How do you get from Incheon Airport to Hongdae?

Take the AREX All-Stop train from Incheon and get off at Hongik University Station. Do not board the Express train: it runs non-stop to Seoul Station and does not call at Hongik University Station. The All-Stop ride takes about 50 to 60 minutes with no transfers, and from Exit 6 it is a five to seven minute walk into the Hongdae backstreets, which is where Da-woo House is.

That really is the whole route. No bus-then-subway, no changing trains at Seoul Station, no taxi. Hongik University Station sits on the airport line itself, which is the single biggest practical argument for staying in Hongdae rather than Myeongdong or Gangnam on a short trip.

It is also one of the most asked questions we get. Nineteen of 1,062 inbound guest messages in the twelve months to September 2026 asked how to get here from Incheon, with another nineteen asking about buses, trains, subways and taxis more generally.

The train

AREX runs two services from both Incheon terminals and they are not interchangeable. The Express train, marked 직통열차, runs non-stop between the airport and Seoul Station and calls nowhere else; Airport Railroad Co. puts it at 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 minutes from Terminal 2. The All-Stop train, marked 일반열차, calls at every station on the line including Hongik University Station, and is the one to board. Airport Railroad Co. puts the full All-Stop run between the terminals and Seoul Station at 59 and 66 minutes; Hongik University Station is two stops short of Seoul Station, so allow roughly 50 to 60 minutes and check the current timetable. The station also serves Seoul Metro Line 2 and the Gyeongui-Jungang Line, so onward travel is straightforward.

For fares, buy at the station machines or simply tap through with a T-money card. The Seoul Metropolitan Government describes T-money as the one card that covers subway, bus, taxi and public bikes, and it is sold in every convenience store, including the ones inside the airport.

If you land late

The last AREX departure from Incheon Terminal 2 is around 22:48, and timetables change, so confirm the current one with Airport Railroad Co. before you build a plan on it. After the trains stop, the Airport Limousine 6002 bus runs to the Hongdae Hongik University Station stop until roughly 1 AM. After that it is a taxi, and a Kakao Taxi to Hongdae typically costs about 70,000 to 90,000 won and takes 50 to 60 minutes depending on traffic.

None of this affects getting into Da-woo House. Check-in is self-service and runs 24 hours, so a delayed flight changes your transport problem and nothing else.

The walk from Exit 6

1. Leave Hongik University Station by Exit 6.
2. Walk about 50 metres in the opposite direction to the exit, toward AK Tower.
3. Head for the PLAT&HOPCHOU building, passing Eternal Log Hongdae.
4. Turn left at the Emart24 convenience store and keep going straight.
5. When Tomoto Curry appears on your right, turn right into the alley.
6. Walk 100 metres straight down the alley. About five minutes in total.

Exits 3 and 9 also work and take about seven to eight minutes. Exit 6 is the one worth memorising, because the last stretch is an alley and alleys are where map apps get vague. The neighbourhood is flat, which helps with a suitcase, but Da-woo House has no elevator, so the last few metres are stairs.