What to do in Seoul Incheon?
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What to do in Seoul Incheon?
I am flying Asiana Airlines in economy LHR-SYD via Seoul Incheon Airport on Tuesday 4th September. A couple of hours at the airport and then on to Sydney. On the way back on Sunday 16th I arrive at Incheon at 1830. The airline is providing an overnight hotel and I leave the next day at 1530. I have never been to Korea and I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion as to what to do during my short time there.
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For a short time I suggest the Insadong arts and antiques district in Seoul. The Itaewon neighborhood is also popular to some tourists due to the bar scene; I don't care for it. You can look up both neighborhoods on Wikipedia. Once you get into the city the subway is quite good and you can try both if you want. There are various, large underground shopping malls, such as the COEX Mall, that you can spend a lot of time in.
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Good advice from Eboy. I wonder where the hotel nominated by the airline is though. If in town, great. Be sure to have DIY beef: it looks like you are cooking it on a VW hub-cap, it tastes fantastic. Would not like to have it every day though, would make me bad tempered.
Follow your nose and eat!
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Try to see the War Memorial Museum, near Itawon, outside has from B-52 to Cessna bird dog outside, inside is more than you can see in a day.
I had 6 visits over 3 yrs of time in Incheon did not really see it all even then.
You can't DO Seoul in a day, take a couple if you can, English signs most places, younger people able and mostly willing to assist and speak some English.
Cheers
I had 6 visits over 3 yrs of time in Incheon did not really see it all even then.
You can't DO Seoul in a day, take a couple if you can, English signs most places, younger people able and mostly willing to assist and speak some English.
Cheers
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Report back as promised
Once again thank you all for your suggestions. Much to my annoyance there simply was no time to do anything other than wander around the area of the hotel, the Seoul Royal Hotel before pickup to return to the airport. However I can clearly see that greybeard is right and in future I will build in time to see the sights. However the people I met were very pleasant indeed and I must make the effort to make a proper visit.
Phreegreens. The whole layover operation is efficiently handled and it is a good way to get to and from Australia from the UK. As for Asiana Airlines, I would have to say it is the best economy service in the sky these days. I have been flying since 1962 and all the airlines I have been with, including BOAC would have a hard time competing with Asiana. Terminal 1 LHR on a Tuesday evening was a pleasure to go through. The cabin crew were extremely pleasant thru-out all four flights to and from Sydney. The seat pitch is fantastic, at least 34 inches so plenty of legroom even with the seat in front reclined. I am an average 5'10" medium build bloke in his mid 50's and felt very comfortable at all times. It did help that on all flights I had a seat free next to me. The toilets were kept clean all the time, indeed I often saw a member of the crew go in and clean after passangers. The food is interesting, my first experience of Korean it must be said and the airline does not really make concessions to western tastes, but that added to the novelty. Full range of drinks, excellent coffee, very prompt service at all times. Can't advise on the IFE since I never use it, or very rarely I should say and did not on this occasion. I would strongly recommend using this airline and if the price is right I will do so in the future. Whilst in Incheon on the way out I made use of the shower facilities in the transfer lounge which is available for all passangers for the cost of US$9. All in all way better than using BA, QF, TG, SQ, JL, MH and Austrian Airlines, all of which I have used to Australia over the past 5 years.
Phreegreens. The whole layover operation is efficiently handled and it is a good way to get to and from Australia from the UK. As for Asiana Airlines, I would have to say it is the best economy service in the sky these days. I have been flying since 1962 and all the airlines I have been with, including BOAC would have a hard time competing with Asiana. Terminal 1 LHR on a Tuesday evening was a pleasure to go through. The cabin crew were extremely pleasant thru-out all four flights to and from Sydney. The seat pitch is fantastic, at least 34 inches so plenty of legroom even with the seat in front reclined. I am an average 5'10" medium build bloke in his mid 50's and felt very comfortable at all times. It did help that on all flights I had a seat free next to me. The toilets were kept clean all the time, indeed I often saw a member of the crew go in and clean after passangers. The food is interesting, my first experience of Korean it must be said and the airline does not really make concessions to western tastes, but that added to the novelty. Full range of drinks, excellent coffee, very prompt service at all times. Can't advise on the IFE since I never use it, or very rarely I should say and did not on this occasion. I would strongly recommend using this airline and if the price is right I will do so in the future. Whilst in Incheon on the way out I made use of the shower facilities in the transfer lounge which is available for all passangers for the cost of US$9. All in all way better than using BA, QF, TG, SQ, JL, MH and Austrian Airlines, all of which I have used to Australia over the past 5 years.
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gdiphil
Thank you for taking the time to inform us of your trip. It's good that you had a pleasant flight and I hope that you enjoyed your time in Sydney.
I hope you do not mind me asking, but how expensive was your ticket? I'm married to OneWorld (or Star on business), but the children of friends of mine do ask me about alternatives to the Kangaroo route to save money.
pheegreens
Keep a fork with you at all times in Australia in case of drop bears. If encountered, poke great white sharks in the eye. Wear thick leather shorts in the bush. If a funnel-web bites you, your mate will have to suck out the poison.
BOFH
Thank you for taking the time to inform us of your trip. It's good that you had a pleasant flight and I hope that you enjoyed your time in Sydney.
I hope you do not mind me asking, but how expensive was your ticket? I'm married to OneWorld (or Star on business), but the children of friends of mine do ask me about alternatives to the Kangaroo route to save money.
pheegreens
Keep a fork with you at all times in Australia in case of drop bears. If encountered, poke great white sharks in the eye. Wear thick leather shorts in the bush. If a funnel-web bites you, your mate will have to suck out the poison.
BOFH
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BOFH Yes I had a good time there visiting family (I'm an Aussie and British) and go down there twice a year usually. My ticket was £650 and booked thru Travelmood online and they were the cheapest. I was suprised this summer to find September fares this year were in many cases as high as the Xmas period, and the next cheapest was around £740 or so. I have never paid more that £700 return (QF on that occasion) but usually pay around the £550 mark. The APEC meeting in Syd may have had something to do with that. I had started a thread here asking people why the fares were so high and had interesting answers but no conclusions. Tell your friends to surf around alot (I'm sure you know that anyway) and never book online in the a.m. I find late at night produces the best results. Hope that helps.
Phreegreens- I second BOFH's advice but would add also to drink a helluva lot of beer constantly in case your mate gets stung by a jelly fish. Then do what a bloke does best when he needs "to go"! Believe me, it's true.
Phreegreens- I second BOFH's advice but would add also to drink a helluva lot of beer constantly in case your mate gets stung by a jelly fish. Then do what a bloke does best when he needs "to go"! Believe me, it's true.
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I'm using Asiana SYD - JFK as an alternative to the usual California routes.
UA feels my wrath for confiscating my camping stove last time! Ha, ha ha! Revenge is mine.
I will be travelling with a two-year-old and am grateful for the report on seat pitch above.
Anyway, on the way back, I have a full day of layover in Seoul (arrive 0430 leave about 2000) and hope I'm able get into the city efficiently and have a look around. I'll report as well.
UA feels my wrath for confiscating my camping stove last time! Ha, ha ha! Revenge is mine.
I will be travelling with a two-year-old and am grateful for the report on seat pitch above.
Anyway, on the way back, I have a full day of layover in Seoul (arrive 0430 leave about 2000) and hope I'm able get into the city efficiently and have a look around. I'll report as well.
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As promised, a report on travel from Sydney to New York via Seoul on Asiana, economy class.
Quite good! I'd do it again. They'll also be high on my list the next time I go to Europe.
Asiana 602 (SYD-ICN) was a nice 777-200, HL-7597. Not too busy on a Friday morning.
The layover in Seoul was short.
Asiana 222 (ICN-JFK) was a 747-400, crowded with old Koreans apparently going to visit their descendants in the States. My two-year-old and I were a bit of an imposition -- my daughter vomited all over the seat early in the flight. Cabin crew were all over it and cleaned up the mess promptly while I changed the baby's clothes. They were helpful and pleasant about this and I am grateful.
Asiana 221 (JFK-ICN) was another 747-400, and was unremarkable except for the nasty departure and arrival times (left JFK at 0030 local and arrived at ICN at 0400 local).
Our layover in Seoul was 16 hours, so we:
- Hung around the airport for two hours until the buses began running.
- Took a bus to Seoul Station (14000 won -- I may have been taken, since I found a number of guides that say this should have been 9000 won, but then there were two of us together).
- Had brekkie there, managing to gesture at the only cold thing in the window of plastic food models on a cold morning
- Took a taxi to Cheungdeokgung and joined the English tour at 1130 (the only way to get in to the palace compound).
- Also saw Changyeonggung (another palace) and a series of shrines in a beautiful park, in the same area.
- Went back to the airport around 1600 because the baby was sleeping and getting heavy.
Asiana 601 back to Sydney was a 777 (HL-7732), quite crowded and not particularly comfortable, but through no fault of Asiana.
I'd like to see them expand their U.S. routes to include Chicago and Washington, and also have a morning flight from ICN to SYD.
Quite good! I'd do it again. They'll also be high on my list the next time I go to Europe.
Asiana 602 (SYD-ICN) was a nice 777-200, HL-7597. Not too busy on a Friday morning.
The layover in Seoul was short.
Asiana 222 (ICN-JFK) was a 747-400, crowded with old Koreans apparently going to visit their descendants in the States. My two-year-old and I were a bit of an imposition -- my daughter vomited all over the seat early in the flight. Cabin crew were all over it and cleaned up the mess promptly while I changed the baby's clothes. They were helpful and pleasant about this and I am grateful.
Asiana 221 (JFK-ICN) was another 747-400, and was unremarkable except for the nasty departure and arrival times (left JFK at 0030 local and arrived at ICN at 0400 local).
Our layover in Seoul was 16 hours, so we:
- Hung around the airport for two hours until the buses began running.
- Took a bus to Seoul Station (14000 won -- I may have been taken, since I found a number of guides that say this should have been 9000 won, but then there were two of us together).
- Had brekkie there, managing to gesture at the only cold thing in the window of plastic food models on a cold morning
- Took a taxi to Cheungdeokgung and joined the English tour at 1130 (the only way to get in to the palace compound).
- Also saw Changyeonggung (another palace) and a series of shrines in a beautiful park, in the same area.
- Went back to the airport around 1600 because the baby was sleeping and getting heavy.
Asiana 601 back to Sydney was a 777 (HL-7732), quite crowded and not particularly comfortable, but through no fault of Asiana.
I'd like to see them expand their U.S. routes to include Chicago and Washington, and also have a morning flight from ICN to SYD.
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Crosshair, thanks for reporting back, always interesting to hear of other experiences. What you say confirms my own experience that Asiana are high on my list for consideration when next doing the kangaroo route to Syd from London.
