I travelled on the world's best metro system - these are the 3 things London's Tube lacks

Seoul's metro system is often recognised as one of the best travel networks in the world. In fact, earlier this year, London-based property developer Essential Living named the city's metro network the best in the world for 2025, and after spending a two-week holiday in South Korea's capital, I'm not surprised at all by the award.

If I were to describe Seoul's metro system in three words, they would be efficient, progressive, and effective. While London's underground does its job well, I do think there's a thing or two that Transport for London could learn from its counterpart.

The first thing I quickly noticed about the underground trains was how cool they were. Every single train I travelled on (and there were many) had air conditioning, which was perfect since it was absolutely boiling when I visited.

Not only do the trains have cooling systems, but the seats are also climate-controlled. When winter hits, they're automatically heated, providing a comfortable and fairly cosy trip for passengers.

Respect - especially for elders - is deeply rooted in South Korean culture, and that respect extends to the metro system.

I found it genuinely heartwarming to learn that elderly passengers have their own designated seating areas, usually at the end of each carriage. But what impressed me most was how much locals honour this rule, even when all other seats are taken, but the area has empty ones; I never saw a young person sitting there.

I could go on and on about how spacious, clean, and efficient the system is. For example, the platform train car and door position indicators are handy for making transfers, since some doors align perfectly with connecting lines.

We used a navigation app called NAVER Map, which even showed us which car and door to board from, making each journey run as smoothly as possible.

And how could I forget the low prices? It cost around £1.60 to purchase a travel card, and a seven-day pass - valid on both trains and buses - was just under £10.50. Needless to say, I made the most of it!

Alongside the air conditioning and the designated elderly seating, one final thing that London could take from Seoul is the importance of barriers, barriers, barriers!

Every station in Seoul has screen doors that act as barriers between passengers and the tracks - and they made me feel so much safer.

While we thankfully don't hear about accidents every day in London, incidents involving passengers falling or even being pushed onto the tracks still occur. Yes, we have our yellow lines, but when platforms are packed to the brim, one wrong step could easily lead to disaster.

Just as some London stations already have screen doors, I believe this feature should be implemented across the network - and even nationwide.