• Understand
• Get around
• See
• Do
• Buy
• Eat
• Drink
• Sleep
• Get out

Incheon [1] (인천, 仁川), also Inchon, is in South Korea on the coast directly to the west of Seoul.

[edit] Understand

A politically independent city of 2.5 million, Incheon is in practice largely a suburb of Seoul. In 1950, the city was the site of the Inchon Landing by American forces, a decisive battle in the Korean War.

Incheon serves as a transportation hub by both air and sea, with a massive harbor and Korea's main international airport. Several nearby islands, notably Yeongjong Island and Ganghwa Island, are also within city limits.

Newer neighborhoods, built on land reclaimed from the sea, are practically independent mini-cities with shopping, schools, housing, and industry. These newer areas pride themselves on being clean, modern, and safe, and compete for foreign investment.

Incheon tower, set to be completed after 2010, will be one of the tallest buildings int the world.

Incheon is a gritty industrial city, and while there are several pleasant things to do there, it shouldn't be considered a tourist destination of itself, particularly when Seoul is within easy reach.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main international gateway, is on Yeongjong Island, a part of Incheon. There is a train that efficiently connects the airport to the Incheon Subway line for 2600 won, it takes about 20 minutes.

[edit] By boat

Incheon Port International Ferry Terminal 1 (Yeonan Budu, 연안부두). Incheon's international terminal operates services to several cities in China, such as Weihai, Dandong, Qingdao and Tianjin.

The largest operator is Jinchon, but Incheon Port has full listings on their website. These ferries are similar to miniature cruise lines and are complete with karaoke rooms, Playstation games (for a fee), DVD rentals (private rooms only), and a nightly grill on the back deck. Inside, accommodations are a hit and miss. If you have an economy ticket, which will set you back approximately €180 (roundtrip), you can request a sleeper bunk where you have a considerable amount of privacy. If these are all taken however, the other option for an economy ticket is the sleeping deck where everyone who is crammed on the floor like sardines in a can. To avoid being relegated to the sardine room, get to the terminal early, 2 or 3 hours should be sufficient. This is definitely worth it as the ferry can take as much as 24 hours depending where you go. To make the most of this ferry ride, take a good book, work, and/or a laptop to pass the time.

Locally, there are ferries from Yeongjong Island to Wolmido Marina every 30 minutes. There is also a ferry to Jeju island.

[edit] By subway

Seoul subway line 1 links Seoul to Incheon. It has express trains that skip all the minor stops between Incheon and Yongsan. There is also an Incheon line which crosses line one at Bupyeong.

[edit] Get around

In addition to the Seoul subway line, the Incheon Rapid Transit Corporation operates a single subway line of its own. The Incheon line runs north-south, and the Seoul line east-west.

Wolmido is not on the subway network, but there are buses from Dongincheon Station every 10 minutes.

[edit] See

Incheon's official city flower, the rose, is abundant in the summer, climbing over walls and fences. Even the subway route into Seoul from Incheon is lined with roses and beautifully-tended shrubbery.

• Chinatown. The only official Chinatown in South Korea. Orignally home to the Chinese merchants in Korea, today it is nothing more than a tourist trap as most of the Chinese fled the country in the 1960's and 1970's due to persecution by then president Park Chung-hee, while those that remain are largely scattered and assimilated into Korean society. The area is located at the end of the main subway line (1 or dark blue) that connects Incheon with nearby Seoul. The main entrance to Chinatown is directly in front of the Incheon Subway Station. The Chinatown is three or four square blocks, the restaurants are squarely aimed at Korean tourists and offer extremely Koreanized takes on Chinese food and most of these restaurants are owned by ethnic Koreans instead of Chinese.

• Jayu Park Jayu (Freedom) Park is located adjacent to Chinatown. It is most famous as the location of General MacArthur's statue. Also located there is a memorial to the centennial anniversary of U.S. and South Korea relations.

[edit] Do

• Songdo Resort. Has a large ferris wheel which gives good views of the surrounding area. As well as other rides, a swimming lake and a water slide which doubles as a snow sledding slope in winter.
• Yeongjong Island, covered in a separate article, has beaches and hot springs.
• Wolmido. Past a harbor and a plywood factory, Wolmido contains a small but popular park, dominated by a nature walk up a hill, with scientific names have been listed for all of the flowers donated to this area that was decimated by the Incheon landing of UN forces. Past the park is a fairground with several amusement-park rides and numerous food vendors. The harbor area immediately past this makes for a pleasant stroll, with a wide pedestrian sidewalk lined with cafes. From Incheon station, take the #15 bus (2000 won), or it's a 20 minute walk.

[edit] Buy

Bupyeong Station Line 1 of Seoul subway and Incheon subway line intersect here. There is a large under ground shopping mall. It is a popular place for Korean students to shop and hang out. Above ground, there are additional shops, many Korean restaurants, western restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Outback Steakhouse, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, and Dunkin Donuts, and a Lotte Mart. There are two Citibanks located here, one in the Arcade, and one several above ground near the far end of the underground mall.

Incheon Bus Terminal Station Incheon's subway line has a the stop for Incheon bus Terminal. This station connects to Shinsaegae, a large name brand mall. In the food court of this mall are many small places and A burger king. The upper two floors are women's clothes, and there is an E-mart attached to the mall.

[edit] Eat

Incheon has a Chinatown with many Chinese restaurants. Chinatown is to be found at the last stop on line 1 of the Seoul line.

There are many raw fish restaurants around the port area at Wolmido.

[edit] Drink

Incheon has plenty of watering holes, mostly in Bupyeong, where the area behind the Starbuck's Coffee gets more densely packed with drunk youth than anywhere else in Korea.

• Goose Goose, Bupyeong. A western pub where many English teachers and other foreigners go, although things get rowdy sometimes.
• Rock Bar, Bupyeong. Very cheap beer, 6,000 won for 2000CC. Watch out for rats in the toilets.
• Woodstock, Buyeong.
• 66, Yeonsu.

[edit] Sleep

• Hong Kong Motel - is immediately next to the Chinatown, and several minute's walk east of the Incheon subway station. Rooms are 25000 Won for a single, or 40000 Won for a double. Rooms are slightly old and small, but clean, and include a PC with Internet.
• Best Western.
• Hotel Grand Incheon Airport.

[edit] Get out

• Ganghwa Island - temples, a few mountains and views to North Korea
• Yeongjong Island - beaches, hot springs and fish markets