Seoul Subway Guide

Buy a T-money card, tap it at the gate and follow the line colour and station number: a Seoul subway ride costs ₩1,550 and trains run from about 05:30. The catch is the last train. On weekdays Line 2 runs until about 01:00, but on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays it stops before midnight. Times and fares were checked against Seoul Metro’s English and Korean pages and Seoul’s official timetable data on 6 October 2026.

Your situation	What to do
First day in Seoul, riding several times a day	Buy a T-money card at a convenience store and load ₩20,000–30,000 in cash
You only need one ride and have no card	Buy a single-journey ticket at the station machine (English mode)
Out late on a Saturday or holiday	Plan to be on your last train by about 23:30, or budget for a taxi
Carrying large suitcases	Avoid 07:00–09:00 and drop bags at a T-luggage counter, or have them sent to the airport
Not sure which exit to use	Check the exit number for your destination before you tap out

How to ride the Seoul subway, step by step

1. Find your route in a map app. Naver Map has English menus and gives subway routes with transfers and journey times.
2. Note three things: the line number and colour, the direction (the name of the last station on the line), and the exit number at your destination.
3. Tap your card on the reader at the gate. The screen shows the fare and your remaining balance.
4. Follow the signs for your line and direction to the platform. Signs, platform screens and announcements are in Korean and English.
5. Change lines by following the transfer signs in the line colour you want. You do not tap out between subway lines.
6. Tap out at your destination. The system needs the tap to work out the fare, so always tap out.
7. Leave by the right exit. Large stations have more than ten numbered exits that come up in different streets.

Every station has a number as well as a name; the first digit usually tells you the line. City Hall on Line 2, for example, is station 201. Station numbers are useful at ticket machines, which let you search a destination by number.

Paying: transport card or single-journey ticket

A rechargeable transport card is cheaper and quicker than buying a ticket every ride. Seoul Metro’s adult fares, checked on 6 October 2026:

Ticket	First 10 km	Notes
Transport card (T-money and similar)	₩1,550	+₩100 per 5 km up to 50 km; 20% early-bird discount before 06:30
Single-journey ticket	₩1,650	Plus a ₩500 deposit, refunded at your destination; no bus transfers
Climate Card short-term pass	Unlimited rides	₩5,000 for 1 day up to ₩20,000 for 7 days, plus a ₩3,000 card; Seoul subway and Seoul buses only

Pick a T-money card unless you will ride only once or twice. It also gives transfer discounts with buses and works in other Korean cities; see T-money and transit cards for where to buy one, top-ups, children’s fares and refunds.

Buying a single-journey ticket

1. At the ticket machine, select English at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select Single-Journey.
3. Choose your destination by station name, or search by station number.
4. Choose the number of tickets and insert cash for the fare plus the ₩500 deposit.
5. At the end of the trip, put the card into the Deposit Refund Device to get the ₩500 back.

Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards cannot be tapped at the gates yet. Seoul plans to fit contactless-card gates on lines 1 to 8 in 2027.

Reading the Seoul subway map: lines, operators and express trains

Lines are numbered 1 to 9 and colour-coded, and named lines such as the Airport Railroad (AREX), the Gyeongui–Jungang Line and the Shinbundang Line join them. Different companies run them, but one fare system covers the whole capital-area network, and one card works on all of them.

• Lines 1 to 8 are run by Seoul Metro. Korail trains also run on lines 1, 3 and 4, so a Line 1 train may continue well beyond Seoul.
• Line 9 has express trains as well as all-stop local trains. Express trains stop only at major stations, including Gimpo International Airport, Yeouido and the Express Bus Terminal, and cost the same. Check the train type on the platform screen before boarding.
• Branch lines: Line 2 is a loop with two short branches, and Line 5 splits in the east. Read the destination on the train front or platform screen.

Trains on lines 1 to 8 come every 2.5 to 4.5 minutes in the morning rush and about every 5 to 8.5 minutes at other times, according to Seoul Metro’s operating figures.

First and last trains: Seoul subway hours

First trains leave around 05:20–05:45, depending on the station. The last train is the time that matters, and it changes with the day of the week. Line 2 times from Seoul’s official timetable data, checked on 6 October 2026:

Day	First trains	Last trains
Monday to Friday	About 05:20–05:45	About 00:45–01:00
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays	About 05:20–05:45	About 23:45–23:58

Two things catch visitors out. Late trains often end their run partway along the line, so the last train from your station may not reach your stop. And lines run by other operators keep their own hours. Check the last train to your destination in a map app before a late dinner.

Service can also stop early for engineering work. In May 2026, Seoul Metro ended trains between Hongik Univ. and Euljiro 1-ga at midnight for one night instead of the usual 01:00.

Stations for Seoul’s main sights

Most sights are a few minutes’ walk from a numbered exit. Use these stations and exits:

Sight	Station (line)	Exit
Gyeongbokgung Palace	Gyeongbokgung (Line 3)	Exit 5
Changdeokgung Palace	Anguk (Line 3)	Exit 3
Bukchon Hanok Village	Anguk (Line 3)	Exit 3
Insadong	Anguk (Line 3)	Exit 6
Myeongdong	Myeongdong (Line 4)	Exits 5–10
Gwangjang Market	Jongno 5-ga (Line 1)	Exit 8
Dongdaemun Design Plaza	Dongdaemun History & Culture Park (Lines 2, 4, 5)	Exit 1
N Seoul Tower	Chungmuro (Lines 3, 4), then Namsan bus 01A or 01B	Exit 2
Lotte World Tower	Jamsil (Line 2 or 8)	Exits 1–2 (Line 2)
National Museum of Korea	Ichon (Line 4 or Gyeongui–Jungang)	Exit 2

Anguk Station on Line 3 is the stop for the palace and hanok quarter. One trip there covers Changdeokgung, Bukchon and Insadong on foot.

Seats, etiquette and rush hour

• Priority seats at both ends of each car are for older people, disabled passengers and others who need them. Leave them free even when the train is empty.
• Pink seats in the middle of the car, two per car on lines 1 to 8, are kept for pregnant women.
• Stand aside at the doors and let passengers off first.
• Keep calls short and music in headphones.
• Don’t smoke near the entrances. The 10 m around every Seoul subway entrance is a no-smoking area. More rules and manners are on the Korean etiquette page.
• Avoid the morning rush (roughly 07:00–09:00) with luggage or a pushchair, when trains run most often but are fullest.

Luggage: T-luggage storage and airport delivery

Seoul Metro runs staffed T-luggage counters in six stations. They store bags for the day or deliver them to another station or to Incheon Airport, which saves dragging suitcases through transfer corridors on your last day.

Size	Storage, first 4 hours (weekday / weekend)	Delivery to Incheon Airport (weekday / weekend)
S (up to 20 in)	₩3,000 / ₩4,000	₩20,000 / ₩29,000 (S–M)
M (20–23 in)	₩4,000 / ₩6,000	₩20,000 / ₩29,000 (S–M)
L (23–27 in)	₩6,000 / ₩9,000	₩26,000 / ₩38,000
XL (over 27 in)	₩9,000 / ₩13,000	₩31,000 / ₩45,000

Storage costs ₩1,000 for each extra hour. Counters open 09:00–22:00 every day at Seoul Station (Line 1, B1 near Exit 1), Hongik Univ. (Line 2, Exits 3–4), Jamsil (Line 2, Exits 3–4), Myeongdong (Line 4, Exits 9–10), Gimpo International Airport (Line 5) and Jongno 3-ga (Line 5, Exit 6). Book ahead at tluggage.co.kr or walk in.

What can go wrong on the subway

Where to next

The subway reaches almost every sight in Seoul; our three-day Seoul itinerary shows how to string them together. For the card itself, read T-money and transit cards. To leave the city, see the transportation overview and how to book KTX trains. Route apps need data, so compare SIM cards and eSIMs before you fly.