Helpful Apps & Resources

| Trip Ideas and Attractions

VISITKOREA
VISITKOREA is the official Korea travel platform operated by Korea’s tourism board, the Korea Tourism Organization. It offers the most basic information you need to know about Korea, including the Korean culture, immigration process, and travel tips as well as up-to-date information on tourist attractions and major festivals and events. Moreover, with features like Trip Planner, GPS location-based services, and suggested itineraries, VISITKOREA serves as a helpful partner throughout your trip, especially during your travels. VISITKOREA regularly hosts prize events and offers discount benefits for VISITKOREA members.

Creatrip
Creatrip is an all-in-one platform for travelers interested in experiencing K-culture. With Creatrip, you can easily book trending restaurants, celebrity beauty salons, and even concerts of your favorite K-pop artists, in addition to other basic traveler needs such as flights, accommodations, rental cars, and tours. Creatrip also offers information on the latest beauty trends and student programs in Korea and community-based content where users can share and exchange information. Other useful services include making restaurant reservations and ordering food delivery without the hassle of verifying a Korean mobile number.

Odii                    
Odii is a free audio guide that narrates the cultural background and history of Korea’s major tourist attractions. It’s very convenient and easy to use, as the app tracks device location to recognize nearby attractions and recommend matching guides. In addition to simple narrated guides, it also offers guided course recommendations comprising themes like history, major city destinations, UNESCO World Heritage, kids-friendly attractions, museum tour, and more.

| Transportation

Let’s Korail Website & Korail+ App
The Let’s Korail website and Korail+ app are the official train ticket platforms operated by the Korea Railroad (KORAIL). You can reserve seats and pay for tickets in advance for all trains operating in Korea, including KTX, SRT, and tourist trains. If you are a non-Korean citizen planning on taking trains extensively to travel all around the country, you can opt to get a Korail Pass. Korail Pass allows international travelers to freely get on and off the trains at no additional cost for a certain number of days. Korail Pass can be purchased at the Let’s Korail website, designated tour agencies, and Korail Tourist Information Center in Seoul, Yongsan, and Busan Stations.

Seoul Bike
Seoul Bike, also known as Ttareungi, is a public bike rental service operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. To rent a bike, open the app and look for the nearest Seoul Bike rental location. Once you find a bike, unlock it by scanning the QR code on the basket or the rear wheel. Before you can unlock the bike, you need to purchase a bike pass, available in two options: a Daily Ticket and an All Day Pass. The Daily Ticket offers flexible time limits of 1, 2, or 3 hours, and you can rent the bike again once you return the bike within 24 hours after your initial transaction. The All Day Pass allows you to use the bike for 24 hours. To pay for the pass, you can either use your personal credit card or the foreigner-exclusive Discover Pass.

Mobile Tmoney
A mobile transportation card app that lets you use public transit with your smartphone, without a physical card. After topping up your balance, you can simply tap your phone on a terminal to board, even without opening the app. If you have a physical card, you can easily add funds or check your balance on your smartphone, and you can also transfer your balance to the Mobile Tmoney app. With Tmoney Pay, you can make quick and convenient payments at a wide range of affiliated merchants. The app also supports international credit cards, including Mastercard, American Express, and UnionPay.

k.ride
k.ride is a mobility service exclusive to international visitors offering a range of vehicle options from sedans to vans. After choosing a vehicle, users can check the estimated routes and fees, not having to worry about getting overcharged or being late. Users can use credit cards from overseas as well as simple payment apps including Alipay+. For even more convenience, the vehicles are topped with an automatic translator, available in over 100 languages, so that passengers can search their destination or chat with the driver. The application can be easily downloaded via Android or iOS and registered via phone number, email, Google, or Apple account.

GoHanpass
GoHanpass is an all-in-one app that supports both transportation and payments during your travels in Korea, with easy sign-up using your passport. You can book and pay for KTX trains, express buses, and taxis, and top up your GoHanpass wallet to make convenient payments at affiliated businesses such as Olive Young, GS25, and Daiso. The app also helps you explore travel information, including popular restaurants, major tourist attractions, nearby pharmacies and hospitals, and local festivals.

| Translation Service

Papago                
Papago is the most widely used online translator app among Korean speakers. Not only does the app provide translations based on text input, but it can also recognize and extract texts from different sources such as images, handwritings, webpages, and words spoken out loud. The app provides translation for 14 different languages, including Korean. It also retrieves food information from VISITKOREA if you scan Korean food names as an image.

| Payment

WOWPASS
WOW Pass is an all-in-one prepaid card app for international travelers that comes with a transportation card feature and a debit card function. You can add and withdraw funds at exchange kiosks or through the WOWPASS app. If you want to use WOWPASS as a transportation card, you can load the card in advance at a subway station, a convenience store, or via app. You can use WOWPASS to pay for goods and services worry-free, including public transportation, purchases, and even send funds.

| Maps

Naver Maps                
Naver Maps is the most widely used online map among Koreans. It offers route suggestions and estimated travel time depending on your mode of travel: walking, biking, driving, walking, and public transportation. The map is also connected to Korea’s major search engine, Naver, providing customer reviews, business hours, and related links, if available, when looking up a restaurant, café, or popular attraction. The map also has a bookmark feature so you can save and make of your own list of places.

| Booking Restaurants & Food Delivery

Catchtable                
Catchtable is a booking platform for saving seats at restaurants, from highly reputed food outlets to extravagant fine dining restaurants. You can also check the line queue in real-time and reviews posted by customers. If you can’t decide what to eat, use the search feature to see popular restaurants ranked in groups of food type, price range, and region.    
 

Shuttle Delivery                
With Shuttle Delivery, you can get foods prepared for pick-up or delivered to your doorstep from local restaurants in Seoul, Pyeongtaek, Daegu, and Busan. Moreover, Shuttle Delivery’s service is not limited to restaurants. You can also order the delivery of products like clothes, cosmetics, souvenirs, and more, although these products may take more than a day to be delivered.    
 

| Emergency Situations

Emergency Ready app
The Emergency Ready app is a multilingual emergency guide made by the Korean government. It provides disaster alerts and information on civil defense shelters, emergency medical centers, police stations, fire stations, embassy information, and safety guides. Additionally, it also offers a basic guide to handling emergency situations, such as performing CPR, administering first aid, finding a fire extinguisher, and more.
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