In 2022 I had a 14-hour layover at the Incheon Airport from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Unfortunately for me, the Incheon airport tours were closed due to Covid-19 so I had to get a bit creative.
7 am: Customs, Immigration, money exchange, and bag drop
Before you arrive, fill out your K-ETA/ Visa application and double-check that all the information is correct. We got delayed leaving the airport since we had a typo on the K-ETA application for 1 person in our group. Luckily the airport officials allowed him to apply for a Visa and approved it on the spot, but this did delay us by about an hour.
Some places only take cash and if you are in a time crunch it's best to just exchange money at the airport. I wouldn't exchange anything more than 50 USD since you are here for such a short period and many places do accept cards.
There are several hotels in the airport where you can drop off your bag and freshen up.
9 am: Take the train into the city and explore
Hopefully, you now have some won on you because one of the ways to get out of the airport is on the All Stop Train, which is cash only. However, another way to get out of the airport is to take the Airport Railroad Express which will take you directly from the airport to Seoul Station with no stops along the way. I highly recommend taking either of the trains over a taxi or bus because it is so straightforward. Download Kakao T to get
I would recommend going to Gyeongbokgung Palace which is about an hour away by train, but I would recommend going if you can squeeze it in. You can get free entrance if you wear traditional Korean attire (Hanbok). It was very fun to see people from across the world dress up and take pictures here. However, if you don't have a hanbok with you, the entrance fee is only 3,000 won anyways.
11 am: Check out a cafe and try some new food
One of my favorite lunch dishes is bibimbap, a bowl of rice topped with an assortment of veggies, meat, and a fried egg. While we were there we found a KBBQ shop where we could grill our meat. Perhaps it was the lack of food we had that day, but the flavors are out of this world! For vegetarians or pescatarians out there, Seoul has tons of options for bowls of rice with steamed veggies and protein like tofu or fish. The lunch options in Seoul truly have something for everyone.
After your meal, stop by a coffee shop for some cute dessert and a cup of coffee to help perk up. We were surprised at how warm and cozy the cafe was.
2 pm: Spend some money at Myeong-dong
Bring your passport and make your way down to Myeong-dong, Korea's most famous shopping street. There you will find tons of department stores including many where you can get your VAT refund immediately, just look for stores with the sign "Tax-Free". Some stores will have an in-store kiosk where you bring your receipt while others will immediately apply for the tax refund during the purchase. You will need to spend between 30,000 - 500,000 won to have a qualifying purchase.
K-beauty brands are a lot cheaper in South Korea than they are in the states so I couldn't help but splurge a bit on some skincare products. There are dozens of skincare stores to choose from so don't be afraid to walk around and talk to the employees about sales and promotions they have going on. I purchased a dozen Dr. Jart face masks for ~$0.70, which was a steal when I saw their retail price was $3.49 on Amazon. A word of caution though - make sure you only buy products that are under the 3.4oz liquid requirement or plan to check in a bag otherwise you'll be losing some product in the airport security.
Hopefully, you still have some won on you, because Myeongdong Street Food is super fresh and quite inexpensive. We had some fresh taiyaki bites 5 for 3,000 won ( $2) and reference when I got back to the states I saw a package of 10 frozen taiyaki pieces of the same size for $9 at H-mart.
5 pm: Start making your way back to the airport and prepare for your flight.
Since we were taking the train back to the airport we didn't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic. The live updates in Kakao T were super helpful and very accurate in planning out departure.
I hope this helped you plan out a day in Seoul and make the most out of your short time there.
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