Question from a reader: layover in Seoul

A reader named J.B. writes in
A friend and I will have a 10 hour layover at the airport in South Korea. Do you know of anyone who could pick us up at the airport, guide us to some of the sites, and return us to the airport?

We are in our 60s and want to see the area. We are retired teachers from Tennessee.
I'm afraid I don't know of anyone with a car - I wish I did at times! - but here are a couple ideas.

Step one: an International Taxi. A new service offered by the Seoul City Government, you can reserve a taxi and English-speaking driver in advance for the day at http://www.internationaltaxi.co.kr/ (click on English, hover over 'Service' at the top, then click on 'Seoul Tour'). The rate for 8 hours worth of taxi driving / sightseeing is 125,000 Korean won (about $107 US dollars), which doesn't include the minimal admission fees to the respective places (usually no more than a couple dollars per person).

Step two: public transportation around Korea is excellent. Given 10 hours (save one or so for getting checked in and through security before your flight out), one could easily take the AREX (a train connecting Incheon to Seoul) and see a number of sights. I wrote not too long ago about what to see if you only had 24 hours in Seoul - feel free to pick and choose from there.

While seeing more than the largest highlights of Seoul requires more than 10 hours, I suspect you'll get a nice taste of the area - and discover enough things to make a second, longer trip. Have fun!

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