Seoul

Stations worth a stop

• Seoul Station 서울

  Line 1Line 4

  Seoul Station is the city's main rail gateway, where Lines 1 and 4 meet the KTX high-speed trains and the airport railroad. The domed 1925 station building beside the modern concourse is now an exhibition space called Culture Station Seoul 284. Seoullo 7017, an elevated walkway planted with trees, starts next to the station, and Sungnyemun Gate is about ten minutes' walk north-east.

• City Hall 시청

  Line 1Line 2

  City Hall station sits under Seoul Plaza, the lawn in front of the glass-fronted Seoul City Hall and its older 1926 building, now the Seoul Metropolitan Library. Deoksugung Palace is directly across the road, and the stone-wall path along its side, Deoksugung Doldam-gil, leads towards Jeongdong's old churches and embassies.

• Jonggak 종각

  Line 1

  Jonggak takes its name from Bosingak, the bell pavilion on the corner of Jongno where the bell is rung at midnight on New Year's Eve. The area is busy with offices, bookshops and restaurant alleys, Cheonggyecheon Stream runs a few minutes to the south, and Insadong begins a short walk to the north-east.

• Jongno 3(sam)-ga 종로3가

  Line 1Line 3Line 5

  Jongno 3-ga is a three-line interchange in the old centre of the city. Jongmyo Shrine, the UNESCO-listed shrine of the Joseon royal family, is about five minutes' walk east, and the narrow hanok alleys of Ikseon-dong lie just north of the station. Tapgol Park, linked to the 1919 independence movement, is a short walk west.

• Dongdaemun 동대문

  Line 1Line 4

  Dongdaemun station is named after Heunginjimun, the great east gate of the old city wall, which stands in a traffic circle beside the exits. The Dongdaemun market district stretches south along Cheonggyecheon, and a section of the Seoul City Wall trail climbs from the gate up to Naksan Park.

• Dongdaemun History & Culture Park (DDP) 동대문역사문화공원

  Line 2Line 4Line 5

  This interchange serves Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the curved aluminium-clad building designed by Zaha Hadid that hosts exhibitions and design events. Remains of the city wall and an old military training ground are preserved in the park beside it, and the fashion wholesale malls nearby stay open far into the night.

• Euljiro 1(il)-ga 을지로입구

  Line 2

  Euljiro 1-ga station connects underground to the Lotte department store and hotel complex. The Myeong-dong shopping streets begin immediately to the south, and Cheonggye Plaza, where the restored Cheonggyecheon Stream starts, is about five minutes' walk north.

• Myeongdong 명동

  Line 4

  Myeong-dong station opens onto the city's best-known shopping district, a grid of pedestrian streets full of cosmetics shops, clothing stores and street-food stalls in the evening. Myeongdong Cathedral, a Gothic-style brick church completed in 1898, is about ten minutes' walk north, and the Namsan cable car station is a similar distance uphill.

• Hoehyeon 회현

  Line 4

  Hoehyeon station's exits lead straight into Namdaemun Market, a large traditional market of clothing, kitchenware and food alleys. Sungnyemun, the south gate of the old city wall and National Treasure No. 1 under the former numbering, is about five minutes' walk west.

• Chungmuro 충무로

  Line 3Line 4

  Chungmuro is the interchange between Lines 3 and 4 at the foot of Namsan. Namsangol Hanok Village, a group of relocated Joseon-era houses with a traditional garden, is about five minutes' walk away, and the Korea House cultural venue is close by.

• Gyeongbokgung 경복궁

  Line 3

  Gyeongbokgung station has an exit inside the grounds beside the National Palace Museum of Korea, with Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon dynasty, just beyond. The Seochon neighbourhood to the west has small galleries, cafes and Tongin Market in its lanes.

• Gwanghwamun 광화문

  Line 5

  Gwanghwamun station lies under Gwanghwamun Square, the wide boulevard with statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin that leads up to the main gate of Gyeongbokgung. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History line the square.

• Anguk 안국

  Line 3

  Anguk is the station for Bukchon Hanok Village, a hillside neighbourhood of traditional houses between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. Insadong's antique and craft shops start just south of the station, and Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is about ten minutes' walk east.

• Hyehwa 혜화

  Line 4

  Hyehwa is the station for Daehangno, the city's theatre district, with dozens of small playhouses around Marronnier Park. Naksan Park, on a ridge where the Seoul City Wall runs, is a short climb to the east and gives wide views over the old city at night.

• Ichon 이촌

  Line 4

  Ichon station has an underground passage leading towards the National Museum of Korea, the country's largest museum, set in a park with a reflecting pond. The Ichon Hangang Park riverside is also within walking distance to the south.

• Samgakji 삼각지

  Line 4Line 6

  Samgakji is the interchange between Lines 4 and 6 closest to the War Memorial of Korea, which covers Korean military history and the Korean War and has large outdoor displays of aircraft and tanks. The museum is about five to ten minutes' walk from the station.

• Itaewon 이태원

  Line 6

  Itaewon station sits on Itaewon-ro, a long-standing international neighbourhood with restaurants from many countries, bars and second-hand furniture shops. The Seoul Central Mosque stands on the hill a short walk to the south-east.

• Noryangjin 노량진

  Line 1Line 9

  Noryangjin is the interchange between Lines 1 and 9 on the south bank of the Han River. The Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market is next to the station, where visitors can choose seafood downstairs and have it prepared in restaurants upstairs.

• Yeouido 여의도

  Line 5Line 9

  Yeouido station is in the middle of Seoul's financial district on an island in the Han River, surrounded by bank headquarters, broadcasters and the IFC Seoul complex. Yeouido Park, a long green strip through the island, is next to the station.

• Yeouinaru 여의나루

  Line 5

  Yeouinaru station opens directly onto Yeouido Hangang Park, one of the busiest riverside parks, used for picnics, cycling and river cruises. The cherry trees along Yunjung-ro behind the National Assembly draw large crowds in early April.

• Sinchon 신촌

  Line 2

  Sinchon is a student district centred on Yonsei University, whose main gate is about ten minutes' walk north along Yonsei-ro. The streets around the station are full of inexpensive restaurants, cafes and bars.

• Ewha Womans Univ. 이대

  Line 2

  Ewha Womans University station is a few minutes from the campus gate of Ewha, founded in 1886. The campus is known for the Ewha Campus Complex, a building sunk into a valley on either side of a wide stepped walkway, designed by Dominique Perrault.

• Hongik Univ. 홍대입구

  Line 2

  Hongik University station serves Hongdae, a youthful area of live music clubs, street performers, small shops and cafes near the art-focused university. The airport railroad also stops here, and Gyeongui Line Forest Park, a linear park on a former railway, runs past the station.

• World Cup Stadium 월드컵경기장

  Line 6

  World Cup Stadium station serves the Seoul World Cup Stadium, built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and used for football matches and concerts. Haneul Park and Noeul Park, created on former landfill hills, are a walk away across the road and give views over the Han River.

• Express Bus Terminal 고속터미널

  Line 3Line 7Line 9

  Express Bus Terminal is a three-line interchange beneath Seoul's main intercity bus terminal, with the Shinsegae department store and a long underground shopping arcade. Banpo Hangang Park, where the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain runs along Banpo Bridge, is about fifteen to twenty minutes' walk north.

• Sinsa 신사

  Line 3

  Sinsa station is the closest stop to Garosu-gil, a street lined with ginkgo trees and fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants in the side lanes. The Han River and Jamwon Hangang Park are a short walk to the north.

• Gangnam 강남

  Line 2

  Gangnam station sits at the centre of the Gangnam-daero business and shopping strip, one of the busiest stations on the network. Office towers, language schools, cinemas and restaurants fill the blocks around its many exits.

• Samseong 삼성

  Line 2

  Samseong station connects directly to the COEX complex, with its convention centre, aquarium, underground mall and the two-storey Starfield Library with tall bookshelves. Bongeunsa, a Buddhist temple founded in the Silla period, is across the road from COEX.

• Sports Complex 종합운동장

  Line 2Line 9

  Sports Complex station serves the Seoul Sports Complex, built for the 1988 Summer Olympics. Jamsil Baseball Stadium, home to two professional teams, is right next to the exits, and the Olympic Stadium sits beside it.

• Jamsil 잠실

  Line 2Line 8

  Jamsil is the interchange between Lines 2 and 8, beside the Lotte World Tower, which at 555 metres is the tallest building in Korea and has an observation deck at the top. The Lotte World indoor theme park and Seokchon Lake, with a walking path around its shore, are next to the station.

• Olympic Park 올림픽공원

  Line 5Line 9

  Olympic Park station serves the large park created for the 1988 Olympics, with sports venues, an outdoor sculpture collection and wide lawns. The park also contains Mongchontoseong, an earthen fortress from the Baekje period, with a museum on its history.

• Seongsu 성수

  Line 2

  Seongsu sits in a former light-industrial district where old factories and warehouses have been turned into cafes, design shops and studios, while many shoe workshops still operate. Seoul Forest, a large park by the Han River, is about fifteen minutes' walk west.

• Gimpo Int'l Airport 김포공항

  Line 5Line 9

  Gimpo International Airport station links Lines 5 and 9 with the airport railroad and other lines at Seoul's older airport, which handles mainly domestic flights, including to Jeju, and some short international routes. Shopping malls are connected to the station.

• Incheon 인천

  Line 1

  Incheon station is the western terminus of Line 1 and faces the gate of Incheon Chinatown, a neighbourhood that grew up after the port opened in 1883. Jayu Park on the hill behind it and the painted streets of Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village are within walking distance.

• Suwon 수원

  Line 1

  Suwon station is the main rail station of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, served by Line 1 and long-distance trains. Hwaseong Fortress, the late-18th-century walled city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a short bus or taxi ride away.