SHORE EXCURSIONS
Incheon E / 4 hours
Tour Highlights
- Wolmido Island
- China Town
- Jayu Park
- Open Port Museum
- Modern Architecture Museum
- Sinpo Fashion Street
- Sinpo Market
- Dapdong Cathedral
Incheon (- - -) 30km
Upon calling at Incheon, your tour guide greets you at the cruise terminal to takes you on a city tour of Incheon, the second largest port city in Korea.
This morning, you will drive through Wolmido getting a glimpse into the site which was one of the landing operation sites during the Korean War (1950-1953). The high-risk Operation Chromite with 75,000 soldiers and 261 battleships was launched on September 15, 1950. The most spectacular amphibious landing in modern warfare led to the recapture of Seoul by the allied forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur.
Experience the heritage of the Chinese people as you stroll up the alleys of China Town which was once one of the largest and most dynamic commercial areas in the city, browse the handmade products and soak up the local culture. It is smaller in size now, but its Chinese characteristics and the aura of its heyday are still preserved. A short walk leads you to Jayu Gongwon, the Korea's first western style park built in 1888. On the park stands a statue of General MacArthur overlooking the beach where he came ashore.
Enjoy a walking tour of Modern History and Culture District, gaining intimate insights into the city's past. Richly endowed with vestiges of Incheon's modern history, an endless array of building dating from the turn of the 19th century can be seen throughout this area, comparable to an open-air architecture museum. Open Port Museum has a rare collection of artifacts that represent Korea's modern history, most of which were all new to Korea at that time. Some of such examples are private elementary school, train, football, fire station, western hospital, electricity, hotel, telephone operator, ham, rubber shoes, tea house and soap, etc. Modern Architecture Museum showcasing some of the pictures of edifices exudes old charm. Although some of them are lost, there are British consulate, Chinese consulate, Japanese consulate, Russian consulate, Incheon Surveillance, Meteorological Observatory, and Incheon Mint. The cottage owned by Johnston who was the head of the Incheon maritime customs, and the cottage of H N Allen, who was a US minister to Korea, were among the significant landmarks of Incheon.
A little further down is Sinpo Fashion and Culture District. It is a fusion type tourist attraction and where foreign goods were first arrived. There are number of shops selling jewelry, glasses, casual wear, and sports apparel. Then, continue on to an impressive Sinpo traditional market, the birthplace of fried chicken. Perhaps try a local favorite like Dakgangjeong.
Tour also includes Dapdong Cathedral standing on a nearby hill. It is where Priest Willem of the Paris Foreign Mission celebrated the first mass in Korea on the 1st of July, 1889. Although not included in the tour, Naeri church is one of Incheon's landmarks. Opened in 1891 by missionary Henry G. Appenzeller, the church marks the first chapel of the Methodist church in Korea.
