Getting Around
Maps & Navigation
Google Maps does not work properly in Korea. Here is what to install instead, and how to make it find things.
The short answer
Install Naver Map or Kakao Map before you fly. Both are free, both have an English interface, and both know things Google Maps does not. This is the single most useful thing you can do before arriving.
Why Google Maps falls short
Korean law restricts exporting detailed map data out of the country, so Google has never had the full dataset to work with. What you get in practice: no driving directions, walking directions that are patchy, and business listings that are often out of date. Public transport directions do work — but the local apps are more accurate, and they tell you things Google leaves out.
What to install instead
| App | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Naver Map | The default. Best search, English interface, transit and walking directions, opening hours, and which subway exit to use. |
| Kakao Map | Much the same thing. Some prefer its walking routes. Either one is fine — you don't need both. |
| Papago | Translation, not maps. Its camera mode reads menus and signs, which is what you'll actually use it for. |
| Kakao T | Taxis. Covered on its own page. |
Getting search to actually work
- English search finds the big places — stations, palaces, department stores. It often fails on small restaurants and cafés.
- When English finds nothing, paste the Korean name in. Copy it from wherever you found the place; the apps match Korean names exactly.
- Korean addresses run largest to smallest: city, district, street, number. Pasting the whole thing works.
- Save your accommodation as a favourite the moment you land. You will show it to a taxi driver at some point, and searching for it one-handed in the rain is not the moment.
The things worth knowing
- Subway exit numbers. Directions end with something like 'Exit 4', and it matters — a big station's exits can be hundreds of metres apart, on opposite sides of a main road.
- Floor numbers. Businesses stack vertically here; the place you want may be on the 6th floor of a building with no sign at street level. The app tells you the floor.
- Opening hours are usually correct in Naver and often wrong in Google. Check before crossing the city.
- Naver shows recent photos, the menu, and roughly how busy a place is — useful for deciding whether a queue is worth joining.
Screenshot your accommodation's address in Korean and keep it in your photos. It still works when your battery is low, your data has stopped, and the driver doesn't read English.
Offline
Neither app is much use without a connection, so sort out data before you land rather than relying on finding wifi. Public wifi is genuinely everywhere in Korea, but 'everywhere' is not the same as 'at the junction where you need to decide which way to turn'.