Korea - 12 hours in Seoul in February--things to see/do?

I'll be transiting through Seoul in early February and have 12 hr to kill (arrive at 6am, depart 6pm). Is it easy to get to the city from the airport? Any suggestions for must-see/do things that could be checked out in a short visit?

Thanks!

There are city tours specifically for people in transit at ICN. It's an easy way to see some of the major sites and not have to deal with getting yourself around, changing money, etc.
http://www.airport.kr/iiacms/pageWork.iia?_scode=C1202020600

Most of those in transit will have a similar schedule, and the tours are based around these timelines. I did a city tour about a year ago and there were 8 of us in a mini-bus with a great guide.

For more discussion, please follow the thread as it moves to the Travel->Asia forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

I did a similar transit and mostly wandered around town for the day (http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2009/09/a-little-bit-of-seoul/). Walking through the Gahoi-dong neighborhood (the old Hanoks) was a lot of fun, as was a couple hours on the bullet train.

I don't think you'd have enough time to get up to the DMZ.

There are city tours specifically for people in transit at ICN. It's an easy way to see some of the major sites and not have to deal with getting yourself around, changing money, etc.
http://www.airport.kr/iiacms/pageWork.iia?_scode=C1202020600

Most of those in transit will have a similar schedule, and the tours are based around these timelines. I did a city tour about a year ago and there were 8 of us in a mini-bus with a great guide.

Many tour options. Will definitely make it easy for me to get a glimpse of Seoul without having to invest too much time planning.

Thanks for the link! ^

I did a similar transit and mostly wandered around town for the day (http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2009/09/a-little-bit-of-seoul/). Walking through the Gahoi-dong neighborhood (the old Hanoks) was a lot of fun, as was a couple hours on the bullet train.

I don't think you'd have enough time to get up to the DMZ.

Really enjoyed reading the trip report.

Out of curiosity, did you leave the train station at the destination to explore the neighbouring area, or did you go for the ride just for the sake of trying out the bullet train?

As I usually post here, that if I am free, I don't mind showing people around Seoul, completely free! Im a grad student here, and my girlfriend is usually free after working hours.

I'm on Winter holiday now, so if you want someone to show you (or just recommend things), send me a PM.

As I usually post here, that if I am free, I don't mind showing people around Seoul, completely free! Im a grad student here, and my girlfriend is usually free after working hours.

I'm on Winter holiday now, so if you want someone to show you (or just recommend things), send me a PM.

I appreciate the offer, and would love to have someone local give me a bit of perspective on life in Seoul. Will PM.

There are city tours specifically for people in transit at ICN. It's an easy way to see some of the major sites and not have to deal with getting yourself around, changing money, etc.
http://www.airport.kr/iiacms/pageWork.iia?_scode=C1202020600

Most of those in transit will have a similar schedule, and the tours are based around these timelines. I did a city tour about a year ago and there were 8 of us in a mini-bus with a great guide.

I'm considering a tour, too. My layover is from 11.50 a.m (arrival of CA123) to 7.30 p.m. (departure of OZ703) on March 10. Would that be enough for a 5 hour tour promoted here (http://freedomus.trisys.co.kr/tour/Tour_List.asp?cate1=transit&cate2=5h&leftnum=7)? Would I need to pre-book or just inquire at the information booth in the main terminal? And how's the weather like in early March? Thanks for your help!