Incheon International Airport is South Korea’s main international airport, and the journey from Seoul airport to the city centre takes around an hour. The airport has two terminals, and trains, airport buses and taxis run straight into the city from both. The train is called AREX and comes in two versions: the Express Train runs non-stop to Seoul Station, while the All Stop Train also stops in Hongdae.
The right choice depends on where you’re staying and when you land. The train is best for Hongdae and Seoul Station, while the airport buses run to the hotels in Myeongdong, Insadong, Itaewon, Dongdaemun and Gangnam. Below you’ll find journey times, how to buy tickets, how to pay and where to get off for each of them, and at the end there’s a section on Gimpo Airport in case your flight lands there instead. For the rough conversions I’ve used about £0.56 and $0.75 per 1,000 won.
Contents
At a glance
- AREX Express Train: Around 13,000 won (about £7.30/$9.70), 43 minutes non-stop from Terminal 1 to Seoul Station, roughly every 30 to 40 minutes. The ticket comes with a reserved seat.
- AREX All Stop Train: Around 4,750 won (about £2.70/$3.50) and 59 minutes from Terminal 1 to Seoul Station, 52 minutes to Hongik University, running every few minutes until around 23:30.
- Airport bus: 17,000 won (about £9.60/$12.50) with Airport Limousine and 18,000 won (about £10/$13.50) with K Limousine, typically 60 to 80 minutes to the hotels, running from around 05:15 to 23:00.
- Night bus: 17,000 won (about £9.60/$12.50) or 18,000 won (about £10/$13.50), four routes from shortly before midnight until around 05:00.
- Taxi: Metered, with a starting fare of 4,800 won (about £2.70/$3.60) and a night surcharge between 22:00 and 04:00, around an hour’s drive to the centre.
- International Taxi: Fixed fare of 70,000 to 95,000 won to Seoul depending on the zone, and you have to book at least 24 hours ahead.
- Gimpo Airport: AREX All Stop Train to Seoul Station in around 23 minutes, or Metro Lines 5 and 9.
Finding your transport at Incheon Airport
The airport has two terminals a fair distance apart. Terminal 2 is used by Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Delta Air Lines, among others, and Terminal 1 by airlines including Jeju Air and a number of non-Korean carriers, so check your ticket. The signs use Korean floor numbering: 1F is the arrivals hall at street level, B1 is the floor below and 3F is the departures hall. You’ll find maps of the terminals on the airport’s public transport page.
Terminal 1
The train leaves from the Transportation Center on B1, where the ticket machines are, and you follow the Airport Railroad signs from the arrivals hall. The airport buses stop right outside the arrivals hall on 1F, and the buses to Seoul leave from the bays outside exits 3 to 7. The ticket offices are inside the hall by exits 4 and 9 and outside by exits 4, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 13, and there are ticket machines by exits 4, 7, 8 and 11.
The taxis wait on 1F too: regular taxis at stands 5C, 6C and 6D, deluxe taxis at 7C, jumbo taxis at 8C, International Taxi at 4C and pre-booked cars at 1C and 14C.
Terminal 2
In Terminal 2, trains and buses are both in the Transportation Center on B1, and the train station has ticket machines and a ticket office. In the bus terminal, the buses to Seoul leave from bays 11 to 35 in the middle of the terminal, the ticket office is in the middle of the waiting hall, and there are ticket machines at both ends. The taxis wait on 1F and are split up according to whether they’re going to Seoul, Incheon or Gyeonggi, so follow the signs for Seoul.
Between the terminals
A free shuttle bus runs between the terminals from 3F roughly every 10 minutes from early morning until late in the evening. At Terminal 1 it stops by exit 8 and at Terminal 2 between exits 4 and 5, and the trip takes 15 to 18 minutes. AREX also runs between the terminals in 6 minutes, but you’ll need a ticket for that. It’s all on the airport’s page on transport between the terminals.
1. AREX Express Train to Seoul Station
The AREX Express Train runs non-stop from the airport to Seoul Station, where you can change to Metro Lines 1 and 4 and to KTX trains to the rest of the country. The journey takes around 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 minutes from Terminal 2, and the train runs roughly every 30 to 40 minutes. All seats are reserved, so you’ll have your own seat the whole way.
The express makes most sense if you’re staying near Seoul Station or in Myeongdong, or if you’re travelling on by KTX. The catch is the wait: if you’ve just missed a train, the All Stop Train can get you there just as quickly, because it runs much more often. On both AREX trains you can bring two pieces of luggage, and each one has to be under 32 kg and under 158 cm when you add up the length, width and height.
Fares and tickets
An express ticket is only valid for the train and the seat printed on it. You buy it at the Express Train customer centre or from the dedicated machines at the station, and you can also reserve on the AREX website or in the app up to two months ahead. The machines and ticket offices take foreign credit cards. An adult ticket costs around 13,000 won (about £7.30/$9.70) and a child ticket around 9,500 won (about £5.40/$7.10). The current fare and the timetable are shown on the machine and on the AREX website.
Children aged 6 to 12 travel on a child ticket, and a child under 6 travels free with an adult if the child doesn’t need a seat of their own. If you change your mind, the ticket can be refunded before departure for a fee of 1,000 won (about £0.56/$0.75), and the fee is waived if you cancel no later than the day before. Transport cards such as T-money are valid on the All Stop Train, while the express needs its own ticket.
If you’ve bought a Discover Seoul Pass, a single journey on AREX is included, and the pass also gives you one trip with K Limousine from Seoul to the airport. The terms are on the Visit Seoul website.
2. AREX All Stop Train to Hongdae and Seoul Station
The All Stop Train runs on the same line as the express but stops along the way, including at Gimpo Airport, Digital Media City, Hongik University and Gongdeok, before terminating at Seoul Station. From Terminal 1, the journey takes around 52 minutes to Hongik University, 56 minutes to Gongdeok and 59 minutes to Seoul Station, and from Terminal 2 you need to add around 6 minutes.
The train runs all day, roughly every 5 to 12 minutes, and most public transport from the airport to the centre stops at around 23:30. It’s an ordinary commuter train with no seat reservations, so you can’t count on a seat in rush hour. On the other hand, it’s the cheapest way into the city and the only train that runs direct to Hongdae. The stations are listed on the airport’s page about the train.
Fares and tickets
The fare depends on the distance and is made up of two fares added together: the base fare is 1,550 won (about £0.87/$1.15) on the stretch between Seoul Station and Cheongna International City and 1,200 won (about £0.68/$0.89) on the airport stretch, and a distance supplement is added to both. With T-money, the trip to Seoul Station costs around 4,750 won (about £2.70/$3.50) from Terminal 1 and around 5,350 won (about £3/$4) from Terminal 2, and the machine shows the fare.
Without T-money, you buy a single-journey card from the machine, and you can pay for it by credit card at every AREX station. It costs 100 won more than the trip with T-money, and you pay a deposit of 500 won (about £0.28/$0.37), which you get back from a refund machine once you’ve gone out through the ticket gates at your final station. Children aged 6 to 12 pay the child fare, and children under 6 travel free with an adult.
The Mpass tourist card covers the All Stop Train but not the express, and it’s issued at Tmoney Town by Seoul Station, so you won’t have it when you land. The Climate Card is only valid within Seoul, so it doesn’t cover the trip from the airport. The rules are set out by the Korea Tourism Organization.
T-money and foreign cards
The card readers at the ticket gates on AREX and the metro, and on the city buses, don’t take foreign credit cards, so you’ll need a T-money card or a single-journey ticket. The ticket machines and ticket offices, on the other hand, do take foreign credit cards.
The T-money card costs 3,000 won (about £1.70/$2.20) to 5,000 won (about £2.80/$3.70) and is sold in convenience stores such as GS25, CU and 7-Eleven. If your payment card is from outside Korea, you can only buy it and top it up with cash, so withdraw some won before you go down to the train. The card is also valid on the metro, the city buses and most taxis, and you top it up at the ticket machines in the metro stations.
Where to get off
Hongik University: The station for Hongdae, and the one to get off at if you’re staying in the neighbourhood. From here, Metro Line 2 continues to Euljiro 1(il)-ga by Myeongdong and to Gangnam. Remember that the express doesn’t stop here.
Gongdeok: Change here to Metro Line 6 if you’re heading for Itaewon, or to Line 5 towards Jongno 3-ga and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park. That saves you going all the way into Seoul Station first.
Seoul Station: The terminus for both trains. From here, take Metro Line 4 to Myeongdong and Dongdaemun, or Line 1 to Jonggak and Jongno 3-ga by Insadong. The express arrives on level B7 deep underground, so expect quite a few escalators before you reach the metro or the street.
3. Airport bus to the hotels in Seoul
The airport buses, also known as limousine buses, run from both terminals to fixed stops at hotels and metro stations all over Seoul. They’re slower than the train, typically 60 to 80 minutes depending on the traffic, but your suitcase goes in the luggage hold and you avoid stairs and changes. If you’re staying in Myeongdong, Insadong, Itaewon, Dongdaemun or Gangnam, the bus is often the easiest choice.
Three companies run the routes you’ll need. Airport Limousine runs the 6001, 6002, 6011 and 6015, among others, K Limousine runs the 6701, 6702 and 6703, and Seoul Airport Limousine runs the 6020 to Gangnam. The buses start at Terminal 2 and reach Terminal 1 around 20 minutes later. From Terminal 2, the first buses leave between around 05:15 and 06:00 and the last ones between around 22:00 and 23:00, depending on the route.
Buses 6001, 6002 and 6015 run every 10 to 20 minutes for most of the day, while there are 20 to 60 minutes between departures on the other routes. The timetables are on the Airport Limousine and K Limousine websites.
In Terminal 2, the 6015 leaves from bay 28, the 6001 from 29, the 6002 from 30 and the 6011 from 31, K Limousine uses 18 and 19, and bus 6020 leaves from 14 to 16. In Terminal 1, K Limousine leaves from 3B and 4A and bus 6020 from 4A and 4B. Ask which bay your bus leaves from when you buy your ticket, because it can change.
Fares and tickets
With Airport Limousine, the trip costs 17,000 won (about £9.60/$12.50) for adults and 12,000 won (about £6.80/$8.90) for children aged 6 to 12. K Limousine costs 18,000 won (about £10/$13.50) for adults and 12,000 won (about £6.80/$8.90) for children, and bus 6020 costs 17,000 won (about £9.60/$12.50) for adults and 11,000 won (about £6.20/$8.20) for children. A child under 6 travels free with an adult on Airport Limousine if they don’t need a seat of their own.
From the airport, you have to buy your ticket before you board, because the driver takes neither cash nor transport cards here. Tickets are sold at the ticket offices and from the machines by the buses, and the machines are available round the clock. You can pay by foreign credit card at both. Say which hotel or stop you’re going to, and you’ll get a ticket for the right route.
With Airport Limousine, each passenger can bring two suitcases of up to 28 inches and 20 kg, and extra luggage costs 8,000 won (about £4.50/$6) per item.
Where to get off
Myeongdong: Bus 6015 stops at Namdaemun Market, Lotte Hotel IBIS Myeong-dong and Royal Hotel (Euljiro 1-ga) and terminates at Myeong-dong stn. Bus 6001 stops at Seoul stn, Hoehyeon stn and Myeong-dong stn, and K Limousine 6701 stops at City Hall, Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station and the Myeongdong stop (Aloft Seoul, Le Meridien).
Hongdae: Bus 6002 stops at Hapjeong stn, Seogyo-dong and Hongik Univ.
Insadong and Jongno: Bus 6011 stops at Gyeong-bok-gung, Anguk stn and Chang-deok-gung, and from Anguk stn you can walk to both Insadong and Bukchon Hanok Village. Bus 6002 runs along Jongno and stops at Jongno 1(il)-ga, Jongno 2(i)ga and Jongno 3(sam)-ga.
Dongdaemun: Bus 6002 stops at Jongno 6-ga (Dongdaemun Market) and Dongdaemun (Heunginjimun Gate). K Limousine 6702 stops at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), JW Marriott Hotel Dongdaemun and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park.
Itaewon: K Limousine 6702 stops at Itaewon 2-dong Community Service Center and Namsan (Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel) after calling at Seoul Station.
Gangnam: K Limousine 6703 stops at Sinnonhyeon Stn., The Westin Seoul Parnas / COEX, Seolleung Stn. and Yeoksam, among others. Bus 6020 runs via Express Bus Terminal to Gangnam station and Yeoksam station.
4. Night bus from the airport
If you land late, four night buses run from the airport to Seoul once the trains and regular buses have stopped. They have an N in front of the number, run from Terminal 2 via Terminal 1 and have five to six departures each from shortly before midnight until around 05:00.
The N6002 runs to Hongik Univ. in around 45 minutes from Terminal 1 and on to the Four Seasons Hotel by Gwanghwamun, Dongdaemun and Cheongnyangni. The N6701 runs to Mapo Station, Seoul Station in around an hour, Euljiro Entrance close to Myeongdong and Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The N6703 runs to Seorae Village, COEX in around 65 minutes and Jamsil, and the N6000 runs to Gangnam Express Bus Terminal in around 70 minutes.
The N6000 and N6002 cost 17,000 won (about £9.60/$12.50) for adults and 10,000 won (about £5.60/$7.50) for children, and the N6701 and N6703 cost 18,000 won (about £10/$13.50) for adults and 12,000 won (about £6.80/$8.90) for children. You have to buy your ticket at the ticket office or the machine before you board. In Terminal 1, the N6701 and N6703 leave from bay 3B and the N6000 and N6002 from 6A. The departure times are on the airport’s night bus page.
5. Taxis and International Taxi
A taxi takes you to the door in around an hour, and longer in rush hour. The regular taxis run on the meter with a starting fare of 4,800 won (about £2.70/$3.60), and the deluxe taxis and the large nine-seater jumbo taxis start at 7,000 won (about £3.90/$5.20). There’s no surcharge for the drive from the airport to Seoul, but between 22:00 and 04:00 there’s a night surcharge of 20 to 40 per cent, and the motorway toll is added on top of the meter.
The taxis take cash, credit cards and T-money, and the card readers take foreign credit cards too. If you’d rather book through an app, there’s k.ride, which is made for tourists and takes foreign cards, and Uber Taxi. Only use the official taxi stands: the airport itself warns against drivers who pose as taxi drivers and overcharge. The stands and the fares are on the airport’s taxi page.
International Taxi is the official scheme with drivers who speak English, Japanese or Chinese, and here the fare between the airport and Seoul is fixed. The city is divided into five zones, and a regular car costs from 70,000 won (about £39.50/$52) for zone A up to 95,000 won (about £54/$71) for zone E. In Visit Seoul’s zone overview, Mapo with Hongdae is in zone B at 75,000 won (about £42.50/$56), Jongno and Yongsan with Itaewon are in zone C at 85,000 won (about £48/$63) and Gangnam is in zone D at 90,000 won (about £51/$67). A large car costs from 100,000 won (about £56/$75) to 140,000 won (about £79/$104).
A regular car has room for three passengers and three pieces of luggage. You have to book at least 24 hours ahead on the International Taxi website or in the app, and you can pay in cash or by Visa, Mastercard or American Express. In Terminal 1, the cars wait at stand 4C. When you book, ask whether the motorway toll is included in the fare.
Private transfer
If you’d like everything arranged before you travel, you can book a private transfer from Incheon Airport to your hotel here. The price is for the whole car with up to four people, and the driver meets you on arrival.
If you’re a larger group, you can book a private transfer with room for up to seven or twelve people here.
6. From Gimpo Airport to the city centre
Gimpo International Airport is much closer to the city, and here the train is the obvious choice. The AREX All Stop Train runs from Gimpo Airport to Hongik University in around 14 minutes and to Seoul Station in around 23 minutes, and it’s the same train that comes from Incheon. The express doesn’t stop at Gimpo.
Metro Lines 5 and 9 run from the same station. Line 5 runs to Gongdeok, Jongno 3-ga and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park without a change, and Line 9 runs to Express Bus Terminal and to Bongeunsa by COEX in Gangnam. The trip costs from 1,550 won (about £0.87/$1.15) with T-money plus a small distance supplement, and the rules for T-money and single-journey tickets are the same as at Incheon.
There are airport buses from Gimpo too, and the ticket office is by Gate 1 on 1F in the domestic terminal. The taxis wait by exit 3 on 1F at the international terminal and by exit 6 at the domestic terminal. The details are in the Korea Tourism Organization’s airport guide.
Onward travel around South Korea straight from the airport
If you’re not heading into Seoul, you can travel straight from the airport to many other cities by long-distance bus. In Terminal 1, the regional buses leave from the bays outside exits 11 to 13, and in Terminal 2 from bays 1 to 10 on B1. You’ll find the routes region by region in the airport’s bus search.
The airport’s train station is only served by AREX, so there’s no KTX from the airport itself. If you’re continuing by high-speed train, take AREX to Seoul Station, where KTX trains depart, or an airport bus to KTX Gwangmyeong Station, which Airport Limousine serves with routes 6004 and 6014. The KTX ticket machines and ticket offices take foreign credit cards.
Getting back to the airport
The airport buses keep early hours. Towards the airport, the first ones leave their city terminus at around 04:00 to 04:30, but the last ones leave as early as around 18:15 to 20:20, depending on the route. In the city, you pay the driver: Airport Limousine takes cash and T-money but not ordinary credit cards, while K Limousine takes both credit cards and T-money. You can’t reserve a seat with Airport Limousine, so if the bus is full, you’ll have to wait for the next one.
Tell the driver whether you’re going to Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 when you board. The buses usually go to Terminal 1 first and continue to Terminal 2, and AREX also stops at Terminal 1 first and reaches Terminal 2 around 6 minutes later. The buses’ journey time varies with the traffic, so take the train if you’re on a tight schedule.
If you’ve got a very early flight, the four night buses also run towards the airport on the same routes, with departures from late in the evening until around 03:30. The AREX Express Train runs from Seoul Station between 06:10 and 22:50.
If you take the express, you can check in and drop off your suitcase at the City Airport Terminal at Seoul Station, provided your airline is part of the scheme. The terminal is on level B2, check-in is open from 05:20 to 19:00 and passport control from 05:30 to 19:00, and it only applies to same-day flights. Check-in closes three hours before departure from Terminal 1 and three hours and 20 minutes before departure from Terminal 2. The rules are on the airport’s City Airport Terminal page.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend, depending on where you’re staying:
Myeongdong: Take bus 6015 or 6001 to Myeong-dong stn if you’ve got a lot of luggage. If you’d rather go by train, take the AREX Express Train to Seoul Station and Metro Line 4 for the last stretch.
Hongdae: Take the AREX All Stop Train to Hongik University. It’s direct and the cheapest option, and you avoid the traffic.
Insadong and Jongno: Take bus 6011 to Anguk stn, the stop for Insadong and Bukchon. The alternative is AREX to Seoul Station and Metro Line 1 to Jonggak or Jongno 3-ga.
Gangnam: Take K Limousine 6703 or bus 6020. By train, you have to change to Metro Line 2 at Hongik University and then it’s a long ride, so I’d choose the bus here.
Itaewon: Take K Limousine 6702, which runs direct. By train, get off at Gongdeok and change to Metro Line 6.
Dongdaemun: Take bus 6002 or K Limousine 6702. By train, go to Seoul Station and change to Metro Line 4.
If you land at night: Take one of the four night buses if one of them serves your neighbourhood, and otherwise take a taxi. Remember the night surcharge on the meter between 22:00 and 04:00.
If there are three or four of you: Three bus tickets cost 51,000 won (about £29/$38), so an International Taxi at 75,000 to 90,000 won isn’t much more expensive, and it takes you to the door. If there are four of you, you’ll need a large car or a jumbo taxi.
Practical tips for getting from Incheon Airport to Seoul
Withdraw won before you leave the arrivals hall. If your payment card is foreign, the T-money card can only be bought and topped up with cash, and Airport Limousine only takes cash and T-money on the way back to the airport.
Allow for a wait after you land. The airport itself recommends allowing one to two hours to get through immigration when you’re planning your onward journey from the airport. So don’t buy a ticket for a specific departure until you’re standing in the arrivals hall.
Send your suitcase on ahead. T-Luggage delivers luggage the same day between the airport and counters at Seoul Station, Hongik University Station, Myeongdong Station and Gimpo Airport Station. At the airport, the counters are on 3F opposite check-in counter B in Terminal 1 and H in Terminal 2.
Choose your hotel with the connection in mind. If you stay in Hongdae, the AREX All Stop Train runs direct, and you can see hotels in Hongdae here. Three of the airport buses stop in Myeongdong, and you can see hotels in Myeongdong here. Both bus 6002 and bus 6702 stop in Dongdaemun, and you can see hotels in Dongdaemun here. If you’d like to stay south of the river with buses 6703 and 6020 to the door, you can see hotels in Gangnam here.
If you’re not sure which neighbourhood suits you, read my guide to where to stay in Seoul. If you’re combining Seoul with other big cities in Asia, I’ve also written guides to where to stay in Tokyo and where to stay in Taipei.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
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