Where are you, and where are you going? Type a station, a sight or a neighbourhood — even roughly — or tap the map, and compare the subway, the bus and a taxi side by side: minutes, fare, where to change, and a taxi estimate that reads Seoul’s live road speeds. Tap Show the driver to get the address in Korean for the taxi.
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Popular trips at a glance
| Trip | Subway | Bus | Taxi (traffic at 09:23 KST, 2026-10-11) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myeong-dong → Gangnam Station | 38 min · ₩1,550+ · 2 changes | 50 min · bus 4101 → 400 | 13 min · ₩9,900–₩10,400 |
| Hongdae → Gyeongbokgung Palace | 36 min · ₩1,550 · 1 change | 44 min · ₩1,500 · bus 7737 → 601 | 14 min · ₩8,600–₩9,100 |
| Seoul Station → Myeong-dong | 13 min · ₩1,550 · direct | 19 min · ₩1,500 · bus 7011 | 8 min · ₩5,800–₩6,300 |
| Itaewon → Hongdae | 25 min · ₩1,550+ · 1 change | — | 19 min · ₩9,900–₩10,400 |
| Gangnam Station → Lotte World (Jamsil) | 25 min · ₩1,550 · direct | 33 min · ₩1,500 · bus 360 | 17 min · ₩9,200–₩9,700 |
| Insa-dong → N Seoul Tower | 35 min · ₩1,550 · direct | 45 min · bus 9200 → 405 | 21 min · ₩9,900–₩10,600 |
| Dongdaemun (DDP) → Seongsu | 19 min · ₩1,550 · direct | 31 min · ₩1,500 · bus 2014 → 2016 | 16 min · ₩8,900–₩9,400 |
| Myeong-dong → Bukchon Hanok Village | 28 min · ₩1,550 · 1 change | 30 min · ₩1,500 · bus 143 → Jongno 02 | 11 min · ₩6,900–₩7,400 |
| Hongdae → Yeouido Hangang Park | 23 min · ₩1,550+ · 1 change | 35 min · ₩1,500 · bus 6713 → 5713 | 11 min · ₩7,600–₩8,100 |
| Seoul Station → COEX (Samseong) | 49 min · ₩1,650 · 1 change | 62 min · bus 9000-1 → 3011 | 28 min · ₩13,500–₩14,000 |
Taxi times and fares use the Seoul road speeds measured at 09:23 KST, 2026-10-11; the finder above measures them again when you search. “+” = a line with its own surcharge (Shinbundang, AREX, GTX-A, light rail). Tap a trip to open it in the finder.
Which is best — subway, bus or taxi?
- Subway — the most predictable, and English signs everywhere. Best across longer distances and in rush hour.
- Bus — often fewer stairs and a direct ride on routes the subway zig-zags. Stops are announced in English on most city buses.
- Taxi — door to door and cheap for short hops shared by two to four people. Slower than the subway on jammed roads; more expensive after 22:00.
- Walk — central Seoul is compact: under about 1.2 km the finder suggests walking.
Taxis in Seoul
The meter starts at ₩4,800. A late-night surcharge of 20% (22:00–23:00, 02:00–04:00) or 40% (23:00–02:00) applies automatically. Show the driver your destination in Korean — the finder’s Show the driver card does this — and ask for a receipt. If you think you were overcharged, see taxi fares and overcharging.
Changing lines and buses
On the subway, follow the line colour and number. Changes inside the same station are marked in the directions; changes between lines of different operators can mean a longer walk. On the bus, board at the front, tap your card, and tap again at the rear door when you get off.
How this page works
Subway times come from our own network built from Seoul Metro’s station order and station coordinates: distance ÷ line speed, plus about half a minute per stop and five minutes per transfer. Bus options come from Seoul’s public transit route service; taxi time and fare use road distance from OpenStreetMap routing, Seoul TOPIS live road speeds and the official Seoul taxi meter. All of these are estimates. The page is rebuilt twice a day (around 09:15 and 21:15 Korea time) and republished only when the numbers change.
FAQ
How accurate is the taxi fare?
It is the Seoul meter worked out on the real road distance: ₩4,800 for the first 1.6 km, then ₩100 every 131 m — or every 30 seconds while the taxi crawls below 15.72 km/h. For the time part we read the live speed of the Seoul roads on your route (the city’s TOPIS traffic feed) and add the late-night surcharge for the hour you choose (+20% 22:00–23:00 and 02:00–04:00, +40% 23:00–02:00). Tolls (tunnels, expressways) are extra. Expect the meter to land within the range shown.
Why does the subway sometimes take longer than the taxi?
The subway time includes walking to the station, waiting and changing lines. For short trips across town a taxi is often faster outside rush hour — but in rush hour (about 07:30–09:30 and 17:30–19:30) the subway is more predictable.
How do I pay for the subway and bus?
Tap a T-money or other Korean transit card (sold and topped up at convenience stores) when you get on — and tap again when you get off the bus, or the transfer discount is lost. Changing between subway and bus within 30 minutes costs only the extra distance. Adult card fares: subway ₩1,550 for the first 10 km; city bus ₩1,500 (blue and green), ₩3,000 (red express), ₩2,500 (night N buses), ₩1,200 (small village buses).
What about late at night?
The subway stops around midnight to 1 am and starts again at about 5:30. After that, night buses with an N number run until about 4 am, or take a taxi — the finder switches the taxi fare to the late-night rate for the hour you pick.
What does "show the driver" do?
It shows your destination in large Korean letters with "please take me here", and can read it aloud. Most Seoul taxi drivers do not read English addresses, and many foreign visitors say this is the most useful thing in the app.
Where do the bus routes come from?
From Seoul’s official public-transport route service (Seoul Metropolitan Government, via data.go.kr). Buses that stop at the same stops are shown together, and for Seoul city buses we show when the next one arrives. Gyeonggi-province buses (red ones heading out of Seoul) are listed too — their fare is shown on the bus.
Sources: Seoul Metropolitan Government public-transport route and bus arrival services (data.go.kr, KOGL Type 1 — attribution) · Seoul TOPIS real-time road speed and incident feed (Seoul Open Data Plaza) · Seoul station data · road distances © OpenStreetMap contributors (OSRM) · places: Korea Tourism Organization (TourAPI). Fares checked 2026-09-28 against Seoul’s official fare pages. Times and fares are estimates, not an official journey planner. Page rebuilt 2026-10-11.
Last updated 2026-09-28. Editorial policy
