Getting around Seoul after a procedure: taxis, apps, SIM cards
The apps that work for visitors, when a taxi is worth it, and the small preparations that make day two after surgery manageable.
Seoul's public transport is excellent for tourists and demanding for patients: long station corridors, stairs, crowds at rush hour. For the days right after a procedure, plan on taxis and save the subway for when you feel normal.
Set up before you land
- Data. Buy an eSIM before departure or a SIM at the airport. Every other step depends on it.
- A taxi app. Kakao T is the dominant app in Korea and accepts many foreign cards; international apps also work in Seoul. Register and add a card before you are unwell.
- A Korean map app. Naver Map or KakaoMap give accurate walking and transit routes where global map apps are often wrong.
- A transport card (T-money or similar), sold and topped up at convenience stores, for subway and buses.
- Your clinic's and hotel's addresses written in Korean, saved as a screenshot.
Verify before you rely on this: Which apps accept which foreign cards, and whether an app needs a Korean phone number, changes as companies update their services. Test the app with your card on arrival day, not on procedure day.
Taxi practicalities
- Show the Korean address rather than saying a name — drivers navigate by address.
- Many drivers speak little English; a translation app or the 1330 tourist helpline covers the gap.
- Rush hour in Gangnam can make a short taxi ride longer than the subway. Leave early for appointments.
- Keep the receipt if you plan to claim transport costs from insurance.
From my own visits: Leaving a clinic after sedation, you are usually not allowed to go alone, and you should not be navigating an app. Book the taxi back before the procedure, or have a companion with you — and tell the clinic ahead of time how you are getting home, because they will ask.
The subway, when you are ready
- Look up the exit number for your destination; exits can be far apart.
- Lifts exist at most stations but not at every exit — the map app shows which.
- Avoid 8–9am and 6–7pm if you have a dressing or swelling you want to protect.
- Priority seats are for elderly, pregnant and injured passengers; a visible post-operative bandage qualifies you in practice.
Don't drive, and don't rent a bike or scooter, until your doctor has cleared you — sedatives, painkillers and some eye and facial procedures all affect your ability to react safely.
Sources
This site is an information resource, not a medical provider, agency or broker. We do not arrange treatment, refer patients to specific hospitals, or receive commission from clinics for introductions. Nothing here is medical advice — decisions about treatment belong to you and a licensed doctor.