Chinatown, Wolmido & the Open Port

Getting here

From Incheon Airport

Take the Airport Railroad to Gyeyang, 37 minutes after Terminal 2 on the airport's route diagram, and change to Incheon Subway Line 1. Ride it to Bupyeong and change again to Seoul Subway Line 1 for Incheon Station, the end of the line. Incheon City lists both transfers.

From Seoul

Seoul Subway Line 1 runs to Incheon Station, the end of the line, and KTO's 2024 guide puts Incheon about an hour from Seoul by subway or bus. Incheon City lists express Line 1 trains between Yongsan and Dongincheon. From Dongincheon, KTO's 2023 page says Sinpo International Market is 15 minutes on foot through an underground passage.

From Songdo

Ride Incheon Subway Line 1 from Central Park Station to Bupyeong, then Seoul Subway Line 1 to Incheon Station. Incheon City lists the Bupyeong transfer between the two Line 1s.

On your doorstep

• Incheon Chinatown KTO dates it to the opening of Incheon Port in 1883; the area became an extraterritorial zone the following year. Most residents are second- or third-generation descendants of early Chinese settlers, and most businesses are now restaurants. KTO's Chinatown course links five stops, among them the Jjajangmyeon Museum, the first jjajangmyeon-themed museum in Korea, and the Cheongil Jogyeji Stairway, in about 850 m.
• Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village Named for its view of the moon between the pine forest. The village grew rich after the port opened in 1883, and a renovation added murals and sculptures of classic fairy tales. KTO lists it as open 24 hours.
• Jayu Park KTO calls it the first Western-style park in Korea, built five years after Incheon Port opened. It holds the Korea-U.S.A. Centennial Monument of 1982 and a statue of General MacArthur, a memorial of Operation Chromite, and hosts a cherry blossom festival every April. KTO also notes its night views.
• Incheon Open Port Museum A remodelled Japanese bank building of the port era, in late-Renaissance style with a central dome, and City Tangible Cultural Property No. 7. Four halls cover the years from 1883 to before 1910, including the Gyeongin Railway and, inside the old safe, finance. It is at 89 Sinpo-ro 23beon-gil.
• Modern Architecture Museum and the Jemulpo Club Incheon City lists the Open Port Modern Architecture Museum, with models of port-era buildings, and the Jemulpo Club, once a gathering place for foreign residents and now a video history exhibit inside Jayu Park.
• Incheon Art Platform Former port warehouses turned into an arts complex; KTO counts 13 repurposed modern buildings at 3 Jemullyang-ro 218beon-gil. Closed on Mondays.
• Wolmido A temporary palace stood here in 1653 under King Hyojong, the island was a resort from the late 1920s to the 1930s, and Wolmi Culture Street opened in July 1989, KTO says. Incheon Tour notes its historical ties to the Incheon Landing Operation, a seaside theme park and cruises; Wolmi Park is here too.
• Wolmi Sea Train Korea's longest urban tourist monorail, in KTO's words: 6.1 km, 42 minutes per loop at an average 9 km/h, 7–18 m above the ground. The Incheon Transit Corporation opened it on 8 October 2019. Open April to October 10:00–18:00 on weekdays and 10:00–21:00 at weekends, November to March 10:00–18:00; closed on Mondays.
• Sinpo International Market Considered the first modern market in Incheon, KTO says, with more than 100 years of history; it began as vegetable stalls serving foreign residents. Known for dakgangjeong, jjolmyeon and dumplings, and 6 minutes from Incheon Station's Exit 1. Incheon Tour lists it as closed on Mondays and warns that popular items often sell out early.
• Yeonan Pier KTO calls it the starting point for all coastal passenger ships bound for the numerous islands in the western sea, and lists the Incheon Fish Market nearby. Buses 12 and 24 from opposite Dongincheon Station take about 30–40 minutes (Incheon Port Authority).

One easy day from here

1. Morning Start on Wolmido with a 42-minute loop on the Wolmi Sea Train (not Mondays), then Wolmi Culture Street.
2. Late morning Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village, then Chinatown, the Jjajangmyeon Museum and the Cheongil Jogyeji Stairway, with lunch in Chinatown.
3. Afternoon The Open Port streets and the Open Port Museum, then up to Jayu Park and the Jemulpo Club.
4. Evening Dinner at Sinpo International Market, the end of KTO's 4.71 km course. From April to October the Sea Train runs until 21:00 at weekends, and KTO says its sunsets are especially beautiful.

Before you book

• Skip a Monday-only stay. KTO lists the Wolmi Sea Train as closed on Mondays, Incheon Tour lists Sinpo International Market as closed on Mondays, and the Incheon Art Platform closes on Mondays too.
• Stay within reach of Incheon Station. The Open Port Museum is about ten minutes on foot from Exit 1, towards Chinatown (former Jung-gu office), and Sinpo International Market is six minutes from the same exit (KTO, 2023).
• April weekends bring the cherry blossom festival that KTO says Jayu Park holds every April. Book early for them.
• Heading to the islands? Sleep here the night before. The Incheon Port Authority sets each day's sailing status at 06:30, and buses 12 and 24 from opposite Dongincheon Station reach Yeonan Pier in about 30–40 minutes.
• Addresses now read Jemulpo-gu; listings from before 1 July 2026 say Jung-gu for the same streets.