Gimpo Airport to Seoul: AREX to Hongdae or Seoul Station

From Gimpo Airport, take the AREX All-Stop Train toward Seoul Station for Hongik Univ. or Seoul Station, with no change of train on AREX. The AREX Express does not stop at Gimpo Airport, so an Express reservation is the wrong ticket for this journey.

This route suits a stay near either station. For accommodation elsewhere in Seoul, another railway may fit better.

Hongdae or Seoul Station: choosing your arrival stop

Hongik Univ. is the station name for the Hongdae area. It comes before Gongdeok and Seoul Station when travelling from the airport toward central Seoul. A stay near Gongdeok also fits this same AREX route.

The first preparation step is matching your accommodation's full address to its nearest station in Naver Map. A neighborhood name is less precise than a station name, and a hotel described as being in Seoul may be far from either AREX stop. Keeping the station name ready makes the next step, choosing a ticket destination, much simpler.

Hongik Univ. connects with Line 2 and the Gyeongui–Jungang Line. Seoul Station connects with KTX and subway Lines 1 and 4, among other services. These are onward connections, not a promise of a short walk to every hotel. A journey involving another line still needs a route beyond the AREX arrival station.

At Gimpo Airport station: AREX signs and platform levels

Several railways meet at Gimpo Airport, including Lines 5 and 9, the Gimpo Goldline and the Seohae Line. A general train sign alone does not identify your service. AREX, All-Stop Train and the Seoul Station direction are the useful details to match together.

Ticket sales are on B1, the Seoul-bound AREX platform is on B3, and the airport-bound AREX platform is on B4. Line 9 services also use B3, so reaching that floor is only part of finding the correct platform. A Line 9 Express sign refers to a different railway service, not the AREX Express.

Lifts and escalators connect the station levels. With a suitcase, the lift signs provide a way to plan the descent without choosing a staircase first. Current signs and staff directions take priority over a remembered route through the station, especially if access has changed.

The practical order is destination first, ticket or card balance second, and platform third. Sorting out payment before heading down avoids reaching the platform area with the wrong purchase or an unprepared card.

Adult fares and the refundable ticket deposit

AREX lists these adult prepaid or postpaid transit-card fares from Gimpo Airport, checked October 27, 2026. They cover the ride to the named AREX station, excluding a card purchase and any further journey to your hotel.

For a single-use transit card, the standard adult fare is KRW 100 higher than the transit-card fare. A separate KRW 500 deposit is collected when buying the ticket and is refundable at the arrival station. That deposit is money paid upfront, but it is not a non-refundable service fee.

The amount needed at purchase therefore includes both the single-use fare and the deposit. A comparison based only on the transit-card fare would leave out part of that initial payment. After arrival, a deposit refund machine is the place to recover the deposit rather than treating it as spent travel credit.

Hongik Univ.: KRW 1,650 with an adult transit card.
Gongdeok or Seoul Station: KRW 1,750 with an adult transit card.

A single-use ticket or a card for more journeys?

Single-use transit cards are sold at station ticket vending machines. This option covers a particular journey without requiring a separate reusable-card purchase. It suits the immediate decision of getting to your arrival station; later travel is a separate purchase decision.

A prepaid transit card is another option, sold through outlets including convenience stores and transit-card vending machines. Ticket vending machines provide top-ups. Buying the card and loading travel credit are separate parts of preparing it: the card purchase price is not the balance available for train rides.

Someone who already has a prepaid card needs enough balance for the chosen ride rather than another card. Someone buying one for later sightseeing needs to allow for the card itself as well as the credit loaded onto it. The T-money guide explains buying, reloading and using a card beyond this airport journey.

At Gimpo Airport, the machine's displayed payment options matter more than the payment cards in your wallet. Acceptance of an overseas credit card at every ticket or top-up machine is not established. If a payment fails, station staff can help identify an available purchase or top-up option before you proceed to the gates.

Late arrivals and trains that end before your stop

The timetable has separate weekday and holiday services, with Seoul-bound and airport-bound directions shown separately. AREX's October 21, 2026 notice announced changes to some All-Stop Train times from October 23. The current official timetable and station notices are therefore more useful than a departure time copied from an older blog.

From Gimpo Airport toward Seoul, the station order is Magongnaru, Digital Media City, Hongik Univ., Gongdeok and Seoul Station. If a train display shows Digital Media City as its terminus, that train ends before all three of those later stops. It would leave you short of Hongdae or Seoul Station even though it initially travels in the right direction.

Match the actual train's destination display to your intended stop before boarding. Near the end of service, staff can clarify whether that departure reaches it. If no suitable train remains, staff can also help with alternative transport; the Kakao T payment guide explains foreign-card and direct-payment options when considering a taxi.

Fares, timetables and station access can change. The fare displayed at purchase and the day's station information take priority; a train fare is not a taxi quote. Last checked: October 27, 2026.

Preparing the last part of the journey

Check your accommodation's full address in Naver Map and save its nearest station name before choosing your arrival stop.

Naver Map in English: walking and subway directions for the journey beyond the station.
T-money: buying, reloading and using a transit card for further travel.
Kakao T: foreign-card and direct-payment options if a taxi becomes necessary.