Seoul, Korea: How to Spend a Short Layover

Seoul’s Incheon Airport is routinely voted the best airport in the world. It’s probably one of the best airports to be stuck on a long layover. With a Korean culture museum, free cultural shows, and lots of great food, Incheon isn’t a bad place at all to have a delayed flight.

Gyeongkokgung Palace

Seoul’s old royal “northern” palace, built in 1394, is the biggest of Seoul’s Five Grand Palaces.

The palace has been destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout its storied history, first by the Japanese in the 16th century, and more recently by the Japanese again during its imperial expansion just before the First World War.

If you’re lucky, you can catch a reenactment of the changing of the guard ceremony. They hold the ceremony every hour on the hour from 10am-3pm. Reenactors dressed like royal guards from the Joseon Dynasty marched in, while the commander of the royal guard watched and directed from the top of one of the huge wall gates.

You can also book an interesting guided palace tour for only $15 from our friends at Trazy.com. They’ll take care of all of the arrangements, and you’re sure to have a great time.*

The temple is dedicated to the dragon god, and, while small, is a beautiful mountain temple and very atmospheric.

Of course, if you want to see more of South Korea, the easiest and most efficient way is by train! You can purchase a Korail Pass (KR Pass) HERE*!

The KR Pass is a train pass offered exclusively to foreigners visiting Korea, and is the most economical way to see the country. Just like Japan’s JR Pass, this pass allows the holder unlimited rides on nearly all Korean trains for the valid period, and see as much of the country as you can while saving the most money.