There are a number of ways to reach the city from Seoul’s Incheon Airport. This quick guide will give you a rundown of the different options for transportation from the airport to the city.
Once clearing immigration and collecting your bags, your journey hasn’t ended just yet as the airport lies nearly 50 km outside of the city centre. The most popular ways to reach the city are by taking the AREX airport line, Limousine Bus or Taxi.
Airport Train
Source: Subway06 via Wiki Commons
The AREX Airport Railroad is the fastest way to reach the north side of the Han river (Hongdae, Myeongdong, Euljiro and Jongno). There are two different services – one non stop train between Incheon and Seoul Station and one ‘all stop’ service serving all stations en route.
Source: Minseong Kim via Wikipedia
Express Service Train (Non Stop between Seoul Station and Incheon Airport)
Duration: 43 minutes
Frequency: Every 25-40 minutes
Operating Hours: Incheon to Seoul Station 05:20-21:40/ Seoul Station to Incheon 06:00-22:10
Fare: Adults ₩8000 Adult and ₩6900 Children (as of August 2015)
Source:Wrightbus via Wikipedia
Commuter “All Stop” Service
Duration: 56 minutes
Frequency: Approximately every 10 minutes
Operating Hours: Between 05:20-23:30
Fare: Adults ₩4250 and Children ₩1900 (plus any connecting transfer costs)
To buy a ticket for this service you can use the multilingual automated ticketing machines in the station or purchase a T-Money transport card at a convenience store.
KAL Airport Limousine Bus
An alternative to the airport train are the city’s “Limousine” Airport buses. These buses are decked out in comfy leather upholstered seats and operate services to various areas around the city including landmark hotels and subway stations. There are two routes that run through the night with services to Gangnam (N6000) and Seoul Station (N6001).
Source: Yerbol Nisanbayev via Wiki Commons
Duration: 60-70 minutes
Frequency: Route dependent – usually every 20-30 minutes
Operating Hours: Approx. 05:00-23:00 (route dependent)
Fare: Discount tickets on Klook are ₩13,014 (single) and₩25,013 (roundtrip)
Tickets can be purchased from ticketing counters and booths located on the arrivals level of the airport or at a discount online in advance:
Taxi
In Seoul there are three types of taxis including regular, deluxe and jumbo taxis (Jumbo Taxis seat between 6-10 people). Taxi drivers are likely to only be able to speak Korean so it is a good idea to have your destination written down in Korean.
Source: screenpunk via Flickr
Duration: 60-70 minutes
Fare: ₩60,000 – ₩100,000 (including toll fees paid by the passenger – be sure to have some small cash ready)
The base fare for Regular Taxis is ₩3000. Deluxe and Jumbo taxis base fare is ₩5000 and there is a 20% night surcharge between 24:00-04:00.
International Taxis
A fleet of international taxis are also available in Seoul and these drivers will speak a foreign language (including English, Chinese and Japanese). From the airport they operate a flat fare service which costs between ₩65,000 and ₩75,000. There is a concierge service in the arrivals hall of the airport where an agent will book a taxi and allocate a driver for you.
General information about Seoul Transport Hubs
- Seoul has two airports: Incheon (most international flights and selected domestic flights) and Gimpo (most domestic flights and select flights to China and Japan)
- You can transfer between Incheon and Gimpo Airport using the ‘all stop commuter’ train (₩3750) or by Airport Limousine Bus (₩5000)
- KTX (High Speed Rail) and rail services mainly operate from Seoul Station however there are select KTX services that operate directly to and from Incheon Airport
