Getting around Seoul with a T-money card

Seoul has more than 20 lines, including the Seoul Metro lines and connected commuter lines. Everything is signed in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. Trains come every few minutes, and the stations are clean.

The base fare was around 1,500 won with a card, with small extra charges for longer distances. You tap in and tap out. Transfers between subway and bus within 30 minutes are free or discounted, which makes the system very cheap.

In six days, I spent about 38,000 won on subway and bus fares. That is less than 30 US dollars.

Buses

Seoul's buses are colour coded: blue for trunk routes, green for local routes, red for express routes to the suburbs and yellow for circular routes. You tap in when you board and tap out when you get off to get the transfer discount. The drivers are fast. Hold on.

Apps

Google Maps does not work well for directions in Korea. Download Naver Map or Kakao Map before you arrive. Both have English versions and show exact bus and subway routes, exits and walking directions. I used Naver Map for everything.

Taxis

Taxis are cheap compared with Singapore. A 15 minute ride cost me around 9,000 won. Use Kakao T to call one, although it can require a Korean phone number or payment method. Most drivers do not speak much English, so show the address in Korean.

Tips

• Keep your T-money card topped up with at least 10,000 won
• Tap out on buses to get transfer discounts
• Avoid rush hour on Line 2 and Line 9 express, which are extremely crowded
• Subway stations have many exits. Check the exit number on Naver Map before you go up
• The last trains run around midnight. After that, night buses (N routes) are available

Honest rating

Five out of five. Cheap, fast, clean, safe and easy even without Korean. The only small problems were cash-only top ups and needing Korean apps for maps and taxis. If you visit Seoul, you will not need a car or much money to see the whole city.