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A metal railing and dry winter reeds on the near bank of the Han River in Seoul, with the water beyond and a line of high-rise apartment towers on the far bank lit orange by the low sun.
Layover guideICN · GMP · South Korea

Seoul

What crew need on the ground

Incheon sits well outside Seoul, but a non-stop train covers the gap in 43 minutes, which turns the whole layover into a single question: when does the last one leave.

SpaceshipMe / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
ICNIncheon International Airport
GMPGimpo International Airport
RegionAsia-Pacific
CurrencyKRW
Based hereKorean Air
Getting out

Express train, 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 from Terminal 2. The last express back leaves Seoul Station at 23:00, and the last airport-bound all-stop at 23:40.

Ride-hailing

Metered taxis from numbered ranks outside arrivals, with surcharges that are published rather than negotiated.

Right now · Seoul
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Travel advisory · liveUpdated 14 May 2026

South Korea travel advice

Updated information about submitting e-Arrivals cards when arriving in Korea (‘Entry requirements’ page).

Read the full advice at UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office →
If you have

Six hours is marginal. Assume the round trip and the formalities eat it.

  1. The express is 43 minutes each way from Terminal 1 and 51 from Terminal 2, and it runs only every 20 to 40 minutes, so the wait for one is part of the cost.
  2. That is 86 minutes of riding on a Terminal 1 round trip before any waiting, and 102 from Terminal 2, sixteen minutes more across the round trip.
  3. Set against six hours, arrival formalities, a wait at each end and an international departure buffer leave under an hour in the city on a good run and nothing on a bad one.
  4. If you go, Seoul Station and the streets immediately around it are the only areas the arithmetic supports. Gangnam does not fit.

The Skylane’s read, built on the transfer times sourced above.

Crew mapHow Seoul connects to the airport
  1. ICNIncheon International
  2. GMPAll-stop line
  3. HongdaeDirect airport trainOn the all-stop line
  4. Seoul StationAREX terminusMain connection point
AREX express
43 min
Terminal 1
51 min
Terminal 2
City destinations
Closer options
Farther option
Last train back
Express
23:00
All-stop
23:40

Out of Seoul Station. The 23:50 and 00:00 all-stops terminate at Geomam, short of the airport.

Schematic · not to scale
Neighbourhoods

  • Seoul Station

    The AREX terminus and the point every last-train calculation runs through. Express boarding is on B2.

  • Hongdae

    On the all-stop line at Hongik University, so it is reachable from the airport without changing trains.

  • Myeongdong

    Two subway stops from Seoul Station on Line 4, and the closest dense concentration of shops and food to a tight window.

  • Itaewon

    Off the AREX line, so budget the change back to Seoul Station into the last-train arithmetic.

  • Insadong

    Walking distance from the palace district. A daylight option rather than a late one.

  • Gangnam

    South of the river and the furthest of these from Seoul Station. Add roughly half an hour each way to the last-train arithmetic.

What things costPublished rates only

Only rates the operator or the authority publishes. Anything not listed is not published, so treat a figure from anywhere else as somebody’s estimate.

Reality checkThe full section

Local laws that catch crew out

Cannabis sits with opium and cocaine on the restricted list, food is a quarantine matter, and cash over ten thousand dollars is declarable in both directions.

  1. Cannabis is restricted from entry. Korea's own entry guidance lists marijuana and cannabis alongside opium and cocaine as illegal drugs. Prohibited and restricted items carried into the country are confiscated, and carrying one is punishable under Korean customs law.

  2. Meat is a quarantine matter, not a customs formality. Beef, pork, lamb, chicken, ham, sausage, jerky, canned meat, eggs, milk, cheese and butter must be declared and inspected, as must fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and dried agricultural products. At Incheon they are declared to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency desk in the arrival hall.

  3. Failing to declare goods above the allowance is charged for, not waved through. Incheon customs adds 40 per cent of the tax due as a penalty, rising to 60 per cent where it happens twice or more within two years, alongside confiscation of the goods.

  4. Cash and other means of payment above USD 10,000 must be declared in both directions. On departure the declaration is made after check-in and before you pass X-ray security. A breach up to USD 30,000 draws an administrative fine; above USD 30,000 the penalty is up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won.

  5. Replicas count as weapons. Guns and swords including replicas and decorative pieces, along with gunpowder and explosives, are restricted from entry in the same category as the real thing.

Sources (4)

On the ground in Seoul

Getting out of the airport

Two AREX services share the line. The express runs non-stop to Seoul Station with reserved seats, 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 from Terminal 2, roughly every 20 to 40 minutes. The all-stop calls at all 14 stations on the route, Gimpo Airport and Hongik University among them, and takes 59 minutes to Terminal 1 and 66 to Terminal 2.

Getting out of the airport in full
Sources (8)
Staying connected

Roaming centres at Incheon and Gimpo sell SIMs and rent Wi-Fi eggs, convenience stores sell SIMs too, and free public Wi-Fi is widespread.

Korea's major international airports, Incheon and Gimpo among them, have roaming centres run by the Korean networks. Besides roaming, they sell SIM cards and rent Wi-Fi eggs and smartphones.

Staying connected in full

Korea Tourism Organizationchecked Sep 2026

Weather

January in Seoul runs between minus 5.5 and 2.1 degrees, August between 22.9 and 30, and the rain arrives in one concentrated month.

Seoul's published range is a January high of 2.1C against a low of minus 5.5C, and an August high of 30C against a low of 22.9C. Winter averages sit at 0 to 1C and frequently drop below zero, driven by the northerly wind off Siberia.

Weather in full

Korea Tourism Organizationchecked Sep 2026

Out in Seoul

Eating near the crew hotels

Water and side-dish refills are free, every table has a call button, and tips are not expected.

Asking for more water or more side dishes costs nothing extra. More restaurants now let you serve yourself water and side dishes, or order at an unmanned machine.

Eating near the crew hotels in full
Sources (2)
What to buy

Duty-free bought inside Korea counts against your 800 dollar allowance, and the VAT refund starts at a kiosk before you check your bags.

The arrival allowance is USD 800 of general goods, and goods bought in Korean duty-free shops, the arrivals duty-free shop included, count towards it.

What to buy in full
Sources (2)

Before your pickup

Keep Seoul on your phone

Save the guide and its 8 sections now, and read them on the crew bus before you have a SIM.

Two guides side by side

Why you are here

Seoul · Asia-Pacific
Based here
What the job pays

Benchmarks for Asia-Pacific, with the tax treatment and the allowances stated on every row.

Asia-Pacific pay
ReadingAsia-Pacific
Sources & practical information19 sources · checked Sep 2026

Fares, timetables and rules change. Where a figure matters to your plan, the publisher above is the one to check.