One of the benefits of traveling in business class is that you get to use the lounges in airports.  If you are traveling in economy, check to see if your AMEX credit card gives you access to lounges via Priority Pass.  For people traveling long distances and having to make several connections such as we did on our epic itinerary, it was a welcome place to relax, watch movies on my laptop, enjoy the buffet and the massage chairs in the Asiana Club which serves all Star Alliance airlines.   We arrived on Thai and departed on Air Canada.

ICN offers a train between some gates and the main terminal, I wish BKK would do the same!

If you tire of the lounge, there are several things to keep you occupied at ICN.  This was our 3rd transit through ICN and we had already done a quick trip into the city and the temple tour and we wanted to rest up for the rest of the journey.  We did do the “cultural activity” which was making paper clothes for a Korean doll, a cute little souvenir!  The other activity was some kind of stencil artwork.

If you have a long layover, you may want to consider one of the transit tours.  You need to formally enter Korea (immigration) and book them.  Some are free, some have a fee so be sure to check with the Transit Tour desk.  We did the Temple Tour 2 years ago and really enjoyed it.  We also made an independant excursion into Seoul and saw the sights offered on the Highlights of Seoul City Tour.  If our flight to Vancouver hadn’t been at 16:30, we possibly would have done the Korean Culture Tour A or B.

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