Short answer: of the two airport trains, the AREX Express is the faster one: it runs non-stop from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station in 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 minutes from Terminal 2, for 13,000 won. The cheaper all-stop train takes about an hour and costs 4,750 won from Terminal 1 with a transit card. Incheon Airport’s 2024 fare guide lists airport limousine buses on Seoul routes at 16,000 to 17,000 won for an adult, and taxis run on the meter or at a flat fare.
Last checked: October 15, 2026. We read the fare pages and timetables of AREX, the airport railroad; Incheon Airport’s English transport pages; Airport Limousine’s website; and the website of International Taxi, a taxi service designated by the Seoul city government. The AREX pages we read are in Korean. We did not buy a ticket or ride any of these for this guide.
Quick answers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Quickest train | AREX Express to Seoul Station: 43 min from Terminal 1, 51 min from Terminal 2 |
| Cheapest listed fare | AREX all-stop train: 4,750 won to Seoul Station from Terminal 1 with a transit card |
| Bus to Seoul | Airport’s 2024 fare guide: 17,000 won direct, 16,000 won via Gimpo Airport (buy the ticket before you board) |
| Taxi | Meter: 4,800-won base fare, then metered; International Taxi: zone fares from 70,000 won |
| Last train | Express: 22:48 from Terminal 1, 22:40 from Terminal 2. All-stop to Seoul Station: 23:38 from Terminal 1, 23:32 from Terminal 2 |
| After midnight | Night buses N6000, N6002, N6701 and N6703 (17,000 or 18,000 won) |
Before you leave the arrivals hall
Incheon Airport’s own advice is to allow time for immigration: when you book transport from the airport, it says to “consider the time required for immigration after flight arrival (1–2 hours).” So if you buy a train or bus ticket ahead, leave room.
Check which terminal you are in, Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. Trains and buses stop at both, but times differ, and so do train fares.
A transit card helps if you plan to take the all-stop train or the subway. Tmoney sells a Tmoney Travel Card for visitors at 4,000 won at convenience stores and the bus ticket office at Incheon Airport. Our public transportation guide explains how the card and the fares work.
Option 1: AREX Express train (the faster train)
The Express train runs non-stop between the airport and Seoul Station, and AREX says you must buy a separate ticket before you board.
- Time: AREX’s Express page lists 43 minutes between Seoul Station and Terminal 1, and 51 minutes to Terminal 2.
- Fare: AREX lists the adult fare as 13,000 won, next to a “regular fare” of 18,500 won to Terminal 1 and 19,100 won to Terminal 2. Children aged 6 to 12 pay 9,500 won.
- Tickets: AREX sells Express tickets online, in its Express app, and on site at its counters and ticket machines. At Terminal 1 the counter is in the Transportation Center on basement level 1. AREX lists foreign-issued credit cards from Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club, American Express and UnionPay among the cards it accepts for Express tickets.
- Timetable: AREX’s Express timetable lists 26 trains a day from the airport, the same on weekdays and holidays. From Terminal 1 the first leaves at 05:24 and the last at 22:48, which reaches Seoul Station at 23:31.
The Express goes only to Seoul Station. From there you can change to subway lines 1 and 4, or to KTX trains; our guide to booking Korea train tickets in English covers the KTX.
Option 2: AREX all-stop train (cheapest listed fare)
The all-stop train stops at stations along the way, and you pay with a transit card or a single-journey ticket.
- Time: AREX lists 59 minutes from Seoul Station to Terminal 1 and 66 minutes to Terminal 2, with some trains taking 2 to 6 minutes longer.
- Fare: AREX’s fare table lists 4,750 won between Seoul Station and Terminal 1 and 5,350 won to Terminal 2 for an adult with a transit card. A single-journey ticket costs 100 won more.
- Single-journey ticket: you buy it from machines at the station and pay a 500-won deposit, which you get back from a refund machine when you get off.
- Useful stops: Incheon Airport’s route map lists, from Terminal 2, Hongik University (Hongdae) at 58 minutes, Gongdeok at 62 minutes and Seoul Station at 66 minutes.
In AREX’s station timetable for Terminal 1, the first all-stop train toward Seoul leaves at 05:14. The last one that runs all the way to Seoul Station leaves at 23:38; a later train at 23:56 ends at Digital Media City. From Terminal 2, the last train to Seoul Station leaves at 23:32.
Option 3: Airport limousine bus
Buses suit you if your hotel is near one of their stops, or if you would rather not carry bags through subway stations.
- Fare: Incheon Airport’s fare guide for Seoul routes, a table written as “Seoul to Incheon Airport”, lists 17,000 won for an adult on a direct bus and 16,000 won on a bus that goes via Gimpo Airport, and 12,000 won for a child. That table was updated in August 2024, so check the fare when you buy. An Airport Limousine route page we checked today shows the same 17,000 won. Late-night buses cost 17,000 or 18,000 won (see below).
- Tickets: the airport says that from the airport to the city you need to buy a ticket at the airport bus ticket booth or book in an app first. Airport Limousine tells passengers going downtown to buy a ticket at the ticket booth at Incheon Airport.
- Where: at Terminal 1, the airport lists bus ticket booths inside the terminal next to exits 4 and 9. At Terminal 2, the ticket booth is on the basement level. If the booth is busy, the airport suggests the ticket kiosk.
- Bags: Airport Limousine says each paying passenger can put two bags under 28 inches (under 20 kg), or one bag over 28 inches, under the bus for free, and charges 8,000 won for each extra bag.
- Which bus: Incheon Airport’s bus search page lists the Seoul routes by number and destination, for example 6015 for Myeongdong Station, 6005 for Seoul City Hall and 6020 for Yeoksam Station. Each route stops at different places, so search your destination before you buy.
Option 4: Taxi
Incheon Airport warns that “illegal solicitation and overcharging by call vans posing as taxis are common,” and advises using the designated taxi stands.
- Regular taxi (meter): the airport’s taxi page lists a base fare of 4,800 won for a standard Seoul taxi, with night surcharges: 20% from 22:00 to 23:00, 40% from 23:00 to 02:00 and 20% from 02:00 to 04:00. The airport says no boundary surcharge applies on trips from the airport to Seoul. Our public transportation guide has a section on how Seoul’s taxi meter counts up.
- Flat fare for foreign visitors: the airport lists International Taxi and Smart Taxi as services for foreign nationals, with a flat fare to Seoul. International Taxi, which says it is designated by the Seoul city government, lists zone fares from 70,000 won (zone A) to 95,000 won (zone E) for a standard car, and says you can pay in cash or by credit card.
- By app: our Kakao Taxi guide covers calling a taxi with Kakao T and paying with a card issued outside Korea.
We found no official estimate of a metered fare from the airport to central Seoul, so we do not give one.
Arriving late at night
The last trains leave the airport before midnight. The last Express leaves Terminal 1 at 22:48 (22:40 from Terminal 2), and the last all-stop train to Seoul Station leaves Terminal 1 at 23:38 (23:32 from Terminal 2). The first trains leave again after 05:00.
After that, Seoul’s late-night buses take over. Incheon Airport’s late-night bus page lists four routes:
| Route | Goes to | Adult fare |
|---|---|---|
| N6000 | Gangnam Express Bus Terminal | 17,000 won |
| N6002 | Hongdae, Dongdaemun, Cheongnyangni | 17,000 won |
| N6701 | Mapo, Seoul Station, Euljiro, Dongdaemun Design Plaza | 18,000 won |
| N6703 | COEX, Jamsil (Lotte World), Gwangnaru | 18,000 won |
In the airport’s Terminal 1 timetable, the first night bus leaves at 23:40 (N6703) and the last at 04:50 (N6703). Each route has a gap of one and a half to about two and a half hours in the middle of the night, so check the next departure before you queue. The airport lists travel times of about 45 minutes to Hongdae on N6002, 60 minutes to Seoul Station on N6701 and 70 minutes to Gangnam Express Bus Terminal on N6000. You buy the ticket at a ticket booth or a ticket machine; for N6701 and N6703, the airport also lists the Tmoney GO app. From Terminal 2, the night buses leave earlier and stop at Terminal 1 about 20 minutes later.
Which one should you take?
This is our reading of the times and fares above:
- Seoul Station, Myeongdong or a KTX connection: the Express if you want the faster train, the all-stop train if you want the cheaper one.
- Hongdae or Gongdeok: the all-stop train, which stops at Hongik University and Gongdeok stations on the way.
- Gangnam, COEX or Jamsil: a limousine bus, or the night buses N6000 and N6703 after midnight.
- Heavy bags, a group or small children: a taxi from the official stand, or a bus if it stops near your hotel.
- Landing late in the evening: check the last trains above before you clear immigration, and have a night bus or taxi as a backup.
FAQ
How long does it take from Incheon Airport to Seoul? AREX lists 43 minutes by Express train from Terminal 1 to Seoul Station and 59 minutes by all-stop train. Bus times can change: Airport Limousine says its operating times may change with road, traffic and weather conditions.
How much is the train from Incheon Airport to Seoul? AREX lists 13,000 won for an adult on the Express and 4,750 won on the all-stop train from Terminal 1 with a transit card.
Can I pay with a foreign credit card? For the Express, AREX lists foreign-issued credit cards from Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club, American Express and UnionPay. International Taxi lists payment in cash (won) or by credit card such as Visa, Amex or Mastercard; its page does not say whether cards issued outside Korea are accepted.
What if I land after midnight? The last trains leave the airport before midnight, and the first ones leave again after 05:00. The airport lists night buses N6000, N6002, N6701 and N6703 to Seoul, at 17,000 or 18,000 won.
Do I need a SIM or eSIM first? Not for the trains or buses. A data connection is useful if you want to use map or taxi apps. Our eSIM guide has a section on what is available at the airport.
What we checked and what we didn’t
We read the pages quoted above on October 15, 2026. The AREX pages we quote are in Korean. AREX’s fare pages carry no date, and the airport’s bus fare table is dated August 2024. We did not buy a ticket, ride a train, bus or taxi, or check each bus route’s stops. Times and fares change, so check the operator’s page before you travel.