I'm debating on taking a flight which has long layovers in ICN both coming and going BKK-LAS. I'm weighing the merits of a long layover in ICN to offset the hassle of having to clear immigration in SFO and then having to take a domestic flight to LAS and vice-versa on the return.

So I guess the question is a two part question:

1) Is there anything to do upon arrival into ICN comparable to what SQ does in SIN such as a city tour? Would I have time to get to Seoul and look around for a bit? I've read the info about the lounges and airport hotels, so I know about that option, just don't know if there is anything worth seeing outside of the airport.

2) Would you rather have a long layover in ICN as opposed to a shorter travel time to final destination, but with the added hassles of immigration, security, hauling luggage etc. I realize it is personal preference, but neither option really sounds that appealing as it seems to be a pain in the *** to get to LAS.

Incheon International Airport is on landfill just off the West Coast of South Korea. The landfill area itself has some stuff on it like the airport hotel and maybe a golf course or driving range, but not a whole lot else besides logistics-support facilities for the Incheon Free Trade Zone.

You can go into the City of Incheon, not too far away on the mainland. This is where General Douglas MacArthur made his famous landing that turned the tide of the Korean War. In addition to a collosal statue of MacArthur, the city is also reported to have lots of good seafood restaurants, thanks to its proximity to the sea.

Seoul is a good 75 minutes away. The Airport Express Train currently goes only as far as Gimpo Airport, the primarily-domestic "old" airport for Seoul. So you either have to take a bus from there or one of many busses from Incheon itself. I believe that Korean Air also has day-tour busses more or less similar to the SIA Hop-on busses in Singapore. They're written up in Morning Calm magazine, but I'll let others fill in the details.

Seoul certainly has places worth seeing in a day-trip. Several palaces in the old part of the city are Korea's answer to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and they're definitely worth walking around for a day. A charming street packed with antiques shops is nearby, as are other areas worth skulking about.

That said, the overnight flight BKK-ICN is very short, often under 4 hours flying time. You'll either take the very late BKK departure (1:50 am) or the very early Incheon arrival (before 7:00 am). Either way, it really throws you for a loop and probably won't leave you much energy for walking around Seoul. All the more so if you've never been.

So, for all this, I'd say you're best off pushing on through to the LAS flight going to the US. If you'd like a day-tour of Seoul, take it on the return leg when the timing is better and you'll have more energy.

ICN does have transit tours - similar to SIN but they do charge. This is the site that has the options - http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sigh...m=m3_4&konum=1 . We took the city tour in 2/06 and it was pretty good including the lunch provided. The tour desk can be pretty hard to find since its near the "security re-check" area for transit passengers so if you've gone through security you have to return back down an elevator and they'll probably ask what you're doing there - just say that you are checking on the Transit Tour and they'll let you through.

Thanks for the replys. I'll weigh the options between being tired in Korea all day vs. the hassle of transferring at SFO over to LAS. DMZ tour looks kind of interesting.

Think of it this way, if you had 12 hour layover in NYC, is it enough time? Seoul is a megacity with problems of traffic and delays. Realistically, you have less than 12 hours. I'd recommend visiting Seoul when you have more time.

Re the USO tour: book WAY in advance. I emailed about 2 weeks in advance of my visit, and they were already fully booked.

Plus, doesn't the USO tour start at 7:15 or 7:30? Will the BKK flight get in early enough for you to clear immigration and get into town to join the tour? Seems very tight on timing.

On my layover in ICN last year, I wanted to take one of the tours. But, none operated that day because the minimum number of people for a tour to go was not met. I ended up going to Seoul after creating my own "tour" based on the info I got from the visitor desk at the airport.

I've had a couple of 10-12 hour layovers at ICN in the past year. My flights had me arriving early morning (~6:00 AM) and departed late afternoon. On both occasions, I booked a room at the transit hotel in the terminal for 8-10 hours, allowing me to get some sleep, take a shower, relax, and have a meal. I found this to be a good way to break up the trip and be better rested when I got to my final destination.

I came upon this thread as I have an 11 hour layover in ICN next year. I'm most interested in the DMZ tour but here's what the website http://transit.freedom.co.kr/ says about it's hours:

08:30 (weekday) 09:30 (weekend) Not available on mondays, weekends and holidays due to the circumstances of the site)

Huh? It's not available on Mondays weekends and holidays but it lists 09:30 as the weekend start time.