4 Best Sights in Side Trips from Seoul, South Korea

The best known and first Chinatown in Korea, Incheon's Chinatown is well over a century old. Its historic streets are lined with Chinese restaurants, Chinese-style townhouses, and a temple or garden or two hidden in the alleyways. Seek out the landmark flight of steps marking the boundary between the old Chinese and Japanese settlements, the stone lanterns that flank the steps representing the architectural styles of the respective nations.

This small but unique zone straddling the inter-Korean border secured by the United Nations Command and the North Korean military is where negotiations between the two sides are ongoing. This is usually the only place in South Korea where you can often see North Korean soldiers in the flesh. Within the Joint Security Area is the Bridge of No Return, a military line between the two sides where prisoners of war were exchanged after the Korean Armistice was signed in 1953.

This beautifully forested island in the Bukhangang River was created in 1944 when water rose with the construction of the nearby Cheongpyeong Dam. Initially just a sand bar, the island caught the attention of financier and former Bank of Korea governor Minn Byeong-do, who bought it in 1965 and turned it into an arboretum dissected by lanes of trees. Its tranquil walking paths lined by towering metasequoia and ginkgo draw more than 3 million visitors a year, including more than 1 million international visitors. Be sure to snap photos in the rows of trees at Ginkgo Tree Lane, Metasequoia Tree Lane, and Central Korean Pine Tree Lane to capture the island in all its majesty. The island has appeared in popular Korean TV shows, most notably the 2002 hit Winter Sonata, one of the first Korean TV series to achieve international success. This further drives its popularity, particularly with visitors from Korea's Asian neighbors. Be warned that the island can become crowded, particularly in autumn when the ginkgo trees turn golden. 

The spectacular Suwon Hwaseong Fortress was built in the late 18th century as part of a failed attempt to move the royal capital from Seoul. Consisting of more than three and half miles of stone and brick walls that reach 20 feet in height, the fortifications include imposing gates, watch towers, turrets, and even a detached palace. Designed by Jeong Yakyong, a renowned scholar of the so-called "practical knowledge" school of thought, the fortress incorporates scientific principles and leading fortification techniques from around the world in its construction and design. The fortress was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. With well-maintained paths lining the walls, you can circumnavigate the fortress in a couple of hours.