.
Korea Private Tour
If you need a guide or want to have a comfortable and special tour in South Korea, do not hesitate to book our services.
We provide a large selection of Korea Tour Packages with a private transportation service (including hotel pick and drop off) and an English tour guide. Seoul tours, Busan tours, Jeju tours, DMZ tours, Extreme sports tours, Korean cooking experiences and so on. If you can’t find anything to your liking in our list of tours, contact us and we will do our best to find something for you!
Check our main page for the largest selection of Seoul Private Tours and Korea Private Tours.
Have a nice trip in South Korea!
We hope our South Korea Travel Tips blog post will be a great help to you 🙂
