What’s up, everybody? Phil here!
It’s 6:00AM, we just landed at Seoul Incheon Airport and we have a little
over 12 hours before our next flight so we’re gonna go explore the city now.
This is your Seoul Long Layover Guide.
Let’s go!!!
One thing to note about Seoul Incheon Airport is that it’s actually really far away from
Seoul proper, like it’s gonna take a 45-minute train with no stops to get there, so really
make sure that you have enough time to go explore the city if you do plan to do that.
And also Seoul Incheon Airport is one of the best in the world.
Year after year, it’s rated Top 3, so if you have a short layover like 4 hours or less,
don’t worry, there’s plenty of stuff you can do within the airport.
And if your layover is like maybe 5, 6, 7, 8 hours, they actually do have free tours
that you can schedule, but those are a little bit more structured and you’ll only be able
to visit maybe like a palace and then do some shopping, but if you want to have more freedom
and you have more time like maybe 9, 10 or more hours, you can follow this itinerary
today!
Order of business before we leave the airport is to get a SIM card, there’re tons of places
you can get them around here.
And right now we’re at the LG U booth to get a SIM card of unlimited data.
As long as you have a boarding pass that shows you’re still traveling, you can get a free
shower, so if you do want to access the free showers for transiting passengers, make sure
to stay airside, don’t make the mistake like we did, but we do know that there is
a spa and we’re just gonna pay a little bit to be able to take a shower.
I think it’s worth it after a long flight.
OK so definitely not free, but Spa on Air was actually a really, really nice spa.
It cost us 7000 Won, which is like $6 USD about, but it was absolutely worth it because
we feel so much better and much more ready for the day now.
Now we’re gonna head to the AREX Express Train, there are signs all over that lead
you to the Airport Railroad and that’s where you gotta go.
Word of caution, the Express Train is a good 5-minute jog from where the spa and from where
the rest of the gates were so make sure you have a lot of time.
We’re just catching it now!
Before we even reached our assigned seats the train started moving, so that was a close
call.
It’s 7:28AM right now, it’s 45 minutes to Seoul Station, we’ve got the rest of
the day ahead of us.
One important tip is that you’re gonna wanna download the Naver Map App before you come
here because Google Maps does not function well in South Korea.
So go ahead and download that way you can get around, you can have directions from place
to place.
Also I downloaded KakaoMetro so I can have accurate listing for the times for subways
to get around because the subway system in Seoul is really awesome and taxis are really
cheap, but when traffic’s bad, subway’s the way to go.
Now that we got here and all the logistics are out of the way, our first stop is gonna
be get some hanbok, which is the traditional Korean garb to wear it and kind of embrace
the culture a little bit.
And from there, we’re gonna head to Gyeongbokgung Palace, one of the biggest palaces that’s
right in the center of the city, absolutely beautiful, really, really popular to visit.
We’re gonna take the dark blue Line 1.
So after only 2 stops on the subway from Seoul Stations, we got off Jonggak and now we’re
walking north, should be about 10 minutes to get to Gyeongbokgung.
So we found a place to rent hanbok, it’s on the southeast corner just across the street
from where Gyeongbokgung is and they have men’s and women’s and it’s open early.
It’s definitely a really convenient location.
We just got the handbook for 4 hours, 18000 Won per person and it comes with a free locker
so it’s really convenient for leaving your stuff here.
Now we’re gonna head into Gyeongbokgung Palace and it’s actually free admission
if you have the hanbok so you kinda save a little money there.
Walking in now to the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace and it is really beautiful here!
There is just so much nice architecture on all sides.
We’re still here pretty early, it’s like 9:30AM so it’s not too crowded.
I know this is probably one of the most popular places for tourists to visit in Seoul, so
getting here early is definitely worth it.
And in this building in the center of Gyeongbokgung Palace here, this is where the king had his
thrown, it’s so beautiful in here.
This is actually what the king used to get around and it’s really well preserved to
this day.
Look at that, wow!
The general direction we’re following right now is going northeast and trying to exit
near the Bukchon Hanok village.
OK, we’ve just left Gyeongbokgung Palace out of the east gate, now the tour buses are
arriving, there’s a whole bunch right here, it’s busy!
So if you wanna be there without the crowds, go early for sure.
And on the way to the village, we’re stopping in now at Isaac Toast and Coffee.
It’s a local chain that’s really popular and has some pretty unique sandwiches.
We’re getting a bulgalbi sandwich and if you’re looking for something quick to eat
and some more local fast food, this is a great option.
Mmm!
It’s not like any sandwich I’ve had and it’s a little sweet from the galbi.
After this 20-minute or so trek uphill from Gyeongbokgung Palace, you get here and there’s
no one individual place to kind of hang out and take photos, it’s just this whole area.
There’s really, really unique design everywhere, still very preserved, very Korean and given
its proximity to Gyeongbokgung Palace, I’d definitely recommend visiting here if you
have a long layover in Seoul.
We returned the hanbok.
Now we’re gonna grab a cab and head east to Gwangjang Market, a really, really big
market that’s known for its really authentic Korean food.
Fresh out the cab, it was about a 15-minute car ride and it was only 7000 Won, so about
$6 USD.
Really good deal, especially if you’re traveling in a group.
It’s a Saturday at noon and it’s not too crowded, there’s still definitely a good
number of people here, but it goes for a while and there’s so much stuff around here.
Pretty hungry, so we just stopped in at one of the first places we saw, this is Sunhui-Ne,
I am probably butchering the pronunciation.
Out front they are just cooking mung bean pancakes like crazy and it smells super good
so we decided to come in here.
We got our combination here and it came less than a minute after we ordered it.
This is a mung bean pancake and also a meat pancake.
We got this alcoholic drink that’s not soju, it’s called makgeolli and I’m really,
really excited to try it.
It seems like it’s a carbonated and little bit creamier soju and it’s super yummy!
And just like that, we’re out.
It was about 20 minutes, we got the food really fast, we ate really quickly, we drank really
quickly, and we paid right when we got the food.
So, onto some more stuff here in Gwangjang Market.
Pretty crowded, it’s not just food here, there’s also lots of different vendors for
all kinds of different stuff.
And no more than 5 minutes later, we just came and sat down at another place to get
some more food.
Here we got some mayak kimbap, some tteokbboki, and also some beef tartare here.
Second meal is finished, we got a ton of different food, different foods that I wanted to try
here while I was in Seoul, anyway this place has so many different kinds of food, it’s
really fun to just come pop in, sit down, eat something delicious.
And as we’re walking by here, I’m actually recognizing the lady from the Netflix series
Street Food, the Seoul episode, the one that makes the kimchi dumplings.
There’s so much stuff to see at Gwangjang whether it’s just wandering, sitting down
getting some great food, and it’s not too far from the rest of the stuff that we had
visited earlier, so it’s a really great place to stop if you have a long layover in
Seoul.
About a 5-minute walk, we’re now getting the 104 bus that’s gonna take us to Myeongdong,
really, really popular area for lots of shopping and it’s also on the way back to Seoul Station
where we gotta go so we can go back to the airport eventually.
And these little pink cards are actually stuff that we got this morning and we loaded up
when we were at the subway station.
We put about 5000 Won on these, so not too much, but it was enough for the bus fare.
If you don’t feel like using a bus, feel free to use a taxi, just hail one!
They use the meter, you don’t really have too many worries about scams and also they’re
really, really affordable.
So now we’re arrived in Myeongdong, super busy streets, lots of shopping, lots to see
around here.
Even if you’re not a huge shopper, there are still plenty of things to do and see around
here and wander and explore and Myeongdong is a fun place in general.
One more thing you can do while you’re around the Myeongdong area, it’s not a huge thing,
but you can actually see the Namsan Tower, the Seoul Tower, basically, in the distance.
Pretty cool and it’s one more thing that you can kinda check off your list while you’re
in Seoul.
Now that we’ve had a chance to walk around Myeongdong, kinda enjoy the vibes, enjoy the
energy of the area, we’re gonna start walking back now, west to Seoul Station.
Not a far walk, but along the way we’re gonna stop for some chicken and beer, get
a very Korean kind of meal before we head back to the airport.
Chicken time!!!
Ah no I’m totally kidding, we’re gonna go somewhere else for chicken.
We’re heading to an area called Bukchangdong, which is on the way from Myeongdong to Seoul
Station, lots of different kinds of foods there.
They should definitely have some good chicken.
And because it is 3:00 right now it’s a bit of an awkward time between lunch and dinner,
so a lot of places are closed.
But luckily, we did find a place that was open in this area: Kkanbu Chicken!
Just finished up the food here, we really wanted to end this layover on a high note
with some chicken and beer.
Anyway, it’s 3:50 right now, we’re gonna head over to Seoul Station now to catch the
Express Train back to the airport.
After another 45-minute ride, we made it back to the airport on time to catch our flight.
Now we landed at about 6:00AM this morning and it is now about 5:30PM so we’ve had
almost 12 hours to explore the city and we had an amazing time, checking out Gyeongbokgung,
going to the Bukchon Hanok village, getting food at Gwangjang, wandering around Myeongdong,
and just in general, experiencing the city.
Now, this is my first time in Seoul and I think this is a good itinerary for anyone
else having their first time in Seoul, but this really makes me wanna come back and experience
Seoul for a longer period of time because this city has been absolutely amazing.
And if you’re lucky enough to a have a long layover in Seoul, hopefully this video is
informative and gives you an idea of what you can do and how you can go about doing
it, how much things cost, and if you haven’t already, SUBSCRIBE for more travel videos
coming soon.
See ya next time :)