what to do with a 12 hour overnight layover in san diego
When I went to the Philippines, my ultra-inexpensive flight came with a 15-60 minutes layover in Seoul, S Korea. At get-go I thought, no big bargain. I can entertain myself for one day anywhere, right? But then I found out that Seoul is literally the best identify one could ever schedule a long layover. Here's why a 12 hours layover in Seoul went above and beyond my expectations.
Why Programme a Layover in Seoul: Because Incheon Airdrome is Amazing
Incheon Airport is one of the nicest airports I've ever been to. Not simply do they have tons of great shops and restaurants (hello Taco Bell… Kidding. Kind of… true story, I ate Taco Bell in Korea), but they offer tons of other amenities too, including…
- A "Rest & Relax" area consummate with comfortable lounge chairs and couches for napping
- Gratis WiFi
- A hotel that can exist rented for as curt as half-dozen hours if you really need to crash
- Spa
- Golf class
- Ice skating rink (yes, seriously)
- Indoor gardens
- Casino
- Museum of Korean culture
You could spend an entire fifteen-hour layover at Incheon Aerodrome. Nonetheless, I only decided to spend well-nigh 3 hours of my layover there, leaving 12 hours in Seoul. Offset things kickoff? The Rest & Relax area. I had flown overnight from Manila and wasn't quite prepare to wake up yet!
12 Hours in Seoul: Free Tours of Seoul for Layover Travelers
The accented all-time thing about a layover in Seoul? The complimentary city tours, aka "Transit Tours," provided by the airport. At absolutely NO COST, you tin accept a bout that fits into your schedule (from 1 to half dozen hours) and see a bit of the expanse before boarding your next flight. They provide transportation and a guide.
When you go far, but find the info desk for Transit Tours and look upward the next convenient time. You'll accept to see the guide there and they'll help you exit the aerodrome (annotation: y'all'll have to go through customs). You lot can besides email them at transittour@aerodrome.kr to brand reservations in advance, although we didn't need one.
The shorter tours will take you lot to nearby temples or on an Incheon Urban center Tour, whereas longer tours (4 to 6 hours) will bring you to Seoul. Since we had so many hours before our flight back to Chicago, we went with the Seoul tour.
The first cease was Gyeongbok Palace or Gyeongbokgung, a majestic palace that was built in 1395. It's known as 1 of the most cute palaces of the Joseon dynasty (in that location are five) and served as the home for the kings of the dynasty and the government. If you're lucky, you'll get to run into a changing of the guards ceremony.
Next, the bus took us to Insadong Street, a famous shopping street in Seoul, for dejeuner. We ate a typical Korean lunch with fellow bout attendees.
After lunch, the tour was headed dorsum to the drome. Simply with a few hours still left earlier our flight, nosotros asked the guide if information technology was OK if nosotros stayed behind and took public transit for our return. No trouble!
12 Hours in Seoul: Refuel at the Cat Buffet
I've been intrigued by the idea of cat cafes for a long time. A erstwhile kitty possessor myself (RIP Misty, my childhood pet), I love cats so of grade I couldn't resist when nosotros stumbled upon ane on Insadong Street later lunch.
These cafes ask you to pay for a coffee in exchange for your time with the cats. Caffeine and cats… what more could i want?
The cats were either very friendly and playful, or asleep. Seems like a pretty good gig to me.
The cafe is filled with toys to appoint your new hirsuite friends with. All in all it was quite an entertaining manner to kill an hour and refuel for more than city exploring.
12 Hours in Seoul: Street Eats at Gwangjang Market
1 of the well-nigh famous sights in Seoul is the Gwangjang Market place, a traditional Korean street marketplace is filled with vendors selling everything from textiles and linens to handmade crafts simply is most known for its food stands. It's i of the oldest markets in Republic of korea and a must-visit for foodies during a layover in Seoul.
If you know me, you'll know I was there for the food even though I'd just eaten lunch.
I'm not going to pretend that spending 30 minutes here turned me into a Korean nutrient expert, just these dumplings were yummy. If I wasn't facing an 11-hour flight back to the U.Southward. shortly, I would have been a little more audacious. Either way, Gwangjang Market was a fun identify to explore for a chip during our 12 hours in Seoul!
12 Hours in Seoul: Walk Forth Cheonggyecheon Stream
After eating a double lunch, it was time for some exercise and then we decided to walk from Gwangjang Marketplace to the train station where we'd catch a ride dorsum to the airport. It turned out to be quite a hike and took u.s. about an hour. If you lot're non up for a long walk, subway and taxi options are also available.
I beloved seeing how different cities build unique public spaces for people to escape from the hustle and bustle for a moment andwell-nigh (cardinal word: almost) experience like you're somewhere lovely. In Seoul, it'south the Cheonggyecheon Stream, an 11 km (virtually 7 miles) walk that's popular with both locals and tourists. It's actually locatedbelow much of the city.
Information technology was a squeamish identify to stretch our legs before the long haul back to Chicago.
Oh, and getting back to the airport was quite the adventure. We couldn't figure out how to add coin to our railroad train cards, but luckily a overnice man helped united states of america when he saw united states of america struggling. I'd recommend figuring this out right away when y'all ditch your tour bus back to the airport to avoid our last minute panic 🙂
Suggested Further Reading if You Have a Seoul Layover Planned
- Seoul: A Travel Guide for Your Perfect Seoul Chance (written past a local – and it'southward just $ii.99 for the Kindle edition!)
- Seoul City Subway Bout: Complete Guide to Getting Around Seoul's Top Attractions by Just Taking the Subway (a good idea to read if y'all don't plan on returning to the airport with the bus – plus the Kindle edition is but $3.95)
- Top ten Seoul (A little more expensive at $7.99, simply this guide gets straight to the betoken on Seoul'south top 10 attractions for time-crunched travelers)
- Got another question? Bring together the Weekend Jetsetters community on Facebook to ask beau travelers (including me!) and become a quick response.
Disclosure: the above links are chapter links.
Source: https://theweekendjetsetter.com/12-hours-in-seoul-south-korea/
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