Peep Korea
Travel
A Map Isn’t a Route.
Seoul subway map in English, exit numbers, which map app works, buses, taxi fares and night surcharges, and k.ride for visitors, checked October 2026.
The station is right. The line is right. Then you come up exit 2 instead of exit 11 and the clinic is on the far side of an eight-lane road with no crossing in sight.
In Seoul the map is the easy part. The route lives in three small details the map skips: which direction the train is heading, which car you ride, and which exit you climb out of. Get those right and the city feels small.
Read it by line number and end station, not by color alone. Every line has a number and a color, every station has a three-digit number, and every train is signed by the last station it is heading to. The Seoul Metropolitan Government posts the full English map as a free download.2
Q. Is the Seoul subway map in English on the trains? Yes. Station names are announced and shown in Korean and English. Still, keep your stop written down in Korean too, for the odd sign or exit board that shows only Korean.
Q. Do private lines cost extra? Some do. The Shinbundang Line, the fast line from Gangnam toward Sinsa and the southern suburbs, adds its own fare on top of the base fare.1
Naver Map, with Kakao Map as your backup. Google Maps works for transit routes in Korea, but it still gives no turn-by-turn walking or driving directions; walking legs show up as dotted lines.11
That changed on paper this year. On 27 February 2026, the Korean government conditionally approved the export of 1:5,000 map data to Google, with data released only after the government checks the security conditions.10 Google said in August that full navigation is planned for Korea but gave no launch date.11 Until it lands, plan as if it has not.
| App | Strong at | Weak at |
|---|---|---|
| Naver Map | English menus, exit numbers, bus arrivals, booking places | Search sometimes needs the Korean name |
| Kakao Map | Bus arrivals, walking routes, a second opinion on a route | Fewer English labels in places |
| Google Maps | Familiar, your saved places | No walking or driving navigation in Korea as of Oct 202611 |
App features as of 26 October 2026. Not a ranking, and no app is endorsed.
Naver has also let visitors prove who they are with a foreign passport since 4 June 2026, so you can book a table, order or pay inside the app with no Korean number.9 For routes alone you do not need to sign in at all.
Q. What is the one setting to change? Switch Naver Map to English in the app settings, then search the place in English. If nothing comes up, paste the Korean address. Ask your hotel or clinic for it in Korean before you arrive.
Every station has numbered exits, often 8 to 12 at large stations, each one coming up on a different corner or side of the street. Your map app shows the exit nearest your destination when you plan the route. That one number saves you from crossing a big road on foot.
How to use it:
Every one of the 338 stations operated by Seoul's own subway companies now has an elevator path from the street down to the trains, the city says.12 At some stations that elevator sits at a single exit, so it may be a different number from the one your app suggests.
Q. My app says exit 3, but the sign says exit 3 is closed. Now what? Exits close for repairs. Take the nearest open number on the same side of the road, then re-route on foot. That is where Naver's walking line earns its keep.
1,550 won for an adult ride of up to 10 km with a transit card, or 1,650 won with a single-journey ticket, as of October 2026.1, 2 Longer trips add 100 won for every 5 km after the first 10 km.1
The way you pay changes the price:
One catch: you cannot yet tap a foreign Visa or Mastercard at the gate. Seoul plans to replace the gate readers on Lines 1 to 8 with card-tap readers in 2027 and finish the switch by 2030.16 Which card to buy, how to load it with cash or a foreign card, and the Climate Card short-term pass are all in our money guide. This guide sticks to riding.
Q. Do I tap out on the subway? Yes, always. The gate calculates the fare when you leave. Forget to tap out and the next ride can bill you oddly.
Board at the front, tap your card, tap again at the rear door when you get off. Seoul city buses cost 1,500 won for adults with a transit card, and they no longer accept cash, so have a card ready before you board.3
Read the bus by color:
| Color | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | Trunk | Long routes across the city4 |
| Green | Branch | Short links to subway stations and neighborhoods4 |
| Yellow | Circulation | Loops around downtown and business areas4 |
| Red | Rapid | Links Seoul with the suburbs, higher fare4 |
Types from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Fares as of June 2026, Visit Seoul.3, 4
The tap at the back door matters. Transfers between buses and the subway are discounted only if you tap off and board the next ride within 30 minutes, or within an hour between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.3, 5
Q. How do I know when to get off? Stops are announced in Korean and English on most city buses, and the next stop shows on a screen. Watch the stop on your map app as well, and press the red stop button early.
Q. Bus or subway? Subway for speed and fewer surprises. Bus for short hops, steep neighborhoods without stations, and seeing the city on a calm day.
Plan on trains from about 5:30 a.m. to around midnight. The exact last train depends on the line, the station, the direction and the day, so check it in your app before a late dinner.13 After the trains stop, Seoul runs late-night Owl buses with route numbers that start with N.14
Q. Will I be stuck if I miss the last train? No, just poorer. Taxis run all night, with the night surcharge below, and you can call one in the app.
A regular Seoul taxi's meter opens at 4,800 won, which covers the first 1.6 km; after that it ticks up 100 won every 131 m, or every 30 seconds when traffic crawls.6 Late at night it climbs: 20% extra between 10 and 11 p.m. and between 2 and 4 a.m., 40% extra from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m.6
| Taxi type | Starts at (day) | Night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular sedan | 4,800 won for 1.6 km6 | Plus 20 to 40% from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.6 | The everyday taxi |
| Deluxe, SUV, van | 7,000 won for 3 km6 | Plus 20% from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.6 | More room, more luggage |
| International Taxi | Meter fare plus 20%6 | Surcharges stack, up to 60% in total6 | Driver speaks a foreign language |
Seoul Metropolitan Government fares, in force since 1 February 2023, checked 26 October 2026. Not a quote.
Rides leaving Seoul's city limits add 20%, and tolls are paid on top.6 All Seoul taxis must charge by the meter, apart from fare plans the city has approved.6
Q. Can I pay a taxi with a card? Transit cards work in taxis.15 If you book through k.ride, the fare goes on the foreign card or wallet you added in the app.7 Keep a little cash as a backup for an old card reader.
Q. Why did the taxi drive past me? It may have been booked through an app already. A red light in the windshield usually means free; if a cab will not stop on a busy road, call one in the app instead.
Kakao T is built around Korean accounts. k.ride is Kakao Mobility's version for foreign visitors: you sign up with Google, Apple or email, pay with a foreign-issued card or wallets such as Alipay or GrabPay, and see an estimated fare before you call.7 It runs in English, Japanese and Chinese, and you can search destinations and chat with the driver in more than 100 languages.7, 8
Two extras most people miss:
Setup tips for the visitor apps also sit in our Korea entry requirements guide. Brand taxi services in Seoul, such as premium black cars and vans, use their own app fares and can surge.6
Q. Do Seoul taxi drivers speak English? Some do, many do not. That is why the app with a written destination works so well: nothing to pronounce. International Taxis come with a driver who speaks a foreign language, for a 20% surcharge.3, 6
Door to door by taxi for the first days, then the subway in quiet hours. Swelling, cold packs and a hat make a packed 8 a.m. train a long ride.
A plan that works:
How long to stay before you fly home is a separate question; our stay-length guide covers it by procedure.
Q. Is the subway too much the day after a skin treatment? Follow what your clinic tells you first. If you feel fine, a quiet-hour train is easy; if you are sore or swollen, the taxi costs little and spares you the stairs.
Read lines by number, stations by their three-digit number, and trains by the station they are heading toward. The city posts the English map as a free download.2
For transit routes, yes. For turn-by-turn walking or driving, not as of October 2026.11 Use Naver Map or Kakao Map for the walking part.
Yes. Change the language in settings and search in English, or paste the Korean address. Since June 2026, a foreign passport also unlocks bookings and payments there.9
The one your route app names in the last step. Follow the yellow exit signs by number, and look for the elevator symbol if you have bags.
1,550 won per adult ride up to 10 km with a transit card, 1,650 won with a single-journey ticket, as of October 2026.1 Longer rides add 100 won per 5 km.
Not by tapping a foreign card at the gate yet (October 2026). The city aims to fit card-reading gates on Lines 1 to 8 in 2027.16 For now, buy a ticket or pass at the station machine; card options are in our money guide.
No. Seoul city buses are cash-free, so carry a transit card.3
Yes. Tap at the rear door. Without it you lose the transfer discount on your next ride.3
By day the meter opens at 4,800 won for 1.6 km, then adds 100 won every 131 m, or every 30 seconds in a jam.6 Tolls and rides outside Seoul cost extra.
From 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. the meter runs 20% higher, rising to 40% in the middle stretch, 11 p.m. until 2 a.m.6 Plan a late dinner with that in mind.
Visitors are steered to k.ride, Kakao Mobility's app for foreigners, with sign-up by Google, Apple or email and payment by foreign card.7 Our entry guide has the sign-up basics.
Yes, foreign-issued cards plus wallets such as Alipay and GrabPay.7 You see an estimated fare before you call.
If you want a driver who speaks a foreign language, yes. It costs the meter plus 20%.6 For short city hops, an app-called regular taxi is cheaper.
Mostly. Each of the 338 stations under Seoul's own operators now has an elevator path to the platform.12 That elevator may be at only one exit, so check it in the app.
Taxi, door to door, in the early days after facial surgery. Otherwise, follow your clinic's advice and ride in quiet hours.
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