Incheon

Incheon (Hangul: 인천, Hanja: 仁川, formerly romanized as Inchon) is a city in South Korea on the coast directly bordering the west of Seoul. It is a rapidly expanding centre for new urban development. Several beautiful islands, such as Yeongjong Island and Ganghwa Island, are also within city limits.

Most foreign travelers arrive in South Korea at Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal.

Understand
Incheon is a historically and economically significant place for Koreans. During the Korean War, the city was the site of the Incheon Landing by American forces. In 2016, Incheon became the third most populous city in the country after Seoul and Busan, with 3 million people, of whom about 60,000 are foreigners.

The city serves as a transportation hub by air and sea, with a massive harbor and a major international airport.

The status of the area is set to increase as various national projects are in development here. The New Songdo City plan, the most expensive real estate development in Korean history, is in progress. One of the world's tallest twin tower buildings, 151 Incheon Tower, is under early construction and one of Korea's tallest buildings, the Northeast Asia Trade Tower, is already finished. It is planned to launch further independent mini-cities for shopping, housing, and education. It received a lot of visitors for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Despite these developments, the Songdo district of Incheon is unfinished and not yet permitted for full habitation.

Famous places within Incheon Metropolitan City include Wolmido Island, the Chinatown, and the opening of the Woncheon Stream, Sorae Port and Incheon Grand Park in the southeastern region, Eulwangni Beach, Wangsan Beach, many islands, Songdo International City and Cheongna Lake Park.

However, Incheon Metropolitan City does not have a good place to look around various areas. Incheon is caused by a wide city area. However, there are no major difficulties because major tourist attractions are concentrated in Wondocheong Station and Ganghwa Island, while Incheon Grand Park, Sorae Port and the island are separate from those in Wondoche, Ganghwa Island and Yeongjong Island. And with the opening of city railroads and wide-area railroads in Incheon, travel between regions is also very convenient compared to other regions except Seoul.

And the easy thing to overlook is that the total area of Incheon metropolitan city is 1,062 km², much larger than the Seoul Metropolitan Government (605 km²), followed by Ulsan city (1,057 km²) among metropolitan cities. In addition, as it is long and divided into several islands, it takes a long time to travel around Incheon on public transportation.

Climate
Incheon is sometimes affected by yellow dust from the Mongolian desert region. Daylight hours range from 05:15 - 19:45 in the summer, and 07:45 - 17:15 in the winter.

By plane
Incheon International Airport is South Korea's main gateway. The AREX train connects the airport to Gyeyang (20 min) for Incheon Subway Line 1 or Geomam (16 min) for Incheon Subway Line 2. Alternatively, the limousine bus line (50 min) is always available to go to many places in Incheon, or you can take a taxi (25 min) to get into the city.

By boat
has connections to several cities in China, such as Weihai, Dandong, Qingdao and Tianjin.

The largest operator is now Weidong, but passengers can look at full listings on the port's website (only in Korean). These ferries are similar to miniature cruise lines and provide karaoke rooms, console games, and DVD rentals (private rooms only).

The trip can take as long as 24 hours, so if you have an economy ticket, request a sleeper bunk for a comfortable trip. If they are all taken, however, the only other option for an economy ticket is the sleeping deck where everyone will stay like sardines in a can. Arrive at the terminal 2–3 hours before departure to ensure there is availability for the bunks.

By subway
Kyeong-in line called Metropolitan Line 1 links Seoul to Incheon. The line often provides express trains that skip some minor stops between Dong-incheon station and Yongsan station. By using the express trains passengers can save up to 30 minutes depending on where they go and for the same fare.

By ship
The port of Incheon, the gateway to the Seoul metropolitan area in the waterway, was first opened in 1883. The port of Incheon is an export port, and there are passenger ships that ship old cars and various exports to and from Incheon to China. It consists of internal, northern and southern ports. The inland waterway was opened to traffic in 2012, a scenic route linking the Yellow Sea and the Han River. Meanwhile, international passenger ships are operating in each city of the People's Republic of China. The First International Passenger Terminal has routes to Yingkou, Qinhuangdao, Yantai, Dalian and Dandong. The second passenger terminal has ships operating in the areas of Weihai, Qingdao, Tianjin and Lianyungang. Incheon Hangshin International Passenger Terminal is under construction.

By bus
From various cities in South Korea, there are numerous Intercity Bus routes heading to Incheon.

Travelers can book some routes from the Kobus website such as Busan, Daegu and Gwangju.

From Seoul, there are some express bus routes which are mainly used by commuters.

Most of them connect Incheon from Seoul station, Shinchon and Gangnam station. For example, route 1400 links Seoul station, Shinchon, Hongdae and Bupyeong.

By subway
Subway line No.1 and Suin line connect to Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The subway line passes through many famous places. If you get off the 'Gyeyang station', you can see the Gyeongin Ara Waterway.

By bus
For visitors who want to visit more places in Incheon, local bus lines could be another great option. There are about 2,000 operating buses; therefore, a visitor can go almost everywhere.

Land and water double use bus
In Ara waterway, there are several 'land and water double use buses'. You can stop by and experience them. It takes about 1 hour and you can look around in Ara Waterway. The hours of operation are 11:00-11:30 to 15:30-17:30 on weekdays. On weekends, the hours of operation are from 10:00 to 18:00. The times between departures are 30 minutes or 1 hour.

By taxi
There are a number of taxis on the street, and a taxi can be called under 1577-5588.

By airplane
Incheon International Airport, opened in 2001, is South Korea's largest airport and located on Yeongjong Island, Jung-gu. Most flights to and from Incheon International Airport are from South Korea's air carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.

See
Incheon has a lot of attractions in each region. There are places where you can experience things and places where you can feel nature. Visitors can easily get interested because there are special features in each area.



Other




Do

 * Go to the hot place in . If you go, you can enjoy the nightlife. It has many delicious restaurants and pubs.



Movie theaters
There are several movie theaters in Incheon. Big multiplex movie theater chains, such as CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox, are represented in Incheon and show movies of various genres.



Sports
Watch baseball, the national sport, at Munhak Baseball Stadium (home to SK Wyverns) and football at Incheon Football Stadium (Incheon United FC).

Buy

 * Soraepogu Lobster, Incheon.jpg
 * Soraepogu Lobster, Incheon.jpg
 * Soraepogu Lobster, Incheon.jpg

Eat
In Incheon, there are a large number of quality restaurants but do not expect the staff to be able to speak English.

Bupyeong and Guwol-dong Rodeo Street are two main areas for food and drink. It has the advantage of being able to enjoy a meal with drinks as well as meals. A variety of genres is available. Korean food generally offers a delightful and exciting experience. If someone is not familiar with Korean food, there are also many American and Italian restaurants which could be a safe bet for foreign visitors.



Hotels
Hotels are gathered in Songdo International City. If you come to city, you don't have to difficult to reserve accommodations.



Resort
These resorts are not far from Incheon International Airport.



Pensions
In South Korea, the word for a boarding house where three meals a day are provided along with your room is "pension". There are 1,635 pensions around Incheon according to a 'Naver page', including the following:



Guest houses
There are 39 guest houses according to a 'Naver page', including the following:



Address System
Incheon has 8 city districts and 37 towns/villages. Postal Code Finder by Goverment The road name address system is used in the same way as Seoul. (This is the same as the United States)

Go next

 * Jump on the metro to Seoul
 * Take the ferry to China
 * Take the bus or subway to Gyeonggi
 * Take the subway to Ansan via Oido.
 * Take the subway to Gwangmyeong to enjoy various shopping facilities like Ikea and Costco.