12 hours transit

I find myself having 12 hours between transit at the Incheon airport. The time is from 5am to 16:45pm. I have not been to South Korea and really like to take this chance to see something quintessential Korean. Also I%26#39;ve heard about a urban renewal success Cheonggyecheon and I%26#39;d like to visit if possible. Do you have recommendations? Thank you :)

12 hours transit

apart from your exhaustion, a trip into Seoul is do-able in that time frame. You can take KAL limo bus downtown- other cheaper buses exist, but for 50 miles this one is US13/14, and you get a reclining seat and iced water - line 1 to Westin Chosun hotel or to Lotte Hotel.

Cheong stream is close by and a pleasant walk. Myeongdon entertainment zone is near, but that%26#39;s best at night. Take subway to Anguk and do the palace, Kyongbuk, or to Chungmuro and do the Folk Village.

Grab a Dolsot bibimbap (rice meat and veg in a fire-pot) and a maekju (beer) and leave around 2-2:30pm for the airport

12 hours transit

You can also check out Insadong, an area filled with traditional Korean arts and craft galleries, souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants. It is also one or two subway stops from Cheonggyecheon area. If you are interested in checking out traditional Korean market near there, head to Gwang Jang market. I still crave for very tasty pizza sized mung bean pancake I had there.

Thank you. I%26#39;m looking forward to get a glimpse of Korea :)

This sounds like a great itinerary! I have a similar situation this coming weekend.

How does someone get tickets for the KAL BUS?

And how long would the commute be? Since I don%26#39;t know Korean, what is the best way to remember the BUS or train signs for destinations?

Thanks!

KAL is at airport, right outside. Look on web for bus stop locations at airport: kallimousine.com

Bus will pick you up where it drops you, at hotel or City Hall.

allow 90 mins commute

KAL tickets also outside in booth, and KAL signs are in English (on front of bus)

sorry: wrong site; kallimousine is in Korean

koreanair.com/local/…aa_ia_limo.htm should work

LePetitPrince,

I walked out of the airport to find a large ticket booth. I told the English speaking staff I%26#39;m going to the City Hall (or maybe it was some hotel) and got a ticket for about 9000 won. I only find out a bit later that this is for regular bus, not the KAL bus. But actually there is really little difference. The bus is super comfortable. There is no traffic 6am on a Sunday. We made it to the city in just an hour after only a couple of stops. The return trip was a little different. It took 1.5 hour to get through the traffic. The bus stops around the city hall are easy to find with a big blue sign that says ';Airport Bus';.

I had a very pleasant walk along the Cheonggyecheon. It must be very reinvigorating to hear the sound of stream amid an urban center. Actually this was the only thing I could do because otherwise 99% of shops were closed all morning. I thought that is Korean%26#39;s Sunday affair. Only later have I learned it happened to be Korean%26#39;s Moon Festival when everybody are home for family reunion.

I used the subway to get around. Joined a guide tour in the great Changdeok Palace, eat and shopped around in Insadong. It was a nice short tour.