Seoul is a hub for several international airlines, so if you’re traveling between Asia and the west, there’s a chance you’ll have a layover here… and some of these layovers last for many hours. This begs the question: Is it possible to go sightseeing in Seoul during a layover?

I’ve had several layovers in Seoul, so i think I could give a proper answer to this question. heh.

The answer is: it depends. See, it takes about an hour on the average to get through immigration. There was this one time when my flight arrived at around 6 AM and i was able to breeze through immigration in less than 20 minutes, but for the other times, it take about an hour. Take note that the main international airport is in Incheon, not in Seoul. If you plan on heading to Seoul, it takes about another hour. This will already eat up 2 hours of your time. Heading back to the airport takes about an hour, and you need to be back at the airport 3 hours prior to your flight out. Incheon International Airport is a very busy airport. It’s also quite massive. Believe me, try to get there 3 hours prior to your next flight to be on the safe side. I almost missed one flight when I got back with only 2 hours to spare.

So that’s already 6 hours of your time. To see some sights, I’d recommend allotting at least 3 hours. So I’d say the sweet spot to be able to do some sightseeing in Seoul is a 9 hour layover at least. You can get away with 8 hours, but you’d have to rush it. If you have less than 8 hours and you still want to get out of the airport, I’d say just stay in Incheon. I haven’t explored Incheon, but I’ve been told there are some notable sights if you wan’t to experience a bit of Korean Culture.

There are several free tours offered from Incheon International Airport. If you check out their website, you can choose among several options in Incheon and Seoul. Make sure you satisfy the conditions to avail of these free tours:

• You are a citizen of a country whose citizens can enter South Korea visa free.
• If you need a visa, you should already have one.
• If you need a visa, you won’t need one if you are heading to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or any of the 32 European Union countries and you’re just transiting through South Korea.
• Your layover must be under 24 hours.

There are limited spots though, so you need to make a reservation in advance. If they’re fully booked, don’t worry. It’s easy to do some exploring by yourself… if you can enter visa free or if you already have a visa to South Korea.

So if you have enough time to explore a bit of Seoul, first you have to get out of the airport. It’s real easy via public transport since there are direct train connections to the city. There’s an express train that goes directly to Seoul Station and it only takes about 40 minutes. A single journey ticket costs 9,500 Won (less than 7 US Dollars). From Seoul Station, you can take a train to other destinations. Take note of your destination though, because it might be better to take the all stop (local) train rather than the direct train. If you plan on checking out Hongdae for instance, you need to get off at the Hongik University stop which is several train stations before Seoul Station. You’re going to miss this stop if you take the direct express train, so take the local one instead. A ticket to the all stop train costs anywhere between 1,250 to 4,750 Won, depending on your destination. You can pay with credit cards when purchasing tickets at the airport. Keep in mind that if you need to take the train from the city, they only accept cash or T-Money cards. It’s easy to purchase T-Money cards, these are sold at most convenience stores. Just top up with a few Won, just enough for a couple of rides. The basic fare costs KRW 1,400 if you use the T-Money card. It costs KRW 1,500 if you pay with cash for a single journey ticket within the city. Don’t forget that it would cost more to head back to the airport, the price depends on which station you get on.

Also, take note that trains only run until 12 AM- 1 AM, depending on the line. They won’t start running again until 5:30 AM. So this won’t be an option if your flight arrives close to midnight.

Another option is to take a bus. Just head outside the arrivals area, you can easily buy tickets using credit cards. A single journey ticket costs KRW 5,000 to 15,000, depending on your destination. There’s also a luxury limo bus that costs KRW 18,000 per trip. This might be a better option if you’re carrying lots of stuff and you’re spending a night in Seoul because these buses drop you off directly in front of your hotel. Buses run past midnight so you don’t have to take a cab from the airport.

if you’re spending the night in Seoul, where should you stay? Myeong-dong gets such a bad rep because of how touristy it is, but for just one night I’m still gonna say Myeong-dong. Why? Because it’s close to a number of attractions. There are also lots of shops and malls in the area, you don’t have to go anywhere else if you want to do some shopping. There are lots of good restaurants in this area too. Sure, some places would be cheaper. But take note that Seoul is a massive city. It could take a hour getting from one attraction to another depending on your location. If you’re spending a couple of days in Seoul, by all means stay somewhere else. But if you don’t have much time, if you’re only staying for one night and you want to experience as much of the city as you can, Myeong-dong is a really good choice.

As for attractions, the city hall is right there. For a bit of culture, I’d recommend visiting both the Gyeongbokgung Palace and the BukChon Hanok Traditional Village— both are within walking distance from Myeong-dong… about 30-40 minutes. I know, that’s quite a long walk, but you’d get to see more of the city on the way. Cheonggyecheon, Seoul’s urban stream, is also a couple of minutes away on foot and it’s pretty cool.

If you have time to spare (like maybe more than 5 hours for sightseeing), check out the N Seoul Tower too. It’s surrounded by a huge park and this is a good place to chill. Some say that the Starfield Library inside COEX Mall in Gangnan is a must visit, but personally I don’t see the appeal. You can check it out if you want, but do take note that this is quite far from Seoul‘s other attractions. It may be best to stay in Gangnan if you don’t have much time and you’d prioritize seeing this compared to the others.

Seoul is quite known for its cafe culture, and you’d surely see a couple of interesting cafes as you’re walking around. Feel free to check out a couple while taking a break from sightseeing. Cafe Pokpo is a popular one because of the waterfall right behind it. I wouldn’t prioritize checking out this place on a short layover though. Unless you’re staying in Hongdae it’s not quite accessible. You’d see many interesting cafes in the city anyway.

By the way, Google Maps does not work well in Seoul. Download Kakao Maps instead before you start exploring the city.

What if you want to check out the nightlife? I’d recommend heading to either Hongdae or Itaewon. Which is better? Well it depends. Hongdae caters to a younger crowd. Think college age students and people in their early 20s. There are also more locals. There are more clubs here too. Itaewon on the other hand is more of bars rather than clubs. The crowd is also generally older (mid 20s to early 30s), and there are more tourists and expats. Personally, I liked Hongdae more, simply because I like clubbing and EDM. It also felt more… raw. One thing to take note of— many clubs and bars in Hongdae have an age restriction. Many clubs don’t allow anyone above the age of 30 inside their establishment (though some bars allow people up to the age of 35)— unless you’d get one of those VIP tables. I’ve been told they have this policy to shield the younger crowd from potential predators. But this doesn’t make sense if they’re willing to make exemptions for VIP customers does it? Predators get a pass if they’re ready to splurge? Anyway, if you’re older than 30 and you’re not prepared to splurge on table service, just head to Itaewon. Not being allowed to enter a lot of bars could spoil your night.

It’s easy to head to both places by train from the airport. Don’t take the direct express line. As i’ve mentioned earlier, if you’re heading to Hongdae, get off at the Hongik University Stop. For Itaewon, get off at Gongdeok then transfer to line 6. Get off the train once you reach Itaewon Station.

Another popular spot for nightlife in Seoul is Gangnam. However, bars and clubs here are on the pricier side. I’ve also been told that a lot of these bars do not allow foreigners— unless you’d get a VIP table. You’re free to check it out, but I’ve heard so many stories from expats and tourists so I decided not to even bother.

Seoul is a huge and vibrant city. To be honest, spending just a few hours in Seoul isn’t enough. I’d say spending 3-4 days in the city is ideal. But hey, if you’re on a long layover, getting to experience some of it beats just spending all those hours at the airport. 🙂