How to book KTX train tickets in Korea (and what not to use)
Wondering how to get KTX tickets in Korea with a foreign credit card? This post shows you all the different ways to book KTX tickets and the pros and cons of using different websites to book train tickets.
Korea is super convenient to travel around, especially with high speed trains to go from city to city. During our most recent trip to Korea, we traveled on KTX between Busan and Seoul in a short 3 hours. While I was planning the trip, I looked for information on how to book the KTX tickets without paying excessive fees.
There are a ton of different websites that offer KTX tickets, and I actually did a pricing comparison (using the same date/ time) to see which was the cheapest and most flexible. So in this post I will share with you my experience booking KTX tickets and the various websites you can use (and the worst one to avoid), as well as our experience riding on the KTX train in Korea.
What is a KTX train?
KTX (also known as Korean Train eXpress) is Korea’s high speed bullet train that connects major cities in Korea (except Jeju island). These trains were inaugurated in 2004 and can travel up to 189 miles per hour. There are multiple KTX routes from Seoul, with some of the most popular routes to Busan, Daejeon, Iksan (and Mokpo), Gangneung, etc.
There are multiple KTX trains daily on every route, making it super convenient to travel between cities in Korea. For example, for the Busan to Seoul route that we were looking at, there are over 45 KTX trains each day, with departures 10-30 minutes apart.
KTX train seats
There are 2 classes of seats on KTX trains, first class and economy. The price difference between the two classes is not insignificant, for example, the Busan to Seoul ticket I was looking at has a $15 (USD) difference between the two classes.
The main difference between KTX’s first class and economy seats is that first class has vending machines with free small bottles of water and snacks. Depending on the train, sometimes you either get the water yourself from the vending machine or they will have it at your seat. First class seats also have more leg room and you don’t have to worry about 4 seats facing each other like some of the KTX economy class seats.
Is it worth it to get a KTX first class seat? Generally no, the KTX economy class seats are comfortable enough. However you may want to consider first class if it’s during peak travel season and you don’t want to risk not having space for your luggage or end up in seats that face each other with minimal leg room.
KTX train versus other trains in Korea
KTX is not the only type of train in Korea, but it is the fastest and most expensive. Even within KTX trains, there are older KTX trains and newer ones.
Besides KTX bullet trains, there are also express trains (ITX) and intercity trains (Mugunghwa). The intercity trains are the slowest (and the cheapest) types of trains and they are not as frequent as the KTX trains.
For example, when looking at Busan to Seoul for a 2-3pm train, there are 4 KTX trains but only 1 intercity Mugunghwa train. The KTX train takes less 2.5 to 2 hours 45 minutes to travel between Busan and Seoul but the Mugunghwa train would take almost 6 hours, and the express trains (ITX) takes about 5 hours.
In terms of price, a typical Busan to Seoul KTX ticket costs about $45 USD a person, the ITX costs about $32 USD and the Mugunghwa costs $21 USD a person. Both ITX and Mugunghwa trains only have economy class seats.
Buying KTX train tickets from the official website
There is only one official KTX website and that is Korail. When you google “KTX train tickets”, this probably won’t be the first website that shows up, but this is the official one to use with no additional fees.
Based on your IP address, the website should automatically direct you to the regional website and change the language. Based in the US, when I go to the website, the URL has a “foreign” in it and the website is in English. But you can always change the language yourself by clicking on “language” drop down and choose the language.
While on the website like the screenshot above, you just need to fill in the ticket reservation details and date/ time. I just picked normal type and KTX. If you want to save money you can also take a slower train, like the ITX-MAUM and Mugunghwa train.
Note: reservation may be made from 30 minutes to 1 month prior to departure. I tried to do it 1 and half months in advance and it did not let me. You can of course try to buy tickets in the ticket booth at the station, but you risk seats being sold out (and get the worst seats that face each other).
What’s interesting is that when I tried on a third party website it let me purchase more than one month in advance.
After clicking on “Inquiry”, select the ticket class and time you want to take. If you want to see how much it costs, click on the magnifying glass under “fare”.
Price for a one way ticket from Busan to Seoul 2 weeks out is KRW 53,500 (about $40 USD). You can close out of this window and click on “select” from the original screen to select the class.
Once you decide which class you want, fill out your information on the next page with your name, nationality and email. You will also need to create a password (with numbers) so you can later on access your ticket reservation. So be sure to remember your passcode!
If you chose an economy seat, the next page will tell you the seat number randomly. So if you are traveling with someone else, you should book together to sit next to each other like what we did. I would actually advise getting your tickets earlier than later, as I read if you book later, you might end up getting the 4 seater where you will face someone else with little leg room.
On the next page choose how you want to pay for the ticket. For someone with a foreign credit card, you will need to select the first option “(Credit card) issued overseas”.
Note: if you decide to book last minute tickets at the station, the kiosks will need a Korean credit card. You will need to go to the actual ticket counter to buy your tickets with a foreign credit card.
Agree to all the terms & conditions, and make your payment.
I read online before that a lot of people had problems paying with an overseas credit card, and you will need to have a 3D security activated credit card to pay.
I was very concerned but literally had no issues using my Citibank mastercard credit card. All it did was ask me to get a verification code via phone (on my US phone number) and typed it in and everything was done! If you do have issues paying with your credit card, you may need to try again on the Korail app.
Afterward your payment goes through, you can print out the tickets. After about 10 minutes I was also emailed a booking confirmation (but not actual tickets). So I would highly suggest that you print (or make a PDF copy) of the tickets. The email also has links to refunding the ticket.
Buying KTX Tickets from the Official App
If for whatever reason, your credit card doesn’t work on the official website (or if you don’t have a computer), then the next step would be to try to purchase on the official app, Korailtalk.
The interface of the app looks very similar to the website and I’ve read that credit cards seem to work better on the app. So a lot of people who can’t purchase on the website are able to buy the tickets on the app.
When you open the app, it should already show you the reservation page where you can choose your travel type, departure and arrival city, date of departure, type and number of passengers and other conditions. But if not, click on “Ticket reservation” and go to this page.
On the next screen, you will see the list of trains. Unlike the website, you can’t really search by time or sort the list, so you will need to go through the list to choose the train you need. The app also doesn’t let you see the price before you hit “select”. What you can do is to filter by the type of train in the dropdown, in this case you will choose “KTX/ KTX – Sancheon”.
Once you select the ticket you need, the next screen will ask you to enter your information, as well as the passcode in order to access the tickets. Make sure you input the correct Email, check the box next to “I agree with the terms…..” and click on “Next”.
In the next screen, you will need to select “Issued overseas” and “Confirm” to pay with a foreign credit card.
Follow the prompt to agree to all the terms and conditions and enter your credit card information to complete the purchase.
Buying KTX Tickets via Klook
Klook is a huge Asia based third party website that has a ton of tours, train/ bus tickets, travel passes, etc for most of Asia. When people visit Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia, they most likely will be using Klook to book tickets and tours.
Klook is known to be inexpensive and pretty reliable so it is a great option to book the KTX train ticket if the official website doesn’t work for you due to credit card issues.
You can use either the web version or Klook’s app. Using the link above, it will take you directly to the KTX train booking page for trains between Seoul and Busan. If you are looking for KTX tickets between Seoul to other cities, here are a few other ones:
- Seoul to/ from Yeosu
- Seoul to/ from Gangneung
- Seoul to/ from Daegu
- Seoul to/ from Jeonju
- Seoul to/ from Gyeongju
On the page, you can first search for the date you want to travel (any dates too far in advance will be grayed out), the direction of travel, and pick a combo option. If there is nothing that interests you in the combo option, just get the free duty-free voucher.
Even with this voucher, the total price is still about $45, which is about $5 more than the official website. I think that is acceptable if third party websites are your only option.
When you click “book now”, Klook will ask you to log in if you have an account. It will send a security code to your email to make sure you are the account holder.
On the next page you will enter your information, and then you can pick the exact train and boarding time you want to book. Keep in mind that seats are randomly assigned and there is no refund once tickets are issued unlike the official website.
Buying KTX Tickets via Trip.com
Trip.com is another popular third party website that can be used to book flights, hotels, and trains in Asia. According to the website, Trip.com is Korail’s exclusive overseas Distributor, so this makes it even more legit than Klook.
On the landing page under “trains”, you can search the route you want (in this case I put Busan to Seoul) and I entered the departure date.
The next page shows all the times available just like the official website and prices are very similar to the official website.
The main difference between trip.com and the official KTX website is that Trip.com charges a small booking fee. I like that they are very transparent about it and there are no other hidden fees.
Tickets are refundable per the website and refunds are free if it was made 2 or more days before departure. If you want to refund up to 1 hour before departure, there is a KRW400 (or 10% of ticket fare) handling fee. Booking fee is not refundable though.
Booking KTX Tickets via 12Go
12Go is a transportation website based in Asia and I have used it to book train and bus tickets in Vietnam, so it is reliable.
You can use 12Go to book KTX tickets but it is not my preferred method because it does not have all the time slots available for the KTX (it doesn’t have anything from 2pm to 6pm for some reason when I searched for the same dates as above).
In terms of pricing, 12Go is about $12 more expensive than the official website for the particular train I was looking at (I compared prices for the same train/ date/ time across all these platforms). For a 2pm Busan to Seoul train on the official website on the same day and an economy ticket costs about $45, whereas on 12Go it costs $57 for the same seat.
While I am a fan of 12Go for Southeast Asia, in this case I don’t think this would be my preferred platform to book the KTX train tickets.
Booking KTX Tickets on Rail Ninja or KTX Trains (DO NOT USE)
When you search for “KTX tickets”, the first sponsored link that’s going to come up is probably Rail Ninja and the first non-sponsored link is probably KTX trains.
They are actually the same company, or at least if you go to KTX trains’s website (https://www.koreantrain.com) and search for a ticket, it will redirect you to Rail Ninja’s website. KTX Trains is NOT the official KTX website!
While Rail Ninja is legit, their price is WAY higher than the official website and the other third party websites I mentioned above. For the exact ticket and date and time, the ticket costs a whopping $72 instead of $40 for an economy seat. It also costs $101 for a first class seat.
Therefore, I would recommend NOT to use Rail Ninja or Koreantrain.com because they charge so much more. There are so many other legit websites you can use to book KTX tickets instead.
Traveling a lot on the KTX within a short period of time?
If you are planning to travel a lot and do a ton of day trips, then you should consider KORAIL Pass, a railway pass that allows you to take all the KTX and other trains (not subways or buses) in Korea within a short period of time.
If you are planning to do a round trip between Seoul and Busan plus another day trip, then the pass is totally worth it. The website has a step by step instruction on how to book your ticket and reserve seats online.
Q&A on KTX Trains
How early do you need to get to the train station to ride the KTX?
You should aim to arrive at the station 20 minutes before departure. I read online that everyone says you should arrive 45 minutes before, but when we were at the Busan station, the train didn’t even come until 15 minutes before departure time!
If you do go early, you can just get coffee and chill at the different restaurants.
Can you cancel/ change your KTX tickets?
You can cancel your KTX tickets if you book it directly from the official Korail website or from trip.com. Some other third party websites will not allow you to change or cancel your tickets.
How early should you book the KTX tickets? Can you book it the same day?
KTX tickets are available to book 30 days before departure. While you don’t need to book that early, you should still try to book at least a week or two before departure.
You can try to book the tickets on the same day at the station, but chances are some of the trails will be sold out.
Is there food for sale on the KTX train?
I read there are vending machines on the KTX trains where you can purchase water but I didn’t see any when I was on the train. There is no restaurant car on the KTX trains. It’s best that you buy food from the station and bring it onto the train.
Can you eat on the KTX train?
Yes you can eat and drink on a KTX train. But when I was on the train I saw people with coffee but nobody was eating.
Are there USB chargers on the KTX Train?
There are USB charging sockets on the KTX trains. However on our train I noticed it’s every other row, not every row. We got lucky that our row had the 2 USB charging sockets, but the row in front of us (right next to the big windows) didn’t have USC sockets.
Is there wifi on the KTX train?
Yes, every KTX train comes with free wifi. I used the wifi for browsing, but it’s probably faster to just use your cellular network for videos. I noticed that reception is always consistently good in Korea regardless of where you are. I had full reception in remote areas of Korea and also on the subway.
Where do I put luggage on the KTX trains?
There are some luggage racks next to the train doors, but it can probably just fit 2-3 luggages at most. So we (and most other passengers) put our luggage on the rack on top of the seats.
Our Experience Riding the KTX Train from Busan to Seoul
As mentioned above, we had booked our KTX train tickets one month before departure on the official Korail website. Comparing prices and researching all the booking options had inspired me to write this post.
Arriving at Busan Station
When I did my research, all these websites said the KTX train arrive 45 minutes before departure so everyone should aim to get to the station that early.
Since we stayed at BIFF square area in Busan, it was really fast to get to the Busan Station. We took a taxi and specifically went to the KTX Exit 1 location, but I think any entrance will do.
Once inside, there are plenty of signs towards KTX and KTX platforms. In the Busan Station on the third level, there are a number of restaurants and cafes. We randomly picked a cafe since we were so early and relaxed until about 30 minutes before departure.
Boarding the KTX Train
It just happened that we took the correct elevator down from the 3rd level to the platform level. In the Busan Station, trains to Seoul (and a few other cities) are on platform 5 and 6.
Our booking confirmation said our seats were 13/5A and 5B, so that meant we were in car 13. On the platform it shows you which car it will be, so you can just wait there and line up.
Our train didn’t arrive until 15 minutes before departure as there was an earlier train before ours. Therefore I say that you really don’t need to arrive that early since you would just be waiting.
KTX Train Experience Onboard
Riding a KTX Train is like riding any other trains. We put our luggage on the rack on top of our seats and went on our phones.
One interesting I noticed is that nobody checked our tickets or scanned our tickets. But at every stop (there are multiple stops between Seoul and Busan), the train attendants would walk around the aisles with a phone (or small tablet) with them and check all the seats. I assume that is to see if anyone is sitting where there should be empty.
The train ride was smooth, I used my Korean cellular service to watch TV shows on the train with no issues. The train cars were generally very quiet and there are toilets on board that was relatively clean. It was a pretty uneventful ride and we got to Seoul faster than I thought. We literally didn’t realize we got to Seoul until I looked up and most people had already left (ha!).