Seoul ICN: Departures and guide

Flying from/to Incheon International Airport

Find out the best way to get from Incheon International Airport to the city centre by doing some research in advance. Should you take a train, bus or a tram from the airport to and from the city centre? Our guide to Incheon International Airport and the facilities mean you can find your way around the terminal upon arriving and plan the rest of your trip—whether its for a short weekend or a little longer.

Arriving at Incheon International Airport (ICN)

Incheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea, and one of the largest in the world. The airport is located in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, known for its magnificent palaces and other cultural and artistic attractions. The airport, which has been named one of the world's best and cleanest, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making it a convenient airport for any long layover. Around 90 airlines fly in and out of the airport, including Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Pan Pacific Airlines, Qatar Airways, and United Airlines.

What's the best way to get from Incheon International Airport to the city center?

There are several ways to travel from Incheon International Airport to Seoul city center. Travelers may choose to take a bus, train, call-van, or taxi. Travel times for the airport bus range between 60 and 80 minutes, depending on traffic. The first bus usually leaves around 5:00 a.m., and the last one leaves around 11:00 p.m. On the AREX train line from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station, there are two choices for trains. The first choice is the express train, which travels non-stop between the airport and Seoul Station, and takes about 40 minutes. The second choice is the all-stop train, which has a travel time of about an hour. As for cabs, there are various choices for passengers. There are regular taxis, first-class/oversized taxis, and international taxis. Taxis take around an hour to travel from the airport to Seoul city center. Call-vans, another option for traveling from Incheon Airport to Seoul city center, operate between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

How far is the city center from Incheon International Airport?

The distance between Incheon Airport and Seoul city is approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers). Passengers can use the airport bus, the train (AREX), call-vans, and taxis to travel from Incheon Airport to Seoul city center. The most convenient and fastest option would be the express train, which has an approximate travel time of 40 minutes and departs every 20 to 40 minutes. The express train runs from both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of the airport.

What services are there at Incheon International Airport?

Being one of the largest airports in the world, Incheon Airport offers a range of facilities for passengers to enjoy before their flight or during a layover. The airport houses toilets, business lounges, free WiFi, duty-free shops, and a wide variety of coffee shops, fast-food chains, snack stores, bars, and restaurants. Passengers will also be pleased to find less conventional facilities, such as a spa, a 330-yard (302-meter) golf course with 18 holes, a casino, an indoor eco-garden, a CGV and IMAX movie theater, a capsule hotel, and an ice skating rink. There's even a museum, the Korean Traditional Culture Experience Center.

How accessible is the route for those with limited mobility?

Incheon International Airport is fully accessible to passengers of all levels of mobility. Service agents provide complete assistance upon request and ensure barrier-free access to the airport. The airport has electric vehicles for transporting passengers with limited mobility to and from their gate, disability parking, standby spaces, wheelchair lift services, priority lines, accessible bathrooms (at least one in every terminal), and wheelchair rentals. The airport is easily accessible from all public transportation, and elevators are available to reach any area of the airport.

Local tips: what to know before flying to Incheon International Airport 

Passengers arriving at Incheon International Airport and wanting to travel to Seoul city center by train may find purchasing a T-Money card useful. The card, which can be used on all public transportation across South Korea, can be bought in any convenience store within the airport, or at any metro station in the country. An alternative for tourists is the M-Pass, a transportation card designed for short-term stays. The M-Pass allows passengers to use any public transportation up to 20 times a day, for a total of seven days. Travelers can purchase the card at the tourist information center on the first floor of the airport.