Somewhat close, yet rather distant from the bustle of Seoul is Eulwangni Beach (을왕해수욕장) It can also be spelled Eurwangni, Ulwangni, or Eulwangri – the wonders of romanizing Korean into English. Although the beach is on Yeongjong Island, the same island as Incheon International Airport, the sounds of airplanes taking off or flying overhead isn’t heard anywhere in the area.

It should be noted that the word island doesn’t necessarily mean a far-off distant shore disconnected from the rest of the world. Korea has been working to reclaim land off the western shore; for better or worse, the environmentally-destructive practice is bringing more land within the borders of Korea:

Seen along the way; in the foreground is an example of the reclaimed land. While Yeongdong Island is still seperated from the mainland, it is connected via train and car. Some islands are connected by ferries that run from other islands, though I’ve yet to see a central station to get to all ferries. Perhaps the area at Wolmi-do is considered a hub for ferries to the nearby islands – more exploring is definitely necessary.

For an area that’s so close to Seoul, it still takes some time to get there. From Seoul, begin by getting to Gimpo International Airport and taking the AREX (Airport Railroad Express) train to the other terminal station of Incheon International Airport. A local bus goes around the island on a coastal road to the beach, so it’s fairly simple in terms of using public transportation.

Still aways from the beach, but the signs of activity are picking up.

A pretty cool looking playground – unusually abandoned. Most of the kids had already taken to the water:

Thanks to the hot and unusually blinding day, the people tend to appear as silhouettes.

Presenting the beach – bring your own tent (quite popular, even if only done for the day as shelter or a place for your stuff), or rent an umbrella and mat for 15,000 won (about $12 USD). Inner tubes were also available, and enough convenience stores were around for you to buy anything you forgot.

At low tide, the thicker sand / mud flats make for a transition from dry sand to murky water. The crescent-shaped beach is filled with shells in sand, and the water doesn’t get deeper than chest-depth unless you go way out (beyond-the-buoys way out).

The crowd in the water was a pretty typical mix of Koreans – having seen only a handful of foreigners here surprised me a bit. Nice day, fairly easy to get to, free beach – where are they?

More of the aforementioned umbrellas; beyond them are the tourist hotels and restaurants you would expect at a beach.

Speaking of restaurants – raw seafood or fish in noodles made for a good warm dish; some 회덮밥 (hoedeopbap; not pictured) served as a salad-like side dish with some raw fish in there as well.

Probably one of the nicest sunsets I’ve seen in awhile. (HT to the Sanity Inspector for noting it’s not a sunrise as originally written)

At this point the crowd had already migrated from the beach to the restaurants; no places looked like bars, and only one place I saw offered the carnival games you might expect to see at a beach (shooting game – for a bottle of liquor! – or basketball).

Seafood, seafood, and more seafood – a few places offered something a little more cooked, but bring your Korean book with you since there’s very little English around.

The row of restaurants along the crescent-shaped beach – and the water far prettier now than in the day.

A girl looking out at the water’s reflections.

Walking back to the bus stop along the beach. Some fireworks (and dumb people shooting off fireworks) made for some interesting views; don’t presume they know how to shoot them off! One guy hung onto a Roman Candle for just a little too long and looked like he nearly burned himself in the process…

Directions to Eulwangni Beach: If you prefer sticking to land, take line 5 or 9 to the Gimpo International Airport, then transfer to the AREX (Airport Railroad Express) train to the other terminal station of Incheon International Airport. Don’t bother with the ‘express’ train, which only leaves once an hour, saves only 5 minutes and costs twice as much. Once at Incheon International Airport, leave the AREX terminal and cross the street to the actual airport. Go up to the third floor (where buses leave from – they only arrive on the first level), then walk down to stop #2. Any of the four buses listed – 301, 302, 311, or 316 will make it’s longest stop at Eulwangni Beach. Expect the bus ride to be about 15-20 minutes long, and somewhat bumpy. The good news is that your T-money card will pay for your entire trip – just have enough money on it.

If you prefer trying out a ferry, take line 1 of the Seoul subway system to the Incheon station. Once there, take city bus No. 2, 15, 23, or 45 and get off at Wolmido Island Dock. At the dock, take a ferry to Yeongjongdo Island. Once in front of Yeongjongdo dock, take a city bus bound for Eurwangni and get off at Eurwangni Beach. They only come about once an hour and will be transporting you to the other side of the island, so it’ll be a longer ride.