5 things to do in Incheon

Wolmido Island
Located roughly 1 km away from Incheon, Wolmido Island is now connected to the mainland with the construction of a new highway. Wolmido Island derives its name from its shape—the tail of a half moon. A popular weekend destination, you can relish a scrumptious meal in one of the many island's cafes; visit Play Hill, a theme park; or walk around its many highlights—Culture Street, Doodle Pillar, Meeting Square, Arts Square, Performance Square, Good Harvest Square— and watch street performances or have your portrait drawn.

Incheon Bridge
The Incheon Bridge or Jung-gu is six-lane bridge connecting Yeongjongdo and Songdo International City. It is the largest and longest bridge in Korea and stretches over 2.38 km. You can also visit the Incheon Bridge Memorial Hall at Yeongjongdo Island, which has information on its construction process. Enjoy a cup of coffee here, while you gaze out the windows to a wonderful view of the bridge.

Incheon's Parks 

The walkway in Jayu Park. Image by Dohuskor

Located in Mount Eungbongsan in Incheon Metropolitan city, the Jayu Park offers spectacular views of downtown Incheon, the sea, port and mountains. Also known as Park of Freedom, a statue of General Douglas MacArthur stands at the summit of Mount Eungbongsan. You can also head to the Incheon Grand Park, an urban natural park in Jangsu-dong, Namdong-gu. The park, which spans 727 acres is surrounded by the Gwanmosan and Sangasan mountains. Apart from being a good opportunity to  escape city life and relax, the park also has a skating rink, bicycle trails, a botanical garden, a zoo, a sledding hill and more. 

Eulwangri Beach
Situated near the Incheon International Airport, this beach has beautiful white sand and is a popular hangout all through the year. Astronomy lovers, this is the place to be at, as it is also one of the few astronomical observation areas. You can also try jet skiing or hire a banana boat here.

Shop till you drop
For those who love to shop, you can pick up a variety of Korean souvenirs–folding fans made from silk or hanji (traditional Korean paper), norigae (a traditional ornament worn by women), najeonchilgi (mother-of-pearl lacquerware), woodcrafts, hanji paper crafts as well as pottery. You can also head to the Bupyeong Underground Shopping Centre for clothes, accessories and bags. Square 1 is the biggest shopping Mall in Incheon built a year ago 

For the foodies
If you love fish, head to the Sorae fish market for a variety of salted options–octopus, shrimp, yellow corvina intestines, herring and crab. Raw fish is a speciality here and there are plenty of restaurants near the market and roadside eateries within the market for you to try it. If you're craving Chinese, China Town is your stop. There are several Chinese restaurants owned by second and third generation Chinese, who have settled here. For a taste of Korean cuisine, you can try restaurants like Sinchon Seolleongtang for Kkori Jjim (Steamed Ox-tails), Dogani Suyuk (Boiled Ox Knee Cold Cuts) and Kkori Gomtang (Ox-tail Stew) or Jangeo Myeongga for Chamsut Sogeum Gui (Charcoal grilled salted freshwater eel), Chamsut Yangnyeom Gui (Charcoal grilled marinated freshwater eel) and Jangeotang (Freshwater eel stew). 

While these are just a few things you should not miss out on, Korean Tourism Centres cater to a lot more. Incheon being an international centre, you will find a lot of foreigners living in here. You can also rent a car to visit Seoul, which is not very far and rich in history too. Tourist friendly, commuting is exceptionally easy with road Signs in Korean and English and  train announcements made in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese.

With inputs from Eun Song Park and Young Song Jung.