Multi country layover plan..suggestions needed!
 

Hello!,

So I am planning to visit singapore in September for formula one ( departing from LAX( Los Angeles). I am planning to use multiple stop overs enroute to maximize my trip as much as possible. here is my plan as below, please let me know about the feasibility of it. I will be traveling on my own.

My first leg takes me on 11th sept flight from LAX to Beijing using my united miles. It arrives at 5:30 am ( 12th sept ) with a 10 hour lay over with next flight to South Korea ( ICN ) at 3:30 pm. So during that 10 hour layover I plan to do one of the beijing layover tours from the airport to see the great wall ( takes 5-6 hours as per tour company ) and I should be easily back for my flight to ICN.

I spend the night at ICN and in the next morning (13th sept) ( take the tour to DMZ/JSA ( which has been on my bucket list ). The tour ends around 3-4 pm after which I take cathy pacific flight from ICN to Hong kong in the evening ( not sure if i can use my american airlines to miles for it??.) I arrive hong kong 10:55 PM on 13th september with my flight out to singapore on 14th september at 4:00 pm on cathy pacific. Than ill be in singapore for a few days to spend before i head back.

How does the plan sound ? Questions are where i should spend the night in S.korea so I can roam around a bit as well the evening of 12 september. how can I maximize my time in hong kong, any suggestions for tours/plan? lastly can i use american airlines miles for intra-asia flight on cathy pacific.

thank you guys/girls!

If you are taking the DMZ tour, you will leave from central Seoul. So you should stay in central Seoul. You only have one night. Won't be able to see any palaces as they all close by 6, some markets will be open.

Which district of seoul would you recommend, I am big food street fan and local shoppping? Any 24 hours open kinda of district?

If you only have one night and want nightlife - absolutely Hongdae. The central Seoul area around Myeongdong/Jongno/City Hall is very busy in the day, and only pockets of it are busy at night. Hongdae is the university area and also popular with visitors, so it's always busy. BUT if you have to wake up early for a DMZ tour - it's about a 20-30 minute taxi/subway or so depending on where you have to go.

If your tour gets done at 3-4 PM, what time does your CX flight depart ICN? Does the tour drop you off at or near Seoul station, where you could take the express train to the airport?

Most JSA tour groups are located in central Seoul, often near City Hall. USO-organized tour is located a bit south from there. I would suggest staying in the downtown area such as City Hall, Myeongdong, or near Seoul station. Just be sure to factor in the commute time to/from ICN airport to Seoul. It is at least 1 hr if not longer depending on traffic.

If u like street food, can consider staying at myeongdong.
It is a touristy place and crowded but they have tons of street food vendors out at night.
A bit more pricey but there is a lot of variety.
Some good local restaurants around there there.

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Hi there, new FlyerTalk member here. I'm from Hong Kong and recently visited Seoul. Agree with the others that Myeongdong and Hongdae are touristy areas to stay with lots of shopping. I feel like Myeongdong/City Hall area is more of a commercial area, especially during the day so not very interesting to walk around. Itaewon is also an option that is quite active at night, there are a lot of bars and restaurants (both international and Korean cuisine) as well as shopping. Ideally you would want to be situated near a subway station not too far from Seoul station for easy access to the airport.

I personally prefer less touristy and crowded areas, and stayed near Namyeong station which is one stop from Seoul station. There were plenty of restaurant options nearby and it was also not too far a walk to the War Memorial of Korea which I found very interesting. I didn't go into the museum as it was closed at the time I went (past 6pm) but walked around the park surrounding it and there were many military planes, tanks etc on display. Thought you might be interested in that since you're doing the DMZ tour.

As for Hong Kong, since you arrive late you might want to stay somewhere that is convenient to travel to from the airport - Central, Admiralty, Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) would be good areas depending on your budget. You only have the morning and early afternoon to explore, and I would recommend taking the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour between Central and TST for a beautiful view of the city. Ticket fare is very cheap.
If you're into shopping and street food you could head to the Ladies' Market in Mong Kok where you'll find a variety of stuff (not just for ladies, and remember to bargain) as well as reasonably prices local restaurants and snacks on the street. For higher end shopping there are plenty of shopping malls in Central, TST, Causeway Bay.

The airport express runs between HKIA and Hong Kong station and takes 23 minutes, and is the fastest way to get to the airport. There are also busses throughout the city that go to the airport which are a cheaper but slightly more time consuming option.