A Summer Day in Incheon: Guide to the Jung-gu Area

6 min readJul 10, 2019

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The Incheon sign located at Wolmido Culture Street

An easy train ride from Seoul, Incheon is home to Sinpo International Market, Korea’s official Chinatown, Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village, and Wolmido Cultural Street. Incheon is a huge city with lots more to offer, but you can only do so much in one day. These are the places I recommend for your first visit to Incheon.

Sinpo International Market

Sinpo International Market is one of the most popular markets in South Korea during the weekend. Here you can try traditional Korean snacks, spicy stir-fried chicken, tteokbokki, and more. Nearby you can shop in the underground shopping area to get some cheap clothing and other goods. If you are hungry for a snack I would stop here first in the morning and then walk towards Incheon’s Chinatown. The signature dish of the market is dakgangjeong, which is fried chicken dipped in a sweet chili sauce.

Directions Via Naver: http://naver.me/x2IEXW27

One of the buildings near the International Market has pictures made out of bottle caps

Incheon Art Platform

Incheon Art Platform is a multiplex cultural arts center located right next to Chinatown. Here you can see different artwork, explore the Korean Modern Literary Museum, or stumble upon a special event being held there.

Directions Via Naver: http://naver.me/FpNatiCy

Incheon Chinatown

Entrance to Chinatown across from Incheon Station

If you are visiting Incheon, Chinatown should be put on your top priority list. Chinatown has so much to see, do and eat. There are vendors selling a variety of Korean-Chinese snacks, tasty restaurants selling the famous Jajangmyeon dish, and beautiful murals to see. Chinatown is a vibrant and colorful place to visit and is unlike anything I’ve seen in Korea. Here are a few must see places within Chinatown.

Directions Via Naver: http://naver.me/xgddkxmA

Big bao and Jajangmyeon located near the Incheon Art Platform

Samgukji Mural Street

Located in Chinatown, mural street is filled with colorful displays of murals that are very large in size. Many of the art pieces reflect stories of the Three Kingdoms Period. The street is the perfect place to take a picture and learn more about Chinese history.

Jajangmyeon Museum

Jajangmyeon or black soy bean noodles is one of Korea’s favorite Chinese-Korean dishes. The Jajangmyeon Museum shows the birthplace and creation of the dish within Chinatown. Here you can learn about the dishes history, development and the influence it had on Korea. Only costing 1,000 won for a ticket, it’s worth taking a quick tour of this two floor museum.

Statues on the first floor showing traditional Chinese dishes being prepared

Second Floor statue showing Jajangmyeon being served

Songwol Dong Fairy Tale Village

Located right next to Chinatown lays one of Incheon’s most unique areas. Fairy Tale Village is filled and decorated with a variety of classic fairy tales from all around the world, thanks to a renovation project. This area is littered with a variety of different places to take great pictures with colorful murals, statues, and decorations. A spot you must visit in Incheon.

Directions Via Naver: http://naver.me/5DKtuNFU

Bonus: Jayu Park

Wrapping around one side of Chinatown, Jayu Park is a great place to visit during spring or summer because of the beautiful landscape and architecture. If you are not too tired to walk around, this place has many different small and large sculptures. The park also features a General MacArthur statue and the 100 anniversary tower commemorating the treaty of amity between Korea and the United States of America.

Wolmido Island

A picture of the Wolmido mascot Tagata Disco

Wolmido Island is an easy place to get to from Chinatown by taking a short bus ride. Here you can visit Wolmi Culture Street located on the waterfront, Wolmi traditional Park, and Wolmi Observatory for a great view of the local area.

Wolmido Culture Street

Culture street is similar to a seaside boardwalk like Coney island. Here you can see Wolmi Theme Park, multiple seafood restaurants, foot springs, and an area where you can take a ferry. It is a popular destination for many during the summer weekend and provides great views of the Incheon Bridge (ranked seventh in the world for its length), the sea, and Yeongjongdo Island.

Directions Via Naver: http://naver.me/GTmCpxUl

Wolmido Lighthouse Road

At the entrance of Wolmido Culture Street, you can take a look at the lighthouse and see a great view of Incheon Bridge on Lighthouse road.

Bonus: Wolmi Traditional Park and Observatory

Wolmi Traditional Park opened as a community space in 2001 and had been previously used to house military barracks. Today the park is a well-preserved, natural environment and is designed to mimic traditional Korean gardens with traditional buildings. Within the park you can visit the Wolmi Observatory to get a view of the surrounding area and a better look at the Incheon bridge. Be sure to make ample time to visit this spot before sunset.

Directions Via Naver: http://naver.me/5QfKp5hg

A view of the observatory from Lighthouse Road

If any of you Doonglers plan to visit Seoul, be sure to add Incheon to the list because it is a great place to visit. We hope this guide will be helpful for when you plan your global travels to South Korea.