Incheon City Tour Intra-city course (Theme-centered) First Boarding Experience

Incheon City Tour Intra-city course (Theme-centered) First Boarding Experience

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I will introduce Incheon City Tour Bus.

City tour started from August, 21^st, 1999 in order to introduce Incheon to domestic and foreign tourists by connecting tourist attractions. And Kang-hwa started from April, 1^st, 2004. Intra-city course runs 4 times a day, and Kang-hwa course runs 1 time a day. Fee for city tour is 10,000won for adults, 8,000won for 48months to 12 and 10,000won for Kang-hwa course. You can get tickets in front of Tourist Information Center (Kang-seo Tourism, 032-770-4400) in front of Incheon Station.

If you are going to take City tour bus, you should get off at Incheon station, get out through exit and go to Tourist Information Center at the left.

The center shows changing route of Incheon, Sorae, Kang-hwa from August, 15^th, 2013. If you know previous information, use comfortably by awaring this new information.  

Getting Tickets 

▶ Direct Purchase:

You can buy from Tourist Information Center in front of Incheon Station which is starting point. I asked to center and they told me that early on weekdays they have many spaces, but late on weekdays you should confirm that there are spaces. On weekend they may not have spaces you should ask first and visit center.

▶ Online Reservation:

Site Link for Reservation http://citytour.visitincheon.org/new/online/app.jsp

Site Link for Reservation Confirm http://citytour.visitincheon.org/new/online/confirm.jsp

(Check the image below)

The reservation completes after you send fee first.

If you tell reservation name to center, they will give you ticket, guide for city tour and ball-pen which can get acupressure.

If you will take 1^st bus at 11am, you should take in bus at starting point until 10:40. The blue bus will wait for tourists which placed 50m far from Tourist Center. It departures on time, you should arrive earlier and take it.

This is the inside of bus. It’s different from general bus because of fancy color.

Then, let’s start city tour! I will take 1^st bus route at 11am. 

++++The Museum of Korea Emigration History is the first course from Incheon Station.

During on the way to museum, driver explains kindly about surroundings. He tells stories about Wolmido or old buildings in entrance of Wolmido, or companies.

The Museum of Korea Emigration History separated in 1^st exhibit hall, “To unknown world”, 2^nd exhibit hall, “Conquest and Settlement”, 3^rd exhibit hall, “Another Life and Wish of Saving Country”, and 4^th exhibit hall, “Korean in the World”. Commentator guides each exhibit hall and explain the painful history impressively.

By building the first museum of Emigration History in Incheon, the official starting point of emigration of Korea, it made base of systematization of emigration history of Korea for 100 years.

If you use tour bus, you don’t have time to watch enough because there is fixed time in each course. In museum, commentator waits for people in front of museum and after people gather, she or he leads them to museum and explain about museum.

Commentator explains briefly about background of building the museum of emigration history of Korea and information of this museum. Today’s commentator is Jung-hee Kim. 

This museum built by Incheon citizens and Korean residents abroad in order to praise the ancestors’ activities on abroad and trail-blazing life and to deliver their trace to descendants for celebrating 100 years of emigration to America.

There were many elders who understand more, listen carefully, and have interests about pains, sorrows and new facts by starting from the chronological table of emigration history with kind explain of commentator.

The exhibit hall which looks like shape of Gallic Ship, the first ship which bring immigrants to Hawaii, show products that people bring when they are emigrating. One of products that Korean immigrants bring was seeds of crops. They were really great because they planted it in front yard of dormitory, cultivated by them and made food by those seeds.

It is really recommended place because they show rough trip of emigrants, Picture Bride, the fist Passport (Jipjo), Pictures of traces, severe Labor Environment in Eneken farm, Mexico which Koreans worked for, Life of emigrants who moved to South-America countries and the recent state of 7 million Koreans abroad who are enhancing national prestige in world currently. It located in Wolmido and you can visit their by City Tour Bus or individually.

Even though it controls ordinary people’s access, if you use city tour bus, it allows watching in bus. It was surprised time because of story of size of Incheon port and what we didn’t know by driver’s exciting and detailed explanation. 

There is equipment which controls water level in order to pass through ship when there is differences between high and low water. And it calls Floodgate which we can meet when bus get into entrance.  

We can see used cars are waiting for exporting to the Middle East and South-East Asia or large container and there are many pigeons on warehouse which store wheat and feeds. He made jokes about pigeons that come from foreign countries died because of overeating wheat. Cranes which are produced by Incheon Doosan heavy industry sell in 2~3 hundred million and it exports in a week.

He told about Incheon history of surroundings and buildings while we move to Songdo

Compact Smart city. I was surprised of his erudition that he knows lots of story.

We could meet European Shopping town which is located in Songdo international city while we move. They sell foreign brand products. Figure star, Kim Yun-a also has 2 buildings of here.

The building you can see on left is Northeast Asia Trade center. Buildings are great because they are high and unique.

Tryball: It looks like put 3 dishes upside down, and they don’t have windows. We can see features of complex cultural space.

We arrived at Compact Smart City. We didn’t have enough time so we decided to watch 1^st floor briefly.

Ancient and Modern Exhibit hall

Incheon showed in history when they settled in Michuhol, B.C. 18. After Goguryeo it called Mesohol, in the age of United Silla it called Sosunghyun in Chinese character, and in the age of Goryeo it called Kyeongwon-kun, Inju, Kyeongwon-bu as home of queen. It got name Incheon in the age of Joseon when it was changed as Incheon-gun in Taejong 13(1413). 

We can look from ancient to future of Incheon’s history graphically through stereoscopic image which linked with various complex directions in 5D video room. We can see how potential connects to future’s growth and prosperity Incheon which develops from history by time travel interestingly. 

You have to visit here and experience Incheon City Exploration to future when you visit Songdo.

2^nd Floor: Incheon Model Hall, Experience Exhibit Hall, Planned Exhibit Hall 2

3^rd Floor: IFEZ Model Hall (Cutting edge of Knowledge International City Songdo, Fligh and Port Distribution City Young-jong, International Financial Leisure City Cheong-la), 4Dthree-dimensional video room, etc., experience facilities.

Compact Smart City 24-7, Song-do dong, Yeon-su gu, Incheon 032.850.6000

After watching we move to Youngjong-do from Songdo by Incheon Bridge. The roads from Songdo are connecting to each region’s highway conveniently and that’s why we can enter Incheon Bridge easily.  

(* The first bus in 11am has Songdo viewing schedule.)

Incheon Bridge

It opened in October, 2009 and it has round-trip six lanes. It is sixth in world and it is the only bridge that held full-course marathon competition. The length of bridge is 21.38km and it can run round-trip marathon full course. It connects Youngjong-do where Incheon Airport is located and Songdo International City and 2^nd, 3^rd Gyeongin Expressway. It’s main channel that big ships pass through Incheon port. At the 800m section, there is no bridge per and it holds by 800 special wires. It is the only bridge that put heat rays on that section.

When we drive through Incheon Bridge, we can meet Incheon Bridge Memorial Hall. Moreover, we pass back side of Incheon Airport when we enter Youngjong-do. Incheon Airport which is pride of Incheon and Korea, is in 1^st place of satisfaction for 9years until last year. When you drive North Seawall, you can meet Cherry blossoms in side of 15km section, and colorful Sweetbriers are planted along street on the opposite side.

We arrived in Eulwangli Beach in Youngjong-do after cross Incheon Bridge from Songdo. On that day, it shows different landscape as usual because of dark sea fog.  

If you bring snacks and throw it, calm seagulls start to gather for eating. It is a magnificent sight~ Eul wangli Beach is famous place that many people visit not only on good weather but also on bad weather and famous as beach. 

Cherry Blossom Path while driving North Sea Wall. It is beautiful because they are in bloom for long time than other places because of weather.

We move Cheong-la district from Eulwangli Beach over Youngjong Bridge.

The main stadium of Asian Game is constructed in this Cheong-la district and the event period will be September, 19^th to October 4^th. The Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony of Asian game will hold in this main stadium of Asian Game. While the period of Asian Game, there will be chrysanthemum festival in Dream Park. It will be good to visit here with watching Asian Game. If you take airport train, you have to take off at Geom-am station and there will be shuttle bus which runs every 5 minutes. (Operation Time of Shuttle Bus: 9 AM ~ 6 PM)

A-ra observatory is located in 23^rd floor and if you take elevator it will bring you to 23^rd floor at high speed. It is landscape that we can see from there. (Photo Below)

We can see floodgate, buildings, ships and small people at a look like miniatures.

People are waiting for riding cruise ship that run to Kimpo through A-ra waterway.

There is Promotion Hall at 1^st floor that make interests of children. If you visit here, you should drop by this promotion hall.

I knew many things about history of Incheon and had special and great time through Tour Bus. However, I feel sorry that we cannot watch enough in one place because we have to move to appointed place in limited time. If you want to know more you have to visit individually and experience deep. Person who came from Suwon told me that she thinks it is better than tour with car because it feels they tour properly and it’s cheaper. I think people will take another courses because of drivers’ kind and exciting explanation. 

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▶I add some contents you have to refer when you use Incheon City Tour Bus.

In April, they will take reservations for only B course because of traffic congestion by events in Kanghwa. 

City Tour Hompage: http://citytour.visitincheon.org/

You will have better time with beautifulness of Incheon after you visit homepage. There are less people who take weekday City Tour Bus. It was good to tour with less than 10 people but I wish many people use it and advertise Incheon more. 

(This article had inserted some contents of Incheon City Tour leaflet and Homepage.)

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Incheon City Tour Intra-city course (Theme-centered) First Boarding Experience