Guide to Incheon, South Korea – Perfect Day Trip from Seoul
Top Things to Do in Incheon, South Korea
Incheon is a perfect day trip from Seoul. Visit South Korea’s only official Chinatown, hang out along the pier on Wolmido Island and make sure to bring your selfie stick to explore the Fairy Tale Village. Incheon is a fun spot, especially if you’re traveling with kids. Let this guide to Incheon inspire your next adventure!
Table of Contents
Visiting Incheon means also jumping into fascinating layers of Korean history and economic development. Incheon’s Chinatown was established in the late 1800’s as a result of improved trade relations between Korea and China. In 1883 Incheon officially opened as an international port, and over 100 years later it still continues to be one of South Korea’s major economic hubs. (Incheon is actually home to a Free Economic Zone.)
In the late 1880’s Incheon was recognized as an extraterritoriality of China’s Qing Dynasty. What started as a community of Chinese businessmen in Incheon continued to grow throughout the early 20th century. Today Incheon is South Korea’s 3rd most popular city after Seoul & Busan! First, let’s visit a couple sites you can visit to learn more about the intersection of Chinese and Korean cultures in Incheon.
South Korea's Only Official Chinatown
You can’t miss the large gates welcoming you at the entrance to Incheon’s Chinatown! There are plenty of Chinese bakeries start your visit off on a sweet note. Or spend a little time browsing the souvenir shops before heading to one of my favorite spots in Incheon: the Jjajangmyeong Museum.
Jjajangmyeon (짜장면) Museum
Noodles meet Korean history – what better combination could you ask for in a museum? Today jjajangmyeon (Korean-style Chinese noodles, and also written jajangmyeon) can be enjoyed throughout South Korea, but the recipe was conceived right here in Incheon in back in 1905! A visit to the Jjanjangmyeon Museum will not only leave you craving noodles, but it will introduce you to the lasting influence of Incheon’s Chinese community.
First, what is jjajangmyeon?
Jjajangmyeon is a noodle dish topped with diced pork, vegetables and the signature sauce made of chunjang, a thick dark brown paste made from fermented wheat flour and soy beans. Jjajangmyeon is the Korean adaptation of zhájiàngmiàn (炸酱面), or “noodles with soybean paste” from the Eastern Chinese Province of Shandong.
Image Credit: Jajangmyeon by KFoodaddict.jpg
What started as a low-cost meal for Chinese port workers in Incheon has evolved into the staple meal of South Korea’s unofficial, KPop-inspired holiday: Black Day. Black Day is the tragic sister holiday to Valentine’s Day to all the Korean singles. According to the NY Times Magazine columnist Sam Sifton, “Those unencumbered by dates or romance are meant to gather in their sharpest, blackest outfits and eat one of Korea’s great comfort foods, jajangmyeon, a thick, coal-colored gravy of black-bean sauce, pork and onions ladled over fat noodles and served with sweet pickled daikon.”
The Jjanjangmyeon Museum is located in the building of the former Gonghwachun Restaurant where the dish was first served! Head to the museum to learn more about the history of this famous dish and how it is interwoven with Chinese influence in South Korea.
-
The museum is closed on Mondays.
-
An adult ticket only costs KRW 1,000 (about USD 1)
-
Some exhibits have English translations, and some do not. It is super helpful to have the Google Translate app downloaded. Snap a photo of the displays, and Google will translate the text for you in real time. There is wifi in the museum, but it gets a little spotty on the second floor.
Still want to learn more? Head to the Korean and Chinese Culture Hall or The Museum of Korea Emigration History.
Enjoy a Bowl of Jjajangmyeon
at Gonghwachun
What’s even better than learning about the history of jjajangmyeong? Actually giving it a try! Head just down the street to Gonghwachun for a big, warm bowl of noodles. This isn’t the original restaurant, but the jjajangmyeong is 100% authentic and a must-try if you’re in Incheon. Gonghwachun’s 4-story building offers seating along the balcony so you can enjoy great views of Chinatown during your meal.
Visit Culture Trip’s Guide to The Best Restaurants in Chinatown, Incheon for more delicious recommendations.
Jayu Park (자유공원 )
Just next to Incheon’s Chinatown is Jayu Park, also know as Freedom Park. Spend a little time strolling around and head to the top of the park for views overlooking Incheon. No guide to Incheon is complete without recommending Jayu Park as a great place to stop for a rest and enjoy a quiet moment.
Credit: 잉여빵 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Designed in 1888, Jayu Park has been a staple of Incheon’s landscape for over 125 years. The park’s original name was Manguk Park, but following the Korean War it was renamed Jayu or Freedom Park. Jayu is also home to a statue of General MacArthur, memorializing his leadership in the 1953 amphibious landing by US Marines & UN troop coalition. MacArthur’s risky decision to land in Incheon was followed by the subsequent re-capture of Seoul from communist forces and was a turning point in the Korean War.
Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village (송월동 동화마을)
A striking contrast to Incheon’s economic and military history is Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village. Straddling the border between cute and kinda creepy, Incheon’s Fairy Tale Village is eagerly awaiting the arrival of you and your selfie-stick. Described as a ‘designated photo zone’ the whole neighborhood is decorated in magical scenes filled with your favorite imaginary friends waiting to join you for a photo!
At the Fairy Tale Village you will find murals, statues and all types of displays featuring your favorite cartoon characters! From princesses and rainbows to giant donuts, teddy bears and a whole cast of Disney characters – there will be no shortage of photo ops! Make sure to charge your phone / camera or bring a back-up battery.
It is important to remember that Fairy Tale Village is still a residential zone, and most of the buildings are private property. The neighborhood was transformed into the tourist destination it is today in 2013 as an idea to support the otherwise declining area. You can find mural villages in some other major cities across the country such as Jeonju, Busan and Seoul. Learn more about South Korea’s mural villages from Lonely Planet here.
Looking for other great cities to
visit in South Korea?
Check out my post on the
Top 5 Things to Do in Busan!
Gacha Stores!
While exploring Incheon there are plenty of little shops and snacking opportunities in the area. There are even full stores completely dedicated to gachapon, the Japanese trend of coin machines that dispense collectable mini-toys! You will be immediately brought back to your childhood days of saving quarters to test your luck in the coin machines outside the supermarket or grocery store!
The selection is incredible! There was even whole wall of Pokemon gachapon options! But, one difference is that gachapon are not cheap. Expect to pay anywhere from $1 to $5 per toy!
Read this Japan Times article to learn more about the Gachapon craze!
Wolmido Island
On a nice day head to Wolmido Island to walk along the pier. Originally an island, Wolmido is now connected to the mainland by a road, and you can walk right from Chinatown or the metro. This is also where you’ll find the iconic “INCHEON” sign.
If you go to Wolmido Island, you'll see Wolmi Theme Park. 💚 The theme park is a famous filming location for Korean shows. Wolmi Theme Park 📍 81, Wolmimunhwa-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon (인천광역시 중구 월미문화로 81)
Posted by Korea Tourism Organization - VisitKorea on Saturday, November 23, 2019
Wolmido Island is home to plenty of restaurants, bars and even Wolmi Theme Park, a mini amusement park with games and rides. Don’t get to Wolmido Island too early, as the attractions won’t be open yet. For a calmer vibe, you can also stroll through Wolmi Park, a urban greenspace with ponds and grassy areas.
The juxtaposition of Wolmido Island today with its history is almost hard to believe. During the Korean war it was held by communist forces, and was one of hte first places Macarthur’s troosp landed on their push to retake Seoul.
Getting to Incheon
Conveniently accessible on public transportation, take Line 1 of the Seoul Metro directly to the Incheon station. The trip will take about 75 minutes from the City Hall station in central Seoul.
Like it? Pin it? - Guide to Incheon
The food and the little vending/coin machine shops look so intriguing! This area in South Korea seems like a perfect day trip.
Very good and detailed guide! I really wanna go to South Korea and your pictures made me even more excited! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading! South Korea is a great country to visit! Delicious food, rich culture and history, and easy to navigate traveling around. I highly recommend visiting!
I will definitely add this to our list when we visit Korea again. I would love to try the Jjajangmyeong. I hope this pandemic will be over veey soon so we can all travel safely. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi, Camille – I completely agree. Sending healthy and safe thoughts your way until we can all start exploring again! Hope you make it back to South Korea soon!
– Courtney
It’s always interesting to find out about the history of a place and how their traditions came to be. Nice article.
What an eclectic city! I had never heard of black day before. However, I do like the idea of an anti valentines day, and I will take any excuse to eat good noodles! I also think i’m equal parts excited and terrified by Fairy Tale village.
Carly-jo – I completely agree with your sentiment about the Fairy Tale village! And yes, any reason to eat noodles makes it a great day in my book, too!
You had me at Korean style bowls of noodles!!
Haha, I love traveling for food so all of those different jjajangmyeon bowls you shared look so yummy that I may have a fat day or 5 in Incheon, South Korea. But that is okay cause it looks like you can definitely walk it off as you get lost in the fairy tale bizzaro land of Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village! As for the Gachapon machines…talk about a throw back to my childhood. I hope they have decoder rings, stick on tattoos, and tons of bubble gum or jaw breakers for all the quarters I am going to bring!
Yes! I basically travel for noodles, so every adventure day means eating well to me! 🙂 Only thing with these toy dispensers is that you better bring more than a few coins. They are each a couple dollars! But, it is fun to try it out. We also got a bear hat (fuzzy head covering with little ears) that is meant for our cat! She is not a fan, but it is really cute!
Visiting Incheon in South Korea looks like such an interesting day trip. How cool does the Fairytale Village look! Would definitely love to explore that and get a few pics.
I’ve had so many long layovers at Incheon that didn’t seen to be enough time to head into Seoul and do anything – I wish I’d known there was so much out there!
This is a perfect guide to Incheon. I have been thinking of planning South Korea for quite some time now but being a vegetarian I have not taken it seriously. However, it is such a lovely country that I must get myself there soon!
What an awesome post with great suggestions, thank you! I’m hoping to visit South Korea next year and the jjajangmyeon museum and fairy tale village strike me as fantastic must-sees! Good tip about the translation app in the museum too, I hope I’ll remember that before I leave 😉 The buildings in China Town look beautiful too! There’s so much to love about Incheon it seems!
This is really cool. I just learned a bunch, so thank you.
I have to admit, i had never heard of black day. When is it? I’d really like to try Jjajangmyeon…but maybe I can find it and try it here in Vancouver on black day. 😀
p.s. did you know in Japan they have white day as the companion to valentines day? On Valentines day women give men chocolate (but men don’t give anything to women) then a month later on white day (march 14th), blokes return the favour and give white gifts to their valentines.
Hey,this post is awesome! I stayed a month in Seoul two years ago and I also did a day trip to Incheon on the weekend. I took the metro and also visited Chinatown, Fairytale Village, and Wolmido. Incheon has always been one of my favorite places in Korea because it’s close to Seoul and the airport, yet it has such a local vibe!
Speaking of the airport, I once spent a four-hour layover at one of the nearby beaches and the experience was wonderful! I’m writing an article about this next, so let me know if you want to see it when it’s ready 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I would love to read your post when it goes live. What a fantastic way to spend a layover!
Incheon rang a bell. That is the name of the international airport of Seoul. I didn’t know it also meant Chinatown. What a colorful place. I especially love the Fairy Take Village and to try jhajangmeong!
Yes, exactly! It is right near the airport. Chinatown is actually just one part of Incheon. Plenty to explore there!
I’ve never been to South Korea but it’s on my list! I can count to 10 in Korean 😂 but that’s because I got to black belt in Tae Kwon Do, so I feel like I owe it to myself to visit Korea. The fairy tale village is a must for me!
This looks like a fabulous place for a day out! Cannot wait to visit Korea in general one day.
Great post! There is alot that I want to eat in Incheon now that I have read it. And I love the idea of Black day! This should be made into a worldwide event!