Discovering Incheon in a Day

Located west of Seoul, the port city of Incheon has served as Korea’s widow to the world for over a century since the opening of its port in 1883. Vestiges of the port’s role as a gateway can be discovered at Chinatown and Gaehang Nuri-gil, both located near the port; presently the city continues to perform its role through Korea’ largest airport – the Incheon International Airport – where countless travelers and cargo pass through. Besides the airport, my boyfriend and I spent a day exploring Incheon’s attractions, and here are the 5 places we managed to visit.

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CHINATOWN

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Incheon’s Chinatown has over 130 years of history. A vibrant scenery full of shops coloured red unforlds upon stepping through the Chinese-style gateway. This area is full of Chinese restaurants, and is also the birthplace of jajangmyeon, one of Korean’s favourite dishes. Street vendors here offer popular snacks such as wolbyeong (mooncakes), gong-galppang (hollow bread), hwadeok mandu (dumplings baked in stone ovens), and more. Our favourite street snack was the dorayaki-look-alike pancake, so well prepared with fillings such as cream cheese, chocolate, matcha, and red bean, just to name a few.

Lucky us chanced upon the jajangmyeon eatery that soared to fame after being featured on the Running Man variety show! The menu offers a unique version of jajangmyeon. Hayan Ja Jang Myeon (8,000krw) consists of noodles with fermented white bean sauce, which includes shrimp, pork and an assortment of vegetables. This tastes lighter than the usual jajangmyeon in black bean sauce, but still as savoury! It’s also not as sweet as the one in black bean sauce. While my boyfriend prefers this version, I’m still a loyal fan of jajangmyeon in black bean sauce (5,000krw).

Do order the steamed meat dumplings (5,000krw for 4 pieces) for sharing. It’s like a bigger version of our xiao long bao, and generously filled with slurp-worthy broth within. It arrived piping hot, making it perfect to counter the chill during winter. The meat stuffing is also very substantial, making the dumplings worth every single Korean won.

Details
Address: 12 Chinatown-ro 59beon-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon
Nearest Train Station: Incheon Station (Line 1) Exit 1
Opening Hours: 11am to 9.30pm, but hours vary from stall to stall.
Website: http://ichinatown.or.kr/

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SAMGUKJI MURAL STREET

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Having filled our fatty bellies, we decided to explore the Samgukji Mural Street, which depicts the Three Kingdoms Period in Chinese history. We were really impressed by how life-like the artists made the historical characters look. However, we felt that it would’ve been better if there were English explanations or captions below each mural, so as to cater to more tourists.

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SONGWOL-DONG FAIRY TALE VILLAGE

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This is ideal for families with children as this colourful village was inspired by classic fairy tales from around the world. You can pose with the dreamy or cutesy backdrops and fairy tale characters, and create your own happy ending at Incheon.

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SINPO MARKET

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Located near Incheonhang Port, Sinpo Market was Incheon’s first permanent market, opening along with the port itself over 100 years ago. Various foods, clothes, general merchandise, and more can be found at low prices, and there are always crowds of people in search of dakgangjeong (sweet and sour chicken), mandu (dumplings), jjolmyeon (spicy cold chewy noodles), and other delicious treats of the market. Interested in trying the hanbok or other traditional Korean costumes? Just head to the information centre!

Details
Address: 11-5 Uhyeon-ro 49beon-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon
Nearest Train Station: Dongincheon Station (Line 1) Exit 2
Opening Hours: 10am to 9pm, but hours vary from stall to stall. Closed every first Sundays of each month.

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SORAE FISH MARKET

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The fish market here offers fresh fish that was caught on the same day, and sells it at low prices. However, we didn’t think that the prices were THAT low. Perhaps, they were trying too hard to tout the tourists. After purchasing seafood from the market’s first floor, you can go to the second floor where restaurants usually charge as little as 3,000krw per person to have it prepared and served. Do note that the prices might increase during meal times, as all restaurants will be packed with diners.

Details
Address: 12 Soraeyeok-ro, Namdong-gu, Incheon
Nearest Train Station: Soraepogu Station (Suin Line) Exit 2
Opening Hours: 10am to 9pm, but hours vary from stall to stall.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to visit Wolmido Island. Besides, we were in Korea during winter, and summer or spring might be a more appropriate time to visit this island, due to the exhilarating rides, and witty DJ that livens up the atmosphere. It’s too cold to dine al fresco along the shore during winter. I believe we made a good progress covering most of Incheon’s attractions in a day. Hope all of you would enjoy Incheon as much as we did!