Trip Q&A
Where to stay for a concert in Korea, venue by venue
Pick your hotel by two things: whether it is on the same subway line as the venue, and how late you can leave the venue and still get back. For venues in Seoul, staying on the venue's line means no change of trains after the show and much less risk of missing the last connection. For venues outside Seoul, such as KINTEX or INSPIRE Arena, either stay nearby or settle how you will get back before you book. The table below lists, for each main venue, the nearest place to stay in our lodging data and the latest time to leave on a Saturday to reach Myeongdong, Hongdae or Gangnam by the last train.
Three rules for choosing
1. Stay on the venue's line
Olympic Park Station is on Lines 5 and 9; Guil Station for Gocheok Sky Dome is on Line 1; Dongguk University Station for Jangchung Arena is on Line 3. Stay on the same line and it is one train home. With a change, the second line's last train may already have gone.
2. Work back from the end of the show
Most shows in our calendar start at 18:00 on Saturdays and 17:00 on Sundays, with listed running times of around two hours. Encores and the crowd at the exits push your arrival at the station later still. Compare the "leave by" times below with the show's expected finish.
3. Near the venue, or in town?
A hotel within walking distance makes the night easy but can be a poor base for the rest of the trip. On longer stays, some fans book the show night near the venue and the other nights in town.
By venue: nearest hotel and the last way back
Places to stay come from our lodging data, based on the Korea Tourism Organization's TourAPI; we show the closest one to the venue. Where that data has nothing near a venue (Olympic Park), we use the nearest lodging in the TourAPI listings instead. Under each time is the station where you change trains on that route. We haven't checked prices or availability. The times are calculated from Seoul subway timetables, so they don't cover the Busan and Daegu venues or INSPIRE Arena, which is on the Airport Railroad.
| Venue | Nearest place to stay in our data | Leave the venue by (Sat) |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Park | Seoul Olympic Parktel 서울올림픽파크텔 1.1 km | Myeongdong 22:51 change at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 23:06 change at Dangsan Gangnam 23:06 change at Sports Complex |
| KINTEX | Lake Bay Hostel 레이크베이호스텔 2.6 km | Myeongdong 22:24 change at Chungmuro Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 22:24 change at Euljiro 3-ga Gangnam 22:14 change at Seoul Nat'l Univ. of Education |
| Inspire Entertainment Resort | Inspire Entertainment Resort 인스파이어 엔터테인먼트 리조트 29 m | Not in our Seoul subway data |
| Jangchung Arena | HOTEL QB 호텔큐비(호텔QB) 1.6 km | Myeongdong 23:32 change at Chungmuro Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 23:23 change at Euljiro 3-ga Gangnam 23:22 change at Seoul Nat'l Univ. of Education |
| BEXCO | Saendeuseutei 샌드스테이 1.5 km | Not in our Seoul subway data |
| EXCO | Yeongnam Seonbi Culture Training Center (Guam Seowon) (사)영남선비문화수련원(구암서원) 1.6 km | Not in our Seoul subway data |
| KBS Hall [Busan] | Walnut Stay 호두스테이 126 m | Not in our Seoul subway data |
| YES24 LIVE HALL | Namu Hotel 나무호텔 166 m | Myeongdong 23:08 change at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 23:08 change at Wangsimni Gangnam 22:59 change at Cheonho, Jamsil |
| Gocheok Sky Dome | Aank Air Hotel Gaebong 아늑에어 호텔 개봉점 1.0 km | Myeongdong 22:59 change at Seoul Station Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 23:24 change at Sindorim Gangnam 23:05 change at Sindorim |
| Blue Square | The Hyoosik Nouvelle Seoul Itaewon 더휴식 누베르 서울 이태원점 907 m | Myeongdong 23:20 change at Dongmyo, Dongdaemun Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 23:27 change at Hapjeong Gangnam 23:10 change at Yaksu, Seoul Nat'l Univ. of Education |
| KBS Sports World (Arena) | THE FIRST STAY 더퍼스트스테이 호텔 1.1 km | Myeongdong 22:43 change at Dangsan, Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 23:09 change at Dangsan Gangnam 22:43 change at Express Bus Terminal, Seoul Nat'l Univ. of Education |
| Sejong University Daeyang Hall | Ribeosaideugeseuteuhauseu 리버사이드게스트하우스 2.1 km | Myeongdong 23:04 change at Gunja, Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 23:04 change at Gunja, Wangsimni Gangnam 23:11 change at Konkuk Univ. |
| Yonsei University Centennial Hall | The Hyoosik Aank Hotel Sinchon 더휴식 아늑호텔 신촌점 615 m | Myeongdong 23:16 change at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Hongik Univ. (Hongdae) 23:38 Gangnam 22:53 |
| NOL Theater Hapjeong (formerly Shinhan Card SOL Pay Square) | The Hyooshik Aank Hotel Hongdae 더휴식 아늑호텔 홍대점 732 m | Myeongdong 23:22 change at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Gangnam 23:09 |
Latest time to leave the venue and still reach the station by the last train, from the Seoul open-data timetables (Seoul Metro Lines 1–9). It allows for the walk to the station and 5 minutes to get through the gates. AREX, the Gyeongui–Jungang, Shinbundang and Suin–Bundang lines and GTX-A are not in the data, so the real last option can be later. Timetable figures, not live data.
Notes for each venue
- Olympic Park (KSPO DOME, Olympic Hall, ticketLINK LIVE ARENA): anywhere on Line 5 or 9 works well. The nearest lodging in our data is the Seoul Olympic Parktel, on the edge of the park, about 1.1 km away (a Korea Tourism Organization listing).
- Gocheok Sky Dome: Guil Station is on Line 1, and the operator suggests Guro or Gaebong stations to avoid the crowds. Gasan Digital Complex and Sindorim are the nearest busy areas.
- KINTEX: outside Seoul, in Ilsan (Goyang). If you stay in Seoul, the Seoul Station area (GTX-A) or anywhere on Line 3 makes the trip back simpler.
- INSPIRE Arena: on Yeongjong Island, by Incheon Airport. The resort's free shuttle to Hongdae and Myeongdong last leaves at 5:30 pm (official timetable), before evening shows even start. Stay at the resort or plan on a taxi.
- Jangchung Arena: directly connected to Dongguk University Station (Line 3), minutes from Myeongdong and Dongdaemun.
- YES24 LIVE HALL: about 5 minutes from Gwangnaru Station; stay on Line 5 for a direct ride.
- BLUESQUARE: linked to Hangangjin Station on Line 6 by an underground passage. Line 6 doesn't reach Myeongdong, Hongdae or Gangnam, so all three need a change; the table shows where.
- In Busan, BEXCO is next to Centum City, with Haeundae close by. EXCO in Daegu has no subway, so Dongdaegu (KTX) Station makes a practical base.
FAQ
Myeongdong or Hongdae?
It depends on the venue. Compare the times for both in the table above. Hongdae also has an Airport Railroad (AREX) station, which makes airport trips easy.
What if the show finishes late?
Stay within walking distance or on the venue's line with no change. See Last trains after a concert for how to plan and what to do if you miss it.
Do the times work for weekday shows?
The table shows Saturday times. In our data, every venue and destination can be reached later on weekdays than on Saturdays, and Sundays and holidays match Saturday. Weekday times are in the last-train guide and on each venue page.
Useful for this guide
- Hotels in SeoulPick your dates on the booking siteBooking.comOpen
Official pages
Rules change and differ by show. Check the ticket page and the official notices for your show before you travel.