THE PRACTICAL GUIDE / TRANSPORT

Seoul Station & KTX tickets

Find Seoul Station, buy a KTX ticket and board your train with confidence.

SEOUL STATION / KTX

Your starting point for a trip beyond Seoul

KTX is Korea’s high-speed intercity rail service. At Seoul Station, follow the KTX / Trains signs to the main railway concourse.

Modern Seoul Station west entrance, photographed in November 2014
Seoul Station, west entrance · 21 November 2014.
Photo: Minseong Kim (IMKSv) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; card previews are cropped.

Rail route maps & train search

Plan with the official network map

Open KORAIL’s rail maps and timetable downloads, then check the stations for your journey. The linked download directory is in Korean; use your browser translation and select the route-map or timetable item.

Open official rail maps ↗

Find a train for your date

Enter the departure and arrival stations, date and passenger count in KORAIL’s English search. Compare departure time, arrival time, train type, fare and seat availability before reserving.

Search trains & fares ↗

Maps help you plan the network; the booking search confirms the service available for your date.

View or cancel an existing booking

Open My Train Booking Information and enter the details used when purchasing. Select your booking and review the available cancellation or refund option, any fee and the refund amount before confirming. Keep the cancellation confirmation.

For tickets purchased through another seller, return to that seller. Tourist-train purchases may use the Korean site’s themed-train booking menus. If a direct link opens the KORAIL home page, choose My Ticket / My Reservation or use browser translation to find the tourist-train reservation lookup and cancellation menu.

These buttons open official KORAIL services. Payment, ticket issuance and cancellation take place there.

MAKE THE JOURNEY PART OF THE TRIP

Five scenic train journeys

Choose a landscape you love, then check the train for your travel date. These are tourist trains with their own services and boarding stations. Routes below are planning references; operating sections, days and rolling stock may change.

SEA & SANTA VILLAGE

Donghae Santa Train

동해산타열차

Gangneung ↔ Buncheon

A family-friendly journey combining East Sea scenery with the mountains around Buncheon Santa Village.

Travel to Gangneung first; this tourist train does not start at Seoul Station.

RIVER & MOUNTAIN VIEWS

Baekdudaegan Canyon Train

백두대간협곡열차 · V-train

Buncheon ↔ Cheoram · Yeongju services vary

Choose this journey for close-up canyon scenery and small mountain stations along the Baekdudaegan.

Plan a separate connection to your booked boarding station. Check the latest operating-section notice.

SOUTHERN CULTURE

Namdo Sea Train

남도해양열차 · S-train

Seoul ↔ Yeosu-Expo · other services vary

A slower journey into southern Korea, pairing railway travel with the region’s culture and coastal destinations.

Select the exact service before planning your journey; some routes depart from other cities.

JEONGSEON & ARIRANG

Jeongseon Arirang Train

정선아리랑열차 · A-train

Jecheon ↔ Auraji

Explore Jeongseon’s mountain scenery and Arirang heritage. Coordinate your visit with the local market if that interests you.

Connect to Jecheon separately. The current tourist-train section is not a direct departure from Seoul or Cheongnyangni.

WESTERN KOREA

West Gold Train

서해금빛열차 · G-train

Yongsan ↔ Iksan

A west-coast-region rail trip with distinctive ondol-style rooms on the themed train. Confirm the available carriage type when booking.

Board at Yongsan, a different station from Seoul Station. Check for replacement-train notices.

On KORAIL’s tourist-train booking page (Korean), select the train name above, your section and travel date. Check your return journey and connecting train before paying. If no service appears, check another date and the operating notices; it may be unavailable or outside the sales window.

Latest KORAIL tourist-train notices · Jeongseon service and route-change notice

Official descriptions and route information checked 13 September 2026. Availability and fares are confirmed by KORAIL at booking.

Buy a KTX ticket in five steps

Use the official KORAIL website. Its standard online booking window opens at 07:00 Korea time one month before departure and closes 20 minutes before departure. Special holiday sales may follow separate notices.

  1. Choose your journey

    Select Seoul as the departure station, your arrival station, travel date and passenger count. Select KTX if you want a high-speed service.

  2. Compare trains

    Check departure and arrival times, direct or connecting services, seat class and the total fare shown for your party.

  3. Enter passenger details

    Complete the requested fields carefully. Keep the information needed to retrieve your booking.

  4. Pay and check ticket issuance

    Follow the payment instructions. Confirm that an issued ticket appears; a pending bank charge alone is not proof of a ticket.

  5. Keep your ticket accessible

    Save your ticket and booking reference, following KORAIL’s display or printing instructions. Check the date, station, train number, carriage and seat.

KORAIL ticketing rules · Official reservations and current fares

Other ways to buy & manage tickets

At Seoul Station

Use a railway ticket machine or staffed ticket counter. Have your destination, date, preferred time and number of travellers ready. Ask staff for help if the machine language or payment method does not work for you.

Payment, changes and refunds

Check accepted cards during checkout. Retrieve an existing reservation before retrying a failed payment. Use the original seller to change or cancel a booking and review its current refund conditions before confirming.

VISITKOREA: travelling by train · Full ticket-buying guide

From the concourse to your seat

  1. Arrive with time to spare

    For a first visit, we suggest reaching the station 30 minutes early, with extra time for luggage or mobility needs. This is a planning allowance, not an official check-in deadline.

  2. Match the train number

    Find your train on the departure board and check the platform. A train’s final destination may be farther along the line than your own stop.

  3. Find the carriage and seat

    Follow the platform signs, then match your ticket’s carriage and seat number. Keep luggage clear of aisles and doors and keep your ticket available.

Travel dateDeparture timeTrain numberCarriageSeat

These are a reading checklist, not a sample ticket or boarding pass.

Find Seoul Station

Seoul Station connects with metro Lines 1 and 4 and the airport railroad. Follow signs for the main railway concourse when transferring to KTX. The historic Culture Station Seoul 284 building next door is a separate cultural venue.

VISITKOREA: railway travel and stations

Before you leave

Check the exact station

Seoul, Yongsan and Suseo are different stations. Follow the departure station on your ticket. A local transport card does not replace a reserved KTX ticket.

Plan the arrival connection

Check the distance from your arrival station to your hotel or attraction. For Gyeongju, allow a separate local transfer from the railway station to the historic centre.

Continue to Gyeongju · Continue to Busan

Information checked . Fares and services can change. Use the linked operator information for your travel date.

READY TO PLAN?

Put this stop into a practical Korea itinerary.