All About KTX Train Tickets

Booking KTX tickets: the process is fairly intuitive and easy to figure out. You can check train routes and schedules online, and book your tickets in advance. KTX train tickets can be booked 1 month in advance if buying at a train station, and a year in advance when booking online. Booking online is often a preferred way for travelers that are visiting Korea, especially for such popular routes as Seoul - Busan.

Buy KTX tickets online: you need to choose your travel dates, preferred train, train class, and add the passenger information: number of travelers, number of children traveling with you, contact information and payment details. When you complete your booking, you will receive an e-ticket. The main information such as the departure and destination points, as well as boarding date, train class are in English.​
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​Below you can find an example of how to book KTX tickets online, and how to read them. If it's your first time traveling in Korea, or by train in general, it might be useful to gather some information about booking KTX tickets online in advance. You can learn everything you need to know about what is written on such an E-ticket below, and find a step-by-step of how to book it.

Guide How to Buy a KTX Train Ticket

You can buy KTX tickets on the train station or book online. Check train schedules for your route and choose travel dates, preferred train class, and purchase tickets up to 1 month in advance. After you book a KTX train ticket and make the payment, you receive an E-ticket.

​It is highly recommended to print out this E-ticket as it is your boarding coupon that you will need to show together with your passport as you get on the train. This information in the E-ticket is partially written in Korean, but all the translations are provided and the ticket is easy to read and understand.

FIRST STEP: SELECT DESTINATION

1. Go to Rail.Ninja, and select the type of your trip: One, Round, Multi-leg.
2. Choose your route.
3. Select your travel date/s.
4. Select the number of passengers traveling, and indicate children if any.
5. Click button "Continue".

SECOND STEP: SELECT TRAIN & SEAT CLASS

1. Select the type of train depending on your preferred departure or arrival time.
2. Select your train seat class: Economy Class Seat or 1st Class Seat.
3. Click "Continue".
4. Add your passenger and payment details.
5. Receive your e-ticket to the inbox.
6. Print it out.

How Much Does KTX Cost

Your ticket price will depend on chosen travel date (is it a weekend or a regular day), when are you buying your tickets (in advance or last-minute) and your travel class. Another important factor is your chosen KTX route. KTX tickets are lower for shorter routes, and higher for longer ones. Below you can find prices of few KTX routes. !Note: these are only preliminary prices that can change according to various factors.

Seoul - Busan ticket price: usually, the Economy Class Seat price starts from ​60 Euro per ticket, and from 80 Euro per ticket for a 1st Class Seat.
Seoul - Daejeon ticket price: the price for the Economy Class Seat price starts from ​28 Euro per ticket, and from 35 Euro per ticket for a 1st Class Seat.
​Seoul - Gwangmyeong price: the price for the Economy Class Seat price starts from ​15 Euro per ticket, and from 19 Euro per ticket for a 1st Class Seat.

Sample KTX Train Ticket

Ticket number and code: on the very bottom right corner of the E-ticket you can find the ticket number in black. A little above you will find a QR code of your ticket. 

Name: your first name initials will be indicated at the very bottom left corner.

Boarding date: in the first column of the table, you can see the departure date (boarding date).

Route & time: the second column, under the boarding date, displays your route. Both, departure and arrival times are indicated. 

!Note: the time is indicated in the 24-hour clock, instead of a.m. / p.m.
!Note: the departure and arrival time is always indicated in local time.

Train number, car & seat: the third column displays your train number. The fourth one displays your train car, seat, and class.

 ​!Note: always check your gate number at the station, and make sure that the ticket details match with ones written on the board.

 ​!Note: always arrive at least 15 -20 minutes before your train departure. KTX trains are very punctual and depart on time.

Sample KTX Train Ticket of a Round Trip