Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING AROUND SEOUL
Bus, subway, taxi and train fares can all be paid using the rechargeable touch-and-go
T-
card can be bought for a nonrefundable
₩
3000 at any subway station booth, bus kiosks and
convenience stores displaying the T-Money logo; reload it with credit at any of the afore-
mentioned places and get money refunded that hasn't been used (up to
₩
20,000 minus a
processing fee of
₩
500) at subway machines and participating convenience store before
you leave Seoul.
Subway
connects up with destinations well beyond the city borders, including Suwon and Incheon.
The minimum fare of
₩
1150 (
₩
1050 with a T-Money card) takes you up to 12km. In cent-
ral Seoul the average time between stations is just over two minutes, so it takes around 25
minutes to go 10 stops. Some top-end hotels and a few sights are a 15-minute walk from a
subway station but you can hail taxis from the closest station.
Most subway stations have lifts or stair lifts for wheelchairs. Escalators are common, but
you'll do a fair amount of walking up and down stairs and along corridors. Neighbourhood
maps, including ones with digital touch screens, inside the stations help you figure out
which of the subway exits to take. The closest station and exit number is provided for all
listings.
Taxi
Regular taxis are a good deal for short trips. The basic fare for 2km is
₩
2400 and rises
₩
100 for every 144m or 35 seconds after that if the taxi is travelling below 15km/h. A 20%
surcharge is levied between midnight and 4am. Deluxe taxis are black with a yellow stripe
and cost
₩
4500 for the first 3km and
₩
200 for every 164m or 39 seconds, but they don't
have a late-night surcharge.
Few taxi drivers speak English, but most taxis have a free interpretation service whereby
an interpreter talks to the taxi driver and to you by phone. Orange
International Taxi
(
1644 2255;
www.internationaltaxi.co.kr
)
have English-speaking drivers; these can be reserved in ad-
