You’ve just arrived at one of the busiest airports in the world: Incheon International Airport, South Korea. It’s only 6:50 in the morning. Your connecting flight is at 8:00 this evening. What to do the next 13 hours? You’ve never been to Seoul before, why not take this opportunity to get out of the airport and do some sightseeing? To make it easier, Incheon International Airport offers Free Transit Tours – guided tours to visit some of the most popular tourist destinations in Seoul – specifically geared toward travelers with long airport layover. There are several tour options, varying from 1 to 5 hours, and you can book a tour at any of the Transit Tour Desks located inside the airport.
INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
At the Transit Tour Desk on level 2F a friendly receptionist helps you select a tour that fits your layover time. She suggests the 5-hour Seoul City Tour which covers 3 top tourist attractions: Geyongbokgung Palace, Jogyesa Temple, and Insadong Street Market. The tour leaves at 10:00 in the morning and returns to the airport approximately 3:00 in the afternoon. Transportation and a tour guide is included and free! All you have to pay is the entrance fee to visit Geyongbokgung Palace ($3US) and lunch at Insadong Street Market ($7US). You also need to present your passport, flight tickets/boarding passes in order to book a tour.
At 10:00, you meet the tour guide and 20 other travelers (who signed up for the same tour) on the airport’s ground level. The tour guide – who can speak multiple languages – leads your group out to the street where a large tour bus is waiting. The bus driver takes your carry-on bag and stores them safely inside the luggage compartment. Settling into a comfortable seat on the bus, you’re off to explore Seoul!
GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE
Gyeongbokgung Palace is the grandest and most beautiful palace in Korea. Built in the 14th century, it served as the home of the Joseon Dynasty Kings and royal families. Located in the heart of Seoul, Gyeongbokgung (means “Greatly Blessed by Heaven”) Palace is a massive complex of some 500 large and small palaces, with countless gates, bridges, gardens, and courtyards. These magnificent structures have survived centuries of wars, disasters, and neglect. Many have been carefully restored to their former glory, thanks to the South Korean government.
It can take hours to walk through the immense palace complex! During the tour, the tour guide points out some major buildings, like the Throne Hall, the Council Hall, the King’s Residence, and explains their historical significance. You will have a chance to climb up an enormous staircase and peek inside the Inner Chamber where Kings once slept! Another highlight is the breathtaking Gyeonghoeru Pavilion – built on an island in the middle of a lake and connected to the palace grounds by 3 spectacular stone bridges.
Being the #1 tourist attraction in Seoul, Gyeongbokgung Palace is always crowded. Dozens of tour buses line up in the parking lot and the endless throngs of tourists can be challenging.
After 2 hours of exploring the palace, it’s time to go to the next attraction.
JOGYESA TEMPLE
Built in 1938, Jogyesa Temple now serves as the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. To enter the temple, you walk through a large gate called One Pillar Gate. The gate’s name refers to a single horizontal wooden beam that holds the entire gate structure together - symbolizes one mind. It is believed that when people pass under this gate, all scattered minds become one, enlightened by wisdom.
Whether you experience enlightenment or not, you will feel calm once you step inside the temple’s courtyard. During Buddha’s Birthday month, the courtyard is decorated with hundreds of colorful Nirvana fish lanterns. The main temple (Main Dharma Hall) is situated at the center, under the shade of a majestic Pagoda Tree which is about 450 years old!
Inside the Main Dharma Hall, there are 3 giant Buddha statues. Korean men and women kneel, bowing down and touching their foreheads to the ground to worship. The hall is filled with fragrant incense and the whispering sound of prayers.
Located at the end of the courtyard is an ornate Bell Pavilion where the Brahma Bell is kept. Everyday, this bell is rung 28 times in the morning and 33 times in the evening, evoking the dharma (Buddha’s teaching) to end all human suffering. Also do not miss the exquisite Octagonal 10-story Stupa which houses a sacred Buddha relic. You may check out the temple’s gift shop and buy some souvenirs. Then it’s time to leave this peaceful place and head for the next attraction!
INSADONG STREET MARKET
The bus pushes through mid-day traffic toward Insadong Street Market. The tour guide announces that lunch will be served at a restaurant in the market area. Insadong Street Market is located in one of the oldest shopping districts in Seoul. The street is lined with antique shops, art galleries, clothing boutiques, traditional tea houses, restaurants, and street food vendors. You follow the tour guide walking down a narrow alley and into a small family-run restaurant. As part of the Transit Tour, lunch is pre-arranged, you don’t need to order from the menu. Everyone in your group sits together at a long wooden table. Bibimbap is the main entrée – a traditional Korean ‘mix rice bowl’ of steamed rice topped with sautéed vegetables, hot chili sauce, slices of grilled beef, and one fried egg. The waitress also brings out a plethora of kimchi dishes! You will never see so many varieties of kimchi in your life! To enjoy bibimbap, just stir and mix everything together in your bowl and eat. Each bite brings out a different taste: spicy, savory, salty, sweet. Delicious!
After lunch, you have one hour to explore Insadong Street Market. The main street is connected to a labyrinth of alleys and passage ways which lead to yet more shopping areas. Stores sell everything from expensive traditional Korean fine art (paintings, sculptures, potteries) to cheap, cute cell phone accessories. You will find it is quite entertaining to browse the storefront window displays! Tourists and locals flock to this market to hang out at the many coffee shops and street food stalls. Must try the most unique and curious street food: a 3-foot long curly ice cream cone!
It’s 2:30, you find your way back to the tour bus. During the half-hour ride back to the airport, you relax and enjoy the cool air condition after a full day of walking under the hot sun.
Back at the airport, you thank the tour guide and give a generous tip to the bus driver when he hands over your carry-on bag. Then off you go up to level 3F, leisurely check through airport security, and find yourself inside the vast, modern departure concourse. You still have at least 4 more hours before your connecting flight. It’s time to go take a nap!
ABOUT THIS HUB
Seoul is fascinating. The author had a great time touring the city during his 13-hour layover. He loves kimchi!
All photos were taken by the author with an Olympus Stylus TG-630 iHS digital camera.
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Copyright © 2015 Viet Doan (punacoast)
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