Asia - Request for Recommendations for a Day Visit to Seoul (In Transit)

My wife and I have the better part of a day transiting ICN after a 5:00AM arrival before a same day 7:45PM departure.

We currently have a day rate/room at the Hyatt Regency Incheon, but that seems like an awful lot of time to spend at the property, even with some rest, a visit to the fitness center and a shower. Does anyone have any good recommendations for a good four to six or so hours in Seoul?

I realize that I am working under a lot of assumptions such as an on-time arrival in the morning, a relatively easy process through Customs and Immigration, dropping off bags at the Hyatt, going back to the airport to catch a bus to Seoul (that can take anywhere from 80 minutes to a few hours), then the commute back from Seoul to the airport, a shower at the hotel, and then back to the airport no later than 5:30ish.

If all goes well, I suppose that we could be ready to leave the airport for Seoul at 8:00AM, and would probably not want to leave downtown to get back to the airport much later than 2:00PM (assuming a 4:00PM arrival).

Looking at the KAL Limousine website (http://www.kallimousine.com/eng/schedule_en.asp), it appears that we have five routes to choose from to end up in Seoul:



Route City Hall Area
Route Namsan Area
Route Gangnam Area
Route COEX Area
Route Jamsil Area


For the time that we have, and for essentially first time visitors to Seoul, does one route offer a more central location than another for some quick sightseeing? We are more interested in cultural sights and food, then shopping or being in a commercial business district. In your experience, is this too optimistic for what we am trying to do

If anyone has any recommendations, I would love to read them. Please let me know if I have left out any other pertinent information.

Thanks in advance.

You do not need to take the more expensive KAL Airport busses. There are multiple other express busses that can take you to nearly every point within Seoul that all cost less and are more frequent than the KAL busses.

You do not need to take the more expensive KAL Airport busses. There are multiple other express busses that can take you to nearly every point within Seoul that all cost less and are more frequent than the KAL busses.
Thanks for the follow-up.

Given your above response, my time frame and critera, can you recommend a worthy trip into Seoul, or would it be pushing it with our time constraint?

Thank you.

Hi dsimon,

We have not done a layover trip such as this in Seoul (we spent 5 nights there in 2006), so I cannot comment on the time constraints, but perhaps some suggestions on what to see will help you figure out whether a schedule is viable.

If you're museum sorts of people, the Seoul National Museum contains excellent historical exhibitions about Korean culture and history. We took the subway there, but I am sure a cab/shuttle would be possible too.

If you like shopping, Myeong-dong shopping/entertainment district has great options, including some nice traditional Korean restaurants (my personal favorite dish is Dol Sot Bibim Bop, a rice and veggies dish made in a hot earthenware pot) and excellent street food (the street food in Seoul is tasty and very safe).

There are excellent palaces in Seoul, and you could probably go to one within your time constraints. We went to Changdeokgung Palace and enjoyed it immensely.

Also there is the famous Namdaemun Gate, which is certainly worth seeing as it is a source of great pride to the Korean peoples. Recently it was the target of an arson attack which may have left it closed to tourists. It is a quick trip to the Namdaemun Gate in downtown Seoul, and if you catch the "changing of the guard" there, that is interesting too. All in all, it is probably the quickest of the various itineraries, since it is simply a matter of getting to Namdaemun, taking in the impressive gate, and then returning to Incheon (if you have time, Namdaemun also has many street vendors and shops in the back streets--but be careful, the maze of shops all look similar, and you can easily get lost!).

Finally, consider reaching out to the Korea Tourism Office, they were an excellent resource for us. With enough lag time, you can request an excellent map of Seoul which they will send to you free-of-cost (as of late 2006, at least).

I would see one of the grand palace complexes. From wiki travel:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Seoul

Gyeongbok-gung(경복궁,景福宮), Yulgukno (subway Gyeongbokgung). Seoul's grandest Joseon Dynasty-era palace and the seat of power for centuries before it was razed in 1592 by a Japanese invasion (and they did a repeat after 1910). This was the first palace used by the Joseon Dynasty. Large parts have now been restored and the vast grounds also house the Joseon Palace Museum and the Korean Folk Museum. ₩3000, 9AM-5PM daily except Tuesday (when the palace is used for shooting TV dramas).

If you love Palaces, then Changdeok-gung isn't far away and is worth a tour as well.


To get a great view of the sheer scale of Seoul head up to Namsam

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namsan_%28Seoul%29

If time allows simply walk through old downtown. There is a section with a huge street market that is interesting plus there are plenty of interesting korean restaurants open during lunch that will be unlike anything you've likely found at home. If you like to experiment with food -- watch Bizarre Foods Seoul for a flavor of what to go looking for. ;-)

Namdaemun Market

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/4

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far.

I'd recommend Changdeokgung over Gyeongbokgung, it's been restored recently and is in great shape. The only problem is that it can only be visited by guided tour; Korean tours are every 30 min, but English ones only three times a day (11:30AM, 1:30PM and 3:30PM at last check).

I get bored pretty easily on large group tours. I did it a few years ago, and fortunately I was able to wander off from my group and explore a bit on my own.

Is there a private guide option? That would make a return visit worthwhile.

I'd recommend Changdeokgung over Gyeongbokgung, it's been restored recently and is in great shape. The only problem is that it can only be visited by guided tour; Korean tours are every 30 min, but English ones only three times a day (11:30AM, 1:30PM and 3:30PM at last check).

I get bored pretty easily on large group tours. I did it a few years ago, and fortunately I was able to wander off from my group and explore a bit on my own.

Is there a private guide option? That would make a return visit worthwhile.
Thanks again for the suggestions.

I think that due to the unpredictable nature of our schedule (flight arrival, bus into city timing), I do not think that we would commit to a tour (the 11:30 time would be the only practical time, anyway), and without having researched it, I do not know if we would have to make advance reservations for it.

I think the idea of taking a bus to one central area and walking around for a few to four hours is probably what we will end up doing (Namdaemun Gate sounds like an interesting option).

The old downtown area isn't large. With the time you have you can easily walk between attractions, or grab a taxi/metro if you want to move a little quicker.

I think that due to the unpredictable nature of our schedule (flight arrival, bus into city timing), I do not think that we would commit to a tour (the 11:30 time would be the only practical time, anyway), and without having researched it, I do not know if we would have to make advance reservations for it.
No reservations needed. I generally hate guided tours, but this one is not particularly chaperoned, you can for most part just ignore the girl reciting her script and poke around by yourself.

The old downtown area isn't large. With the time you have you can easily walk between attractions, or grab a taxi/metro if you want to move a little quicker.

One thing to be wary of with the Korean subways is that they are far, far larger than anything most travelers are used to. They also have a lot of stairs, if that's a problem. But they are clean, run on time, and are very safe.

Any particular highlights you can recommend for dining on such an itinerary?

I'm actually doing this exact layover on Sunday of this weekend and have yet to figure out anything for my time there.

Any particular highlights you can recommend for dining on such an itinerary?

I'm actually doing this exact layover on Sunday of this weekend and have yet to figure out anything for my time there.

Unfortunately, I don't have any specific restaurant suggestions for you (I traveled with a native speaker who handled navigation and restuarant selection), but I definitely can help when it comes to Korean dishes that I think are highlights.

I mentioned my favorite dish above, Dol Sot Bibim Bop. Another favorite, especially when it's cold out, is Kimchi Chigae, which is a very spicy cabbage soup or stew. Very hearty and can be taken as a main dish, but again it is quite spicy. Another one of my favorites is Ja Jung Myun, which is a noodle dish in a pasty black bean sauce. It is usually served warm with with potatoes, and it has very unique sweet and savory flavors that I have trouble describing, but it's tasty and refreshing. I especially like it for lunch, after a long morning. Also, if you're a meat eater, you must consider trying Korean barbecue shortribs either on (Kalbi) or off the bone (Bulgogi--this may also be other cuts of beef, such as loin). There is also a chicken version of this (Tak Kalbi) that is especially popular in Seoul.

Also, one of Seoul's highlights for me was the street food. I love to try little bits of different things, and I'd encourage you to do that as well. One of my personal favorites is a red bean paste dumpling that's semi-sweet and pretty good.

Finally, what would a good meal be without something stronger to drink? :-) Koreans love their shoju, which is a barley whiskey, but be careful! If you're like me, a few of those, and you'll miss your connection! A better bet may be one of the national beers, I recommend OB Dry.

Hope you enjoy your layover!

Unfortunately, I don't have any specific restaurant suggestions for you (I traveled with a native speaker who handled navigation and restuarant selection), but I definitely can help when it comes to Korean dishes that I think are highlights.

I mentioned my favorite dish above, Dol Sot Bibim Bop. Another favorite, especially when it's cold out, is Kimchi Chigae, which is a very spicy cabbage soup or stew. Very hearty and can be taken as a main dish, but again it is quite spicy. Another one of my favorites is Ja Jung Myun, which is a noodle dish in a pasty black bean sauce. It is usually served warm with with potatoes, and it has very unique sweet and savory flavors that I have trouble describing, but it's tasty and refreshing. I especially like it for lunch, after a long morning. Also, if you're a meat eater, you must consider trying Korean barbecue shortribs either on (Kalbi) or off the bone (Bulgogi--this may also be other cuts of beef, such as loin). There is also a chicken version of this (Tak Kalbi) that is especially popular in Seoul.

Also, one of Seoul's highlights for me was the street food. I love to try little bits of different things, and I'd encourage you to do that as well. One of my personal favorites is a red bean paste dumpling that's semi-sweet and pretty good.

Finally, what would a good meal be without something stronger to drink? :-) Koreans love their shoju, which is a barley whiskey, but be careful! If you're like me, a few of those, and you'll miss your connection! A better bet may be one of the national beers, I recommend OB Dry.

Hope you enjoy your layover!

Thanks...this is perfect!! I'm betting that much mf my dining will be on the street. I had great fun and great food doing so in BKK and HKG.

And I know all about Shochu thanks to some exposure here at sushi shops. I'll see what I can do to sample a few. :D

And I know all about Shochu thanks to some exposure here at sushi shops.

Soju is much better quality in Korea than in the states, I haven't found anyone/anything to explain it.

streetfood is wonderful, good suggestion.

Also the Seoul fish market Noryangjin, shop the floor of live, fresh seafood, then walk upstairs where there are numerous restaurants that will prepare it anyway you (or they) like.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noryangjin_Fish_Market

--

The fish market was high on my list and I did manage to visit. Sadly, I was transiting on a Sunday and the restaurants were all closed. I had to settle for other street food to sate my stomach. No shoju that I could find out on the street but I had a great time anyways. I hopped on the KTX for a quick ride just to have that experience and I also wandered around in the Hanok village. Some more details of my transit experience can be found here: http://www.wanderingaramean.com/2009/09/little-bit-of-seoul.html and some photos are here: http://gallery.millerworks.net/Travel/A-little-bit-of-Seoul/.

Also, I did the train from the airport into town and found it quite reasonable, even with the transfer at Gimpo, and incredibly quick. No traffic on the rails so if one is not tied to a specific hotel destination and has minimal luggage it s a very reasonable option. It also is only about KRW5000, which I understand to be rather less expensive than the bus option.

Thanks again for the recommendations!

To all you Noryangjin and raw fish fans, I think the better restaurants preparing the catch are not the ones upstairs but in the small alley next to the main building. Not sure if those are closed on Sundays too, though.

Also, I find Myeong-dong restaurants a little overpriced and sometimes lacking in side dishes and service. There are better choices where local salarymen eat on the Namsan side just across the main road.

You have plenty of time to visit the Panmunyong border with North Korea (highly recommended experience!) and visiting downtown Seoul on the way back. You will not need the day room in that case. Incheon airport is one of the most comfortable in the world where you can freshen up for your onward flight.