Landing in Korea? Install four apps, get one card, and you are set. Below: the 19 apps visitors actually use (maps, taxis, translation, delivery, trains, money), what works without a Korean phone number, and 19 tips on entry, transit, money, eating and emergencies — checked 2026-09-21. Our own live pages (airport arrivals, route planner, lockers, lost & found) are linked at the end.
The 5-minute starter checklist
| Do this | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Install Naver Map, Papago, Kakao T (or k.ride), KakaoTalk | Before you fly — app stores, any country | Free |
| e-Arrival Card (and K-ETA only if your passport needs it) | Official government site, within 3 days of arrival | Free |
| eSIM or airport SIM | Online before departure, or Incheon arrivals hall | From about ₩30,000 for a week — varies |
| T-money or WOWPASS | Convenience store (T-money) · orange kiosk (WOWPASS) | Card ₩3,000–5,000 + balance |
| Climate Card if you stay inside Seoul and ride a lot | Tourist information centre or station convenience store | 1-day ₩5,000 … 7-day ₩20,000 + card ₩3,000 |
Apps that work for visitors (19)
Maps & transit
Walking, subway, bus and driving directions with real-time arrivals; restaurant hours and reviews.
Why: Google Maps cannot route on foot or by car in Korea (map-export rules) — Naver Map is what locals use, and it has a full English interface.
For visitors: No Korean phone number needed. Search in English works for big places; paste the Korean name from our pages for small ones.
Same job as Naver Map with a slightly different look; strong bus routing.
Why: Handy as a second opinion when Naver shows a long walk; both are free.
For visitors: English interface; no Korean number needed.
Offline subway map with route, transfer and last-train times for Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju.
Why: Works without data underground; shows which car to board for a fast transfer.
For visitors: Or use our route planner below — it runs in the browser with the same station data.
Taxis
Taxi hailing (regular, "Venti" vans, Black), plus bikes and parking.
Why: Almost every taxi in Korea takes Kakao T calls, so pick-ups are fast even at 2 am.
For visitors: Overseas Visa/Mastercard can be registered for taxi payment; sign-up works with a foreign number. Type the destination in Korean (copy it from a map) if English search fails.
A visitor edition of Kakao T with English app, foreign-card payment and a driver translation screen.
Why: Fewer sign-up hurdles than the Korean app; shows the estimated fare before you book.
For visitors: Also fine for the airport run — compare with AREX and the airport bus on our airport page.
Uber works in Korea through the UT taxi network — the same regular taxis, booked in the Uber app you already have.
Why: No new account; your existing card works.
For visitors: Fewer cars answer than Kakao T outside central Seoul.
Translation
Text, voice, conversation and camera translation tuned for Korean.
Why: Noticeably better than Google Translate on menus, signs and casual Korean; camera mode overlays the English on the menu.
For visitors: Download the Korean offline pack before you fly.
Messaging
Korea’s messenger — restaurants, guesthouses and tour desks reply here, and many booking links open in it.
Why: Some reservations and customer-service chats only exist on KakaoTalk.
For visitors: Registers with a foreign number.
Food
Food delivery to your hotel or Airbnb, including convenience-store items late at night.
Why: The biggest delivery network; the app has English, Chinese and Japanese and takes overseas cards.
For visitors: Sign-up needs a phone verification — a Korean eSIM number works, a foreign-only SIM often does not.
Delivery with a single-order (no batching) model — fast in central Seoul.
Why: Often cheaper delivery fees; membership discounts if you shop on Coupang too.
For visitors: Language depends on your device settings; same phone-verification rule as Baemin.
Restaurant waiting lists and reservations — the popular Seoul restaurants use it instead of phone bookings.
Why: Lets you join a queue at a hot restaurant from your hotel and walk over when your table is close.
For visitors: There is a "CatchTable Global" edition for visitors with English and foreign-card support.
Trains & buses
KTX, ITX and Mugunghwa tickets, seat choice and e-tickets.
Why: Popular KTX trains sell out on Friday evenings and holidays — book on the app, not at the counter.
For visitors: English mode and foreign cards work; the KORAIL PASS for tourists is bought on the Korail website. Our KTX timetable pages show today’s trains and fares.
Tickets for the SRT high-speed trains from Suseo (south-east Seoul) to Busan, Mokpo and more.
Why: Slightly cheaper than KTX and the right station if you are staying in Gangnam.
For visitors: English site and app; foreign cards accepted.
Express bus (Kobus) and intercity bus (Bustago) tickets from Seoul’s terminals to every city.
Why: Cheaper than KTX and the only public option for many mountain, coast and DMZ-area towns.
For visitors: Kobus has an English site; Bustago is Korean-first — our express-bus pages list today’s departures and fares in English.
Money
A prepaid card for visitors: load foreign cash at a kiosk, pay by card everywhere, and it doubles as a T-money transit card.
Why: Solves the "my foreign card was declined" problem at small shops and taxis without opening a Korean account.
For visitors: Issued at orange kiosks in big stations and Incheon Airport for ₩5,000; the transit balance is separate from the shopping balance and is topped up like a T-money.
The transit card for every subway, bus and most taxis nationwide; also pays at convenience stores.
Why: Card fares are lower than cash and transfers between subway and bus are free within 30 minutes.
For visitors: Buy at any convenience store (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, Emart24) and top up in cash there or at station machines. Refunds of the balance at convenience stores (small amounts) or T-money Town by Seoul Station Exit 10.
Unlimited Seoul subway and city buses: 1-day ₩5,000 · 2-day ₩8,000 · 3-day ₩10,000 · 5-day ₩15,000 · 7-day ₩20,000 (card ₩3,000).
Why: Cheaper than T-money if you ride 4+ times a day inside Seoul.
For visitors: Seoul only — not valid on the Shinbundang Line, GTX-A, airport express or buses to Gyeonggi and Incheon. Sold at tourist information centres and convenience stores near stations.
A prepaid debit + transit card you design yourself (photo of your favourite idol included).
Why: Popular with K-pop fans; works like WOWPASS for payment and T-money for transport.
For visitors: Issued for ₩7,000 at kiosks in Incheon Airport, Myeong-dong and Hongdae.
Official
Official English guide with festivals, attractions and the 1330 helpline built in.
Why: The festival data on our site comes from the same organisation; the app adds Jeju, Busan and the countryside.
For visitors: Free; no sign-up needed to browse.
Tips (19)
Before you fly
- K-ETA is waived for most visa-free nationalities through 31 December 2026, but everyone fills in the free official e-Arrival Card online within 3 days of landing (paper cards still exist at the gate if you forget). Only use the government site — copycat sites charge.
- Get a Korean eSIM or SIM rather than roaming: data is cheap, and a Korean number unlocks Baemin, Coupang Eats and some reservation apps. Airport counters at Incheon T1 (1F arrivals) and T2 sell them; eSIMs can be installed before you land.
- Bring a Visa or Mastercard with a chip — contactless "tap" is now common in shops and taxis. Keep ₩50,000–100,000 in cash for markets and street food.
Getting around
- Tap in and tap out with your T-money on buses too — tapping out is what gives you the free subway↔bus transfer within 30 minutes (60 minutes after 9 pm).
- The last subway trains leave the ends of the lines around midnight; night buses (N-routes) and taxis take over. Seoul taxi meters add a late-night surcharge (20–40% between 22:00 and 04:00).
- Priority seats at the ends of each subway car stay empty even when the train is full; the pink seats are for pregnant passengers. Escalators: stand on the right.
- Airport → Seoul: the AREX all-stop train to Seoul Station takes about an hour for roughly ₩5,000; the express is faster with a reserved seat; limousine buses stop at hotels for ₩16,000–18,000. Our airport page shows live departures.
Money & shopping
- Tax refund: VAT is 10% and included in prices. At "Tax Free" shops, purchases from ₩15,000 up to ₩1,000,000 can be refunded on the spot at the register (passport required; ₩5,000,000 per trip); above that, scan receipts at the refund kiosks before check-in at the airport.
- No tipping — not in restaurants, taxis or hotels. A "thank you" (gamsahamnida) is the whole ritual. Prices on menus are final.
- Convenience stores (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, Emart24) are open 24 hours, sell T-money, phone chargers, umbrellas, medicine basics and hot food, and let you pay with foreign cards.
- Olive Young is the beauty store everyone means; the Myeong-dong flagship has a tax-refund desk and English staff.
Eating out
- Water, side dishes (banchan) and refills are free; call the staff with the table bell or "jeogiyo". Many restaurants seat 2+ only for BBQ — a solo traveller should look for a "1인" (one-person) sign.
- Shoes off where the floor is raised (ondol rooms, temples, guesthouses) — wear socks without holes.
- Korean restaurants close for a break around 15:00–17:00; Naver Map shows "break time". Delivery apps run 24 hours in central Seoul.
Staying safe
- Emergency: 112 police · 119 fire/ambulance · 1339 medical advice · 1330 Korea Travel Hotline (24 hours in English, Japanese and Chinese; Russian, Thai, Vietnamese and Malay-Indonesian 07:00–24:00 — they also interpret on a 3-way call with a taxi driver or pharmacist).
- Lost something? Bus and taxi companies post found items to the city database — search our lost & found page; subway items go to the Seoul Metro lost-and-found centres; after a week everything moves to the police portal lost112.go.kr.
- Pharmacies (약국, green cross sign) sell painkillers, cold medicine and plasters without a prescription; many close on Sundays — convenience stores carry a small "safe medicine" shelf.
Culture
- Bow slightly when greeting, use two hands when giving or receiving a card or a cup, and let elders start eating first. Loud phone calls on the subway draw stares.
- Photos: museums and palaces allow them; ask before photographing people, and note that some idol pop-up stores and cafés ban photos of other visitors.
Our live pages — official Korean data, refreshed twice a day
- ✈️ Airport → Seoul, live arrivals & buses
- 🧳 Incheon Airport terminal guide
- 🧭 Route planner — tap two places
- 🗺️ Seoul subway map & station guides
- 🔐 Luggage lockers with live availability
- 🚄 KTX timetables & fares today
- 🚌 Express bus timetables today
- 🎡 Day trips from Seoul with live bus arrivals
- 📍 Seoul today — weather, crowds, free events
- 🔎 Lost & found — items held right now
- 🆘 Lost something? What to do, step by step
Guides from our writers
- Incheon airport to Seoul: AREX vs limousine bus, night buses
- Do I need a visa for Korea from Singapore? 90 days visa-free, K-ETA checked
- What documents do I need to travel to South Korea: K-ETA fee, 72-hour rule
- Seoul subway guide: T-money tap-in, last trains, locker prices
- Do I need a visa for Korea from UK? K-ETA decides
- Do I need a visa for Korea from Australia? K-ETA rules to Dec 31
- How to pay for bus in Seoul: tap twice, T-money card, 2026 fares
- South Korea Travel Etiquette: Take Your Shoes Off, Use Two Hands, and 5 More Rules Visitors Get Wrong
FAQ
Does Google Maps work in Korea?
Only partly — it shows places and public-transport routes but cannot give walking or driving directions because of Korea’s map-data export rules. Use Naver Map or KakaoMap; both have English interfaces and need no Korean phone number.
Can I use Kakao T without a Korean phone number?
Yes: sign up with your home number and register an overseas Visa or Mastercard for taxis. If the app gives you trouble, k.ride is the visitor edition with English and foreign-card payment built in, and Uber books the same taxis through the UT network.
T-money, WOWPASS or the Climate Card — which one?
T-money if you just need transport (₩3,000–4,000 at any convenience store, works nationwide). WOWPASS if your foreign card keeps getting declined — it is a prepaid shopping card loaded with cash that also works as T-money (₩5,000 at orange kiosks). Climate Card only if you ride Seoul buses and subway four or more times a day: ₩5,000 for one day up to ₩20,000 for seven, but it is not valid outside Seoul, on the Shinbundang Line or on airport express trains.
How does the tax refund work?
Shops with a "Tax Free" sign refund the 10% VAT. For purchases between ₩15,000 and ₩1,000,000 the refund is taken off at the register when you show your passport (up to ₩5,000,000 per trip); for bigger purchases you get a refund slip and scan it at the refund kiosk at Incheon before security. Consumables must stay sealed until you leave.
Do I tip in Korea?
No — restaurants, taxis, hotels and hairdressers do not expect tips, and some will chase you to return the money. Delivery apps show the delivery fee separately; that is not a tip either.
What are the emergency numbers?
112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance (English operators available), 1339 for medical advice, and 1330 — the Korea Travel Hotline — for anything else, 24 hours a day in English, Japanese and Chinese (Russian, Thai, Vietnamese and Malay-Indonesian 07:00–24:00). 1330 will also interpret on a three-way call.
Where does this list come from?
Compiled by hand on 2026-09-21 from the apps’ official pages, Seoul city and Korea Tourism Organization notices and several current visitor guides, and cross-checked against our own live data pages (airport, subway, trains, lockers). Prices and rules change — the date at the top is when they were last checked.
Hand-checked list, last verified 2026-09-21 · app names and prices belong to their makers · page rebuilt 2026-09-21. Tell us what changed: the contact page.