Home › Sightseeing costs in Seoul at a glance
Incheon Airport transit tours for layover passengers: courses, prices, eligibility and where to register
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
Incheon Airport runs a transit tour programme for passengers with a layover of 24 hours or less. Most of the tours on the airport's own course page are free (3 to 5 hours each, plus a 30-minute in-airport culture zone); the Gyeongbokgung palace tour shows US$3, the DMZ tour US$4, the Seoul Botanic Park rain-day tour US$4, and the two golf tours ₩180,000 and ₩170,000. To register you need your passport and the boarding passes of both your arriving and departing flights, and you must be at the registration desk at least 30 minutes before the tour starts.
Tour courses, times and prices
| Course (airport's English name) | Stops | Length | Price | Departure window and days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Heritage and Charm | Gyeongbokgung, Insadong | 5 hours | US$3 | 09:00 to 14:00, Tuesday to Sunday, from Terminals 1 and 2. The palace is closed on Tuesdays, so Changdeokgung replaces it that day. |
| Embracing Peace on Divided Land | Odusan Unification Observatory, Imjingak Pyeonghwa-nuri Park | 5 hours | Free | 09:00 to 14:00, Wednesday and Friday |
| DMZ Tour | Third Tunnel, Dora Observatory | 5 hours | US$4 | 09:00 to 14:00, Thursday |
| The Closest View to North Korea | Aegibong Peace and Ecology Park (DMZ) | 4 hours | Free | 09:00 to 13:00, Monday |
| Fun with the Seagulls | Guieup ferry pier (ferry, feeding seagulls), Wolmi Park | 4 hours | Free | 09:00 to 13:00, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday |
| Easy Outing in Incheon | Morae-nae and Guwol markets, Sorae Port | 5 hours | Free | 10:00 to 15:00, Monday and Tuesday |
| Trendy Hub of Youth | Hongdae street | 4 hours | Free | 14:00 to 18:00, Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday |
| Petit Shopping Delight | Sinpo Market | 3 hours | Free | 15:00 to 18:00, every day |
| Green Lovers | Seoul Botanic Park | 3 hours | US$4 | Offered as the alternative tour in bad weather such as rain or snow |
| K-Culture Zone (inside the airport) | Hanbok try-on, Hangul crafts, mother-of-pearl craft, tuho | 30 minutes | Free | 09:00 to 20:00, transit lounge on the 4th floor, east side, Terminal 1 |
| Club 72 (Sky Course) golf tour | Club 72 Sky Course | 5 hours | ₩180,000 | 08:00 to 13:00, every day, with pickup; green fee, cart fee and equipment rental are listed as free |
| Orange Dunes Yeongjong golf tour | Orange Dunes Yeongjong Golf Club | 5 hours | ₩170,000 | 08:00 to 13:00, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday; green fee, cart fee and equipment rental are listed as free |
- Timing: the length shown on each course matches the departure window printed beside it (for example 09:00 to 14:00 for a 5-hour course).
- Golf tours: for booking details the page refers you to each club's homepage or booking front desk (Club 72 by e-mail, Orange Dunes by telephone 032-745-3001).
- Changes: the page says the tour programme can change without prior notice.
Who can join: eligibility checklist
The official page says a passenger can join without a visa if any one of these applies:
- Visa-free entry country: a passenger from a country allowed visa-free entry (the page points to www.visa.go.kr for the list).
- Third-country transit passenger: someone holding an entry visa (including permanent residence) for the United States (including Guam and Saipan), Canada, Australia, New Zealand or one of 32 European countries who passes through Korea on the way to one of those countries, or who is returning from one of them to their own or a third country.
- General transfer passenger: a foreign passenger transferring at Incheon who joins the transit tour programme.
On top of that, check these:
- Your layover in Korea must be 24 hours or less; passengers over 24 hours cannot join.
- If your country is on the visa-free list but is not among those temporarily exempt from the K-ETA, you still need a K-ETA (see our K-ETA page).
- Bring your passport and the boarding passes of the arriving and departing flights.
- The Ministry of Justice does not allow two entries on a single visit to Korea.
How to register and where the desks are
- Book on the airport's online reservation system if you can; the page says seats go to online bookers and to people who register on arrival, in order of registration, and the page does not print the booking address.
- After immigration, go straight down to the 1st-floor transit tour registration desk. The page's tip: do not go up from the 2nd-floor arrivals level to the 3rd-floor departures level; go straight down to level 1 by way of the Ministry of Justice immigration area on level 2 to save time.
- Arrive at least 30 minutes before the tour starts, with your documents. A reservation is valid only until 30 minutes before the start; after that the seats go to people on the waiting list.
- If you arrive at the Concourse, take the shuttle train underground to Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 and walk to that terminal's 1st-floor desk.
- Waiting-list passengers get their chance according to the online reservation status that is sorted 30 minutes before departure.
| Terminal | 1st floor registration desk (after immigration) | 2nd floor | 3rd floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | Near exits 1 and 2, desks 19 and 20 | Information desk near the east immigration counters | Information desk near gates 25 and 29 |
| Terminal 2 | Opposite exit 4 on level 1, desks 5 and 6 | Information desk inside the transfer gate, near security | Information desk near gates 231 and 268 |
- If you miss the group at the final meeting point and it has already left, the page says the passenger is fully responsible and must get back to the airport immediately by the fastest means.
- Questions: Terminal 1 +82-32-741-3139, Terminal 2 +82-32-741-0060, e-mail transferinfodesk@gmail.com; the airport call centre is 1577-2600 (07:00 to 22:00, every day).
Related: AREX fares from the airport, airport limousine bus fares and the e-Arrival Card.
Common questions
Are the Incheon transit tours free?
Most are. The airport's course page shows "free" for the Imjingak, Aegibong, seagull ferry, market, Hongdae, Sinpo and K-Culture Zone courses, and a small amount (US$3 or US$4) for the Gyeongbokgung, DMZ and Seoul Botanic Park courses. The two golf tours cost ₩180,000 and ₩170,000.
How long can my layover be?
No more than 24 hours. Passengers whose layover is longer than 24 hours cannot join the tour.
What do I need to register?
Your passport and the boarding passes for the flight you arrive on and the flight you leave on, presented at the registration desk at least 30 minutes before the start.
Can I leave the airport for a second entry on the same trip?
No. The airport page states that the Ministry of Justice does not allow two entries on a single visit to Korea.
No revision date is printed on the airport pages; both were read on 2026-10-19. The English version of the pages could not be opened, so the wording here follows the Korean original. Not covered: transit hotels, lounges and other in-airport facilities, because those pages were not read for this guide.
Official sources
- Incheon International Airport — transit tour guide (Korean) — eligibility, 24-hour limit, documents, 30-minute rule, registration desks, contacts; no revision date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Incheon International Airport — transit tour courses (Korean) — course list with length, price and departure window per course (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.