Subway and bus, the cheap way

What a ride costs

₩1,550 subway, adult, by card

• Longer rides: after the first 10 km, ₩100 more for every 5 km (every 8 km after 50 km).
• Teens (13–18): ₩900 and children (6–12): ₩550 on the subway and blue or green buses, by card. The discount works only after the card is registered as a youth or child card.
• Under 6: free with a paying adult (up to 3 children).
• Before 06:30: 20% off your first ride, by card.
• A single-journey subway ticket also needs a ₩500 deposit, which a machine at your exit station gives back.

Change within 30 minutes and you mostly pay once

With a card, switching between subway and bus counts as one trip if you get on the next one within 30 minutes of getting off (60 minutes from 21:00 to 07:00). You pay the higher base fare once, plus any distance extra. Up to 5 rides in a row.

Tap your card when you get off the bus. If you don't, the free transfer is lost.

Climate Card: unlimited rides for a few days

• Plus ₩3,000 for the card itself, once.
• Covers: Seoul subway lines, Seoul city and village buses, Ttareungyi bikes and the Hangang Bus.
• Doesn't cover: the Sinbundang Line, lines outside Seoul, intercity and airport buses.
• Counts calendar days. A 1-day pass ends with the last train or bus of the day you charge it, so start it in the morning.
• Incheon Airport: you can ride the Airport Railroad to the airport and get off, but you can't board there. Arrive with T-money, leave with the Climate Card.
• Where to buy: station machines and convenience stores near stations. The new machines at 273 stations on Lines 1–8 also take Visa and Mastercard (about 3.7% fee); cash always works.
• Unused money comes back before the pass expires: what you charged, minus what you rode, minus ₩500.

Quick math: 4 rides a day × ₩1,550 = ₩6,200. A 5-day pass is ₩3,000 a day.

Your first subway ride

1. Search in Naver Map (English mode): it shows the line color, the direction (the last station on that line) and how many stops. Set up Naver Map
2. Follow the line color and the name of the end station on the signs. Station names are in English too.
3. Tap in at the gate. The screen shows your balance.
4. Changing lines? Follow the transfer signs. You stay inside the gates, so it's free.
5. Tap out at your station. Your fare is worked out by distance when you leave.
6. Pick the exit number Naver Map gives you (Exit 1, 2, 3 …). The right exit can save you a 10-minute walk.

Buses are easier than you think

The subway is the main way around, but buses go where the subway doesn't, and you see the city on the way. The bus color tells you what kind it is:

• Blue: long routes linking the city center with other parts of Seoul.
• Green: local routes that connect to the subway and to blue buses. Small green village buses run short neighborhood loops.
• Yellow: short loops around the city center.
• Red: express buses to cities around Seoul. You won't usually need them.
• N in the number: late-night buses after the subway stops.

How to ride

1. Naver Map shows the bus number and the stop. Many stops also have a screen with minutes until each bus arrives.
2. Step forward as your bus comes so the driver sees you (local tip), then get on at the front door and tap your card.
3. Press a red stop button before your stop. Naver Map counts the stops for you.
4. Get off at the back door and tap your card again. This keeps your free transfer.

Have a card ready, not cash. Some Seoul city buses don't take cash at all (183 routes in January 2026).