1. Browsing Attractions

VISITKOREA            
VISITKOREA is the official travel platform operated by 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 events. You can also utilize Trip Planner and Suggested Itineraries as a guide to plan your trips. Most of all, 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.

2. Transportation

Subway Korea                
Subway Korea is a simple metro map that offers real-time subway schedules along with all the basic information you need for taking the subway in Korea such as train arrival times, line routes, transfer guides, and estimated travel time based on departure and arrival points. The app provides information for all the metro systems in Korea: Seoul and the metropolitan area, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju. It also has a bookmark feature for saving frequently used routes.

Let’s Korail Website & Korail Talk App            
The Let’s Korail website and Korail Talk 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 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 1-hour, 2-hour (limited to one-time per day), and all-day options. You can get on and off the bike an unlimited number of times until your pass time is up. To pay for the pass, you can either use your personal credit card or the foreigner-exclusive Discover Pass.

Tmoney GO                
Tmoney GO is an all-in-one app for renting public bikes and electric scooters; buying tickets for intercity, express, and airport buses; calling taxis; and booking rental cars. It can also find routes for a combination of different transportation, like taking the bus after using an electric scooter to get to the bus terminal. Every in-app purchase will earn you mileage points, which you can use to pay for Seoul Bikes (Ttareungi).

3. 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.

4. Payment

WOW Pass            
WOW Pass is a foreigner-exclusive pre-paid card app that comes with a transportation card feature and credit card service charge exemption. You can add and withdraw funds at exchange kiosks or through the WOW Pass app. If you want to use WOW Pass as a transportation card, you need to load the card in advance at a subway station or a convenience store. Loaded funds can also be used for taking public transportation or item purchase at convenience stores.

5. Maps & Routes

Naver Map            
Naver Map 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, and public transportation. The map is also connected to Korea’s major search engine, Naver, providing customer reviews and links to the official website, if any, 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.

6. 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.
 

7. Booking Accommodations

Stayfolio            
If you want to pamper yourself with a unique and luxurious experience, you might just find what you’re looking for with Stayfolio. Stayfolio offers a selection of award-winning boutique accommodations and suites that are fit for a relaxing vacation. It also offers promotions and discounts on a regular basis, allowing users to book at a reasonable price. If you want to heighten your experience, make sure to check out the “Journal” section for articles and interviews detailing the visual aspects and the owner’s business philosophy for an in-depth understanding of the accommodation of your choice.

Living-In-Hotel            
Living-In-Hotel is an extended stay platform suited for those seeking to book a room for a week or more at rates 25%~70% lower than the regular price. Living-In-Hotel offers a wide choice of accommodation types, ranging from three-star lodging facilities to five-star premium hotels, and does not charge any additional service fee or security deposit. You can visit and check the room before booking through the Living-In-Hotel tour system and even receive special promotional benefits upon booking confirmation.

Tripbtoz            
Tripbtoz is an accommodation platform that promotes booking and information through user-created shorts personally filmed by guests who stayed in the accommodations. If you like what you see in the video, you can use the button below the video to proceed with booking right away. If you upload a video of your travel, you can earn “Trip cash” as mileage points. Don’t forget to explore the app for promotions and benefits before booking.

8. 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.