Plan the
boring bits.

K-ETA: through 31 December 2026, citizens of 22 countries and territories can visit without applying for Korea's electronic travel authorization: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macao, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK and the US. That is not every EU country — Ireland, Portugal and Greece, for example, aren't on it — so if your passport isn't listed, check k-eta.go.kr (you may need a K-ETA or a visa) before you book. Traveling in 2027? Check k-eta.go.kr again closer to your date.

Arrival card: fill in the free e-Arrival Card at e-arrivalcard.go.kr in the three days before you land (a submission is valid for 72 hours). Valid K-ETA holders are exempt — which means travelers from the 22 exempt countries above, who don't hold a K-ETA, are exactly the people who should file one (or apply for a K-ETA anyway, which also skips the arrival card).

Three real options. The AREX Express — ₩13,000, 43 minutes nonstop from Terminal 1 to Seoul Station (51 from Terminal 2), guaranteed seat — is the move when you land during the day and stay near Seoul Station's Line 1/4 transfer (looking at you, Myeongdong, two stops away). The all-stop AREX costs ₩4,750 to Seoul Station on a T-money card (about an hour) and calls at Hongik University Station on the way (₩4,650, under an hour) — which makes it the better train if you're staying in Hongdae, no transfer needed. Add ₩600 to either fare from Terminal 2.

The second option is a private transfer, and it stops being a luxury in exactly three cases: you're a family of 3–4 (the math beats four train fares plus a taxi leg), you land late, after the last trains, when the taxi queue crawls, or you're jet-lagged with big luggage and simply done problem-solving. Private transfers to central Seoul typically run about $75–100 per vehicle (October 2026), driver waiting at arrivals with your name on a sign.

Third: airport limousine buses, ₩17,000, worth it when one stops near your hotel — 6015 for Myeongdong, 6002 for Hongdae, 6009 for Gangnam Station (6006 for Apgujeong and COEX). Landing late? The N6002 night bus runs to Hongdae (₩18,000). Ignore any taxi tout who approaches you inside the terminal — the regulated ranks are outside.

The subway is the answer to nearly every transport question in this city: ₩1,550 a ride with a transit card (₩1,650 for a single-journey ticket, plus a ₩500 refundable deposit), a little more for long trips, trains every few minutes, English signage everywhere, and service until around midnight. Buy the T-money card at a convenience store in the arrivals hall — CU, GS25 or 7-Eleven, about ₩3,000 for a standard design — and load it with cash: top-ups at store tills and station machines are cash only, so keep some won on you (start with ₩20,000). It works on subways, buses, most taxis and at convenience-store tills. One card per person; kids' cards get discounted fares. You can't tap a foreign Visa or Mastercard at the gates yet.

Riding a lot? The Climate Card tourist pass gives unlimited Seoul subway and city-bus rides: ₩5,000 for 1 day, ₩8,000 for 2, ₩10,000 for 3, ₩15,000 for 5 and ₩20,000 for 7, plus about ₩3,000 for the card. It starts on the day you charge it, and it does not cover the AREX to or from Incheon Airport (only Seoul Station–Gimpo), the Shinbundang Line or buses outside Seoul. Since March 2026 the newer ticket machines at 273 stations sell it, and single tickets, to foreign Visa and Mastercard holders (with a fee of about 3.7%). If you'll average three or more rides a day over several days, the pass usually wins.

Now the thing nobody warns you about: Google Maps still can't give reliable walking or driving directions in Korea (as of October 2026). Korea approved Google's request to export detailed map data in February 2026, but turn-by-turn navigation hasn't launched and Google hasn't given a date. Install Naver Map (best English support) or KakaoMap before you land and use them for everything: subway routing with exit numbers, walking turns, bus arrivals. Every itinerary on this site assumes you can follow a Naver exit number.

Taxis fill the post-midnight gap: base fare ₩4,800, with a late-night surcharge of 20–40% between 22:00 and 04:00, and most daytime trips inside the center come in under about ₩15,000. Meters are universal. Book through Kakao T (or Kakao's foreigner app, k.ride), which takes foreign cards and skips the language negotiation entirely.

Buy an eSIM before you leave home — it installs in five minutes from your sofa and comes alive the moment you land, which matters because your first hour in Korea (AREX tickets, Naver Map, messaging the hotel) is exactly when you need data most. Airalo's Korea plans are all unlimited data: about $12 for 3 days, $20 for 5 and $29 for 7 (checked October 2026). Korea's mobile coverage is excellent, subway tunnels included.

The airport SIM counters work as a fallback — the mobile carriers' booths in arrivals sell tourist SIMs — but they cost more than an eSIM and you'll queue behind tour groups after a 12-hour flight. A phone without eSIM support is the only good reason to use them.

Korea is close to cashless: your foreign Visa or Mastercard works almost everywhere with a roof — restaurants, shops, convenience stores. The exceptions are exactly where you'll be hungriest and busiest: street carts and traditional market stalls, many still cash-only, and T-money top-ups, which are cash only. Carry ₩50,000–100,000 in cash for grazing at Gwangjang and the Myeongdong carts, and withdraw from ATMs marked 'Global ATM' or showing Visa, Mastercard, Plus or Cirrus logos — most bank branches and many convenience stores have one, but not every machine takes foreign cards.

Tax refunds: shops with 'Tax Free' signs refund VAT when you spend ₩15,000 or more in one store. Many refund on the spot — for purchases up to ₩1,000,000 each and ₩5,000,000 per trip — and you can claim the rest at the airport. Bring your passport when you shop.

Two habits to delete on arrival: tipping (none, anywhere, ever — it causes confusion, not gratitude) and haggling (prices are prices, markets included). Budget anchors for a mid-range day: ₩10,000–15,000 per casual meal, ₩15,000–25,000 for a market dinner graze, about ₩6,000 in daily subway fares. Then go spend the savings on the food worth planning around.