Seoul Subway

I’ve decided to blog about this as a guide for myself and others who might be traveling to Seoul in the future. Though I’ve used this service but I wouldnt know when would be my next trip to Seoul, if there’s any. So, by putting it here I could at least refer to it when the needs arise.

I’ve been into various of metro or subways in a few different countries so far & from what I see, they are pretty much the same. Taking the subways to get you from one place to another is not only convenient & fast but also cheap (except in Malaysia where everything is expensive….duhhhhh).

The most important thing when travelling via subway is knowing your final destination. In every station, there would definitely be a map of the tracks which shows which line to take & which station to alight or transfer. Besides knowing the destination, being alert to the signboards is also vital. Keep close track of the stations you’re heading to & make sure you’ll get into the right train whenever you’re required to change the train. Read the signs !

Unlike Japan, Korean’s subway has both language (Korean & English) written on their signboards. So, as long you read & follow the correct signboards, rest assured you’ll get to your destination safely.

Below are the steps as to how to purchase the subway tickets from the vending machine.

1. Selecting the language. In my case, it’s of course English.

2. Select the desired service. As a tourist, I dont think I really have much choice here but to select the Single Journey.

3. Search for station. The name of the stations are arranged in alphabetical order for an easy tracking. Should your desired station is not available on the screen, dont panic. Take note of the buttons on the right hand side of the screen for all the 26 alphabets from A to Z. If your desired station is Yeoksam, press the button Y~Z & search for it accordingly.

4. No of tickets purchased. Select how many ticket you intent to buy. Once selection is made, the total price of the tickets will be displayed & you can proceed with the payment accordingly by inserting the money into the machine. Dont worry if you dont have the exact amount as change is provided.

5. Once the payment has been settled, the ticket will be generated out from the machine. Take note that for each subway ticket purchased, an additional 500 won will be charged as a deposit – which can be refund once you arrived to your final destination. A different vending machine is provided specifically for this service.

So, there you are ! Easy isnt it? As far as Seoul is concerned, subway would is the best & highly recommended mode of transportation. Give it a try!