What the Heck Just Happened?
It's inexplicable. After two weeks in Thailand Kim and I strangely have blurry memories of freezing our dumplings off in Seoul. What the heck just happened? An unexpectedly entertaining eight hour layover in Seoul. That's what.
Here's a timeline of our experience and how you can (and should) have the same if you're lucky enough to one day have a long layover in Seoul's Incheon airport.
Timeline of Our Whirlwind Layover in Seoul
9:20 a.m.
We land in Seoul Incheon Airport. We've taken three buses and two flights to get here (the last on departing Bangkok at 2:10 a.m.), so let's just say we're a bit discombobulated.
9:45 a.m.
With fuzzy brains and swollen feet, we hustle as best we can to the Free Tour desk by Gate 25 inside the terminal.
Free Tour? That's right, the airport offers passengers in transit free layover tours of Seoul and the surrounding area. There are many tours (see here) ranging from 1 to 5 hours. And since our layover in Seoul is eight hours, we hope to take the longest, 5-hour, tour. It starts in 15 minutes.
Just one problem. According to the lady at the tour desk, it's full.
Dang. And the next 5-hour tour is too late for us. We really don't want to be left out—we're planning on blogging about it!—so we race towards the 10 a.m. tour anyways.
9:55 a.m.
Fortunately there is no line at customs, so we breeze through and and run to the actual tour desk by Gate 8 of the arrivals hall to see if we can somehow squeeze in.
As luck would have it, there were two no-shows so… we're in! But, despite being five minutes before to the official start time, the tour was already leaving without us!
Fortunately, the amazingly helpful tour desk lady manages to snag our tour guide just as he's herding the other 38 free-loaders towards the bus.
The guide, the type of guy who starts tours 5 minutes early, is not happy with this improvisation. Despite Kim and my best attempts at charming smiles of gratitude, he just sternly looks us up and down and orders, "Come!" Then he hurries away to refocus the others' headless migration down the arrivals hall towards the bus.
10:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.
The forty of us on the tour board the coach bus for what we're told is a 65 km ride to Seoul.
Our guide introduces himself as Alex. He's a 65-year-old semi-retired Korean with 32 years experience as a flight attendant and excellent English. Kim and I can't decide whether he is curmudgeonly or has an extremely dry sense of humour. Either way, he's funny (to us at least).
On the 70 minute ride, Alex shares many fun facts. Among my faves:
- Asians have no problem sleeping in buses, but white people do.
- Seoul Incheon airport has won the Airports' Council International's #1 airport in the world for eleven years running. They are very proud and competitive about this, going to great extent to retain the title (like Free Tours!). No mention is made of the fact that the airport is only second in the World Airport Awards.
- On a clear day from the island next to the one the airport is on, you can see North Korean soldiers marching on the other side of the border.
- He gets mostly Filipinos on his tours (over 40%) because an airline offers discount fares from Manila to the US through Korea and Filipinos are cheap. Also, we shouldn't confuse American Filipinos from their Canadian counterparts. They're very different.
11:10 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
We get off our bus at our first destination, Changdeokgung Palace, in central Seoul. It's freezing. Only hours ago we were sweating in Thailand's balmy 30°C (86°F) climes. Now it's -4°C (24°F). Our sweat's turning to icicles.
Very thoughtfully, the tour offers free parkas for those of us without appropriate apparel. But we don't get one because they are limited in quantity and women, elderly, and children get priority.
Our guide Alex leads us into the palace and tells us we can either join him on a guided tour, or go off on our own. Amazingly, only one other lady joined Kim and me in sticking with Alex. Perhaps they'd been offended? Well their loss, because on our palace tour Alex once again brought the heat with more fantastic facts:
- The king had to spend every day from 5-7 am being greeted by his family and other hangers-on.
- The king did not walk. He was carried everywhere he went. This led to short-lived obese monarchs. Their average life expectancy was only 45 years.
- The king and queen were only allowed to sleep together when a spiritual advisor said the time was right for them to do so. Servants would then watch the king and queen get busy in case of any health issues during the strenuous coitus (see: previous point).
- When the last king of Korea handed over rule of the country to Japan in 1910, his descendants have subsequently vanished from the map.
- Back when Alex was a kid, his father got to sleep closest to the heat, followed by the kids, and then his mother. But now his wife gets the warmest spot and him the coldest. He is not pleased with this development.
Normally we're not huge fans of visiting historical buildings, but thanks to Alex, who was very well informed, and despite the cold, we enjoyed ourselves.
12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Back on the bus for a short drive from the palace to our next destination: lunch and exploring at Samcheong-dong.
According to the tour website, Samcheong-dong district is "one of the leading, and most loved, cultural places in 5eoul [sic] with its unique sense that comes from the stark contrast between reinterpreted hanoks made of steel and glass and ultra-modern-minimal buildings." In other words, we don't know what to expect.
12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Cold and hungry, Alex tells us to follow one of our fellow tour-takers to the restaurant. And how'd this guy know the directions? Because he'd done the tour before! (He must be Filipino.)
Lunch is in a charming local restaurant. Kim and I order one of each of the two options we were given, bibimbap and bulgogi, and share (i.e. I eat 70%). Both are better than expected, but the others in the tour don't bother to appreciate it. Wanting to maximize the one hour we have left, they vacuum in their food and take off to shop and explore the area. Fifteen minutes after initially entering the restaurant, Kim and I are the last to leave.
12:45 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.
Kim and I don't make it far down the street. We see a place with smoke billowing out of its window. Smoke = Fire, Fire = Warm, and the cold is too much for us. Plus it smells delicious. It's time for a second lunch.
The place specializes in dumplings. Yum. We order one plate of steamed pork rib dumplings and another mega-sized fried veggie ones. They are perhaps the best dumplings I've ever eaten. And only $6 US. Korea, you've found the key to my heart.
1:05 p.m – 1:35 p.m.
Kim and I wander around Samcheong-dong, being careful not to go too far, get lost, miss our ride back to the airport, and face an indefinite layover in Seoul.
It is a weird sensation to be dropped in a foreign country with know idea where we are or what's going on around us (and it doesn't help that we're deliriously tired). Normally I like to read as much as I can about a place I'm about to visit. But in this case I know nothing. My only knowledge of Korea comes from Gagnam Style and the original Oldboy movie. Samcheong-dong is unlike either. It is a happening area full of an eclectic collection of shops, restaurants, and street vendors.
Oh the street vendors. The snacks they're selling look delicious, but they don't take credit cards. We're forced to swallow our drool, and start planning a return trip.
Korea's way cooler than we had expected (no pun intended).
1:35 p.m.
Despite consciously not wandering too far from the bus, we're still two minutes late to board, the last ones on. This earned us an icy glare from Alex. This guy really drives a tight ship!
1:35 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
On the ride back to the airport Alex undoubtedly shares many more fantastic facts, but we miss out because we pass out.
2:45 p.m.
Back at Incheon airport. Alex wakes us up, visibly impressed by our sleeping ability. Maybe he'll rethink his position on Asians being better bus sleepers than whites. We thank him and gave him a tip.
Back inside the terminal, reality hits. What just happened? We start doubting whether the tour was real or not. But for some reason we feel a deep desire to plan our next trip to Korea.
Final Verdict
Five dumplings out of five!
We couldn't have imagined having a better layover in Seoul. Sure this type of group tour goes completely goes against our preference to escape tourist crowds and "blend in", but it sure is convenient. What's more, our guide Alex was equally informative as he was hilarious (intentionally or not), and the price couldn't be beat.
Most surprisingly, the tour worked. Kim and I are sold on Korea. We can't wait to go for a more substantial visit.
Other airports: take note!
General Info on The Incheon Layover Tours:
- Cost: $10 US or 10,000 won, which includes lunch and entry into the attractions. The tour is free, but the rest is not (but still a fair price!).
- Visas: Most countries don't need a visa to visit Korea. The customs agents are evidently well aware of the transit tours. We told them we were there just for the day, showed the agent our ticket, and she stamped us through immediately. Easy. Maybe we were lucky with the lines, but it took us max 15 minutes between getting off the plane and arriving at the tour desk in the arrivals terminal by Gate 8.
- Warm clothes: If like us you didn't pack a jacket for your trip to the tropics, don't bother packing just for your layover in Seoul. They've got your covered. The tour lends out free down winter jackets.
- Tour info is available here. Seoul may be the "Best Airport in the World", but their website sure isn't!
- Reserve in advance: Our tour was 100% full. Don't miss out on this experience and ruin your layover in Seoul due to laziness. Reserve here.
- Luggage: The bus has ample storage, so don't worry if you have a heavy carry-on.
Thank you so much for this blog, very helpful 🙂 For the long hours of layover, where did you leave your checked baggages? Did you get them OR they were automatically transferred to the next plane going to US? And also, will they give a FREE Tour from someone whose trip is from US to Manila?
Check with your airline, but if you're only connecting through Seoul, you shouldn't need to pick up your checked bags. And even if you do, there's plenty of space on the bus to store them.
Over 40% of the people on the Seoul free layover tours are traveling from the US to Manila, so yeah for sure they'll give you the free tour.
Enjoy your trip and layover and let us know how it goes!
This blog is very racist towards Filipinos! You should be ashamed of yourself!
Hey Robert, thanks for reading our post… or I guess scanning though because the part about Filipinos is what our guide Alex joked on the bus and not our opinion. I do apologize anyways. It's true this post is too wordy, so it’s almost understandable for you to see the Filipino part, jump to conclusions, and make accusations. That’s a funny email you entered by the way, orlando@bloom.com.
Hi, I'm transiting via incheon to Tokyo. I hv 11 hours layover at the incheon airport. My query is can i go outside of the airport for sightseeing since I hv 11 hours layover and I hold the Indian passport. Your information for this query would be highly appreciable. Thank you
Hey Janak, Assuming your layover isn't in the middle of the night, 11 hours is certainly enough time to do one of the tours. As for your visa question, I don't know. The tour's website says "Please direct any questions about entry process and visas to the Ministry of Justice." I'd just try. The worst that can happen is the person at immigration doesn't let you through and you're stuck in the airport waiting for your connection.
Excellente info!
Thank you,
Hello!
The links on the blog to check out the tours and sign up are not working. Any other available?
Thanks for the heads up on the broken links, Letty! I've updated them now so you can see what's available. Enjoy!
Hi,
It was wonderful to read your blog.
Please give me some idea about the time difference. I'll be coming from Abu Dhabi.
Thank you very much,
Ellen Grace
Thanks Ellen Grace. I'm not sure if I understood your question, but if you're asking for the time difference between Seoul and Abu Dhabi, all you have to do is Google search "time in Seoul" and calculate the number of hours they're ahead of you.
Hello i have a 15hrs lay over in seoul incheon going bck to us i have a philippine passport but i have a Green Card. Is it possible i can take the free tour bus? Thank you
Hey Lhena, I'm sorry I don't know the answer. As I mentioned, there were a lot of Filipinos in our tour and it's unlikely they were all US citizens too, so the odds are in your favor. If you can't find a definite answer for sure, it doesn't hurt to try either way. Worst thing they can tell you is "No" and you're stuck waiting in the airport.
What a life saver! I have a 14 hour layover in Seoul coming up next February on my way to Australia. I was looking for something to do other than sleep in a lounge. Do you know if you can do back to back tours? There is are a couple of places that I am interested in seeing but they are on different tours. I looked on the website and it wasn't clear if you could do this. Thank you for publishing this, great idea and I see that they also have little sleep stay hotels at this airport as well. Arry from California
Hey Arry, I'm not 100% sure about back-to-backs. If the schedules work, I doubt they'd even know if you were returning for a second turn. The bigger question is whether there are two, one after the other, at the times you'll be on your layover in Seoul. Hopefully it works out and you enjoy!
Thank you for this! We'll be doing this layover tour next month! One thing I can't seem to find is – do you need Korean won for everything or can my credit card do? I'd hate to take out local currency for a day if I don't have to. Thanks!
Great question, Allie. Nope, you don't need cash. At least we didn't. We were just careful to ask vendors if they accept credit cards before buying snacks. As I wrote, this prevented us from trying some tasty-looking street food, but we rather that than have to deal with and pay for withdrawing cash.
I would love if you can guide me to figure out the email format for the 2 email fields on the form. I have tried many combinations with an error message not telling me what to do.
Hey Sheree. I took a quick look and I think that if your email is sheree@gmail.com you put sheree in the first field and gmail.com in the second. Will that work for you?
And really helpful info. Thanks for sharing!
Exactly what I was looking for as I will have a 9 hour layover coming from Thailand. This may be a silly question, but did you use a credit card to pay for all the food during the tour, or did you manage to exchange your money into Korean currency before the tour?
Hey Christina, as I wrote in the post, we could pay with a credit card at the one additional restaurant we went to but we couldn't pay street vendors with a CC. It was too bad to not be able to try the street food, but it wasn't worth taking out cash for.
Heyya! Thanks for this post.. Im Filipino by tge way and wasn't a teeny bit offended by anything in this post, lol. Anyway, my question is.. my connecting flight to Uncle Sam is from around 5am to 08:40pm, then from there back to MNL from 5am to 07:50pm. For the flight back to MNL, I was thinking of getting the 1pm-6pm shopping tour just so I can visit Myeongdong.. however I want to make sure I still get on my flight on time.. do you think this is a good idea? Haha. I wonder if Im taking too much of a risk. Thanks in advance!
Hey Criselle. So you'd have 1h50min after the tour before your flight? Is your airline checking through your bag? I'd say go for it, for sure. I certainly would in your position.
I'm considering doing the same tour during our layover, but I am worried about the return time. Our flight departs ICN at 4:40pm.
Would you say there would be enough time to get through customs and to the gate in time?
Hey Christina. According to my notes, we were back by 2:40 pm, so that would give you enough time. Double-check with them at the airport to be safe, though!
"only one other lady joined Kim and I in sticking with Alex."
If you are going to write for a living, you should know to write, "only one other lady joined Kim and me in sticking with Alex."
Thanks Pete! Yeah, hopefully we'll eventually make a decent enough writing from this writing that we'll be able to afford editors… Self-editing's tough. Good thing we have readers like you!
Thank you so much for posting about this! We've got a 9 hour layover next month, and I was trying to figure out what to do. I booked our tour- can't wait!
Cool. Hopefully you get Alex for some extra entertainment!
Thanks for the blog. Like my wife I have left it until the last minute and the tour that would work for me is full. Guess I will try to go to the counter and see what I can do. None the less very entertaining thanks again
You got it, Steve. Hopefully everything works out for you and your wife as well as it did for Kim and I!
Thanks for the detailed descriptions, super helpful! An odd but helpful question, are there bathrooms on the bus?
Hey Gina. You're right, that is a helpful question. Unfortunately, I don't have a helpful answer. I can't remember. I'd say 90% no, there's no bathroom on the bus.
Hi! First of all, your blog is extremely helpful for someone like me who's planning to take advantage of this free city tour! You've hit almost every question I have, except one so I would appreciate your response to my inquiry. I am a Filipino traveling to Canada. I have an 11hr layover in ICN via Asiana and Air Canada. So, I guess my question is do I still need to collect my checked-in luggage in Incheon and recheck them in before/after the tour or will I be collecting them in Canada?
Hi Genesis. Thanks for the comment and question. If your flight was one ticket—and I imagine it is given that they're both Star Alliance—they should check your bags through. But that's just my common sense input from my experience and zero expertise. You'll have to check to be sure. Happy travels!
I just booked a flight and have an 8 hour layover in Seoul. Your post was really helpful. Definitely going to do a tour. Quick question – how is signage/directions to both the tour desk and bus area?
Hey Tony. I don't remember the signage, but we had no problem finding an information person who pointed us in the right direction. The layover tours has a big stand outside in the arrivals area that's hard to miss, especially when there are groups milling around waiting for the next tour to start. Happy layover-ing!
Hey I know it was the tour guide who made the racist comment on Filipinos. But you as the author of this blog shouldn’t have included that part anymore if you also think that was a racist comment. Quite unnecessary.
Just wondering on your tour if you had a chance to buy souvenirs and if so, did the vendors take credit cards? I see some of the food vendors did not but I would like to pick up some souvenirs while on my layover. And did you have to pay $10 US in cash for the lunch and entry fees? Thanks!
Hey Ashley. We paid the $10 with a card. As for souvenirs, Kim and I didn't look at them seeing as we didn't feel the need for souvenirs on a 5-hour layover. Maybe consider exchanging a small amount, $20 US or whatever, at the airport. If you spend it, great. If not, exchange it back. You may lose a few bucks doing so, but at least you don't miss out on the opportunity to pick up a souvenir.
Let us know how it goes (and what you buy)!
hi , we have a very long layover at incheon airport from tokyo(22 hrs) on april 2020, we have kids with us. but our visas are only for japan 5days tour. we are purely filipino. its also our first time to travel abroad with visa needed. can we still be able to avail the tour even thought we dont have korean visas?
Hi Chesca, I'm not sure but this article says the transit tours are visa-free and I can't imagine all the other Filipinos on the layover tour got visas specifically to do it. Hope that helps a bit. Have a nice trip. Japan's one of our favorite countries we've visited!
Hi! I have a 15 hr layover in Korea. Do you think it's possible to take 2 tours in 1 day?
Hey Gerie. Good question. I don't see why not if the timings work. Another alternative would be to take the earlier tour but not take the bus back to the airport, explore the city some on your own, then make your own way back in time for your flight.
Hi! Do they still stamp passports when u went there for transit visitors? I heard they don't stamp it anymore.
Hi Adrian. I don't remember and replaced my passport, so I can't check.
Maybe someone else can answer this?
Thank you for this clever and entertaining summary of the free tours from the Seoul airport. I enjoyed it thoroughly. We will be traveling in March and hope to do a similar adventure on my 11 hour layover. We too shall be bleary eyed from our red-eye flight from Ho Chi Minh. I'd be keen to see what you though of Korea on your return trip. Thanks again 🙂
Hopefully it's not so cold the snot on your face freezes, Snotface! Let us know how it goes.
A few questions: Do you need a visa for American citizens now? If a tour ends at 6pm, would that be cutting it close to a 8pm flight?
Love this write up! We are transiting through ICN on our way back to the US from Bali. All the tours listed seem to leave at 9am though and our flight arrives at ICN at 9:20. Do you recall having tours head out at a variety of times?
Thanks Melissa. Check out the schedules at "Tour info is available here" link in the post, under General Info.
I am curious if you know off hand (as I'm too lazy to contact the airport tour office *American, after all*) the answer to my dilemma. The tours listed on the 'Course Information' page have a duration and a 'schedule.' Do tours leave repeatedly during that schedule? Or is it a: this tour starts @08:00 and ends @13:00 type of thing (so only one tour a day)? I assumed they started repeatedly in that listed schedule time frame, and lasted however long the duration states. However, when I tried to reserve a tour, I couldn't. It continually says 'check arrival time' which is correct, but is after the first time listed on the schedule, which leads me to think it is indeed one tour a day starting at the listed time. ?