Walking and Biking in Seoul
When you arrive in Seoul, the first thing you should know is that many places are within walking distance. The walking culture here is really different from what you might be used to. The sidewalks are super clean, but oddly, there aren’t any garbage cans around and the streets are usually packed. People walk quickly and with purpose, so be careful not to stop in the middle of the sidewalk!
When you cross the street, there are lights on the ground and up high to tell you when it’s safe to walk—so people can keep their eyes on their phones! A big tip: don’t push the crosswalk button. It’s a common mistake for newcomers. The buttons are actually for people who can not see, so the button will start yelling things at you in Korean. Also, don’t jaywalk—Koreans almost never do! CCTV is the surveillance system in Korea so if you jaywalk or speed it will be caught on video somewhere.
To get around, you’ll definitely need a map. Google Maps doesn’t work as well here, so download two important apps: Naver Maps and Kakao Maps. They both mostly use Korean, but you’ll get the hang of making sense of things. You can also rent bikes, and there are bike paths on many sidewalks, along with electric bikes and scooters.
Subways and Buses
Subways and buses in Seoul are quite similar. To ride either, you’ll need a T-Money Card or a Climate Card.
