Korea Travel Tip: Online Maps(Bus, Subway, Taxi)

Online maps have become very famous in our society. It has replaced the old style maps. We used to carry print maps around when traveling. But today, we can access to maps more easily through Internet and online applications on smartphone. Even social media such as Facebook and Instagram are mapped with location service. People even start sharing their location and we can look at location of each post on social media. We can go to every places just by searching online! 

You guys might already used to Google Maps but it is not that useful when traveling in Korea. I recommended Daum Maps. 

With Daum Maps, you will be able to calculate how long and it also recommended the best route to your destination. The most convenient transportation in Korea might be Subway but it could get so crowded and some stations are very big and you need to walk over a long distance even when change to another Subway Line. Taxi is the best transportation. It is very convenient and comfortable but as foreigner, you might not be able to calculate how much and how long it will take. Bus in Korea has many routes and the bus stops are placed at almost every important areas like the Subway. 

The only disadvantage about Daum Maps is that it is in Korean. It is easy to use even though you have basic Korean like I am. 

You can access to Daum Maps through the smartphone application or the website http://map.daum.net 

I will show you how it works on the application! 

Open the application. Click on 길찾기(get directions). Then fill out 출발(departure) and 도착(arrival). You can set 출발(departure) as your current location by clicking on the lower button 현재위치(current location). 

For example, I set my 출발(departure) as 코엑스몰(Coex Mall) and 도착(arrival) as JYP엔터테인먼트(JYP Entertainment). You can see the lower three buttons under. 

1st button is 자동차(taxi). It says 7분, 거리 2.4km, 택시비 약 3,400원(7 minutes, distance 2.4km, taxi price around 3,400 won)

2nd button is 대중교통(public transport) like 버스(bus)&지하철(subway). There are many routes offer. I will pick the bus as it takes less time in this case. Click on the first choice and it says 20분(도보 13분, 환승 없음), 요금(카드) 1,200~2,400원 or 20 minutes(walking 13 mins, no transfer), fare(card) 1,200~2,400 won. 

- You need to walk from 코엑스몰(Coex Mall) to 봉은사역3번출구.삼성1파출소 bus stop. Click on it and it will show you the direction. It is 630 meter. 

- You can take bus number 362, 143, 4318, 9740, or 9507. It says 362 버스 8분 11초후 도착(Bus 362 will be arriving in 8 mins 11 seconds) and 4개 정류장 이동 means that there are 4 stations to your destination. Then get off at 프리마호텔 bus stop. The bus will announce in both Korean and English. 

- You need to walk from 프리마호텔 bus stop to JYP엔터테인먼트(JYP Entertainment) as it shown in the map. 

Subway and bus in Korea are connected you can transfer from Subway to Bus without additional fare. It will be calculated in one price but you need to transfer in approximately 30 minutes. 

3rd button is 도보(walking). It said 32분 or 32 minutes. 

In this case, Daum Maps show that bus is actually taking less time and there is no transfer unlike Subway. Once you can use bus, you will hate walking over a long distance in subway like me! Haha Moreover, Taxi seems to be the great option too by comparing the fares. If you are going in group, sharing the Taxi fare is actually cheaper than taking public transportation!