En route to Ulaan Baatar, with several hours' layover at Seoul airport ahead of us, we decided to get out and explore a little bit of historic Incheon.

Towards the end of the 19th century, whether its inhabitants liked it or not, Incheon was booted into the era of world trade, railways, and urbanization.

As Korea.net diplomatically explains:

"In 1876, Korea signed the Treaty of Ganghwado, which opened the country to foreign trade. Incheon was one of several harbor towns to become so-called 'open ports,' where international powers set up 'concessions' where they established offices, homes and churches built in international styles. This history has left Incheon an architectural heritage that's very unique in Korea.

"The largest of the foreign concessions were those of Qing China, today's Chinatown, and Japan. Those old concessions are now separated by a landmark flight of steps. In the old Japanese concession you'll find stately bank buildings, historic warehouses and Japanese-style homes. Several of the old banks are now museums, while the warehouse complex is now a culture and arts center."

It's not totally the easiest spot to get to. From the airport, you need a No 316 bus, which takes a good hour in each direction. You also need to allow plenty of time for the re-entering-the-airport formalities, as Incheon airport is actually not the fastest.

But it's worth it. There are some interesting buildings and museums that bear witness to all that history, and it's very picturesque. We had time only to scratch the surface, and would happily go back for more.

Add in the journey -- nice views of the water between the airport island and the mainland, a who's who tour of Korean industries, and lots of exposure to Korean signage -- and I think it's true to say our little jaunt definitely beat hanging round the airport.