Getting around South Korea

Korea, especially Seoul and Busan, are well supported by public transport. Driving is a step up in difficulty, especially if you’re like us from Australia who drive on the left side of the road. Here is everything you need to know on how to easily get around South Korea.

Getting to and from the airport

From Seoul Incheon Airport and Gimpo International airport

Airport railroad (AREX)

The airport railroad also known as AREX is the easy, comes frequently and is a cheap way to get to your accommodation if it is close to a subway station. If you arrive or are going to Incheon airport, the one-way cost will be KRW 9,500 taking the express to Seoul station.

The all-stop AREX train is the one you need if you arrived at Gimpo International airport or want to go to Hongdae. The all-stop train costs from KRW 1,450 to 4,750.

After arriving at the airport follow the Incheon airport or Gimpo airport signs to the 1st basement floor of the airport. One of the very first things you need to do is buy a Tmoney card. If you're like us and find it scary trying to navigate language barriers after a long flight, you will love their easy to use vending machines near the airport train station. You can easily buy a Tmoney card at the airport station vending machine. Find the vending machine with the Korea tour card for KRW 4,000, giving you access to discounts across Korea.

Next step is to top up your newly purchased Tmoney card. Go to the top up machine with instructions in multiple languages near the vending machines to top up. We recommend a minimum of KRW 10,000 to cover the cost of catching the AREX train to your accommodation.

Make sure you are in the express or all-stops section before entering the gate. Wait a short time and board the train.

Taxi

If you're tired from the flight or have a tonne of luggage, catching a taxi is easy and affordable compared to other countries. After arriving at the airport, make sure you only take a taxi at the dedicated ranks. There has been an increase of people trying to get you into their unofficial "taxis" in the arrivals terminal pretending to be taxis and charging unfairly. There are different types of taxis so check out the fares here.

Everyday transport

Public transport

Subway

You will be amazed at the Korean subway experience and wish something similar was available all around the world. We used the subway multiple times every day in Seoul and Busan. There is usually a close subway station around, trains come all the time and the experience is top tier being clean and safe.

There are multiple lines, and you will occasionally have to transfer lines to get to where you are going. Google maps will the first app to try, especially if you don't need walking directions to the nearest station. It will even tell you the closest entrance number to the subway station.

Most lines will have a colour and number assigned to it. Follow the signs in the subway to get to the gate. There are usually signs before entering the gate which tells you which platform you should go on. Unfortunately, the platform you should be on sometimes is different dependent on which direction you are heading.

One way to work out which is the right platform is to check the next station the train is going to and check against the platform signs.

Tap your Tmoney card on the relevant section of the gate and continue through. The screen will tell you how much has been deducted and how much you have left on your Tmoney card.

Head to the platform and wait near the signs on the floor because the train will always stop at the same spot. The trains inside are modern, with displays frequently displaying the next station and what side the doors will open.

When transferring to another line, it's as simple as following the signs to the relevant colour and number of the sign.

Google maps will let you know which subway exit you want to leave at your final station. When you get to your stop, follow the signs to the exit you want. Tap your Tmoney card at the gate again before you exit.

Use Kakao maps if you want to know how much the public transport will cost or if you want an accurate walking time estimation. The stations in Kakao maps are only in Korean and it's sometimes hard to find the exact place you want to go in Kakao apps. Check out the tips we wish we knew before arriving in Korea in our Essential apps holidaying in Korea guide so you can navigate around Korea like a pro.

Bus

While the subway is excellent, buses are an alternative and required if the subway station is a bit far. Buses also arrive every few minutes.

Using google maps, go to the right location and wait for the right bus to arrive. In popular locations there is usually a display saying when the next bus will arrive. Enter in the front door and tap using your Tmoney card. Use Google maps to identify where your bus is by the GPS. Google maps will tell you the stops of the bus. When you have passed the stop right before yours, press the stop button. Head towards the middle door of the bus and tap your Tmoney card on the reader. Remember to tap the Tmoney card when entering and getting off the bus.

Taxis

Taxis are clean and are usually the latest, trendiest car models, such as the highly desired Hyundai Ioniq 5. There are different types of taxis but we found the standard taxi is of such high quality it doesn't make too much difference.

Are you used to Uber? Download and use Kakao T (iOS and android) instead. It works just like Uber. You can easily set your pickup and destination location which saves you the hassle of trying to get the driver to understand where your destination is. It gives you a very accurate estimate of the fare. A taxi will be assigned to you so make sure you only get into the right taxi. You don't even need to add a card to the app! Just pay after your ride is finished like catching a taxi anywhere else.

Transport between cities

Flights

A flight is practically essential if you are going to Jeju island. We recently flew Jeju air and found it seamless and comfortable. If you are like us and have medium to large suitcases, then we suggest paying for the premium bundle. At around AU$10 you are allowed extra luggage weight, able to book a seat closer to the front of the plane and your luggage comes out first on the conveyer belt.

When you get to the airport, go to any self-serve check in kiosk. Change the language to English or another language and follow the prompts. Once done, leave your luggage at the bag drop off area. Interestingly, we were told to come back in 10 minutes to the same person to get all ok after they scan our luggage for banned items such as power banks. There is no need to line up again, just head to the person who helped you drop off your bags after 10 minutes.

Otherwise, it's as easy as catching any other domestic flight around the world.

Bullet train

There are two bullet train companies connecting Korea - Korail and SRT. Korea Rail is the most popular, has many more services and you can pre-book online. This is important because some frequently travelled lines such as Seoul and Busan are booked out well in advance. The Korea Rail bullet train takes you from Seoul Station to Busan Station. The SRT train is newer and takes you to Suseo station. We opted to take the SRT train to Suseo station because it was closer to our last accommodation in Seoul near Gangnam, Jamsil and the Lotte World mall. However, only Korean residents can prebook a seat online for SRT trains. Hopefully foreigners will be able to reserve SRT tickets online in the near future. Still check out the SRT website to find out what times the trains depart and whether there are still seats available.

We went to Busan station on the day we arrived and reserved our seats days in advance. Even then, many of the trains were booked out. We ended up reserving seats on an earlier train. To reserve tickets, you can either line up where someone will help you or you can use the self-service terminals which have instructions in English. We used the self-service terminals and found it intuitive to use. The main thing to know is that they only accept cash or Korean credit cards so bring the cash with you if you are using the self-service terminal. The other frustrating part was the terminal were picky about which Korean notes they accept. The terminal seemed to accept some notes but just refused to accept certain notes which was totally unrelated to the denomination. Perhaps bring some extra cash in case the machine just doesn't like certain notes you have on hand.

Catching a bullet train is easy.

• Similar to an airport terminal, go to the big centre screen to find your train and the platform to catch your train.

• Head to the platform and go to the carriage area where your assigned seat is by following the signs.

• Get there earlier if you have luggage because there are only limited luggage storage areas between carriages. First in, best dressed!

• When the train arrives, head on in, put away your luggage, find your assigned seat and sit down.

• So, when do you use your ticket? There are staff on board who are overseeing the seats but you only really have to show your ticket on request. We never had to show our ticket.

Driving around Korea

Hiring a car

Hiring a car is a great way to travel by your own rules and easily visit many places if you are visiting Jeju island. You must be at least 21 years old. You will need an international driver permit to hire a car and drive around Korea so make sure you get one in advance. You will need to bring your local drivers license which has been issued at least 1 year prior as well.

We used rentalcars.com which was a hassle-free experience. The cars on offer were modern with the latest infotainment systems.

Picking up your car is simple. Once arriving at Jeju airport, head out of the terminal and it's a short walk following the signs to catch a shuttle bus. It's only a short ride to the car hire location. Make sure to know what rental company you are using so you get to the right shuttle. Once you arrive at the car hire place, head inside to go through all the paperwork and go to your assigned car. It may vary between car hire places but the staff at the car hire will inspect your car for you when you exit.

Returning the car is even simpler. Just drive into the same car hire location, follow the signs to the drop off area where a staff member will help you. Then it's just a short wait for the frequently running shuttle back to the airport.

Driving around Korea tips and road rules

Driving around Korea is a great experience to add to your travel memories. You quickly adapt to the different rules and start enjoying the convenience. Here is a primer of all the things we wish we knew before driving so you can enjoy the drive sooner.

• Drive on the right side

• Vehicles are left-hand drive

• Turning right is allowed even at a red light. Only do so if safe.

• Turning left is not allowed even if there is a green light. You have to wait for the left green arrow unless there is a blue sign saying you can.

• Stopping for pedestrians waiting to cross the street at a street crossing without a traffic light is rare. We felt bad because we will always stop in these instances in Australia but it's the norm in Korea. It does make crossing the street without a pedestrian light much scarier though!

• You can use the inbuilt navigation in your hire car. However, similar to using Kakao maps, you may find it hard to find your destination. We used Kakao for the majority of navigation because we favourited the places, we wanted to visit in advance by using our Essential apps holidaying in Korea tips. You have to download Kakao Navi (iOS and Android) before you can start using navigation. Another option is to type in the phone number of your destination into the inbuilt navigation system.

• Koreans drive fast. There are a lot of speed and red lights cameras especially in the city areas. Always use the inbuilt navigation or Kakao Navi which will tell you how fast you are going and gives ample warnings of upcoming speed cameras in English. Your rental company will get charged who will then forward on the cost to you if you are caught speeding on the numerous CCTVs in Korea.

• Honking is a lot more common in Korea, especially compared to Australia. Hazard lights are also more frequently meaning "be careful" to something like "I'm sorry". Accept it as a cultural driving difference.