Seoul Subway Line 3 Guide: 12 Stops Worth Getting Off

Line 3 is Seoul’s diagonal. Planned with Line 4 to cut through the old city on a slant, it runs from the northwest to the southeast, and its first stretch, Gupabal to Dongnimmun, opened on July 12, 1985. Read the station names north of downtown in order and you are walking the old Uiju road that envoys from China took to the capital: Gupabal was a relay post for government messengers, Hongje was named after Hongjewon, the state inn where the envoys rested, and the road then crossed Muakjae pass to Yeongeunmun gate, where the king received them, near today’s Dongnimmun.

South of the palaces, the line passes the hanok lanes of Bukchon and Ikseon-dong, skirts Namsan, comes up into daylight to cross the Han River, then runs under Gangnam’s shopping streets, two bus terminals and Seoul’s largest wholesale market. Few lines pack so many first-trip sights into 20 minutes, or so many ordinary neighbourhood stops worth the detour.

Where does Line 3 go?

From Daehwa in Goyang to Ogeum in Songpa-gu, in one orange line with no branches. It is a single through-route: no loop and no forks, but two operators and a lot of trains that turn back before the end of the line.

🚇 Line 3 at a glance (Seoul Metro, Seoul city, Seoul Metropolitan Archives; October 2026)

Item	Line 3
Termini	Daehwa (309, Goyang) – Ogeum (352, Songpa-gu)
Stations	44: 34 run by Seoul Metro (Jichuk–Ogeum), 10 by Korail (Daehwa–Samsong)
Route length	57.4 km: Seoul Metro 38.2 km plus Korail’s Ilsan Line 19.2 km
First opened	July 12, 1985 (Gupabal–Dongnimmun)
Main transfers	Jongno 3-ga (Lines 1, 5), Express Bus Terminal (Lines 7, 9), Yeonsinnae (Line 6, GTX-A), Suseo (Suin-Bundang Line, GTX-A)
Other transfers	Bulgwang (6), Euljiro 3-ga (2), Chungmuro (4), Yaksu (6), Oksu (Gyeongui-Jungang), Sinsa (Sinbundang), Gyodae (2), Yangjae (Sinbundang), Dogok (Suin-Bundang), Garak Market (8), Ogeum (5), Daegok (Gyeongui-Jungang, Seohae, Gyooe, GTX-A)

The line grew in steps. After the 1985 opening it reached Yangjae that October, Jichuk in 1990 and Suseo in 1993. In 1996 Korail’s Ilsan Line opened and Line 3 trains began running through to Ilsan New Town. The last extension, Suseo to Garak Market and Ogeum, opened on February 18, 2010, and Wonheung in Goyang was added in 2014.

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Which Line 3 stations are worth getting off at?

Twelve, from Bukhansan in the north to Garak Market in the south. The list follows the Seoul section in line order; the Goyang section gets its own paragraph below.

📍 12 Line 3 stops worth the exit (exits: VisitSeoul, Seoul city, venue sites; transfers: Seoul Metro)

Station (No.)	Exit	Why get off	Local eat nearby	Transfer
Bulgwang (322)	Bus stop in front of the station	Bukhansan’s southwest ridges, a hikers’ food alley	Samgaksan Dotori Maeul (acorn jelly)	Line 6
Hongje (324)	4, then bus	Hongje Waterfall on Hongjecheon, Inwang Market	Wonil Daegu-tang (cod soup)	—
Gyeongbokgung (327)	5	Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seochon, Tongin Market	Wonjo Halmeoni Tteokbokki (oil tteokbokki)	—
Anguk (328)	3	Bukchon Hanok Village	Kkangtong Mandu (dumplings)	—
Jongno 3-ga (329)	8 (Jongmyo), 4 (Ikseon-dong)	Jongmyo Shrine, Ikseon-dong, Seosulla-gil	Somunnanjip (3,000-won soup)	Lines 1, 5
Chungmuro (331)	4	Namsangol Hanok Village	Pildong Myeonok (naengmyeon)	Line 4
Dongguk Univ. (332)	6 (park), 3 (jokbal)	Jangchungdan Park, Namsan city wall, Jangchung-dong jokbal	Pyeongando Jokbaljip (pig’s trotters)	—
Oksu (335)	4, then minibus	Eungbongsan, the Han River crossing	Gaemi Sikdang (home-style lunch)	Gyeongui-Jungang
Sinsa (337)	8	Garosu-gil	Bbeokkugi (old-school pub)	Sinbundang
Express Bus Terminal (339)	8-1	Banpo Bridge rainbow fountain, the night flower market	Gammiok (galbitang)	Lines 7, 9
Nambu Bus Terminal (341)	5	Seoul Arts Center	Bongsanok (dumpling soup)	—
Garak Market (350)	2	Garak Mall and the overnight wholesale market	Hamgyeongdo Chapssal Sundae (24 h)	Line 8

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What is there to do at each Line 3 stop?

North to south, here is why each stop earns its exit, plus one place to eat there. The restaurants come from our neighbourhood guides, which go into more detail.

Bulgwang (322) — Bukhansan from the station door

Named after Bulgwangsa temple, this is where Bukhansan comes down to the subway. For the Samo-bawi–Bibong ridge, the Seoul Hiking Tourism Center sends you on bus 7212 from the stop in front of the station (across the road from Exit 2) to the Seunggasa entrance. For Jokduri Peak (370 m), the easier climb, ride Line 6 one stop to Dokbawi, Exit 1: Seoul city’s beginner course starts about 10 minutes away at the Bulgwang Park ranger post beside Bulgwangsa temple. Afterwards, the Tongil-ro 66-gil alley is a hikers’ food street: Samgaksan Dotori Maeul (Tongil-ro 66-gil 4-6) makes its own 도토리묵 dotorimuk, acorn jelly, served in cold broth in summer and over rice in winter (12,000 won). Samgaksan is Bukhansan’s old name. More in our Yeonsinnae and Bulgwang guide.

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Hongje (324) — the envoys’ inn and a waterfall

Hongjewon, the state inn here, received envoys from China until the end of Joseon, Seoul Metro’s station note explains. Today’s reason to stop is Hongje Waterfall, an artificial cascade on the Hongjecheon stream, running daily 08:00–21:00 according to Seoul city: take Exit 4, then bus 7713 or 7738. Beside the station, Inwang Market’s sit-down restaurant Wonil Daegu-tang (Inwang Market-gil 18) serves cod soup and grilled fish, one order per person; 11:00–22:00, closed Sundays. See our Hongje-dong guide.

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Gyeongbokgung (327) — the palace, then Seochon

Exit 5 brings you up toward Gyeongbokgung Palace, about 500 m away by VisitSeoul’s count. It is closed on Tuesdays, costs 3,000 won for foreign adults and is free in a full hanbok. The granite station itself is one of the most beautiful in Seoul. West of it lies Seochon, where Tongin Market serves a dish found in few other places: 기름떡볶이 gireum-tteokbokki, rice cakes pan-fried in oil with soy sauce or chilli flakes instead of simmered in red sauce. Wonjo Halmeoni Tteokbokki inside the market claims to have started in 1956 and is listed as a Seoul Future Heritage; a plate is about 3,000–4,000 won. See our Seochon guide and the half-day palace course, timed around the guard ceremony.

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Anguk (328) — Bukchon Hanok Village

Seoul Metro’s station note calls this area, old Bukchon, “the Seoul of Seoul”. VisitSeoul gives Exit 3 for Bukchon Hanok Village, a little over 500 m away. People still live in these houses, and the busiest lanes are a special management area: visiting hours there are 10:00–17:00, with no tourist entry from 17:00 to 10:00. Keep your voice down and stay on the lanes. For lunch, Kkangtong Mandu (Bukchon-ro 2-gil 5-6), open since 1988 and three minutes from the station, wraps its dumplings by hand every morning; start with steamed mandu, then dumpling soup. Closed Sundays. More long-running places are in Bukchon’s old restaurants.

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Jongno 3-ga (329) — Jongmyo, Ikseon-dong and the 3,000-won soup

Seoul city’s guide sends Line 3 and 5 passengers out of Exit 8 and along the wall to Jongmyo, the UNESCO-listed royal ancestral shrine. Check the day: it is closed on Tuesdays, other weekdays are guided-tour only, and at weekends and on holidays you can wander freely; adults pay 1,000 won. Our Jongmyo guide has the tour times. Exit 4 is about 120 m from Ikseon-dong, a tight grid of 1920s hanok now full of cafés, and the lane along Jongmyo’s west wall, Seosulla-gil, is named after the Joseon night patrols.

The area’s other draw is how little a meal costs. Somunnanjip (Supyo-ro 131) serves 우거지해장국 ugeoji haejang-guk, hangover soup with dried cabbage leaves in soybean-paste broth, for 3,000 won, with rice and kimchi. It opens early and fills with regulars from mid-morning; pay in cash if you can. See our Jongno 3-ga and Seosulla-gil guide.

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Chungmuro (331) — Namsangol Hanok Village

The street is named after Admiral Yi Sun-sin (posthumous title Chungmu), who was born nearby. From Exit 4 it is about 300 m to Namsangol Hanok Village: five Joseon houses moved here from around the city, with a pond garden below Namsan. Free; 09:00–21:00 from April to October (to 20:00 in winter), closed Mondays. Nearby, Pildong Myeonok (Seoae-ro 26) serves a famously light Pyongyang-style 물냉면 mul-naengmyeon topped with chilli flakes and scallion, 15,000 won; 11:00–19:50 with a 15:00–17:00 break, closed Sundays. See our Pildong and Chungmuro guide.

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Dongguk Univ. (332) — Jangchungdan Park and jokbal alley

Jangchung-dong is named after Jangchungdan, an altar built in 1900 for those killed in the 1895 palace attack in which Empress Myeongseong was murdered. The site is now Jangchungdan Park; VisitSeoul starts its Namsan city wall walk at Exit 6. Exit 3 is about 150 m from the jokbal alley, where braised pig’s trotters began in the 1960s at taverns run by women from the North. Pyeongando Jokbaljip (Jangchungdan-ro 174-6), one of two shops credited as the original, pairs jokbal with cold makguksu; closed Mondays. See our Jangchung jokbal guide.

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Oksu (335) — the Han River crossing

Oksu is named after Okjeongsu, a spring once sent to the king. Here Line 3 leaves the tunnel: between Geumho and Apgujeong it runs above ground and crosses the Han on Dongho Bridge. For a wider view, take the Seongdong 01 minibus from Exit 4 to Musoemak and climb Eungbongsan, a 95.4 m rock hill that turns yellow with forsythia in late March. Gaemi Sikdang (Hannimmal 3-gil 31), above the station, serves a lunch-only 백반 baekban with no printed menu: that day’s soup, side dishes and multigrain rice. More in our Oksu and Geumho guide.

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Sinsa (337) — Garosu-gil

Sinsa-dong was a sandy ferry village until it joined Seoul in 1963. Exit 8 is about 450 m from Garosu-gil, a tree-lined street of flagships and cafés that began as a 1980s gallery row; the side streets, Serosu-gil, hold smaller Korean brands. For food older than the boom, Bbeokkugi is an old-school pub serving garlic chicken gizzards with makgeolli. See our Garosu-gil, Dosan Park and Cheongdam guide.

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Express Bus Terminal (339) — the river, the flowers, the terminal

The Express Bus Terminal opened here on September 1, 1976, and with Seoul Station became the city’s front door. The mall underneath is enormous, so pick your exit. Exit 8-1 leads, about 1.1 km on foot, to Banpo Hangang Park and the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain on Banpo Bridge, which runs from April to October, with 20-minute shows at 12:00 and from 19:30 (VisitSeoul). Inside the Gyeongbu Line terminal building, the 3rd floor is a flower wholesale arcade that runs on a night clock: fresh flowers from 23:30 to 12:00, artificial flowers and supplies until 18:00, as our Seoul flower markets guide explains.

To eat with the neighbourhood rather than the mall, walk to Jamwon-dong. Gammiok, about 40 years old and some 300 m from the station, is a home-cooking restaurant by day (galbitang 12,000 won) and a charcoal pork-rib house at night, open every day. Our Express Bus Terminal guide ranks 15 more.

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Nambu Bus Terminal (341) — Seoul Arts Center

The station was named after a freight terminal until the Nambu bus terminal replaced it. The Seoul Arts Center sends visitors out of Exit 5: under 10 minutes on foot, or two stops on town bus 22, for its concert hall, opera house and Hangaram Art Museum. Before a show, Bongsanok (Banpo-daero 8-gil 5-6) serves North Korean-style 만둣국 mandu-guk, dumpling soup, and ojingeo-sundae, stuffed steamed squid; 11:00–21:20. See our Seocho and Gyodae guide.

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Garak Market (350) — Seoul’s kitchen, after dark

The wholesale market opened here in 1985 to supply the city’s vegetables, fruit, fish and meat, Seoul Metro notes, and it is still Korea’s largest. Exit 2 is about 150 m from Garak Mall, the retail side opened in 2016, where you can buy a single fish downstairs and have it served upstairs. The wholesale zone behind works overnight, busiest on weekdays from about 23:00 to 04:00, and the soup houses keep the same hours. Hamgyeongdo Chapssal Sundae (Garak-dong 79-7) is open 24 hours, every day of the year, and makes Hamgyeong-style 순대 sundae with glutinous rice; sundae gukbap is 8,000 won. Our Garak Market guide explains how to buy, when to go and what the table-setting fee covers.

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And the Goyang section?

North of Jichuk, Line 3 runs as Korail’s Ilsan Line through Goyang to Daehwa. Jeongbalsan (311) is the stop for Ilsan Lake Park, and Daegok (314) is the hub where Line 3 meets GTX-A, the Gyeongui-Jungang Line, the Seohae Line and the Gyooe Line. Royal tombs, a hilltop fortress and Ilsan’s chicken kalguksu are in our Goyang day-trip guide.

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How do you ride Line 3 without getting lost?

Watch the destination on the train, not just the line colour. Line 3 has two short-turn points, while the change of operator at Jichuk is something you won’t notice.

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What is a good one-day route along Line 3?

Start at the palaces in the morning, cross the river in the afternoon and end at the night market. Avoid Tuesdays (Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo are closed) and Mondays (Namsangol Hanok Village and Pyeongando Jokbaljip), and expect Kkangtong Mandu to be shut on Sundays.

• 09:00 — Gyeongbokgung, Exit 5. The palace at opening time, before the tour groups.
• 11:30 — Anguk, Exit 3. Bukchon's lanes once the restricted zone opens at 10:00, then dumplings at Kkangtong Mandu.
• 13:30 — Jongno 3-ga. Jongmyo from Exit 8 (free roaming at weekends, guided tours on weekdays), or Ikseon-dong from Exit 4.
• 15:30 — Dongguk Univ., Exit 6. Jangchungdan Park and the first stretch of the Namsan city wall.
• 17:30 — Sinsa, Exit 8. Ride over the Han, then walk Garosu-gil and Serosu-gil.
• 19:30 — Express Bus Terminal, Exit 8-1. The Banpo Bridge fountain from April to October; dinner at Gammiok in Jamwon-dong.
• 23:00 — Garak Market, Exit 2, if you can stay up: on weekdays the wholesale floor is at full speed, and the sundae gukbap is served 24 hours. Take a taxi back if the last train has gone.