Suggestions for a 12-hour layover at Incheon

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Seoul has some great restaurants. If you love Korean food (and you should) I would check into an airport hotel, then catch the train into Seoul (or taxi into Incheon) and try one of the better Korean barbeque places. You will likely need a taxi and the location in Korean (ie google map on your phone) to navigate to a particular restaurant. Getting back to your hotel at midnight (after an evening enjoying Korean beers) is part of the fun.

Alternatively - start your holiday early by selecting one of the better hotels adjacent to the airport and spend your stopover examining the menu while lying by the pool. The Hyatt is great - its more expensive, but the facilities, food, location and staff are fantastic.

Note you need a minibus to get from the airport to the nearby hotels. Some hotels have regular shuttles, others none or infrequent. Some ICN hotels are close to the airport, others are miles away. Some have helpful, English-speaking staff, others less so.

Cheers,
Rohan.
 
@Tassie_Rohan : I thought one cannot go out (meaning take a train to Seoul or cab to Incheon city) if booked at the Transit hotel at terminal 2 or terminal 2? Thanks.
 
@Feye : Great suggestions and info. Seoul is looking more and more attractive. I may have to go further from the airport than I intended :)
 
@Tassie_Rohan : I thought one cannot go out (meaning take a train to Seoul or cab to Incheon city) if booked at the Transit hotel at terminal 2 or terminal 2? Thanks.
Thats correct - if you are in the terminal transit hotel you stay in the airport, and don't go out through customs. Thats not a bad thing: ICN is a great airport.

If you want to lounge around the Hyatt (or another hotel in the area) and/or go into town then head out through customs, grab you bags and head to the hotel.

Cheers
Rohan
 
Thats correct - if you are in the terminal transit hotel you stay in the airport, and don't go out through customs. Thats not a bad thing: ICN is a great airport.

If you want to lounge around the Hyatt (or another hotel in the area) and/or go into town then head out through customs, grab you bags and head to the hotel.

Cheers
Rohan
Thank you for the very helpful answer. 🙏
 
@Titatom Since time is limited, I'd definitely recommend heading into Seoul for the evening. To really make the most of your 12 hours, you might consider booking a tour guide as well - I've had good experiences with GoWithGuide in Seoul before (here's the link if you want to check out - https://gowithguide.com/korea/seoul/guides). When I went, I booked a local food and history tour, and our guide, Moises showed us so many cool spots off the beaten path. It helped maximize our time to have someone show us around. I've included some photos from my tour if you want some ideas.

food.jpg
hanoks.jpg




Gyeongbokgung Palace.jpg
 
@Titatom Since time is limited, I'd definitely recommend heading into Seoul for the evening. To really make the most of your 12 hours, you might consider booking a tour guide as well - I've had good experiences with GoWithGuide in Seoul before (here's the link if you want to check out - https://gowithguide.com/korea/seoul/guides). When I went, I booked a local food and history tour, and our guide, Moises showed us so many cool spots off the beaten path. It helped maximize our time to have someone show us around. I've included some photos from my tour if you want some ideas.

View attachment 832763View attachment 832764



View attachment 832765
Thank you. We were there for the layover in November and stayed at Songdo. It was perfect - not too rushed and we had a relaxing evening before the next leg of our flight. Going to Seoul would have been too hectic for the tine we had. Next layover :) Thanks for the suggestion and pictures.
 

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