How do I get between Incheon's two terminals?
Short answer
A free shuttle leaves the third floor of either terminal every ten minutes and takes 15 minutes one way, 18 the other. The airport railway covers the same gap in 6 minutes for 1,050 won. The shuttle stops at 23:00, so a late arrival has only the paid option.
Two buildings, not two wings
Incheon has two passenger terminals and they are separate buildings with their own roads, rails and check-in halls. You cannot walk between them, and which one you need is decided by your flight, not by where you happen to be standing.
Check the terminal on your ticket before you set out for the airport. Getting it wrong is not fatal, but it costs the times below on a day when you were probably not planning to spend them.
The free shuttle, and where it leaves from
From Terminal 1 the shuttle boards on the third floor at the centre of the building, by exit 8. From Terminal 2 it boards on the third floor between exits 4 and 5.
It runs every ten minutes from 05:00 to 23:00 in both directions and costs nothing. The ride is 15 minutes from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, and 18 minutes coming back — the two directions are not the same length.
When to pay for the train instead
The airport railway links the terminals in 6 minutes for 1,050 won. Against a free bus that takes 15 to 18 minutes, the fare is buying about a quarter of an hour.
Two situations make it worth it. A connection tight enough that a ten-minute wait for the next shuttle would matter, and any arrival after 23:00, when the shuttle has stopped and the fare is not a choice.
Good to know
- Free shuttle every 10 minutes, 05:00 to 23:00
- Terminal 1 → 2: 15 minutes, third floor centre by exit 8
- Terminal 2 → 1: 18 minutes, third floor between exits 4 and 5
- Airport railway: 6 minutes, 1,050 won
- After 23:00 the train is the only way across
