If you’re traveling to South Korea, you’ll almost always land at Incheon Airport, which is located in Incheon, not Seoul.
As most people traveling to South Korea stay in Seoul, this guide describes how to get there from Incheon Airport.
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There are three different ways to get to Seoul from Incheon Airport. You can either take the AREX train from Incheon Airport directly to Seoul Station, take one of the dedicated airport buses to different places in Seoul, or take a taxi.
Check out the rest of the guide for more information on each transportation method, including time and price.
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Transportation from Incheon Airport to Seoul
Seoul is by far the most-visited city in South Korea. It is the capital, after all, and has an incredible number of things to see and enjoy.
Almost all international flights going to South Korea land at Incheon Airport, so chances are that you’ll land there as well if you’re planning to visit Seoul.
Incheon Airport is a bit far away from Seoul, so you’ll have to take transportation to get to Seoul after landing at Incheon Airport.
There are three different transportation options from Incheon Airport to Seoul:
- Train
- Bus
- Taxi
Here are some more details on each method.
Train
A special train/subway line called the Airport Railroad, also known as AREX, goes all the way from the Incheon Airport to Seoul Station.
It has several stops along the way, but after about 45 minutes, the train will arrive at Seoul Station. Including getting to the station, buying a ticket or travel card, etc. You’re probably looking at around 1 hour total travel time with this option.
You can purchase a one-way ticket from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station, or you can purchase a t-money card at Incheon Airport and use that, as you’re going to need it for public transportation in Seoul.
The fare for this journey will be about ₩10,000 (~$7.5).
Depending on where you’re staying, you’ll probably have to take another subway line or bus from Seoul Station to your accommodation as Seoul is a large city. Use either Naver Maps or Kakao Maps to find the route you need to take to get to your accommodation from Seoul Station. There might also be a better connection than Seoul Station, in which case the app will tell you.
When you’re going back to the airport after your visit, you can take the same train from Seoul to get to Incheon Airport.
Bus
Several airport bus lines run from Incheon Airport to different places in Seoul.
The bus stops for buses going to Seoul are located outside of exits 4, 5, and 6. Buses to other locations are located outside the rest of the exits.
There are ticket offices where you can purchase tickets for the buses both outside of the exits where the bus stops are, as well as inside the Arrivals Hall on the first floor.
You can find all bus routes on the Incheon Airport website by clicking the different bus numbers under “Seoul” and scrolling down to “Route information”. You can also find the departure times there.
If you’re unsure whether to take a bus or the train to Seoul from Incheon Airport, I recommend going taking the train and then taking a subway or a bus in Seoul from Seoul Station to your accommodation.
In case an airport bus goes close to your accommodation directly from Incheon Airport, and you think it’s more convenient to take that, I recommend using either Naver Maps or Kakao Maps to confirm that the bus goes to where you think it does.
Depending on what stop you’re getting off at, the travel time with an airport bus to Seoul will be around 1:15 – 1:45. The ticket price is around ₩15,000 (~$11.2).
Taxi
The most convenient and also most expensive method of transportation from Incheon Airport to Seoul is taking a taxi.
To find a taxi from Incheon Airport, you can either go directly to one of the waiting taxis located on the other side of the road behind the bus stops outside of all exits on the first floor or book a taxi through Kakao T. Check out our guide on how to easily get a taxi in South Korea to learn how to book one through Kakao T.
If you go directly to a waiting taxi, say the name of the Hotel or other kind of accommodation you’re staying at and perhaps show them the location on Naver Maps or Kakao Maps if they do not understand. If they still don’t understand, you can say the name of a subway station near your destination, and they should understand.
Travel time from Incheon Airport to your destination in Seoul is about 40-60 minutes, depending on where you’re staying.
The taxi fare from Incheon Airport to Seoul depends on the travel time and distance, but the fare will be around ₩55,000 – ₩75,000 (~$41-$56).
That’s how to get from Incheon Airport to Seoul!
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